Location
Location
About the project
Discover and volunteer in Thailand through a structured weekly program:
- Week 1: Thai culture orientation week
- Week 2+: Minimum one week orphanage volunteer placement, easily extendable
- Last week: Eco-adventure trips to various and wonderful sites in Thailand
Week 1: Thai culture orientation week
The Orientation Week is the first stage for a great stay in a new country! It's an action packed and fun filled week. You will learn about Thai culture, its people, the language, attitudes and customs. During this week, you will be staying at the base camp.
Our schedule will be flexible but all orientation weeks usually consist of:
- Thailand Overview: Culture, religion, habits, customs, history, social issues are some of the topics discussed.
- Language Skills: A first contact with Thai language.
- Project: Introduction and description of the volunteer week (Module 2) at a local orphanage and specifics of the volunteer placement.
- General Information: Many new experiences including sessions on cooking, team work, customs, habits, behavioral aspects, dos & don'ts, and emergency preparation and a relaxing Thai massage at our center.
- Cultural Site Visits and meeting people will acclimatize you culturally. You will have the opportunity to visit market places, local restaurants, temples, villages and natural sites in Lopburi and Saraburi.
- Group Games will be the style of operation of our coordinators during the orientation week to make the theoretical sessions as dynamic as possible. Do not forget to bring some souvenirs from home such as photos, music cds and food in order to share your back home experiences with others.
Accommodation & food
Your new home will be one of our 3 'Eco Houses' in Singburi, central Thailand - the Lemon House, the Twin House and the Brown House. This camp is situated about 10 km from the town of Singburi and takes about 15 minutes from the eco- houses you will be staying in. In Singburi you will find all the amenities you could need i.e. internet, shops, swimming pool, hospital, pharmacy, banks and restaurants. There are plenty of trips into Singburi or you can easily take a taxi.
The houses sleep from 20 to 50 people. All houses have single gender shared double rooms. All houses have western style toilets and one even as an Asian toilet! Each bathroom has a shower and the water is always cool - nice and refreshing in the heat. All houses have a communal area where you can eat, relax, meet and are within walking distance of a local shop and a make shift bar provided by the friendly locals.
The doors and windows are screened (to protect you from mosquitoes). There are fans in the room. For your valuables, we have lockers available. We strongly encourage you to use them, even if our centres are generally very safe. There are limited laundry facilities so expect to wash your clothes by hand. All participants are expected to be environmentally aware and to use all resources with restraint, especially water, paper and electricity. You will be expected to clean up after yourself, and to play your part to keep the accommodation neat and organised. All food is included during your stay. The meals will be typical Thai fare, including plenty of rice dishes.
Week 2+: orphanage volunteer placement
From week 2 you build on your experiences, orientation and preparation from week 1. Volunteers are assigned various tasks and responsibilities at a local orphanage. Volunteers work with the children at the orphanage through games, after school activities, informal English and maintenance and up-keep of the orphanage buildings and grounds. Most large orphanages in Thailand have their own primary (and secondary) school for their pupils integrated on their grounds. The school is also open for poor families. Of course, the orphanage provides housing, food and teaching materials for these poor students as well. Besides teaching English on a non-formal basis, the volunteers are able to work with the children in their vegetable garden (for their own consumption) and to create activities for the students or arrange workshops for cultural exchange, environmental and other important issues. In cooperation of our own full time coordinator, we will create each month a special program for all people who are involved in this initiative.
Schedule & Activities
This program places volunteers at an orphanage 20 km away from Singburi City. The accommodation for Module 2 is the same as described in Module 1. It is located 40 km from the orphanage. If a volunteer's specific activities fall outside regular commuting hours, a home stay or accommodation at the orphanage can be arranged specially. Before we start, we will introduce each participant to the orphanage system, the work and the program for the coming week(s). Back at the base camp, we will prepare with the coordinator activities and buy where necessary some supplies for the program.
Our program has considerable experience in informal teaching methods, after school sports programs, workshops, gardening in the vegetable garden and special environmental awareness campaigns like Clean up the Orphanage with youngsters of the orphanage. Depending on the particular skill of the participants or group initiatives, we may do some art or handicraft as well.
The coordinator oversees the logistics. Every day we usually leave the center around 8 or 9 in the morning for the orphanage and leave late midday back to our base camp again. The teachers are typically Thai and there is one teacher who's English is fairly good and three people can speak a little. The classes are old and a bit dirty; but the students are lovely and are so happy to see our participants each day.
