Chiva Pa Doi (meaning “the heart of the highlands”) is a project implemented by CARE in Thailand since 2014, with the financial assistance of the Chanel Foundation, in support to women empowerment and entrepreneurship in remote villages in the highlands of Northern Thailand.

Through this project, conducted in 10 villages of Galayani Vadhana, Mae Chaem, and Om Koi Districts of Chiang Mai province, CARE supported close to 187 individuals (182 women and 5 men) to design and implement income-generating activities, while building their capacities to run businesses and conceive marketing strategies. The initial hypothesis was that through this approach, the beneficiaries would ultimately diversity their sources of income and therefore improve their overall financial stability and wellbeing. The project also aimed to enhance women empowerment by building their capacity so that they can gain self-confidence, contribute increasingly their household’s incomes and have a greater say in household and community level decision making. [31 pages]