Volunteer in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Join the WLS Volunteer Program in Chiangmai, Thailand for a wonderful experience! Our volunteering program in Chiang Mai offers volunteer projects such as teaching English, working at an orphanage, taking care of children, building necessary facilities and volunteering with hilltribe people. Our program will give you a chance to make an important contribution to the people of Thailand, and to gain an in depth experience of the country and its culture that will stay with you the rest of your life!

Chiang Mai is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand and is the capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located some 700 km north of Bangkok, among some of the highest mountains in the country. You will be met at the airport of Chiang Mai. There are daily flights from Bangkok to Chiangmai at very low prices with airlines such as Air Asia. There are also several daily buses from Bangkok to Chiangmai every day. At the end of your program we will drop you off at the airport for your onward travel.

The Program

We offer great flexibility to our volunteers. With our Volunteer Program in Chiangmai you can start on any date throughout the year. You can join the program from 1 week up to 24 weeks. You will stay in a single room in a guesthouse or in a homestay depending on your project.

Your program will be individually tailor made for you based upon your preferences and qualifications and the needs of the projects. The WLS coordinator in Thailand will get in touch with you to discuss your program preferences and to build your program. Our coordinator will be available for support throughout your stay.

The Projects

We have several projects available in Chiang Mai :

Orphanage
This orphanage in Chiang Mai is the home for orphaned children in the Northern Region of Thailand caring for babies and children up to 6 years old and for girls from the age of 7 until 18 years. The orphanage also cares for those children who are HIV Positive from birth and for those children orphaned as a result of the deaths of AIDS infected parents.
The orphanage is located about 10km from downtown Chiang Mai and is easily reached by many of the cheap taxis in Chiang Mai. Volunteers assist with a range of activities, from feeding and playing with the children to teaching English or art.

Orphanage
This orphanage is in the center of Chiang Mai and has worked continuously to improve and develop living conditions and the quality of care for poor and homeless orphans. They provide a home for 50 children aged between 3 months to 6 years old. In their important early childhood years, they strive to ensure them a good quality of life in a loving, caring environment. Qualified and experienced carers including nannies, kindergarten teachers and a healthcare team to ensure the children are looked after around the clock. Volunteers will be helping to take care of the children, play with them and teach basic English.

Hilltribe Village School
Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand is home to interesting and colorful ethnic minorities, known as the hill tribes. Most of the hill tribes have migrated into the region during the past 100 years from the Asian interior and have preserved their traditional ways. There are seven broad hill tribe groupings: Karen, Lahu, Hmong, Lisu, Akha and Mien.
This village school is located about 70 km from Chiang Mai City. The area is a conservation forest area. There are about elephant camps near the school. The village school is a government school, teaching from grade 1-9. Most of students are hilltribe children. As it is a local village school, the quality of the English education is not so good so a lot of help is needed from volunteers. You will stay in a guesthouse near the school which is about 10 minutes walk. There are 250 children at this school aged 3 to 9 years old.

Orphanage for HIV affected Children
This project helps children whose parents have died from AIDS by providing an education so they can develop their skills to earn a living and allow them to become self-supportive. Also they help the children to become able to be part of a family and lead a quality life so they will become members of society and contribute their capability back to their society.
There are 40 children, both boys and girls at this project. These children are affected by AIDS but not infected. Their parents passed away from aids. The goal is to help each of the children grow develop and become good productive members of their society. When they are ready to leave the orphanage, they will be healed physically, mentally, and emotionally, they will have established good moral standards. The orphanage needs volunteers for English teaching, cooking and teaching music.