Accommodation & food
The base camp and conditions are the same as described above in Module 1. Your new home will be one of our 3 'Eco Houses' in Singburi in central Thailand - the Lemon House, the Twin House and the Brown House. The food is provided and is typically Thai rice based dishes.
Last week: Eco-adventure trips
Here are some of the exciting options available:
Thai Boxing
The boxing program is the perfect way to learn either the art of Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) or advance Muay Thai skills in the country of the sports' origin. Muay Thai, or Thai Boxing as it's known in the West, is the national sport in Thailand and one of the most popular forms of martial arts in South East Asia. Known as the "art of the eight limbs", this sport teaches combat techniques, using 8 different points of contact on the body - feet, knees, elbows and hands. It is one of the most physical martial arts; but also one of the most exclusive.
Central Thailand Tour
During this week, we will have the opportunity to visit some of the most beautiful spots in central Thailand. First, we will go to the Uthai Thani province, where we can enjoy the Thai nature in one of the least visited areas of Thailand, while staying in local village homes. We will also be able to visit several monuments: the famous Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in Phitsanulok city and the historical park of Sukhothai. Sukhothai is one of the former capitals of Thailand. During the Sukhothai rule in the 13th century, the city became famous for its innovative style of Buddha statues and architecture. This distinctive style influences Thai art until today. We will have plenty of time to see examples during the program, both in the Sukhothai Historical Park as well as in the Rama Khamheng Museum in modern Sukhothai. The program also includes a visit to the Greenway elephant sanctuary. Therefore, this option shows participants the best of Thailand: local culture, nature and Thai history.
Culture week
During the Culture week, two special sides of the traditional Thai culture are presented: First a short documentary is shown about Thai Buddhism. Later we visit a monastery and are able to put questions to a highly respected monk in Thailand. We have the opportunity to stay in an authentic temple and experience firsthand the life of the monks. Of course, meditation is part of the daily routine of monks. Later during this week, we will visit a village, a traditional Thai pottery factory and a 100-year old market.
Diving
The scuba course will take place on the pristine island of Koh Tao. Koh Tao is located in the Gulf of Thailand and offers one of the best locations for year-round diving in Thailand. The Island has thousands of breeds of tropical fish, corals and often whale sharks.
Isarn Tour
The Isarn region, culture and heritage is defined by agriculture (rice fields wherever we travel through Isarn), Buddhism (We will see the temple life in the village.), the old Khmer heritage (We will see the Panom Rung temple complex that was built the same time as Angkhor Wat by the same Khmer.) and elephants (They were active in Isarn in the past and still inhabit Surin). We will travel by local buses and try to minimize travel time. However, pack lightly for easy travel. Everywhere we stay in villages, where we shall enjoy the warm hospitality of local hosts (except for the last night in Nakorn Ratchasima).
Northern Thailand Tour
During this trip we will experience the culture of the Akha hill tribe. The Akha are an ethnically different group from the Thais. They used to migrate through the mountains of China, Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand. They remain a distinct culture, especially the older generation which lives in the highlands and cultivates the land around their villages. 80% of the population are farmers and live in the forest. We will have the chance to be part of their culture for one week. It is worth mentioning that the food and drinking habits are totally different even from Thailand. Whiskey drinking is the usual thing to do during food rituals (often from freshly slaughtered animals, especially mountain black Akha grown black pig, one of the tastiest kinds of pork). We will meet up with many villagers and all nights are with families in their homes, except for the last night in Chiang Mai. So pack lightly for easy travel.
Trekking
During this program, we will be trekking in the jungle & rainforest of the Phutoei National Park, a lush park that is not a usual tourist destination. This week also gives us the chance to experience the lifestyle of a hill tribe in a nearby village. This week ends with a night in a real bed at a local hotel in Suphanburi province. This will be a unique experience. We will be roughing it in beautiful surroundings, surviving with the basics, whilst at the same time having a lot of fun. The guides are very friendly and it will be a great experience.
Beach week
It is well known that Thailand has the perfect conditions for a great time at the beach. The beaches in Thailand are beautiful and, on top of that, the weather is great. During this week, we will enjoy one of the finest beaches in the Gulf of Thailand, with free time for relaxing, reading, snorkeling and swimming. This is also the time for everyone to relax in the company of the other Active in Asia participants and compare notes.