Founded in 2015, Improve Their Lives is committed to the relief of poverty.
What We Do
We take action to break barriers to accessing education and provide relief to individuals experiencing poverty. That’s the inspiration at the heart of our name – a reminder that together, we can improve lives and create a poverty-free future for all. Our projects are branded under #BringASmile, which aim to inspire more acts of kindness to make a tangible difference in people's lives.
Our current focus: We are providing essential school supplies to students at a school in western Nepal, ensuring they can attend regularly without worrying about affording the cost of basic materials for school. Learn more about our #BringASmile Nepal project and take action to bring a smile.
Our past impact: For five years, we ran an English education program teaching English to elementary and high school students in a Cambodian village, building up their language capability to improve future job opportunities. While the program thrived under our leadership and 100% funded out-of-pocket, the COVID-19 pandemic brought it to a halt. Learn more about our legacy education program to see how we've made a lasting impact on the advancement of education.
Together, we can transform lives — one step, one smile, and one opportunity at a time.
Who We Are
Mark was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, by immigrant European parents. Thai was born in Vietnam, and immigrated to Chatham, Ontario with his family in December 1991 before settling in Toronto the following year. Both of us were raised by hardworking parents who juggled multiple manufacturing and hospitality jobs to make ends meet, instilling in us the values of perseverance, generosity and resilience.
Today, we are professionals in the IT (Mark) and HR (Thai) industries, working for large corporations. But beyond our careers, our true passion lies in travelling, immersing ourselves in different cultures, and forming genuine connections with people from all walks of life.
Through our travel journeys, we seek out opportunities to uplift those experiencing poverty with acts of kindness - whether it's buying someone a meal, buying groceries for a struggling family, donating money, or spending time and bringing school supplies, toys and the essentials to orphanages and shelters. We believe that any acts of kindness bring smiles and can create a ripple effect of change.
We are grateful for the opportunity to give back and hope to inspire more people to bring positive change by making tangible differences in people's lives.
