Thailand community development projects
| country: | Thailand |
| departures: | 2008: 5 Dec 2009: 3 Jan, 6 Feb, 6 Mar, 3 Apr, 1 May, 5 Jun, 3 Jul, 7 Aug, 4 Sep, 2 Oct, 6 Nov, 4 Dec |
| price: | From £900 - £1500 (4 - 12 weeks) excluding flights. Price includes free insurance for UK volunteers, airport pick up, stopover in Bangkok, accompanied travel, accommodation, local coordinator, transport to place of work each day if required, 24hr support. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Our school development project aims to build simple landscaped gardens for primary schools that incorporate several salas, simple open-sided roofed structures, which provide shade from the sun. There are numerous rural primary schools in Surin that only have very basic school grounds facilities. Once the grounds are developed, the schools will have a whole new facility for outside teaching, a place to meet, a place for children to play and rest out of the sun. The landscape gardens will also contribute to making the environment of the schools more pleasant and conducive to education, giving their pupils a sense of pride in their surroundings.
On our community development projects previous volunteers have built fish ponds for poor families generating a much needed additional income, built a plant nursery for a school, planted grass along a roadside to prevent erosion during the raining season and made organic fertilizer for families and schools. Volunteers can also assist in development work for a children's home up in remote Maehongson. We also encourage volunteers to teach English here and care for the children. We currently wish to;
This is a unique grassroots project where you’ll make a real difference to two people’s lives. You don’t need any previous experience, just lots of enthusiasm and energy and up for a challenge. Most projects are based out in Surin, about eight hours northeast of Bangkok. Surin, is a peaceful, non touristy spot of Thailand where you’ll experience real Thai life. Unfortunately Surin is also one of the poorest regions of Thailand and communities still desperately need assistance. There’s a lot to do in the region including visiting Asian elephants, silk villages and ancient ruins.
On our community development projects previous volunteers have built fish ponds for poor families generating a much needed additional income, built a plant nursery for a school, planted grass along a roadside to prevent erosion during the raining season and made organic fertilizer for families and schools. Volunteers can also assist in development work for a children's home up in remote Maehongson. We also encourage volunteers to teach English here and care for the children. We currently wish to;
- Improve the drainage of the football field.
- Build a strong bridge over the river at the rice fields.
- Improve the sanitarium to make it more comfortable for future volunteers to live in.
- Buy a new truck for the school.
- Improve the small children's play area.
- Make benches around the football pitch with shade.
- Make a garage for storing the schools tractor.
- Improve the roadway that leads up to the school.
This is a unique grassroots project where you’ll make a real difference to two people’s lives. You don’t need any previous experience, just lots of enthusiasm and energy and up for a challenge. Most projects are based out in Surin, about eight hours northeast of Bangkok. Surin, is a peaceful, non touristy spot of Thailand where you’ll experience real Thai life. Unfortunately Surin is also one of the poorest regions of Thailand and communities still desperately need assistance. There’s a lot to do in the region including visiting Asian elephants, silk villages and ancient ruins.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Our local driver will pick you up from your accommodation and take you to your project. Work is manual and can be physically hard but there are plenty of rest breaks and other people to help too. Work is full time with weekends off to relax and explore the local area. volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are 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 have been providing volunteers and financial support over two years for small scale community development projects in Thailand. Surin is the 73rd, out of 76, poorest province in Thailand and due to the low rainfall and hot weather can only produce one rice crop a year. The majority of Surin people are poor farmers struggling to survive. We arrange a number of community projects each year which support rural families and schools.
Our efforts have provided a water system for the children's home in Maehongson, a toilet and shower block, refurbishment of other buildings and much more. For the poor elderly women we have so far bought them a bed, mosquito net, fan, clothes, bed cover, food supplies plus built them a fish pond (for food or sale in the market) and made a vegetable garden. We have also completed a number of community projects in Surin. Without the financial support and time of volunteers these projects would not have been possible. Volunteers are supported by local Thai staff who know the region well. They are given information about local facilities such as restaurants, shops, villages etc to visit in their spare time. We actively encourage volunteers to visit the villages outside of the town and to support their local handicraft production. The area is not a tourism hotspot so volunteers will be contributing directly to the local economy and assisting small businesses to survive. Volunteers stay in rented accommodation and are advised upon water and electricity usage. We provide bicycles for volunteers to get around on. 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. Travellers are encouraged to use local facilities. None of our placements include food. We encourage our volunteers to eat at local restaurants. Our Thai coordinators advise volunteers on good places to eat locally, supporting the local community and enhancing their experience. We wish our volunteers to become part of the local community. Our staff give all our volunteers a full orientation to the area, showing them all local amenities: shops, restaurants, internet cafes, post offices, etc. All our support staff are employed Thai people. Volunteer's time and fee ensures our projects are completed. They are integral to the development work. We do however employ local tradesman for specialist work such as welding, electrics, plumbing, etc. 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. We always support locally owned businesses, hotels, etc. We believe in putting back into the local economy and one of our key aims is to support small scale long term development initiatives throughout Thailand. |
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