Charity & Volunteer Work Wanted

[appleman_thai]

Hello,

Anyone have any ideas on where or who to contact with regards to volunteer work. I wouldnt have a huge amount of time available but I will make the time at the weekends.

I heard from some expats before that there was an orphanage out near Pakret that was always welcoming Farangs who wanted to help out. However, pakret is way too far out.

An Australian girl is also interested in giving some hours to help out so I hope someone can point us in the right direction.

I would prefer not to go through all the big organisations cause from my experience there is too much red tape involved.......

TIA.

[GuestHouse]

If I might put another view.

The reason why the main charity organizations have such stringent selection procedures - interviews, background checks, reference checks, police reports etc is not because they want to practice their red tape but because they have a duty of care to ensure that they take all reasonable precautions to ensure that they do not place the children in their care at risk from abuse.

It is a sad truth that people who are a danger to children will often seek to gain access through charities, schools, orphanages etc.

The red tape aims to reduce the risk of this happening.

A secondary consideration is people volunteer for all manner of reasons, some because they feel they need to want make a contribution, some beacause it will do their future careers a good turn the reasons are as varied as are the number of people applying.

But there are also people who are themselves vulnerable for a host of reason, perhaps say a woman who is struggling to cope with not having children of her own. Working those personal issues out in an orphanage can cause long term problems for volunteer and of course the children.

The checks and balances are there for very good reason. It is sad that they are necessary but they are necessary and I for one would be reluctant to give anyone advice on how to avoid them. Afterall, if the only problem is the time and effort they take then the time and effort is surely worth it.

I have personally have grave reservations regarding the uncontrolled access to children that Thailand offers. Yes I see the desperation for help.

But also the realisation of the 10-25 years delay. That is shocking events in the US happen and are repeated 10-25 years later in Europe - everyone cries 'how can this happen' but it happend in the US and we said it was their problem.

I fear such news will come out of Thailand and yet we know the risks, we know what happens.

Fianlly OP That is not a judgement of yourself - It is simply a view of the situation and the risks as they are known.

[shopgurl]

Kudos to you Appleman_Thai, I've PMd you a charity that I'm working with. Good luck!

[Spee]

May I suggest ...

http://www.anglo-thai.org/

[Limbo]

If I might put another view.

The reason why the main charity organizations have such stringent selection procedures -................

Dear Mr. Guesthouse !

Enormeous fine contribution. I thank you for the time you spend on the readers of this forum.

Altruism and egoism are two hands on the same knee.

I myself always do and did volunteer work for many years as well. In poor village schools, at rich universities, for local newspapers, museums and other cultural institutions. Even for the family of the Prime Minister (also rich) I had the honour to volunteer, and I do not to speak about the family one doesn't mention for no reason (not poor either).

The similarity between me and the present American President is that we both give to the rich.

The difference between me and the present American President is that I don't take from the poor

I also always say to Thai people that I like Thailand so much that I want to give something back. And they indeed like very much to hear that (otherwise I wouldn't tell it). I am a little bit a kind of the farang with a chai dee. The altruist with the cleanshaven face.

My real reasons are much more down to earth. Much more ego-oriented. To get a little bit status, to gain respect, to belong to groups and be part of networks. Important is also to do things that I like to do (and did, professionally for many years). It benefits me also because I keep my brains going, maintains my ability to keep up images, helps me not to get bored to death and keeps me from using too much booze.

Shortly said: I need volunteer work, sometimes even more than that it needs me.

[Limbo]

Mr. Guesthuse wrote:

I have personally have grave reservations regarding the uncontrolled access to children that Thailand offers. Yes I see the desperation for help.

Yes Mr. Guesthouse, I agree on that as well.

The free access mainly to poor hill-tribe children is terrifying here in the North.

In Chiangrai it is an enormeous industry, where a lot of money is involved.

Where I am specially suspicious about is a very big American Fundamentalist Christian organization, which, full of dollars, now already isolated 300 girls from their villages and families. You understand, with girls you can always launch the tearjerking children-prostitution-aids-death-litany, so they stick to girls. They give nothing about boys. I heard about brainwashing sessions they hold, which you really don't want to be true. After some years the girls talk like Jehova wittnesses.

