Many people view starting businesses as a calculated gamble. For us, it’s a response to real-life problems and needs. Our primary long-term goal is to address the lack of Godly businesses and healthy work environments in the Santitham community. Mid-term, we aim to create income opportunities for the families we serve. In the short term, we focus on building stable micro-businesses to fund our ministry outreach expenses.
Practically, here’s the needs we are addressing through the projects we’ve started:
1. The need for nutritious food
Many children in our community rely on instant noodles and fried dough, with little to no nutritional value. Healthy, fresh food is often too expensive. To address this, we grow and sell fresh vegetables at the local market and distribute them to families to supplement their diets.
This November, after months of research and testing, we scaled up our hydroponic farm by optimizing seed germination, sunlight exposure, and fertilizer mixtures. By mid-December, we expect our first major harvest, just in time for our Christmas outreach event.
Meanwhile, our mushroom farm has been thriving. For over a month, we’ve sold out fresh mushrooms and perfected a recipe for fried mushrooms that maximizes crispiness and flavor. This Christmas season, we’ll test this healthier snack at local markets and open a small store in front of our office. We’re excited to see the response!
2. The need for therapeutic rest
Creating DIY pipe cleaner flowers is both therapeutic and artistic. It’s also accessible, allowing youths to participate and earn side income.
For the Christmas season, we’ve added Mini Christmas Tree packs to our store and will sell readymade flowers and DIY kits at local markets. We look forward to seeing our youths and staff collaborate, enjoying the process and the meaningful conversations that come with it.
3. The need for self-expression
Vintage clothing is highly popular among Thailand’s Gen Z population, offering a trendy way to express individuality. Authentic vintage pieces, especially from the 90s, are in demand, and we see this as an opportunity to connect with the younger generation.
While TikTok livestream sales have been slow, we’ve learned valuable lessons:
- Niching down to a specific genre of vintage clothing is essential.
- Product offerings and promotions matter more than livestream timing.
- Setting up a vintage market booth can help build brand awareness.
Looking ahead, we hope to expand into a full-fledged second-hand clothing market with ultra-affordable options (under 1 SGD per piece), targeting the Santitham community.
A Big Thank You!
Thanks to you—our donors and prayer warriors—we’ve seen growth and progress in our staff and projects. Over the past nine months, we’ve invested in our staff, who, in turn, pour into the youths and kids. We’re incredibly proud of their efforts.
As God loves us, we can love others too, letting His love compel us toward Christ and His people.
We pray that these projects fulfill God’s purpose and bless our staff, youths, and community. Please join us in praying for wisdom and courage as we manage these initiatives and mentor our team!