Volunteering in Thailand
In early 2005 I ventured myself out to Phang-nga, Thailand. Quite not sure what to expect, I found hope amidst disaster.
Khao Lak and the surrounding regions were the most affected during the December 2004 tsunami in Thailand. As the government, NGOs and private developments ran into rebuild what was left, some organizations came out with amazing new projects that not only enhanced the present community, but to generations to come.
One of the most interesting programs I found was while working with the Moken Community. Sometimes ignored to the Thai culture, the Moken community has its own language and traditions. Some call them the sea gypsies, but in reality, these are fishing nomadic families that are neither considered Thai or Burmese and are not protected by the Thai government .
Tsunami Volunteer, a local NGO, created a program to identify Morken individuals. Once the tsunami hit South East Asia in 2004, little was known about how many individuals were actually missing or dead from the Morken Community, since most of them did not have any form of identification.
My point is: here are examples of amazing organizations that I encountered. Even though the tsunami hit SEA a couple of years ago, there is still great need for help.
So if you are either looking for some volunteer work or soaking up in the sun and feeling like doing some good for a couple of days, check out or just visit some of these organizations listed below. Please note that these are just a few of organizations that we came across, as there are many others.
How You Can Help:
Visit Khao Lak and the surrounding villages! The hotels and shops are empty. They need the tourism in order to survive.
Make a donation towards the construction of a new orphanage.
Donate funds for ESL books and dictionaries for the schools.
Sponsor a child at the orphanage.
Support the sterilization program and feeding of homeless dogs and cats. Sponsor a homeless cat or dog.
Fund school snacks.
Make a donation towards cleaning water wells.
Make a donation to support a new playground in Khao Lak.
Organizations:
2. Teacher Toy, at Baan Nam khem. Contact Ms. Chatchada Kruekaew. She decided to volunteer herself as the spiritual foundation for hundreds of people in this village through arts and crafts. Chatchada is pretty much, the Mother Teresa of Thailand. She is a lovely and a remarkable Indian woman with a huge heart.
3. World Vision Foundation at Ban Nam Rai Village. They were doing amazing work with several schools and villages in the vicinity, along with Rotary and other NGOs.
4. Community Development Center, Ban Nam Kem, Takuapa, Phang-nga.
Contact: Jason Goh (goh_thailand@yahoo.com)
This is a guy from Singapore that we met along the way, supplementing education needs to the children at the affected villages. In 2005, they were just finishing to build a volunteer center with dormitories and teaching areas.
5. Children’s International Summer Village, Thailand. www.cisv.org