What would it be like if you were standing in a small classroom in the north of Thailand, 60 curious children's eyes looking at you and you were teaching the children their first English words in a playful way?
In the Child Care Program, you accompany children from the surrounding mountain villages on their first steps into the world of education. Many of them only speak their local mother tongue at home, i.e. not even Thai. Many children grow up in humble circumstances and would hardly have access to schooling without the support of the childcare. You help them with basic development, with games, songs, creative activities and loving care.
It's less about perfect grammar or strict curricula and much more about confidence, encouragement and the feeling that learning is fun. You'll be amazed at how quickly a connection is formed - and how much your smile, patience and time can change the daily lives of these children.
Our Child Care project is located in the north of Thailand. Since its launch in 2017, the project has been looking after the children of ethnic minorities (hill tribes) living in rural communities. The aim is to give the children a better start in life through care, education and learning activities. In childcare, you will work with children between the ages of 3 and 12 from local villages and the surrounding hill tribes (e.g. Akha, Lahu, Karen). The main focus is on supporting (early) child development, such as teaching simple English skills, promoting community, trust, curiosity and relieving the burden on parents who are unable to provide childcare during the day.
The area around Chiang Rai is home to thousands of hill tribe people. In many villages there are child care centers and kindergartens, or one center serves several village communities in the area. These centers play an important role in preparing children for state schools where Thai is spoken, not their mother tongue.
The project was founded in 1991, gained NGO status in 2004 and addresses the concerns of ethnic minorities in northern Thailand. As an art group, the founders began to promote their social awareness campaigns through art, music and dance. The campaigns revolved around various social issues and were performed in local communities across the country. In 1999, members of the group decided to establish a permanent location to see if their work could have a long-term impact on the community. For the first six months, the group lived in tents while they built their community house. During this time, the group lived and interacted with the local population. It quickly became clear that the ethnic minorities in the region had greater problems than the majority of the Thai population. Most of the problems resulted from statelessness - although they lived in the country, they had no citizenship and therefore had few rights. Without citizenship, education and work are severely restricted and there are many hurdles to overcome. In addition, statelessness leads to numerous social problems such as poverty, drug use, crime, exploitation and human trafficking. The group began working closely with local communities and developed a number of projects to support them. The team was expanded and local young people from different ethnic groups were engaged to help the project. The aim was to empower the young people who would then take what they had learned back to their local communities to improve daily life.
The project worked over a long period of time, together with other NGOs in the region, to help stateless people obtain citizenship. The program was a great success and helped tens of thousands of people gain citizenship. Over the years, other projects and volunteer programs were added, such as ecotours, English classes and other support projects for the local communities. Among other things, this created jobs for local people and generated money for families. Today, the group's work in the region focuses on agriculture and the environment, disaster management and building programs for poverty-stricken elderly and infirm people.
The project needs the support of volunteers, mainly for the animal welfare and child care programs. The volunteers take on important tasks in the Child Care Program, such as supporting the teachers, looking after the children, developing and implementing activities that promote the children's development.
In the Child Care Program, volunteers are an essential part of the work for the development of children from the local communities. The work will mainly take place in a local school with 200 pupils. In addition to supporting teaching, the help of volunteers is particularly needed in the supervision and organization of after-school activities. The tasks range from conducting educational and learning activities, maintaining the classroom and helping with meals for the children.
Because the children are mainly of primary school age, childcare is a program that gives the volunteers some time after the morning activities. After the volunteers have left, the children calm down a little, then have lunch and sleep for a few hours in the afternoon.
From Tuesday to Friday, the working day starts at 8:30 in the morning and usually ends at 17:00, including a lunch break. The day starts with a morning meeting, with a brief discussion of the day's schedule. Afterwards, the volunteers go to school and at 9:30 am the teaching activities begin, such as games and group activities, simple English exercises, singing, dancing, reading stories. From 12:00 to 13:00 there is a lunch break. At 1:30 until about 2:30, activities related to childcare at school start, such as painting, gardening, agricultural project. From 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm, the focus is on lesson planning for the next day, developing craft ideas, planning creative activities as well as developing Thai/English materials with the teachers and helping with school organization. Dinner will be served at 17:00.
