Stories

 

 

Matt Friedman is an international human trafficking expert with more than 35 years of experience. He is CEO of The Mekong Club, an organization of Hong Kong’s leading businesses that have joined forces to help end all forms of modern slavery. Mr. Friedman previously worked for USAID and the United Nations in over 40 countries. Mr. Friedman offers technical advice to numerous governments, banks, and corporations working to eliminate all forms of modern slavery and is the author of sixteen books. In 2017, Mr. Friedman received Asia’s prestigious “Communicator of the Year” Gold Award, and in 2025, he was honored with the Friends of ASEAN Business Award.

 

Thirty years ago, Matt Friedman, CEO and founder of The Mekong Club, worked as a senior USAID public health official across Asia, focused on education and prevention of HIV/AIDS in small rural communities.

 

As part of Matt’s work, he visited many shelters where he repeatedly heard the same themes of horror. Matt soon realized that exploitation was happening in the sex industry but also permeates global supply chains, from factories to farms to fishing boats.

Matt began to work in the United Nations in the anti-trafficking world, where he worked closely with the public and private sectors across Asia. During his tenure, he noticed a gap in engagement with the private sector in their anti-trafficking efforts. Not because they didn’t want to, but because they feared being named or shamed for approaching a UN official to ask for help.

 

As a result, Matt left the United Nations and started The Mekong Club in Asia’s financial center, Hong Kong, to provide a safe space for companies around the world to collaborate on identifying and addressing labor exploitation in the private sector.

 

Learn more about his incredible work at The Mekong Club

 

Matt's presentation will be on Zoom at 1:30 p.m. Bangkok time.  For your invitation please contact president@rotaryclubchiangmaiwattana.org 

Commencement: June 15, 2016

 

Coordinating Unit : RC Chiang Mai Wattana, District 3360 RI

 

 

To teach youth to be able to plan their activities for days, weeks, months and year to make a healthier life and to set their life goal as early as possible. 

 

 

Student planner

 

       2. Developed thinking and writing skills among youth

 

 

Commencement: March 15, 2013

 

Coordinating Unit: RC Chiang Mai Wattana, District 3360

 

RC Chiang Mai Wattana started in 2012 with 25 charter members: 23 Thais, 1 Filipina and 1 Filippino.  The numbers of our members grew fast to 48 at one time but declined as time went by.

 

Since majority of our members are teachers, students’ parents and scientists, the club activities focused on environmental conservation and youth education.  Currently we are focusing more on human trafficking prevention.

 

We had Rotary Exchange Students from U.S.A., Brazil, Taiwan, France, Germany and Canada.  Our outbound students went to Mexico, Germany, Venezuela, United States of America and Taiwan.

 

Projects have been primarily financed by contributions from our friends.  They include 3 environmental conservation projects, Life Skills Development for Awareness, Drowning Prevention for grade 4 students, Visual Screening and Correction for grades 3 and 5 students, Anti-Human Trafficking training for teachers, students, parents and community leaders.  We invite other rotary clubs and organizations to join hands making a better world for all. 

 

Our club logo consists of 7 lotus petals surrounding a gear which means we work 7 days around the clock in order to make a better world for all. Shocking pink lotus petals refer to the color for Chiang Mai. 

 

We welcome anyone from around the world to join us as regular active members or associate members. We meet online on the 2^nd Sunday of each month and in person on the 4^th Sunday.  All Rotarians, Rotaractors, Rotary Peace Fellows and invited guests are welcome.   For your invitation contact president@rotaryclubchiangmaiwattana.org.

 

 

On January 4, 2013, Mae Poon Luang school in Wiang Pa Pao District, Chiang Rai, was burned down.  The school started according to King Rama IX’s suggestion.  There were 250 students, kindergarteners and primary school students, at that school high in the mountain away from any civilization.  All teaching facilities and tools, computers, were all damaged. On May 5, 2019 we provided computers, teaching materials, uniforms, shoes

 

Commencement: February 2019

 

Coordinating Unit: RC Chiang Mai Wattana, D. 3360 RI

 

 

Anti-Human Trafficking training is our current signature project.

 

 

Young people are easy to be trafficked. From the spread of COVID-19, schools had to use online teaching instead leading to more cases of online trafficking. Nowadays, there are cases of child trafficking reported. 

 

 

We trained teachers, students, parents and community leaders how to be safe from human trafficking. 

 

 

Awareness is widely increased and fewer cases of human trafficking reported.

 

Commencement: August, 2019

 

Coordinating Unit: RC Chiang Mai Wattana, D. 3360 RI

 

 

Students who do not perform well in class are often considered to be less clever than other students.  Once their vision is screened and corrected, it could be found that their performance is as good as others with normal vision. 

 

 

RC Chiang Mai International

 

 

Students who need vision correction can perform well in class.

Increased collaboration and cooperation between Rotary Clubs

 

Commencement: September 2019

 

Coordinating Unit: RC Chiang Mai Wattana, D. 3360 RI

 

 

Drowning is number one cause of death among youth.  It can be prevented by giving swimming and lifesaving lesson to students.

 

 

Bronco Kids Sports Club

Kru Payu swimming coach team

 

10 2-hr. sessions of swimming and lifesaving lessons are given to grade 4 students each year.

 

Students who were taught do not drown. 

 

 

Commencement : March 15, 2013

 

Coordinating Unit : RC Chiang Mai Wattana, D. 3360 RI

 

Commencement : March 15, 2013

 

Coordinating Unit : RC Chiang Mai Wattana, D. 3360 RI

 

Objectives

Current problem

Action Plan

Expected Outcome

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Sombat Tapanya received his PhD in psychology from the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He worked as a clinical psychologist at the Somdet Chaopraya Psychiatric Institute in Bangkok between 1972 and 1984, and as assistant professor at the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Thailand, during 1985 - 2011.

Dr. Tapanya’s research interest is in the area of violence prevention and peace education in children and youths. He has conducted research projects on positive discipline and bullying prevention through a grant from the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. In addition, he is also on a research team with Duke University on the effects of parenting behavior on children’s adjustment, with Temple University on adolescents’ decision-making, with University of Manitoba on positive discipline, and another research project on youth resilience with Dalhousie University in Canada. In 2016, he completed a 3-month training program on Peace Education with Rotary International at Chulalongkorn University. More recently, during 2019-2020 he has been a member of the research team with University of Oxford and UNICEF Thailand on parenting skills training for low-income families in north-eastern Thailand.

As a psychotherapist Dr. Tapanya has been trained in Gestalt Therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Therapy. He has been certified by EMDR Europe as trainer of EMDR.

 

Contact information:

Email: sombat.tapanya@gmail.com

www.peaceculturefoundation.org/grooming-prevention-

 

Register at  Register for First Meeting | Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana

 

 

Project: Anti-Human Trafficking Training by Pongsawart Niyomca and Rotary Club of Chiang Mai Wattana D. 3360 on the topic of How to Avoid Being Trafficked.

Objective: to train the attendants to be aware of human trafficking in the present world and be able to teach other community members to prevent themselves and their loved ones from being trafficked, held on 17 August 2025, at Suandok Community, Chiang Mai for 30 minute training. Participants were Suandok Community Committee and Community Health Volunteer. Number of participants were 36 persons. Output from the training/orientation: the participants learned many things they had never known before. They learned how to prevent themselves from being lured and will be more alert and be closer to their loved ones.