Hope for Life Thailand (HFLT), one of SIMaid’s Hope for Life HIV projects, outworks the compassion of Christ to those affected by or living with HIV. Areas of focus include prevention amongst Thai youth, provision of care and support to families impacted by HIV and equipping the church to respond to issues of brokenness within communities.   
 
Jacqui Croxon, a SIMaid mission worker who is serving with HFLT, said, “The heart of HFLT is to bring hope and give life to those living with and impacted by HIV. We work to build relationships, care for and strengthen life, and provide places and spaces for learning, so that we may see lives and communities in Thailand transformed.” 

Shortly after Jacqui arrived on the field, she was involved in a ministry at a girl’s juvenile prison. One day as she made her way through the prison gate, a young volunteer who was with the team for the day asked the Project Director, “What are the girls in here for?” With no hesitation, Jacqui overheard the Director respond that it doesn’t matter how they ended up in prison. “I don’t think either of them knew that I overheard that conversation, but my Director’s response has stuck with me to this day,” Jacqui shared. “It doesn’t matter what people have done to be where they are or how they contracted HIV. These things don’t disqualify them from God’s grace. It is for everyone.” 

In December 2021, the HFLT team celebrated the project’s 10th anniversary. In the past decade, Thailand has seen a decline in HIV prevalence in the Thai population. However, since its inception, HFLT has responded to a very crucial need that wasn’t being met. HFLT’s Project Director and his wife (Daeng and Ann) had been involved in HIV work in Thailand for over three decades with secular NGO’s before HFLT was created.  



Jacqui explained, “As they did this, they saw significant progress made with access to HIV treatment and care, which meant people living with HIV were able to live very normal and healthy lives. But what they observed went deeper than the physical. They saw that the mental and emotional burden of living with an incurable condition, and the experience of stigma and discrimination, often left people without hope. It’s to this need for hope that SIM and the Hope for Life Thailand project has been able to respond.” 

As the HFLT team celebrate this milestone, they are thankful for the lives that have been transformed with hope, and for the local churches that have been equipped to support the broken and hurting. As the team look to the future, they will continue to partner with local Thai churches so they can create deep and nurturing relationships in communities impacted by brokenness.  
 

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PRAY: Join us in giving thanks to God for His faithfulness to Hope for Life Thailand over the past 10 years. Pray for the team as they continue to show God’s compassion to those around them.  

GIVE: Do you want to partner with the work of Hope for Life Thailand? You can give by visiting sim.org.au/hopeforlifethailand.