Chiang Mai Volunteer Group #292; December, 2022
In late December, 2022, we hosted two new volunteers in our programs. They took part in our English Education and Elephant Camp Projects. It's great to have volunteers and interns back in our programs! Now that Covid travel restrictions are long over, we have seen a good amount of interest in our volunteer and intern programs.<br />
Chiang Mai Volunteer Groups #286 & 287; Sep and Oct, 2022
Presenting Chiang Mai Volunteer and Intern Groups #286 and #286. A total of seven volunteers and interns from Spain, the United States, Canada, Belgium, and Mexico. The weather here in Chiang Mai has started to cool off, and dry up some. It was a very wet rainy season this year. In the coming months we will be going into the cool season and high season for tourism. We look forward to seeing good numbers of volunteers and visitors back to the city after the end of all Covid related restrictions. <br />
Chiang Mai Thailand Volunteer Group #288
Presenting Chiang Mai Volunteer Group #288! This was a group of three volunteers from Japan, Canada, and New Zealand coming to take part in our Teaching Monks and Elephant Nursery Volunteer Projects. It was great to have these volunteers in the program!<br />
Chiang Mai Thailand Volunteer Groups #281 & 282
Presenting Chiang Mai Thailand Volunteer Groups #281 & #282<br />
Chiang Mai Thailand Volunteer Groups #279 & #280
Chiang Mai, Thailand Volunteer Groups 279 and 280! <br />
Chiang Mai Thailand Volunteer Group #278
Presenting Chiang Mai Volunteer Group #278. This group arrived and started their projects in June. Six volunteers and interns from Mexico, the US and a lovely family from the Netherlands. They took part in our Magazine Internship, English Education Program and Elephant Nursery Volunteer Project. It's good to have volunteers and interns back in our programs again!<br />
The Re-Opening of Volunteering in Thailand!
With Thailand re-opening to visitors and world travelers, we are excited to announce the re-opening of volunteering in Thailand. Here at the Friends for Asia Foundation, we are opening our programs in groups. The first programs that are now available for placement are our Chiang Mai based Teaching Programs, Elephant Nursery, and Women's Empowerment Volunteer programs. We plan to have our Bangkok based programs, Medical Internship, and Children's Home Projects available for placement later this year. We do look forward to hosting international volunteers in Thailand again. <br />
First Day of the 2021 Thailand School Year
Monday, the 17th of May, 2021 is the official start of the Thailand school year, for most schools throughout the kingdom. Although most schools planned to start, and continue indefinitely online, with Covid cluster outbreaks in different areas of the country, the government just announced yesterday, the allowance of allowing schools to reopen with in-person classes immediately. Therefore, most schools will be starting online, but transitioning to in-person classes at school throughout the week. Our programs are open in Chiang Mai, and we have quite a few volunteers coming to take part in our different teaching projects over the coming months! Although Covid is still lingering things are reopening, Thais are getting vaccinated, volunteers are signing up, and over the course of the coming months, we are optimistic that we will see more re-openings of the tourism sector travel restrictions eased soon!<br />
Our First Post-Pandemic Volunteer
Not that the pandemic is over, but we do have reason to celebrate. It's been 15 months since we received an international volunteer in our Thailand based programs. Stephanie here arrived in Chiang Mai last week and hit the ground running with starting her project at the Women's Empowerment Program. She helps the mothers and staff look after the children in the day care center in the mornings, and assists with office work in the afternoon. This is Stephanie's third time to volunteer internationally. Coming from American, Stephanie is on a gap year, and decided to volunteer with us here in Thailand to help the people. Below are some photos of Stephanie at the project site, visiting local temples, and even taking at Thai-Akha cooking course. Thank you Stephanie for being our first international volunteer in more than a year! We look forward to other volunteers coming to our programs in the coming weeks and months.
Make a Lasting Impact as a
Volunteer or Intern in Thailand
These projects provide authentic access to Thai communities, beyond typical tourist experiences. The connections formed while volunteering create lasting impacts, both for volunteers and the local people whose lives they touch.