Asia Internship - Culture Immersion Programs in Asia

Program Description 

Teaching English

Location: Chiang Rai 

Duration: 2 weeks +

In the northern areas of Thailand, where Chiang Rai is located, many of the local people, especially those without Thai citizenship, are not able to access any formal education. Some children are required to work in the fields with their families while others are too poor to be able to afford the travel costs, school resources or uniforms. Free education is not automatic for stateless children. We run lessons for students at local government schools in the area, which mainly cater for hill tribe children. We also run activities at childcare centres in local hill tribe villages, play games with the child patients at the main hospital in Chiang Rai and teach monks at an important Buddhist temple in Chiang Rai.

 

Volunteer Responsibilities

The volunteer work schedule can vary from year to year and term to term as villages become accessible after the rains have finished, or a new school needs volunteers to come to teach. Currently, the schedule includes helping at four different childcare centres, three schools, a hospital, a Buddhist temple, as well as lessons for local hill tribe tour guides and local children each week.

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Outdoors

Location: Chiang Rai 

Duration: 1 week+

A number of the local communities in north Thailand live without the basics that most of us take for granted – clean running water and electricity. As such, health issues are constantly a worry. Building water tanks which bring clean water to the village, instead of women trekking for miles to the nearest clean source, improves lives greatly. Building a childcare centre, or classroom, gives children the opportunity to learn, and improves their future chances in life. Planting banana trees reduces hill erosion, thus reducing the risk of landslides. Making 4,000 bricks at our site gives us the means to build a childcare centre. The Outdoor programme is a myriad of tasks, some of which directly benefit the local communities and others that indirectly benefit them. The Outdoor Work placement is for those who are happy to get their hands dirty, who like physical labour and are reasonably fit.

 

Volunteer responsibilities

• Building water tanks

• Extending water pipe systems

• Building check dams

• Building school classrooms

• Painting school classrooms

• Developing the agricultural project

• Helping in the vegetable garden

• Working on developing a plantation

• Road repairs

• Repair and maintenance of homes of elderly villagers

• Building new houses or toilets for elderly villagers

• Building the new staff office

• Making bricks

 

The above only be considered as examples, and are no guarantee of what you will be doing when you are here.

 

NGO Support 

Location: Chiang Mai

Duraton: 8 weeks +

Volunteering with our partner NGOs in Chiang Mai is a very rewarding experience. Volunteers teach English to and care for children and teenagers who have been affected by drug abuse. Giving the young people a stable upbringing will be a stark contrast to their earlier lives, and vitally important for their futures. The work is in direct contact with vulnerable young people who will inevitably look up to western volunteers as role models. It is therefore vital that your conduct is exemplary at all times. This includes social interactions, dress code, cleanliness, politeness, flexibility and a willingness to listen, learn and help.