On September 24, 2025, Mark Lloyd delivered an inspiring presentation to the Pattaya City Expats Club (PCEC), sharing his remarkable journey from personal struggles to founding the Odyssey Learning Center, a unique educational institution in Pattaya. He was followed with a presentation by Robin van Engelenhoven, the founder and director of the ACT Foundation (Anti-Child Trafficking).
Mark began his presentation by reflecting on his school days, recalling both positive and negative memories. He emphasized the impact of caring teachers who made learning enjoyable and the importance of creating a nurturing environment for students. This reflection laid the foundation for his vision of the Odyssey Learning Center, a school that prioritizes love and care in education. He also described events that impacted on his life causing him to pursue a career in education.
In 2016, Mark took a leap of faith and moved to Thailand with just £200 and a suitcase. He began working in international schools and eventually founded the Odyssey Learning Center in 2021. The school started with a handful of students and has since grown to enroll 46 children, ranging from ages 4 to 14. The school focuses on a strength-based approach, celebrating each child’s abilities and fostering a love for learning. Mark shared some heartwarming stories of students who have thrived at Odyssey.
Mark’s presentation concluded with a call to action, encouraging the audience to support the Odyssey Learning Center and consider how they can help children in their own lives feel safe, loved, and capable of success.
Robin, originally from the Netherlands, shared his personal journey and the critical work his ACT organization is doing to combat child trafficking in Thailand. Robin’s talk began with a heartfelt recount of his upbringing and the challenges he faced during his school years along with an event that inspired him to dedicate his life to helping children in need. This calling led him to Thailand in 2012, where he witnessed the harsh realities of child trafficking and decided to act.
During his presentation, Robin highlighted alarming statistics about child trafficking, noting that one in three trafficking victims worldwide is a child, and over 300 million children are sexually exploited or abused online annually. He emphasized that the causes of child trafficking are multifaceted, including extreme poverty, false promises of jobs or education, debt bondage, kidnapping, and exploitation by tourists and online predators.
Robin detailed the comprehensive approach of the ACT Foundation, which includes prevention, rescue, and aftercare programs. The foundation works in slums and poor communities to keep children safe, conducts family and home visits to educate caretakers about trafficking dangers, and organizes activities such as games, life lessons, and self-defense training to empower children. The foundation also runs a football program that provides free training, food, school support, and a safe community space for children.
In terms of rescue efforts, Robin explained how the foundation assists child protection police in Pattaya, participates in undercover rescue missions, and collaborates with social workers and authorities to remove children from abusive situations. He noted that due to increased crackdowns, trafficking has moved underground and online, requiring covert operations including dark web investigations.
Robin also stressed the importance of aftercare, working with social workers and government children’s homes to provide rescued children with loving family-like environments. The foundation plans to establish a dedicated safe home offering counseling and therapy in partnership with the Palm Center in Pattaya.
After the presentations, MC Ren Lexander brought everyone up to date on upcoming PCEC events followed by the Open Forum portion of the meeting where the audience can ask questions or make comments about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya. To learn more about the PCEC, visit their website at www.pcec.club. To view a video of the presentations, visit the PCEC’s YouTube channel – Mark’s video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYx7xHjpzaA&pp=0gcJCfYJAYcqIYzv and Robin’s at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIb3aUbcYxU.
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