Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards-Sustainability Action Awards SDG04:Bronze
Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation
"Love Beyond Borders" Northern Thailand Mandarin Companion-Learning Program
Since 1994, Tzu Chi has tackled inequalities faced by remnants' descendants in remote Northern Thailand through education. In 2024, Tzu Chi International Youth Association launched "Love Beyond Borders." Partnering with National Taiwan Normal University, the initiative utilizes innovative digital platforms and hybrid camps, mobilizing Taiwanese youth (university companions) to provide remote accompaniment and systematical empowerment for Thai schoolchild companions to enhance their competitiveness. Aligned with SDGs, the program tracks outcomes through a data-driven system. By late 2025, it mentored over 184 students, accumulated 6,469.5 online tutoring hours, and helped 114 students obtain TOCFL certifications. This qualification yields an estimated 5,000 THB monthly salary premium, breaking the cycle of poverty. Crucially, the program champions a scalable "Talent Localization" model—sponsoring local youth to study in Taiwan and return as native educators—fundamentally resolving regional teacher shortages and creating a sustainable, interconnected social ecosystem.