Work Camp – code: DaLaa6704
Dates: 16- 29 April 2024 (Max. number of volunteers: 10)

SHORT DESCRIPTION

During those 2 weeks, we want to organize 3 children camps at DaLaa Voluntary Service Community in Kok Riang village.  Each camp would take 3 days and involve different Thai children from 7 to 13 years old. We will keep 1 or 2 days in between to relax, evaluate, and prepare the next one. The activities and camp’s daily life organized by volunteers should be strongly connected with our community values, authenticity, responsibility and inclusion. Besides, they should allow children to be in a harmonious and safe environment. English language is poorly understood by the children, so we’ll have to find possibilities to overcome this challenge with the help from our coordinator and Thai volunteers.

BACKGROUND

DaLaa Voluntary Service Community (VSC) is the first door for outsiders to get to know DaLaa organization. The main mission of DaLaa is to coordinate between the hosts and volunteers for working together in the active communities for social growth and environmental preservation.

This new work camp idea is born from a few reasons:

1-Every year,  we organize a kids’ camp during summer holidays (March and April)in VS  welcoming the kids from each of the long-term volunteer placements we have.

2- We have organized kids’ camp with children from SOS Children’s village. It is an international independent non-governmental social organization that helps children without parental care and families living in difficult conditions.

3- We used to organize activities with children around our village, but we haven’t been organizing much during Covid pandemic . We want to start again.

ACTIVITIES

In this workcamp, we will combine 3 camps with the 3 groups of children described above. Each camp would last 3 days. We expect the groups of 10-15 children maximum mainly aged from 7 to 13 years old. The children will be sleeping with us and so taking care of daily life which is as important as other activities. We’ll have a few DaLaa coordinators, Thai, and foreign volunteers. We expect all of us to be fully active and responsible for the children and planning for activities. One person involved in this camp would need to lead at least one activity for the kids. Before it starts, we will organize an online preparation to brainstorm what we are going to do, who is the leader for which session, and so on. Any idea is welcome no matter art, sport, games, English lessons (basic), theater, cooking, gardening, recycling. However, keep in mind about the language barrier, the learning process, and the security.

** You will be supervised by a DaLaa coordinator.

AIMS of the PROJECT

1. To spread our love and values to local children
2. To let children be familiar with volunteers and learn in international/multi-culture atmosphere
3. To develop our VSC activities

REQUIREMENTS

The volunteers should be ready to stay in a local area, and to adapt to the local conditions with only basic facilities.  Be prerpared of the kids’ poor English skills. Volunteers should be able to be with the kids and prepare some games and materials for activities. 

FOOD and ACCOMODATION

Volunteers will sleep in the tents and small huts. There will be thin mattresses, yoga mats, pillows, and mosquito nets. There are basic toilets, showers, and a kitchen. We will take time to cook together.  Volunteers will be welcome to cook their own food using the ingredients available there. (No oven, only a gas and woks or pans).

(Peat swamp preservation)

Work Camp – code: DaLaa6303

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).

---

[1] Information from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakhon_Si_Thammarat_Province

(Activities with kids at a primary school)

Work Camp – code: DaLaa6301

Dates: 12-25 January 2020

(Maximum number of volunteers: 15)

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Ban Prang Mu School is a very small school in Ban Prang Mu sub-district, Phatthalung province, Southern Thailand. The school director, who shares our values, would like to welcome volunteers, to improve English skills for students to be able to communicate in this language. Volunteers can help to organize English lessons or other fun activities with the 91 students from kindergarten to Grade 6 (6-12 years old) during these 2 weeks. The English skills of the students are very poor. They are not familiar with foreigners. You can experience the local way of life, exchange with other volunteers, villagers and support the children education.

HISTORY and REASONS OF THE PROJECT

Ban Prang Mu School, Phatthalung Province was founded in 1921 in Prang Mueng Nai temple.  There are nowadays 91 students from kindergarten to Grade 6 (6-12 years old). The kids have very few chances for interaction with foreigners and the English language is more and more needed for their future. The director Mr Suriyasak Vorakanjananon know us (DaLaa association) through our volunteer placement in a nearby school (Wat Pho) and contacted us to see the possibility to start a cooperation and to have volunteers joining their work. After a survey visit, we decided to start a workcamp in this community.

AIMS of the PROJECT

1. To support Ban Prang Mu  School
2. To be part of the community of Ban Prang Mu village
3. To let children be familiar with volunteers and learn in an international/multi-culture atmosphere
4. To improve English skills for students to be able to communicate with foreigners

WORK AND ACTIVITIES

1. Give non-formal English classes and other fun activities with the students
2. Create teaching materials for teacher and kids
3. Activities with villagers: cleaning the temple area, sports activities, homemade cooking dessert

 ** We’ll keep you update 1 month or 2 weeks before the camp starts for a more detailed schedule**

** You will be supervised by a DaLaa coordinator that will be the link between the volunteers’ team and the local school.

** 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. Volunteers should be able to be with the kids and prepare some games and material for teaching. 

FOOD and ACCOMMODATION

Volunteers will sleep in the classroom. 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 teachers and villagers will help the volunteers to cook.  Local people eat rice (or noodles) 3 times a day with side dishes like curries, omelettes, 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).

DaLaa  Workcamp – code: 6208-2

Activities with kids at primary and high schools

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Koh Yao is a Muslim island in the Andaman sea of South Thailand. Since it started to become a tourist attraction, there have been some big changes in the local communities’ lifestyle. The villagers started to move from fishing and agriculture to tourism industry-related work. People realized slowly the dangers of losing their friendly sufficient communities and environment issues are rising quickly. During these 2 weeks, volunteers will join the network of schools to help to organize activities with kids and take part in the realities of the local population. This way we hope to get more mutual understanding between the local population and the international communities and make a small step in a better direction for all of us.

HISTORY and REASONS OF THE PROJECT

Koh Yao is composed of 2 islands: Koh Yao Yai and the smallest Kho Yao Noi and covers about 140 Sq.Km. The islands are situated in Phang Nga province, but it’s easier to reach the place from Krabi in the East or Phuket in the West. There are other smaller islands around in the same area. 99.9% of the population is Muslim. The ancestors of Koh Yao community migrated from Trang province to Koh Yao Yai since the 18th century to escape the Thai-Burmese war.

Like most of the islands in South Thailand, the place became more and more popular for tourism in the last 20 years. Some investors, from Phuket and other places came to build resorts. Impacts on the local communities and the environment were not much taken in consideration. Nowadays they start to realize the loss for the social and natural environment. English language is an important tool for the local people. It is necessary to work in the tourism sector, but most of all it is needed to communicate, to understand the foreigners coming on their land, to get a chance to defend their values and lifestyle as well.

In 2015, Mr. Wira Suebpong, the Director of Baan KlongHia School and Mr. Anucha Ban-amad, the Director of Baan PruNai School, have set up a network of the 13 schools on Koh Yao to seek an alternative way to develop education which will support students to learn happily and effectively, as well as maintain the voluntary mind for their own community. The two directors met Mr. Boonchan Saengfai who invited DaLaa association and discussed the possibility to organize an International short-term work camp in August 2016 with few of these schools. The results were positive, we renewed the experience with them since then until the present year.

AIMS of the PROJECT

1. To support alternative education for students.
2. To bring awareness on voluntary mind and public participation among the community members.
3. To develop cultural exchange among the community members.

WORK AND ACTIVITIES

• Organizing creative English teaching activities with kids with two different schools of Koh Yao Education Development Network on Koh Yao Yai.
• Learning village lifestyle and increasing participation of the villagers
• Voluntary service activities with the community

FOOD and ACCOMMODATION

Volunteers will sleep in school classroom or at villagers’ house (depending on number of volunteers). You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, foldable mat and mosquito net with you. There are basic toilets, showers and a kitchen at the school canteen. The teachers and 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).

The villagers are Muslim so there must be no pork nor alcohol products.

DaLaa  Workcamp – code: 6208-1

Activities with kids at primary and high schools

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Koh Yao is a Muslim island in the Andaman sea of South Thailand. Since it started to become a tourist attraction, there have been some big changes in the local communities’ lifestyle. The villagers started to move from fishing and agriculture to tourism industry-related work. People realized slowly the dangers of losing their friendly sufficient communities and environment issues are rising quickly. During these 2 weeks, volunteers will join the network of schools to help to organize activities with kids and take part in the realities of the local population. This way we hope to get more mutual understanding between the local population and the international communities and make a small step in a better direction for all of us.

HISTORY and REASONS OF THE PROJECT

Koh Yao is composed of 2 islands: Koh Yao Yai and the smallest Kho Yao Noi and covers about 140 Sq.Km. The islands are situated in Phang Nga province, but it’s easier to reach the place from Krabi in the East or Phuket in the West. There are other smaller islands around in the same area. 99.9% of the population is Muslim. The ancestors of Koh Yao community migrated from Trang province to Koh Yao Yai since the 18th century to escape the Thai-Burmese war.

Like most of the islands in South Thailand, the place became more and more popular for tourism in the last 20 years. Some investors, from Phuket and other places came to build resorts. Impacts on the local communities and the environment were not much taken in consideration. Nowadays they start to realize the loss for the social and natural environment. English language is an important tool for the local people. It is necessary to work in the tourism sector, but most of all it is needed to communicate, to understand the foreigners coming on their land, to get a chance to defend their values and lifestyle as well.

In 2015, Mr. Wira Suebpong, the Director of Baan KlongHia School and Mr. Anucha Ban-amad, the Director of Baan PruNai School, have set up a network of the 13 schools on Koh Yao to seek an alternative way to develop education which will support students to learn happily and effectively, as well as maintain the voluntary mind for their own community. The two directors met Mr. Boonchan Saengfai who invited DaLaa association and discussed the possibility to organize an International short-term work camp in August 2016 with few of these schools. The results were positive, we renewed the experience with them since then until the present year.

AIMS of the PROJECT

1. To support alternative education for students.
2.  To bring awareness on voluntary mind and public participation among the community members.
3. To develop cultural exchange among the community members.

WORK AND ACTIVITIES

• Organizing creative English teaching activities with kids with two different schools of Koh Yao Education Development Network on Koh Yao Yai.
• Learning village lifestyle and increasing participation of the villagers
• Voluntary service activities with the community

REQUIREMENTS

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. Volunteers should be able to be with the kids and prepare some games and material for teaching.

FOOD and ACCOMMODATION

Volunteers will sleep in school classroom or at villagers’ house (depending on number of volunteers). You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, foldable mat and mosquito net with you. There are basic toilets, showers and a kitchen at the school canteen. The teachers and 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).

The villagers are Muslim so there must be no pork nor alcohol products.