Abiya’s Future is Bright

August 2025

Abiya’s story is a little different from others we’ve shared.

Abiya and her brother are fortunate to live at home with their parents, whose time is split between working and caring for their children. Until the recent birth of her brother, Abiya had been cared for by her aunt while her parents were at work. But now, her aunt has returned to work, and Abiya’s mother is caring for her newborn. While this family is facing a hectic time in life, they are not in crisis. However, they are looking ahead and making decisions to secure a future of increased opportunity for their children, and we can certainly identify with that. 

Abiya’s parents want her to be able to eventually attend a Thai school, and in order to do that, they know that she needs to experience early childhood educational and social opportunities with her peers. They know that she also needs exposure to the Thai language so that she can begin to learn to communicate with her classmates, as her family speaks only Karen at home. Having heard about the work of GCA’s Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP), Abiya's parents approached GCA and asked for help. We were delighted to get to partner with Abiya’s family!

Abiya’s First Days at GCA’s Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)

When Abiya first arrived at the center, she experienced what many children feel when there is a significant change in their lives: fear. To cope with this new feeling, Abiya insisted on carrying her backpack everywhere she went, just as some of our children carry around a favorite toy or “lovie” as they learn to feel secure away from home. Whether playing, eating, or napping, Abiya’s backpack was slung over her shoulders, providing physical comfort and weighty feedback to calm her and make her feel safe.

The ECDP’s highly trained staff implemented a plan to help ease Abiya’s transition to the ECDP. At first, Abiya attended the ECDP for half of the day, and over time, gradually lengthened her stay until she was spending the full day with her peers. For Abiya, this transition period included many of the responses that the ECDP staff and teachers expect and are prepared to handle. 

Abiya was comfortable only speaking Karen to the few other children who could speak it, which resulted in her being isolated from many of her peers. Like all children, Abiya was at times unable to express her feelings with words and would demonstrate aggressive behavior like hitting others and struggling to make amends. She preferred to play alone and was unwilling to share the things she wanted to use. She was reluctant to accept help or guidance from teachers, and it took time for her to adjust to other school norms like mealtimes and nap times. The teachers and staff of the EDCP are extremely caring and patient; they knew that Abiya would have success and they were committed to being a consistent source of safety and support for her.

It is so exciting to report that after only three months at the ECDC, Abiya has made incredible progress!

She has improved in every area where she previously experienced difficulty. Her emotions are better regulated, and she feels safe enough to be able to hang up her backpack and enjoy the day without carrying it around.

She is accepting guidance from teachers and is learning how to engage with new friends by observing the positive behavior and interactions of her peers. Abiya is much less aggressive toward her friends now, and is learning to share and show caring behavior toward her classmates. She especially loves coloring and is quite good at it! She is starting to communicate in Burmese, English, and Thai. Her mother recently reported to the teachers that Abiya also speaks Burmese at home! Moreover, Abiya’s parents have an excellent relationship with the ECDP staff and teachers which dramatically increases the benefits of early childhood intervention and education.