ITDF: Integrated Tribal Development Foundation

18/05/2026

Let the sorting begin!
It’s that time of year again as coffee begins rolling in from our 40 coffee farmers across 400 villages. After passing through a sorting machine, every bean is still carefully hand-sorted to ensure the highest quality before traveling to destinations around the world. ☕️

ITDF created Thailand’s first fair trade coffee co-op, providing training, tree seedlings, and equipment to resource-poor farmers so they can reach international market standards. Through partnerships like Starbucks Thailand, Lanna Café Chiangmai and Lanna Coffee USA, this project helps create sustainable income and lasting opportunity for farming families across Northern Thailand.

15/05/2026

Thank you Mahidol University!

We had the pleasure of hosting graduate students from Mahidol University who are pursuing their M.A. in ASEAN Studies for Sustainable Development.

They were a passionate group, asking thoughtful questions and showing genuine interest in the work of ITDF. Their studies focused especially on our coffee initiatives, agriculture projects, and the women’s Co-op.

They came, they saw, they listened, and they absorbed valuable insight into sustainable development here in Thailand. Their curiosity, engagement, and heart for learning were deeply encouraging to our team.

We are especially grateful for their generous and heartfelt donation. Thank you for investing not only in the work of ITDF, but in the lives and futures of the people we work alongside each day.

08/05/2026

We are honored to share this story highlighting a meaningful new chapter in the long-standing relationship between Starbucks Thailand and ITDF.
This proposed three-year initiative seeks to further empower hill tribe coffee farming communities across Northern Thailand through hands-on training, sustainable farming support, and strengthened opportunities for future generations. We are deeply grateful for partnerships that invest not only in coffee, but in people, families, and communities.

Read more here:
https://stories.starbucks.com/asia/stories/2026/starbucks-support-for-northern-thai-coffee-farmers/

Announced ahead of World of Coffee Bangkok 2026 in collaboration with the Integrated Tribal Development Foundation, the initiative aims to advance farming capabilities and post-harvest practices to improve coffee quality, productivity and climate resilience

03/05/2026

Empowering villagers with new knowledge of holistic health is at the heart of our Agriculture Project.

Through hands-on learning, community members are discovering how to use herbs from their own environment to create natural compresses—bringing relief to fatigued muscles and easing the pain of arthritis caused by their rigorous daily work.

This is more than health education. It’s about restoring dignity, strengthening self-reliance, and honoring the wisdom already present in their communities.

When knowledge meets tradition, healing begins from within.

27/04/2026

Today we honor and celebrate Athichai Phupithaktham as he retires after 32 years of faithful service with ITDF.

A member of the Lahu community, Athichai began his journey working in water projects and later moved into agriculture and coffee development—areas where his impact has been deeply felt across many hill tribe communities.

In recent years, he has followed his own growing passion for coffee farming, cultivating his own coffee for the past two years. Now, he steps into retirement to continue that work in his village and to spend more time with his family.

His dedication, humility, and deep well of knowledge have been a true blessing to ITDF and to all who have had the privilege of working alongside him. Over the years, he has been known not only as a colleague, but also as a father figure, friend, brother in Christ, and a steady source of gentle leadership.

We are profoundly grateful for his years of service and the lives he has touched.

We look forward to hearing the stories of his coffee fields as this new chapter unfolds.

With gratitude and blessing,

ITDF Family

วันนี้เราขอร่วมแสดงความยินดีและขอบคุณอย่างสุดซึ้งต่อ อธิชัย ภูพิทักษ์ธรรม ในโอกาสเกษียณอายุหลังจากการทำงานรับใช้กับ ITDF ยาวนานถึง 32 ปี

อธิชัยเป็นพี่น้องชนเผ่าลาหู่ ผู้เริ่มต้นการทำงานกับโครงการด้านน้ำ ก่อนจะก้าวเข้าสู่งานด้านการเกษตรและกาแฟ ซึ่งตลอดเส้นทางที่ผ่านมา เขาได้สร้างคุณูปการอย่างลึกซึ้งต่อชุมชนชนเผ่าบนพื้นที่สูงมากมาย

ในช่วงหลายปีหลัง เขาได้เดินตามความตั้งใจของตนเองในการทำไร่กาแฟ โดยเริ่มปลูกและดูแลกาแฟของตนเองมาเป็นเวลา 2 ปี และในวันนี้ เขาได้ก้าวเข้าสู่การเกษียณเพื่อกลับไปดำเนินชีวิตในหมู่บ้านของตน และใช้เวลากับครอบครัวอย่างเต็มที่

ความมุ่งมั่น ความอ่อนน้อม และความรู้ความสามารถที่เปี่ยมล้นของเขา ได้เป็นพรอันยิ่งใหญ่ต่อ ITDF และต่อทุกคนที่ได้ร่วมงานด้วยตลอดระยะเวลาที่ผ่านมา เขาเป็นที่รักและเป็นที่รู้จักในหลายบทบาท ทั้งในฐานะพ่อ เพื่อน พี่น้อง และพี่น้องในพระคริสต์ รวมถึงผู้นำที่เปี่ยมด้วยความเมตตาและความสุภาพอ่อนโยน

