Mae Sot WE Centre: Bridging Survival and Opportunity for Women
Launched by UN Women in partnership with the Help Without Frontiers Foundation, the Mae Sot WE Centre is the tenth facility in a rapidly growing network across Thailand’s border provinces. In a town defined by diversity and displacement, this center offers more than just classes—it offers a path to safety and self-reliance.
Empowerment Through Skill-Building The center addresses the overlapping risks faced by women in Mae Sot, including economic insecurity, domestic violence, and social exclusion. To combat these, the WE Centre provides a comprehensive curriculum:
Vocational Training: Sewing, soap-making, and traditional handicrafts.
Digital Literacy: Training in digital design and online marketing to help women sell products globally.
Language & Life Skills: Thai and Myanmar language courses alongside education on migrants’ rights and protection from online scams.
“Today, it is not enough to know only how to make something,” explains Siriporn Kaewsombat, Director of Help Without Frontiers. “You also need to know how to present it, promote it, and sell it online.”
A Lifeline for the Displaced For many women with insecure legal status, the WE Centre is the only place they feel safe enough to seek help. By “speaking the same language”—both literally and through shared experience—women from different backgrounds are building a support network that acts as a local lifeline.
Nandar Sanlwin, a 27-year-old teacher at the center, sees education as the ultimate equalizer. Originally from Myanmar, she now helps young migrant girls avoid exploitative labor by providing them with the tools to choose a safer, dignified future.
The Growing Network of WE Centres As of February 2026, there are now 10 UN Women-supported WE Centres across Thailand, with an 11th scheduled to launch in Narathiwat next month. These centers localize the global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, proving that when women have a trusted place to gather, “possibility can become change.”