During the past six years more than 1000 have participated in the project's workshops on drug abuse, HIV/AIDS, gender issues, sexuality, and environmental preservation.  More than 800 young Hmong men and 400 Hmong girls have benefited from the program initiatives.
As hilltribe villages move away from a subsistence lifestyle to a cash economy, their communities face a myriad of problems. These include poverty, a lack of citizenship and education, and a loss of traditional values and culture. The villages in this region have also been heavily impacted by the opium trade. During the Thai Government's ‘war on drugs' many members of the community were killed while others still remain imprisoned.

YOUTH NETWORK: Lifestyle choices and issues are discussed in range of forums as part of the Hmong Youth Network.

MMF's work
The Nan Hmong Youth Network is a pivotal part of the Nan Concern project. It is made up of members from more than10 villages around the provincial town of Tha Wang Pha . The Network is responsible for reaching out to other Hmong youth and for organizing activities for Hmong youth to be involved in. Among the events the network has organized include: sports days and‘children's days', both normally draw more than 200 children.

The Network is also responsible for publlishing a journal every three months to update participants, to provide news about previous events and to promote upcoming activities. MMF staff have also identified the need to provide occupational support to the youth who are at risk of dropping out of school. By providing work occu, youth were given an alternative source of income, thereby decreasing the need for them to migrate to the city to look for work.

In 2005 a planning and evaluation conference gave youth from all the participating villages the chance to share their experiences working on HIV/AIDS and drug issues, and to plan for future projects. Youth groups organize activities within their communities to help address these problems. For example, group leaders and volunteers regularly visit six families affected by HIV/AIDS to encourage them and to ensure they are receiving adequate support.

The staff has also specifically focused on targeting Hmong youth who are at risk for marrying young and participating in unsafe sex practices. Along with education regarding drug and alcohol abuse there has been a move to provide opportunities for sex education.

One of the forms through which this occupational support occurred was through providing the funds for the youth to purchase cattle and pigs, and providing training to them regarding how to care for them and treat some of their minor illness' with traditional herbs.