On Saturday, the day starts at 8:30 am with a morning meeting and a debriefing of the week. Afterwards, from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m., teaching activities are carried out in various community centers. After lunch and clean-up, the program ends for the week and there is time for leisure activities. Sunday and Monday are days off, which means a 5-day week for the volunteers.
For example, songs (CD/DVD), arts, crafts, games, alphabet and simple vocabulary can be used to develop activities with the children. There are already templates for such activities, but volunteers are also free to develop their own suitable activities. For English lessons, it is mainly simple language building blocks, sounds and basic words that are taught to the children. It is important to mention here that the children learn their local mother tongue first and then Thai. In addition to English, you can also teach the children other languages such as German, French and Spanish. The aim of these lessons is to encourage the children to explore and appreciate different cultures.
The lessons also focus on animal welfare. The partner organization emphasizes that children should learn how to take care of pets at home. They should be taught that animals are members of the family and not just to protect the farm or the house and be fed without also receiving love or attention.
Other tasks include cleaning the dormitories and occasional physical labor, so flexibility and an understanding of such work is also required.
Activities and schools may change during busy periods and during school vacations from March to April and in October. There are also national holidays and regular teacher days when the daycare centers are closed or otherwise in use, so there are no regular classes. During these times, volunteers in the Child Care Program are expected to remain flexible, show initiative and occasionally help with other programs. Animal welfare projects are also organized for the children during the vacation period, in which respectful treatment of animals is taught and the volunteers are involved.
There is a certain dress code for working in schools that you should observe for lessons. It should be solid colored long pants that reach to the ankles. Please no leggings or yoga pants, no skirts, shorts or dresses. As a volunteer you will be given a T-shirt and a traditional top for class. In general, you should make sure that your clothes are clean, plain and in good condition. Shoulders must always be covered, you should not show any cleavage and women must always wear a bra. Tattoos must be covered and you should not wear earrings or other facial jewelry.
The project site is located in the middle of nature, about 16 km outside Chiang Rai in the north of Thailand. The place is rural, surrounded by trees, forests, streams, hills and fields. You immerse yourself in a very authentic rural life and are part of the local village communities. Animals of all shapes, sizes, numbers and colors also live in this environment. These range from dogs, cats, geckos, ants, cows, horses, birds, beetles, spiders, mosquitoes, mice, snakes, fish and a variety of insects.
There are areas on the grounds that can be used for communal activities or simply to relax, such as a bamboo pavilion by the pond. These places are also particularly suitable for evening entertainment together, such as watching movies, organizing quizzes, playing games, etc.
There is a small store on site that sells local Thai snacks and soft drinks, and a café where you can get hot and cold drinks as well as chips, sandwiches and snacks.
There is a small village just a few minutes' walk from the project site. You can visit the local temple there, for example. There are also a few stores and cafés selling everyday necessities. For a larger selection and any other kind of errands, Chiang Rai can be reached in 25 minutes by cab. There you will find stores, markets, bars and restaurants.
Medical care is also guaranteed in Chiang Rai. There you will find hospitals, pharmacies and police stations.
On the days off, Sunday and Monday, nearby sights and tourist attractions are waiting to be discovered by you. The project staff will be happy to help you decide where and how to get there. In the mornings, there are regular songtaews, converted pick-ups that serve as shared cabs that take the locals from the villages to the city. You can also ask the staff to call a songtaew if you want to be out later.
Volunteers also have the option of a homestay. On Friday evening, you will travel with a member of staff to their village, where you will spend an evening together and also stay overnight. On Saturday you can then visit places of interest in the surrounding area. This is a great opportunity to get to know the local village communities and their culture.
Arrival:
On the reception day (Monday), volunteers meet at 11:00 am at the Baan Pordeedin Guesthouse in Chiang Rai and are picked up by project staff. From there you will drive about 30 minutes to the project. On the day of departure, you will also be taken back there (usually around 1 pm).
You should be at least 18 years old to work in the Child Care Program. Volunteers do not need to be qualified or experienced teachers to take part in this project. If you have a passion for education and enjoy working with young children, then you are ideally suited for the Child Care Program. English language skills are necessary to coordinate with the team and other volunteers. An open, creative and flexible work attitude is crucial to ensure you have a good time and gain unique experiences. If you enjoy caring for young children, helping with their development and you also want to integrate into local communities, then you will quickly feel at home here and have a good time.