เราขอขอบคุณอย่างสุดหัวใจสำหรับการรับใช้และการอุทิศตนของเขา รวมถึงชีวิตมากมายที่เขาได้สัมผัสและเปลี่ยนแปลง

เราตั้งตารอฟังเรื่องราวของไร่กาแฟ และการเดินทางบทใหม่ของเขาที่กำลังจะเริ่มต้นขึ้นด้วยความยินดี

ด้วยความรักและความขอบคุณ
ITDF ครอบครัว

24/04/2026

There’s a quiet excitement rising in the remote village of Khun Khan Noi this week.

Hope arrives not with words, but with the rumble of ITDF trucks—loaded high with long stretches of blue PVC pipe. Piece by piece, pipe by pipe, they are carefully unloaded… and with each one, you can feel it: joy, anticipation, and the promise of something life-changing.

Because water changes everything like a ripple effect. It means children can stay in school instead of walking long distances to collect it. It means healthier families, thriving crops, and dignity restored in everyday life.

This is more than a delivery.
It’s hope in motion.

Join us to continue creating a lasting ripple effect of clean water to more villages:
https://www.integratedtribaldevelopmentfoundation.org

20/04/2026

The classroom looks different now—but the impact is exactly what she envisioned.

Before her passing, Principal Nam saw a shift begin at Ma Oh Jo School. Students who once struggled with focus and confidence began engaging, creating, and learning in entirely new ways through technology.

“3rd grade student Miss Siriwan Yodyingapiram is already reading Thai books up to volume 14 out of 20, while some older students are still at level 5. Students now feel no pressure, being able to learn at their own pace.” — Principal Nam

What started as a response to boredom and disengagement became something much more. Students began coming in on Saturdays, teaching themselves new skills, solving problems together, and even creating their very first yearbook. Today, it still is the highlight of the 6th grade students.

“Through this new technology… students are more focused, gaining more independent learning skills and a renewed motivation for learning.” — Principal Nam

Her leadership planted something lasting. And today, we’re still seeing it grow.

16/04/2026

Growing up in a rural village often means limited resources—but it also sparks incredible creativity and determination.

In the village of Huay Pong, these young girls have turned what others might see as rubbish into something meaningful. Using plastic bags, rope, and bamboo strips, they’ve built their own backstrap looms—driven by a deep desire to learn and practice their ancestral weaving craft.

Through the Hands to Heart Women’s Cooperative Project, youth are encouraged to participate in handicraft skill training, gaining not only practical skills but a renewed sense of pride in their heritage.

This is how traditions live on—when the next generation chooses to carry them forward. Even as the world changes, these beautiful ancestral crafts will not be forgotten.

10/04/2026

There is a sacred kind of joy in a mother’s heart when she watches her child step into a future she once only dreamed of.

Through the gift of education, doors open wider… opportunities stretch farther… and dreams once out of reach begin to unfold.

This graduation is more than a moment—
it is the fruit of sacrifice, love, and countless prayers.

To see her child walk across that stage is to witness a legacy changing in real time. It is deep pride, and even deeper gratitude—knowing her child will have choices, opportunities, and a future filled with hope.

Today, you can be part of another story like this.

Would you consider giving to help a student pursue their education and step into the life they’ve dreamed of?

https://lanfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/111210-community-sponsor

Every gift opens a door. Every life changed creates a ripple of hope.

02/04/2026

It’s that season once again for our ITDF coffee project staff!

The hills are alive with the rhythm of harvest, processing, sorting, and packing green beans that will travel to lands near and far.

But this isn’t just coffee.
It’s hope in every bean.

From farmer to cup, each step represents dignity, partnership, and sustainable income for the families we serve. What’s grown in the highlands of Northern Thailand carries a story of perseverance, community, and opportunity.

We send green beans to roasters all over the world, sharing not just coffee, but the story of lives being transformed, one harvest at a time.

29/03/2026

A moment they will never forget.

For the first time, clean water flows freely from a simple PVC pipe into the hands of this village… and with it, joy overflows. Smiles, laughter, and a sense of relief fill the air as community members gather around what many of us might take for granted.

This is more than water.
It’s health.
It’s time saved from long daily walks.
It’s children able to attend school instead of carrying heavy containers.
It’s dignity restored.

The ripple effect of clean water reaches far beyond this moment, transforming an entire community for generations to come.
We are humbled and grateful to be part of what God is doing here.

You can be part of the next ripple.
Your gift doesn’t just provide water, it multiplies into health, education, opportunity, and hope for entire villages.

Join us in creating the next story of transformation:

https://lanfoundation.networkforgood.com/projects/107480-water-projects