It started with one woman and two children
In 1987 Tasanee Keereepraneed took in a boy and a girl who had lost their parents. Nearly forty years later, Safe Haven is still a household, just a much bigger one.
Safe Haven is a home that provides disadvantaged children with proper nurture, nutrition, shelter, clothing, medical care and education - open to children of every community, faith and culture.
How Safe Haven began
Children at the original Safe Haven Orphanage location on the Thai/Burma border - December 2005.
In 1987 Mrs. Tasanee Keereepraneed started to care for orphaned children in her village of Ban Tha Song Yang (also known as Mae Tawo), Thailand. Having lost her own father at a young age and her children also having lost their father, Tasanee decided that she would care for the orphaned children of Thailand and Burma.
Ban Tha Song Yang is about 2 hours north of Mae Sot on the Thai/Burma border. It is a picturesque Karen village in northern Thailand. It sits next to the Moei River, is surrounded by jungle and beautiful limestone mountains. It's a small village where all the kids play together and all the parents know each other.
Tasanee and her brother converted their childhood home into an open space to accommodate the children. Starting with whatever funds were available, she built the foundation of what has become the first Safe Haven Orphanage. Relying on her personal funds and the donations of the people of Mae Sot, she was able to expand and take on more children. She now has over fifty children under her care.
Who runs Safe Haven Orphanage?
The Children
The children range in age from as little as 1 month old, to over 20 years old. The majority of the children reside in Ban Tha Song Yang (Mae Tawo), where the local school is so overcrowded and under-funded that it finishes at grade nine. To finish high school and begin college, the children must come down to Mae Sot to finish their studies.
The children learn responsibility from a young age, they are expected to do homework and chores before being able to play with their brothers and sisters. They eat, work, study and play together, this infuses them with the sense of family that they desperately need. Most of our kids were orphaned by the Military government currently in power in Burma [see Background on Burma].
To steer the kids away from lives controlled by anger and revenge we rely on the kids to foster a sense of love and commitment within themselves. With anger in their hearts they would be doomed to the same fate as many of their brethren, hopelessly lost in a war they cannot win. Only through education and integration can we expect change for them and the Karen people as a whole.
The children range in age from as little as 1 month old, to over 20 years old.
The ride to school in Ban Tha Song Yang.
The children are given every opportunity to fulfill their educational dreams.
We are working towards
Safe Haven Orphanage is going through the lengthy process to become a registered foster home in Thailand. The main purpose of this is to also ensure that all children in our care receive full legal status as citizens of Thailand.
Legal status for every child
Registration as a foster home so that all children in our care become citizens of Thailand.
Building work to meet the rules
Several building projects are needed to fulfil the regulatory requirements. As funds become available, materials are sourced locally and labour is contracted nearby.
Water, food and a clinic
A more sustainable water supply, more of our own food, and a specialised health clinic for the children and the area.
No Adoption Policy
Children making pizza for 2026 new year celebrations at Safe Haven Orphanage.
All the children from Safe Haven Orphanage are from Burma and are not Thai nationals, and are therefore ineligible for adoption. Please keep in mind that if you are looking to adopt a Burmese child, please make sure you do a thorough check of the agency doing the adoption as there is no adoption from Burma internal and some agencies employ unethical methods to obtain children from Burma.
At Safe Haven, we hold the belief that while the 'West' may appear to provide more immediate advantages for the children under our care, their long-term well-being is best served by fostering a familial environment. Living among their numerous brothers and sisters in a nurturing atmosphere, immersed in a familiar culture and lifestyle, allows them to thrive, grow, and actively contribute as valued members of their communities.
Supporters
Donations received from volunteers and visitors are used to cover the daily costs of running the orphanage. We also receive support from some Non-Government Organizations (NGO's) who assist with food supplies and health checks. We would like to sincerely thank the following people/organisations for their valuable assistance: