Thai Buddhist temples



Thailand is truly a land that is steeped in thick darkness. It is 95% Buddhist, 4% Muslim and only .6% Christian, even though there has been a Christian witness in the land for over 150 years. It has been a kingdom since the 13th Century and has never been ruled by a Western power. They changed the name from Siam to Thailand, which means 'Land of the Free'. However, the land is in bondage to a complex web of culture, spirit appeasement, occult practices and Buddhism, with a social cohesiveness out of which few dare come. Many Thai Christians fast and pray one day a month for the spiritual breakthrough so that the Thai may be free indeed through the Lord Jesus.
-(excerpts from Operation World)

Thailand is currently experiencing an HIV/AIDS epidemic that has spread across the Thai population, including the general population of women who are of childbearing age. Current estimates are that 23,000 of the 1 million annual births in Thailand will occur to HIV positive women. The problem is even more acute in the northern region of Thailand where estimates show that 6-10% of the women in the hospital to deliver children are HIV positive. Children born to HIV positive mothers are exposed to infection during pregnancy, through delivery, and post delivery feeding. Furthermore, children born to HIV positive parents remain at risk of becoming orphans or being abandoned due to parental desperation or inability to provide care.