Staff outside the new Projects Abroad - Thailand office

By Suzi Lamb,

My third visit to Projects Abroad – Thailand was a busy one. Since spending a month working on our Conservation project last summer in Thailand lots has changed.

Conservation Director Marten Meynell has been out in Thailand for almost a year now and has done a great job of developing the Conservation work further. His monthly updates on the Thailand Conservation website are well worth a read. Conservation staff, Guang and Pam also do a fantastic job both with the diving side of the project and on land, accompanying the volunteers on beach clean-ups and mangrove days.

However, the biggest change is that our Teaching and Care projects are now also based in and around Krabi and we welcome Parichart Chaipikul, known as Ant, to our staff team as Director for Teaching and Care. Assistant Manager, Chane has moved with us from Bangkok, and continues to show the volunteers around when they first arrive and much more. We have also just finished our new office (see photo), located at the back of the volunteer house, which certainly gives the staff much needed extra space.

We still have a few Teaching and Care projects located in Chumphon, about three hours from Krabi and for volunteers wanting an experience of Thailand which is well off the tourist trail, this is an excellent option. Chumphon Coordinator, Jamnong will welcome you into his local community and have you speaking basic Thai in no time!

Staff training and visiting our new projects left me with no time to visit any of Thailand’s beautiful beaches this time, however, the volunteers enjoyed a weekend at stunning Ko Phi Phi. Thailand definitely offers volunteers plenty to do in their free time, combined with a unique insight into the Thailand most tourists don’t see and I’m already looking forward to my forth visit.