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the Mae Yao project encourages and supports tribal women in activities that are important to them as well as invites them to be involved in decision making processes surrounding project initiatives. There is also a strong emphasis on integrating Christian values into all of the program activities.

In 2002, the Thai Government declared the area surrounding Mae Yao a National Park. The decision had an immediate impact on local villages. Their stock of agricultural land was slashed and their ability to produce crops was cut. As a consequence, the people resorted to using chemical fertilizers to generate their required yields. But the use of chemicals, coupled with deforestation and soil erosion, further degraded their available farmland. Mae Yao has a two-pronged response. One, the project is working together with other organizations advocating for the adjustment of the Government's plan. They also provide opportunities for the villagers to interact with officials regarding this issue. And two, it instructs communities in the ways of sustainable farming that rejuvenates the soil in hopes that the Government will allow continued agricultural production in the National Park zone and that the land itself will be improved.