Since the beginning of the pandemic, many people have struggled to return to normalcy in their daily lives. The shift was felt across the world as political conflict and economic instability put marginalized groups at greater risk. In the wake of this global crisis, the support of non-profit organizations is required more than ever. It’s a passion that never stopped for philanthropist and full-time mom Katrina Sriranpong.
Katrina Sriranpong lives with her family in Vancouver, B.C., where she devotes her time between activism and caring for her two young sons. For more than 15 years, she’s been an advocate for issues on child welfare, particularly for children in conflict regions and orphans, as well as environmental preservation and animal protection.
Some of the charities she supports include UNICEF, War Child, The Orangutan Project, The New Hope Foundation, Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R), and Elephant Nature Park. She works to support these causes through donations, volunteering her time, and motivating her networks to support positive change in their communities and around the world.
“I have a deep interest in supporting organizations that provide assistance to refugees from war-torn countries or conflict regions,” Sriranpong said in an interview with inspirationfeed.com. “And, since my family is from Thailand, I have a significant interest in supporting organizations that aim to raise awareness on the issue of human trafficking, especially of children for sexual exploitation.”
Before becoming a full-time mom, Katrina Sriranpong worked as a lawyer and attended the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. She also studied in England at the University of Leicester and Oxford University. After she finished school, Katrina Sriranpong spent many years helping refugees settle in Canada from conflict regions as well as victims of human trafficking. Currently, Katrina Sriranpong splits her time between activism and raising her two young children, in whom she hopes to impart her philosophy of empathy and compassion.
“I think nurturing a social conscience in the next generation is crucial to change. As a mother of two, raising children who care and contribute are extremely important to me. This is the reason why traveling is so meaningful for me,” she said in the interview. “It’s an opportunity to expose my children to other countries and people who are less fortunate and find ways for my children to identify with other cultures. I believe we are all connected in some way.”
Katrina Sriranpong’s family had the opportunity to experience her commitment to help others when she decided to adopt a stray street dog from Phuket, Thailand. She found the dog through an organization called the Soi Dog Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports the welfare of stray dogs and cats in Thailand.
Founded in 2003 in Phuket, Thailand, Soi Dog Foundation rescues street dogs and cats who require urgent medical care. According to the organization’s website, the organization spays/neuters and vaccinates tens of thousands of stray dogs and cats throughout Thailand to control overpopulation, and has, to date, neutered over 690,000 animals since its founding. They also work hard to fight the dog meat trade in Asia where dogs are usually skinned and boiled alive. Katrina Sriranpong donated significantly to Soi Dog Foundation for the funding of their new state-of-the-art animal hospital in Phuket, which is now the largest and most advanced animal hospital in Southeast Asia.
Working with Soi Dog Foundation was a unique opportunity to encourage love and empathy for her family, Katrina Sriranpong said. As a former lawyer and busy mom, she has remained dedicated to promoting the causes she cares deeply about.