Building Facilities in the Hilltribe Villages
This is a great project to give back to the community in a very practical way. At this project you will be actively helping local hill tribe villages to build necessary water & sanitation facilities or other facilities such as school buildings that are needed at the time to improve the lives of the hilltribe people considerably. Many hilltribe families in remote villages do not have enough water in their village for personal use and cooking or have toilet facilities available in the village.
As a member of a building team, you will stay in a hilltribe village and experience village life. During the day you will work side by side with the local hilltribe villagers and have some duties linked to the nature of the project such as digging, cutting down bamboo with a traditional machete, mixing cement with sand from the river bed, making "bamboo reinforced concrete", using dried straw to make a thatched roof and so on.
Please be aware that there is an extra 50 US$ donation required to join this program on top of the program fee to cover for the purchase of building materials.
click here for pictures of Building Project by a student group from the UK

Charity for Single Mothers
Volunteer at this charity for single mothers in Chiangmai. This is a temporary home for unemployed single mothers with very young children and a shelter for unmarried pregnant young women prior to the birth of their child. Women who come to the charity have no consistent means of support, no boyfriend or husband actively present in their lives and have a desire to make life changes.
The charity accepts single women in desperate situations and moves them toward self sufficiency. The women learn their own value and develop self confidence. They are taught to see their situations in new ways, encouraged to solve their own problems, and strengthened to shape their own destinies. The women are taught to properly care for and support their children in such a way that will have a long term effect on their futures. Volunteers can teach English or teach vocational skills such as sewing, cooking, crafts, baking or jewelry making.

Children Foundation
This project in Chiangmai works in northern Thailand focusing on early childhood care development, education, life skills and children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV. The project is working to protect and promote Child Rights in rural areas of northern Thailand following the four basic pillars of Child Rights; the right to non-discrimination, devotion to the best interest of the child, the right to life, survival and development, and the respect for the views of the child. This is done by supporting and facilitating those who are involved with work concerning children, and strengthening relationships between stakeholders in the targeted communities. By strengthening networks between schools, communities, government organizations, community based organizations and other NGO's it is possible to collaborate the efforts to promote and improve the quality of life for children and their families, making interventions more effective and sustainable.
The project is located in Chiang Mai City. Volunteer activities include teaching English and helping in the office of the project.

Village School & Child Care Center
This Village School and Child Care Center is run by local administration and is 70 km from Chiangmai city. You will stay in a guesthouse near the school. The school and child care center is situated in the heart of the community in the village very close to an elephant camp. There are 33 children at this school and child care center aged 3 to 5 years old. Most of the students are hilltribe children. Volunteers will be helping to take care of the children, play with them and teach basic English.

Volunteer Activities

There are different kinds of volunteer activities available at the projects we work with in Chiangmai such as working with Hilltribe people, teaching English to children, taking care of children and joining building projects.

Teaching English
One of the volunteer activities is teaching English. Our volunteers have done great work teaching at our different projects and have made a great impact to the children's lives. The level of English of the children is mostly basic to lower intermediate so no teaching experience is required.

Child Care
As a child care volunteer you will be working with children at child care centers, schools or in villages. You will help to take care of children, feed the children, interact and play with the children.

Volunteering in Hilltribe villages
We work very closely with different Hilltribe communities near Chiang Mai city. Volunteering at Hilltribe villages is an amazing experience and will give you the opportunity to get to know this very interesting culture and its people in a meaningful way. You will be teaching the Hilltribe children at village schools or day care centers. The Hilltribe children have limited education opportunities especially for English education so your help will be greatly appreciated.

Building Projects
Also at the Hilltribe villages we have building projects available where you will work side by side with the Hilltribe people to build necessary facilities such as a school buildings, or toilet facilities in the hilltribe villages.

Schedule

Every program of every volunteer is tailor made! We will make your individual schedule based upon your skills, qualification and the preferences and the needs of the projects. With us you can also combine volunteering projects such as teach English for one week followed by a building project in the Hilltribe villages.

We also organize tailor made group volunteering such as building classrooms, toilets, canteens and other necessary facilities in hilltribe villages, contact us for more details.

On the first day of your program you will receive an orientation from your Coordinator. Your program will start with a city tour of Chiangmai with your coordinator. This is followed by on orientation and introduction to your volunteering projects.

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