My name is Gavyn, from America. I did volunteering in Koh Sukorn and Koh Nang Kham for 6 months 2019-2020.
My time at Koh Nang Kham was enjoyable. The community is very kind, the food is good, and the neighbors, who are in contact with dalaa, are very helpful. The kids like any school are on a spectrum with how much they are willing to learn. However, regardless of their aptitude to follow in class they are good children who are kind and a joy to be around.
There are a lot of downtime in Koh Nang Kham, so be prepared to entertain yourself.
I had a great time in Koh Nang Kham, making a second family, a home away from home. I will miss these people and hope to come visit them later in my life.
They're is a swimming hole by the quaint village in a quarry, the locals call "The Grand Canyon"
My name is Rikako, from Japan. I did volunteering at Yod Rak organic farm for 5 months. It was a very wonderful time for me to stay in Thailand. My lovely host family and people around us gave me a lot of kinds of experiences and I learned many things which I won’t experience in my country. They also gave me good influences. Obviously, my sense of values and future plans have changed through these. I’ll cherish these memories forever. Also, I hope these experiences will help me and motivate me when I try something in the future. Thank you for everything.
My name is Gavyn, from America. I did volunteering in Koh Sukorn and Koh Nang Kham for 6 months 2019-2020.
My time at Koh Nang Kham was enjoyable. The community is very kind, the food is good, and the neighbors, who are in contact with dalaa, are very helpful. The kids like any school are on a spectrum with how much they are willing to learn. However, regardless of their aptitude to follow in class they are good children who are kind and a joy to be around.
There are a lot of downtime in Koh Nang Kham, so be prepared to entertain yourself.
I had a great time in Koh Nang Kham, making a second family, a home away from home. I will miss these people and hope to come visit them later in my life.
They're is a swimming hole by the quaint village in a quarry, the locals call "The Grand Canyon"
DaLaa MLTV project – code: 2001 All year round – At least two months Expected number of volunteers: 2-3
SHORT DESCRIPTION
We are a family of 2 working on sustainable and organic farming in Trang province, South Thailand. We are nursing many kinds of vegetables and trees for our network of organic farmers and organizing the Cinta green market of the next town (Trang). We are involved in many kinds of alternative stuff and are willing to welcome volunteers interested to support us and willing to learn.
AIMS of the PROJECT: – to learn and support organic farming, self-reliance, cooking and local culture – To join the life in the village, and possibly exchange culture and language with neighbours and local kids.
Sell vegetables or fruits from the garden at green market.
Learning how to make shrimp paste and natural tie-dye clothes.
Activities with kids in the local small school.
Thai cultures and Thai language learning.
REQUIREMENTS
This project is for volunteers who interested in organic agriculture, self-reliance, and Thai traditional cultures. The volunteers will learn more about green market and community network building.
Volunteers should be ready to adapt to the Thai, local way of life, and willing to create relationships with volunteers’ friends, hosts and local people. Some difficult points could be mosquitoes and insects, eating rice at every meal, language and culture barrier, missing feedback, changing plans often.
Volunteers should be able to stay in a remote environment, without public transport.
Volunteers should be able to take responsibility for themselves and the team by taking care of their health and security and be fully involved in the daily tasks.
** Clothes worn in the village- schools and temple: skirts or shorts long enough to cover your knees also when you are sitting. Women should wear tops that cover their shoulders, no low neckline. Bikinis are not appropriate to swim if you go on holidays. Please wear long shorts and a top instead.
FOOD and ACCOMMODATION
We will cook meals together, suitable for vegetarians.
Volunteers will stay at the hosts house/ Yod Rak garden, either in tents or a small clay house (to be built)
You will be in the middle of a Muslim village- the hosts are Buddhists. The relationships are very good between everyone and people close to each other’s.
Mosquito nets, pillows, blankets and mattresses are provided.