The staff speak Thai and English. During childcare, learning activities such as songs, games and handicrafts are carried out with the children. Basically, a basic knowledge of English is sufficient. However, you should be able to speak English well in order to communicate and exchange ideas with the staff and other volunteers.
The accommodation on site accommodates volunteers, staff families, unmarried staff, interns and guests. The buildings on the project site are made of different materials. Some are made of wood, others of earth and straw and still others of brick. All buildings have electric light and sockets. The electricity in Thailand is 220 V. The accommodations are simple but furnished with the essentials.
The accommodation and the corresponding rooms are shared with other volunteers. The accommodation is separated by gender.
There are two accommodations for women, which are used by the volunteers, and one accommodation is reserved for Thai interns. One of the accommodations is a two-story wooden house, the main dormitory is a one-story L-shaped building with two rooms and private toilet and shower. As a rule, 10-15 women stay in this house at the same time. Depending on the period, however, there may be slightly more women.
The earth houses, consisting of earth, chaff and straw, are intended for the male volunteers and the staff who live on site. However, there is also a bamboo dormitory and a brick dormitory. The rooms can accommodate 2-5 people, depending on which room you are accommodated in. There is an extra double toilet and shower block for the men. There is also a dormitory for men in traditional style made of bamboo, wood and grass. It has three rooms, toilet and shower, a veranda and can comfortably accommodate up to 16 volunteers.
The women's accommodation has cold water showers, while the men's toilets are equipped with a bucket system. The bucket shower provides cold water and is a fantastic way to cool off in the Thai heat. All toilets are western-style but have a manual flush, which means you scoop water out of a cistern with a bowl and flush with it. The toilets are electrically lit.
A sleeping bag or inner sleeping bag can be helpful. On the one hand, one is needed for accommodation with a host family in the event of a homestay and on the other hand, it can get a little colder in winter.
There is a washing machine on the project site that volunteers can use. Alternatively, the laundry can also be washed by hand. You would have to buy the washing powder yourself. There are bamboo poles near the accommodation for hanging up laundry.
Volunteers are responsible for cleaning the accommodation themselves, including the toilets. In order to distribute the tasks fairly, it is advisable to organize a plan among yourselves.
The project site extends over several hectares, with numerous buildings and a constant stream of visitors. There is a night watchman and surveillance cameras covering most areas. Nevertheless, you should take care to keep your personal belongings safe. There are also lockers on the grounds where you can lock up important items.
Meals are provided on the project site. There is a communal kitchen where meals are prepared and eaten together during the week. In Thailand, it is customary to share food. There are usually several dishes on the table and people take some of them onto their own plates (or eat directly from these dishes). It is also common to sit on the floor and eat.
The menu consists of Thai dishes, but as the staff are from all over Thailand, you will be able to enjoy food from all parts of Thailand. If you are a vegetarian or have other dietary requirements, don't worry as the staff will do their best to accommodate. It is only necessary that you let the staff know in advance so that they can take this into account. If the diet is very specific, sometimes you have to buy the ingredients yourself. They buy in bulk once a week, so you should always specify exactly what is important or needed for your diet.
In Thailand, it is customary to eat a lot of rice. So expect to eat a lot of rice too. The staff make an effort to vary the menu and usually always serve fruit for dessert. However, it can also be exciting to be flexible with your food (as long as your diet allows it) and eat dishes that you will rarely try at home.
Meals are freshly prepared three times a day. Meal times are usually at 8:00 am, 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm (these times may vary depending on working hours). Meals are provided during the working week (Tuesday to Saturday) and on Monday evenings. No meals are provided at weekends and you must provide your own food during this time. There is a store on site at the project site that sells snacks and drinks. There is also a small café with hot and cold drinks and western pastries. In the village just outside the site, there are also several stores and cafés selling everyday necessities. If that's not enough or you prefer more choice, the city of Chiang Rai is about 25 minutes away by cab.
The tap water is NOT drinkable - most Thai people only drink filtered bottled water. Drinking water from filter systems is available in the office and in the kitchen. Bottled water is also provided for the homestay with a host family.
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