Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities
In 1989, Sompop founded the "Daughters Education Programme (DEP)" to prevent girls from being forced into the sex industry, by funding their education.[5] Working with a network of volunteers in villages in northern Thailand, DEP intervenes with girls and their families before they are sold to brothel owners, providing them with free vocational education so they can be self-reliant and economically independent.[6][7]
In 1992, DEP became a part of a larger umbrella organization, Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities (DEPDC). DEPDC operates an emergency shelter for abused and abandoned children and for girls who have left prostitution. DEPDC also offers education programs and human rights training for indigenous people and undocumented migrants.[8]
Mekong Youth Net
Sompop resigned as director of DEPDC in 2007 to focus on anti-trafficking programmes throughout the Greater Mekong sub-region, including Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, and Yunnan Province in China. Through the Mekong Youth Net, grassroots youth leaders have been brought together to provide relief and solutions to the exploitation of girls among the hill tribes and minority communities of the region.[9][10]
Honors and awards
Ashoka fellow, Public Broadcasting Service New Hero (2005).[11]
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