OTHER PRACTICAL and LOCAL INFORMATION
We live in Thung Krabue Yan Ta Khao District, Trang province which is quite multicultural. We are a mix of Thai-Buddhist, Thai-Muslim, and Thai-Chinese. Therefore, there are various traditions such as Chak Phra Festival – Celebrates the return of Buddha from heaven to earth and to be greeted by multitudes. Celebration takes place every year immediately after the end of 3-month rain retreat, about October. It is celebrated in many parts of southern Thailand. Eid Mubarak Day – is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims. The Qingming festival – is a traditional Chinese festival.
Krabue in old Thai language means buffalo, and there were many buffaloes for rice farming in the past. So, it has been called “Thung Krabue” = “buffalo field”. Fisherman also one of a common occupation in Thung Krabue because there is a mangrove river connecting to the sea.
Most of people in our area are either rubber farmer, oil palm farmer or fishermen.
The weather is the hottest in March-April, from May to September, you will experience more rain.
Water supply, electricity and WIFI available at the host house
Laundry: hand wash or washing machine
YantaKhao is the closest small town, 10 km from our village: there is a market, banks with ATM and hospital
Trang, the main town of the province (Trang province) is situated 20 km away.
Hatyai, the main city of South Thailand where is our office is about 2 hours drive by public transport (mini bus)
Dates:
1-10 March, 2020 (Maximum number of volunteers: 15)
SHORT DESCRIPTION
Volunteers will
join hands with local communities of South Thailand to raise awareness about
the rich ecosystem of tropical peat swamp. This event is organized after the
big fire of July-Aug 2019 that damaged an important part of the swamp by two
local organizations “Withee Tai” community and “Kon Rak Tin” (=People love the
local).
Why does the peat swamp require our
intervention?
Forested peat swamp forests cover more than 9,900
hectares on the borders of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Patthalung, and Songkhla
Provinces. About 800 hectares of the peat swamp have been destroyed by 88 fires
in the first half of 2019. The Royal Forest Department says that most of the
fires in the Khuan Khreng peat swamp forest were man-made. Criminals clear the
forest for the illegal expansion of rubber and oil palm plantations. Honey
collectors and fishermen were also complicit as they burn grass to catch fish
or to collect wild honey. Khuan Khreng peat swamp was hit by drought in what is
normally the rainy season, making it susceptible to arson. The forest is
surrounded by oil palm plantations and surface water in the forest has been
drained out to feed the plantations. [1]
The
main objectives of the workcamp are:
To
spread awareness regarding the preservation of peat swamps among locals and
international visitors;
To
educate local people, including children how to prevent fires and how to help
the area recover;
To
bring the locals together and inspire them to take action against the
destruction of the peat swamps
To
propagate the local wisdom by encouraging the villagers to share their crafting
skills with the participants.
The activities of the
workcamp will be the following:
Learning
about the swamp ecosystem through walking and animal/tree watching;
Learning
and practicing local crafts from the wisdom of villagers using raw materials:
mattresses, bags, fishing tools, natural straws, etc.
Making
signs and other awareness-related art and exhibiting it in a 1-day
installation;
Practicing
healthy and sustainable daily lifestyle, planting trees.
** We will try to mix Thai
volunteers and international from different countries but we cannot guarantee
it. We will keep you informed during and after your application.
REQUIREMENTS
The
volunteers should be ready to stay in a local area, to adapt to the local
conditions with only basic facilities. Very few local people are able to speak
in English.
FOOD and ACCOMODATION
Volunteers
will sleep in a local school. There will be simple mats, pillow and mosquito
net. You will need to bring your
sleeping bag and a small mattress.
There are basic toilets, showers and a kitchen at the school canteen. The villagers
will help the volunteers to cook. Local
people eat rice (or noodles) 3 times a day with side dishes like curries,
omelets, local leaves and vegetables. Volunteers will be welcome to cook their
own food using the ingredients available there. (No oven, only a gas and woks
or pans).
