About Us

Pratthanadee is an award-winning Thai and US charity, established in 1999 to provide free training for women and girls in Thailand.

Students at a Pratthanadee workshop

With a small team of local staff, an international board and a group of dedicated volunteers, we provide training, mentoring and careers guidance to over 3,000 undereducated and economically underprivileged women and girls in central Bangkok and rural Ubon Ratchathani each year.

We believe in empowerment, not dependence. Our aim is to build the confidence and potential of young women from poor regions across Thailand to help them build safe and successful lives.

Our Mission

The mission of the Pratthanadee Foundation is to empower underprivileged women and girls in Thailand.

Girl scouts attending a Pratthanadee event We do this by providing access to free careers guidance, personal development workshops and mentoring, equipping undereducated women and girls from poor backgrounds with the tools they need to protect themselves, make healthy life decisions, and access safe and meaningful work. We help them to improve their situation, increase their economic earning power and create a better future.

Our Story So Far

Where It All Began
1999
Founded on December 8, 1999 by Enrique Cuan, as an English school for underprivileged women in Bangkok.
Expanding the Vision
2005
Career and personal development workshops added to meet broader needs.
Reaching Rural Girls
2011
PND opens a second office in Ubon Ratchathani to serve girls in northeast Thailand.
Taking Learning Beyond the Classroom
2012
Training expands into communities and schools across Bangkok and Ubon.
National Recognition
2014
Awarded Mid-Sized Thai NGO of the Year by The Rockefeller Foundation and The Resource Alliance (under our former name of the ‘Goodwill Group Foundation’).
A New Chapter for Women
2016
PND launches Better Me for Women, a life-changing 9-month empowerment program.
Scaling for Greater Impact
2023
Better Me for Girls expands from a single workshop to a yearlong, 4-part curriculum.
Marking a Global Milestone
2024
PND celebrates its 25th anniversary with a refreshed brand, a new website, and the launch of a U.S. Advisory Council to expand international awareness and support.