In 2022, Solveig Kristina Frivold, mental health coordinator for HimalPartner in East Asia, started organizing the start-up of ICDP in Thailand. Close ties were established with ICDP in Nepal. It was agreed, that on behalf of ICDP international, a team of trainers from ICDP Nepal will start the process of training, with the aim of forming a team of facilitators in Thailand.
The first workshop was conducted in September and the second was held in October 2022. Participants included 13 professionals who were selected from different local organizations. After the workshops they conducted eight ICDP meetings with different groups of caregivers. One Burmese speaking group of caregivers attended the ICDP course in Mae Sot; In Bangkok there were two Thai speaking caregiver groups and in Chiang Mai there were also two groups of caregivers. One English speaking group of caregivers was trained in Chiang Mai. ICDP materials were translated into Thai and Burmese languages.
An ICDP committee was established who forged links with other local organizations. First steps were undertaken aimed at forming ICDP Thailand in 2023.
Sponsorship for the initial training came from HimalPartner but later, when the enthusiasm for the programme grew, some of the participants reached out to their own churches and secured funding for the remainder of the facilitator level training. The additional funding received came from The Evangelical Covenant Church, Illinois and University Covenant Church in Davis, California.
View this brief video featuring ICDP Thailand. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2xlOmDaGbU
In February, 2023, the first group of 13 facilitators received their ICDP certificates and by the end of the year there were 35 facilitators in total.