Childrens education centre

$1180USD

14 nights

Spend 7 days volunteering at this Thai community centre helping the development of children rescued from trafficking. Followed by 7 days at a Thai beachfront resort.

Notice:
August 29, 2011: This trip has been temporarily suspended while new trip itineraries are finalised. Please contact us before booking your trip.

Your work

Your 7 days work will be in Mae Sai, Thailand. Three groups of volunteers are required:

Medical group - volunteers with a background in health and nutrition. You will provide health checks (blood pressure, weight, height etc.) as well as give cooking and nutrition information, to children and community members.
Renovation group - volunteers to help with painting and general renovations in the Mae Sai Centre.
Teaching group - volunteers to help create teaching materials for the Half Day School. It would help if at least some volunteers have carpentry experience and/or a teaching background, however any creative person who is good with their hands would be useful!

Volunteers will also arrange activities with the children, such as sports, art and music for one or two afternoons during the week.

About the centre

This childrens education programme is provided by DEPDC, a non-profit NGO working in Thailand to prevent trafficking of women and children into the sex industry and other exploitative child labour situations.

The centre provides free education, vocational training and full time accomodation for young girls and boys in order to achieve these goals.

Relaxation

After your week a volunteer work, a coach will take you to the Holiday Inn Resort on Patong Beach in Patong on the island of Phuket (south Thailand).

Relax on the beach, enjoy fresh coconuts, cool off in the swimming pool, travel to local cultural spots. The choice is yours.

The Holiday Inn is on the main beachfront road, close to shops and nightlife. The beach is just across the road. Patong’s town area, extending away from the beach, has many shops, restaurants, and a lively nightlife.

Itinerary

Day 1: Your group meets in Bangkok, greeted by your Volunteer Coordinator. Travel by coach to Mae Sai. Check in to your accommodation, have dinner and a briefing on your week of work.
Day 2-6: Breakfast will be taken at the Centre followed by volunteer work from 9am-12pm. Lunch will be at the Centre, followed by more volunteer work or activities with the children from 1pm-4pm. Your evenings are free to spend with your group friends in and around Mae Sai.
Day 7: Volunteer work in the morning, then good-byes to the staff and children at the Centre. Travel to the resort. Check-in late afternoon.
Day 8-12: Relax and kick-back at your 3-star resort. Great beaches, swimming pools, close to town and local cultural activities. The perfect place to unwind.
Day 13: Check-out and travel to Bangkok by coach. Then travel back home or onwards as you wish.

Dates

Trips are availalble all year round starting on a Monday and finishing 13 days later on a Sunday. You can choose your dates after you have booked and you can change them at any time up to 2 months before departure.

Included

Included in the Holiday Volunteers program:

Air fares Bangkok-Chiangmai, Chiangmai-Phuket, and Phuket-Bangkok. (The cost of any changes made by the traveller separate from the Holiday Volunteers program may not be included.)
6 nights' accommodation in the working location chosen, and three meals daily (except on days of arrival and departure).
Meet-and-Greet, transfers from Chiangmai airport to working location, or (for locations not based on Chiangmai) from Bangkok city to working location, and returns.
Meet-and-Greet, transfers to-and-from Phuket airport to resort.
6 nights' accommodation in the Holiday Inn resort in Phuket, and daily morning buffet breakfast.

Not included

Air fares to-and-from Bangkok. But we'll help you find the best flight.
Travel insurance. (You are strongly advised to take out personal, accident, and illness insurance for your journey.)

What to pack

Travel as lightly as possible. We recommend:

Sandals or flip flops
T-shirts
Lightweight clothing
Socks
Alarm clock/watch
Camera and extra memory
Lots of reading material, cards, travel games, etc.
Small daypack
Toothbrush and toothpaste
SPF 30+ sunscreen
Other personal essentials

If you have space in your rucksack/bags, there is an excellent list of items you could bring which would be valuable to DEPDC and the children.

Accommodation

During your work-week, accommodation will be provided on-site at the DEPDC centre. The accommodation is basic - 3 to 4 people share a room, with beds and sheets provided. There are shared bathrooms, which may be located in an adjacent building. Hot water is not always available and the toilets may be a squat-style. The advantage of this accommodation is that it is inexpensive and that it offers more opportunity to observe and interact with the children at the Centre.

You may choose instead to stay in a hotel in Mae Sai (3km from the cente). Western-style toilets, hot water and possibly the Internet. DEPDC could arrange the rooms for the volunteers You will need to pay more for this accommodation.

Meals

Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided on-site at DEPDC. Meals are vegetarian. Breakfast is continental (bread, fruit, milk, juice). Lunch is Thai food prepared at the Centre or from local markets and street stalls. Dinner would usually be Thai food with the possibility of Western foods at additional cost. For dinner, you may also go to Mae Sai where there are are plenty of restaurants and cafes. The town is about 3km from the village where the Centre is.

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Shops

There are several banks, internet cafes and a large grocery store in the town centre which is a 10 minute bike ride from the village where the DEPDC childrens centre is.