Volunteer with children in Thailand
| country: | Thailand |
| location: | Phuket |
| departures: | 2009: 4 Dec |
| price: | From £700 - £1500 (2 - 12 weeks) excluding flights. Price includes free insurance for UK volunteers, airport pick up, stopover in Bangkok, accompanied travel to destination, accommodation with own room, local coordinator, boat to island each day, 24hr support |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
We currently assist two childcare projects in Thailand – one in rural Maehongson at a children’s home for orphaned, unwanted or abandoned hill tribe children. The other is in Phuket, in the South of Thailand at a children’s day care centre for unwanted children, orphaned children or children with poor families.
What will I be doing?
In Maehongson there are about 200 children. You can help teach English, play games and improve their surroundings practically. We have spent over 1M baht in the last 2 years on improvements for the home and there is still so much to do. We do recommend that only groups or very hardy travellers participate in this project as it is situated in a very remote location and is more practical with larger numbers. In Phuket volunteers will be assisting in all aspects of care including washing and feeding. There are about 12 children at the day care centre full time so you’ll get them know them all really well and about 50 who stay during the day.
Where will I live?
If you are volunteering in Maehongson you will stay in a guesthouse with your own room and bathroom. It’s a beautiful rural area of Thailand, but quite isolated and remote so this placement is only suited to groups of volunteers or those who do not mind a lack of other volunteers. In Phuket you will stay in a hotel with your own room and kitchenette. The hotel is situated outside Phuket Old Town. A driver will take you to your placement each day and pick you up. You will need to take a minibus into town or the beach at the weekend or hire a moped. Both are very easy to do.
What will I be doing?
In Maehongson there are about 200 children. You can help teach English, play games and improve their surroundings practically. We have spent over 1M baht in the last 2 years on improvements for the home and there is still so much to do. We do recommend that only groups or very hardy travellers participate in this project as it is situated in a very remote location and is more practical with larger numbers. In Phuket volunteers will be assisting in all aspects of care including washing and feeding. There are about 12 children at the day care centre full time so you’ll get them know them all really well and about 50 who stay during the day.
Where will I live?
If you are volunteering in Maehongson you will stay in a guesthouse with your own room and bathroom. It’s a beautiful rural area of Thailand, but quite isolated and remote so this placement is only suited to groups of volunteers or those who do not mind a lack of other volunteers. In Phuket you will stay in a hotel with your own room and kitchenette. The hotel is situated outside Phuket Old Town. A driver will take you to your placement each day and pick you up. You will need to take a minibus into town or the beach at the weekend or hire a moped. Both are very easy to do.
a day in the life of a volunteer
In Phuket volunteers work from 9am – 12pm. Volunteers also spend two nights a week back at the centre from 5 – 7pm with the children that have no parents and live full time to look after them during the evening. In Maehongson, you will be working all day, and some evenings too as you are based very close to the centre. volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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We actively support the children’s home in Maehongson. We have spent over 1m baht helping with repairs and installing new facilities. The home now has a clean water system for drinking, cooking and cleaning. This is a major step forward in improving the general health of the children at the home. In addition we built a new toilet and shower block for the boys, updated the girls toilet and shower block, built a washroom for the girls, and refurbished the dormitories. The children’s home is a remote, non touristy area of Thailand. In past months we have helped the children’s home in Phuket by purchasing goods such as powdered milk, soap, shampoo, toothpaste and brushes, non-perishable foods and organising days out.
Volunteers will be contributing directly to the needs of the home but also the local economy. They stay in a small, local guesthouse and are given information about local facilities such as restaurants, shops, villages etc to visit in their spare time. We actively encourage volunteers to use local amenities and restaurants support the surrounding community. We do not provide food for our volunteers, but encourage them to buy from small restaurants and local market stalls. All our volunteers receive a briefing kit which talks about dos and don’ts. Moreover our staff are always on hand to advise, help and ensure our volunteers have a positive impact. All of our projects need financial assistance, help with planning, technical support and project management and we support where and when we can. As an organisation we do not print brochures. We minimise paper by using internet and email. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |