EIL Intercultural Learning - Thailand

Volunteer in Thailand

Piers Meynell — Thu, 13 May 2010 11:12:49 +0000

Volunteer Abroad

Individual volunteering

Thailand

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Description:

Whether it is the excitement and energy of Bangkok or the beautiful beaches and islands dotted around the coast, Thailand has long held a draw for travellers to South East Asia. The only country in the region never to have been ruled by a European power, Thailand is renowned for its Buddhist traditions, friendly people and delicious national cuisine. Economic growth over the last two decades has been impressive. However, huge disparities remain, and the benefits of economic progress have not been shared by all in Thailand. This is particularly true for ethnic minorities, migrants and refugees. Volunteers can contribute their time and energy to a wide range of projects in the region of Chang Mai, while gaining a real understanding of the country, its culture and the challenges faced by local people. Placements are available in the following areas: teaching and education, health and HIV/AIDS prevention, women's empowerment, refugee education and assistance.

Thailand

Volunteer

asia

teaching

education

health

women's empowerment

migrants

refugees

Chang Mai

HIV/AIDS prevention

Naomi Meani from Cork volunteered for 4 weeks in a centre for single mothers

Anton Kieffer — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:16:43 +0000

Naomi Meany, a student in social science from UCC in Cork, volunteered for 4 weeks in a a centre for single mothers with her friend Ciara Slattery:

I volunteered for four weeks at Wildflower Home in Northern Thailand. It was a home for pregnant women and mothers and their children who have found themselves in crisis situations. It was a great place to volunteer in and was a much-needed organisation. The women and children came from both Thailand and neighbouring countries including Vietnam, Laos and Burma. My time was mainly spent in the day-care centre with lots of children running around and playing. Which meant that I got to spend my time running around after them and playing games with them. We spent the time dancing, reading, doing arts and crafts and even taught them a few games that we used to play when we were younger. It was great to see them get excited over a new game and to be greeted by their smiling faces everyday.

I also taught an English class to some of the women in the afternoon. The classes were pretty difficult at the start but once I was settled into them they were great fun and I really started to look forward to them everyday. The language barrier was an issue at times but having Thai lessons really helped with this and the women and children tried to teach me Thai as well! So got a chance to pick up a lot of words thanks to them. They were great teachers! We had great support at all times and the volunteer co-ordinator was always available if you ever had a problem or a query.

The volunteer house was great and well situated. I really enjoyed living in a house with lots of other volunteers from all over the world and it was good to have people around that you could talk to at the end of your day. There was always lots of support available and the food was amazing!

My time spent at Wildflower Home was great fun. The women and children were very welcoming and lots of fun. They were both great to be around and I truly learned a lot from them all, including the importance of organisations like WFH. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t hard at times, in both physical and emotional ways. Some things I came across were quite startling, particularly some of the women's stories. However, having said this, I am 100% sure that I wouldn’t have swapped this experience for anything in the world. I learned so much from lots of different people, especially the women and children, and I got to meet some amazing people, while being able to spend my time acting like a child, playing away happily. It was a unique experience and one that I will never forget.

Ciara Slattery from Cork volunteered for 4 weeks in a centre for single mothers

Anton Kieffer — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:19:31 +0000

Ciara Slattery, a student in social science from UCC in Cork, volunteered for 4 weeks in a a centre for single mother with her friend Naomi Meany:

For my volunteer placement I spent four weeks volunteering in Wildflower Home located outside of Chiang Mai city in Northern Thailand. Wildflower home is a residential centre for unemployed tribal pregnant women and single mothers. I loved every minute working here as the women and children were very welcoming and friendly and the day was very varied and busy. I arrived at 9am and spent the morning in the day-care centre with eight very active and energetic children and the afternoons teaching English to some of the mothers and helping in the garden until 4pm. There was much to do throughout the day and the work was certainly challenging at times, especially in relation to effectively communicating with Thai toddlers! However, after being given some help to learn some very basic Thai, we spent many enjoyable mornings doing dance, arts and crafts and other activities. Some of the older children also enjoyed teaching us various Thai words!

My afternoon was spent teaching English which was a little daunting at first but which became the highlight of my day very quickly. It was wonderful to see how well the women progressed and became more confident speaking English. I also spent some time helping in the garden, where the women grow vegetables. There were also various construction projects in progress at the time so I assisted with these, which ranged from carrying bamboo to helping to fix a leaking roof. There was a volunteer co-ordinator who was available to talk with at any time and who provided excellent support and advice. Although there were certainly times whilst volunteering which were frustrating or emotionally difficult especially with regards to some of the harsh backgrounds which many of the residents had come from, seeing the importance of the work done by Wildflower Home has taught me the importance of the work of NGOs. However, I have also learnt much from the women and children themselves as a result of their enthusiasm and compassion, and I very much hope to return to Wildflower Home sometime in the future. My time in Thailand was truly an eye-opening experience and one which I believe will be very influential in my life in the future.

Local families

Anton Kieffer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:42:14 +0000

Eileen and friends

Anton Kieffer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:34:06 +0000

The volunteer house in Chiang Mai

Anton Kieffer — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:31:41 +0000

The home-base is located in a safe, conveniently situated neighbourhood. It is a clean Thai-style accommodation with shared occupancy rooms. An in-house cook will provide three delicious, home-cooked Thai meals per day.