This means that maybe ten to twelve villages of the tribe concerned are and will remain without girls. The girls will be totally alienated from their own culture and family. It is a little bit comparable with the American fundamentalist missionary who saw it as his God-given task to sterilise the girls of several villages. He told them that they got vitamine injections. He is still very respected person in his own surroundings In America.

People can and could do things like this. But the Tourist Police of Thailand now starts checking more close and more systematically on foreigners who rent a house, place a sign with a biblical name on its gate and start collecting children.

I wish them good luck!

The good ones suffer from this new economical niche, exploited by a new generation of flashy middle-aged men. Sometimes they build a very big house, buy a 4-wheel driven carriage, hang the sign with the biblical text on the gates and get themselves some kids.

Two years later the sign with the biblical text disappaers and the little boys and girls are gone also, with some exceptions: the ones who become the household staff. House for free, car for free and a little bit on the bank.

I feel sorry for the good ones, because they sure exist as well. And there are some very good ones, where every penny goes where the donation is ment for.

The Christian 'almost'-monopoly hits the business and corrupts it.

There are also Thai and Malaysian houses for orphanages and children who are abused and are HIV-positive. But they don't turn the poor kids into fundamentalist christians, so they don't have a penny sometimes.

So please don't forget the good ones, they deserve our respect and even our support. An example of a Thai home for orphans, abused children and HIV-positive children you find on www.ruenromyen.org . I don't know if this website still works, but I do know that this place is completely undetstaffed and that there would be little to eat if they wouldn't grow their own vegetables and raise their own chicken. They might even have a couple of pigs now. It's close to Maesai.

Thanks for your time!

[astral]

Hello,

Anyone have any ideas on where or who to contact  with regards to volunteer work.  I wouldnt have a huge amount of time available but I will make the time at the weekends. 

You don't say where you are located.

That would help in finding suitable places for you to help.

[appleman_thai]

I'm based in Pahonyothin (near Victory Monument) and my friend is over in Sathorn.

Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. It's refreshing to see decent, informative and intelligent replies to a post for once!!!

Guesthouse, I hear where you are coming from and appreciate that there are some people out there who will manipulate the volunteer system for their own warped ideas. Its a sad state of affairs but the first thing to overcome it is to admit that its there and deal with it.

As for my situation, I dont have a huge amount of free time so Im not talking about major contributions but i'm going on the basis that evey little bit helps..!! I've always thought about putting something back into Thailand and this seems like a good first step.

I will check out the links provided and will post here when I have more feedback......

Thanks again to one and all.

[Tornado]

Hello,

Anyone have any ideas on where or who to contact  with regards to volunteer work.  I wouldnt have a huge amount of time available but I will make the time at the weekends. 

I heard from some expats before that there was an orphanage out near Pakret that was always welcoming Farangs who wanted to help out.  However, pakret is way too far out.

An Australian girl is also interested in giving some hours to help out so I hope someone can point us in the right direction.

I would prefer not to go through all the big organisations cause from my experience there is too much red tape involved.......

TIA.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can start by washing my car. I know it isnt much, but I will think of a few more things in time. Do you need motor bike taxi fare from Phuket bus station/airport?

[appleman_thai]

I spoke too soon...... Now with such a useless post as Tornado's I now fear the worst that this post will be hijacked by people with little else to do!

Yes I know I should have just ignored him!

[stroll]

Another suggestion is to assist teaching English in a local school, can be fun and will do wonders for integrating you into the community.

[GuestHouse]

Guesthouse, I hear where you are coming from and appreciate that there are some people out there who will manipulate the volunteer system for their own warped ideas. Its a sad state of affairs but the first thing to overcome it is to admit that its there and deal with it.

Yes sadly there are. That is why I believe that something I can do that might have a direct impact on reducing the risks is to highlight the need for more control and monitoring.

It is going to happen, Thailand is not controlling access to vulnerable people and businesses are making money out of 'Volunteering'.

I absolutely believe that paedophiles will be accessing children thorough these routes and I absolutely believe that there are people being given access to vulnerable people who should not be.

Religious evangelists are one group, people who are themselves psycologically unfit are another.

I still maintain that the checks that the main charities and care organisations put in place are necessary and are should be supported.

Organisations that do not conduct these tests are risking giving access to vulnerable people and risking facilitating abuse.

I'm going to spend some time later today writing to a few of these organizations to see exactly what checks and balances they put in place.. could be enlightening!