Bahá'í Service Opportunities in Thailand

Primary Service Objective in all areas: Continually make efforts to make new friends with youth and adults who speak English or who want to practice their English and invite them to join the four core activities: Devotional Gatherings, Children and pre-Youth Classes, and Study Circles.

Major areas of service available in Thailand:

• Chiengmai Province, Om Goi District: A very small town in the mountains is the site of a Bahá'í Social and Economic Development project in the north of Thailand (~15 hours by bus from Bangkok).  There is a dormitory for hill tribe children whose homes are very far away from their schools. There is a strong group of youth in Omgoi and the volunteer can help with their activities.  For instance, children and pre-youth classes, English classes, performing arts, holding regional youth camps, and more.  Free accommodation is available at the Bahá'í Centre.  US$75 per month should cover all expenses for a thrifty person.

• Nongkhai: The DayStar Kindergarten is a Bahá'í-owned Bahá'í-inspired English-medium kindergarten in Nongkhai, a small provincial town in north-east Thailand (~10 hours by bus/train from Bangkok) situated on the mighty Mekhong River looking across to Laos:
• Requires one youth for at least a six-month period.  The volunteer must be mature, independent, able to adapt to Thai culture, willing to serve DayStar as a teacher assistant and be a graduate of Ruhi Book 3.   They should love children aged 2-6 and be ready to spend time with the students, be able to sing for children, tell them stories and get along well with kids.
• Besides service in the Kindergarten there are opportunities on evenings and weekends to man the Bahá'í Centre, to make friends, hold English conversation classes as a service to the community which opens opportunities to teach the Faith, to invite people to study circles, devotional gatherings, and youth/children classes.  The volunteer must promote these three core activities and foster love and unity in the Nongkhai community. 
• For those volunteers who wish to stay at Daystar rooms are available and during school hours refreshment and lunch [Thai food] is served, volunteers must pay for other food and transportation.  US$100 per month should cover all expenses for a thrifty person.

• Yasothon: a small provincial city in Northeast Thailand (~ 9 hours by bus from Bangkok) has the Santhitham Bahá'í School and a small Bahá'í community.  The National Assembly hopes that this will be the first cluster in Thailand to reach ‘A’ status.  There are possibilities of teaching English at individual’s homes to earn money and make friends for the Faith.  Should be a deep Bahá'í, dependable and mature.  Should have completed up to Ruhi Book III.

There are two service opportunities in this town:

• Assist the Santhitham school:
• The school has three educational programs in Thai medium open: Nursery (2-3 yrs old) Kindergarten(3-6 yrs old) and Primary (6-12 yrs old)
• The area where it most needs volunteers is: Teaching English and Virtues through memorisation of the Holy Writings/Songs/Story/Games/and Arts.
• Santhithum has just opened a wider range of activities to use the capacities of youth.  This includes assisting with basic gym & sports i.e. basketball, football, table tennis, and swimming classes, and assisting with Music, Singing, Dance, Drama and Cooking Classes, or serving in the Canteen.
• Free accommodation is available at the school.  US$75 per month should cover all expenses for a thrifty person.

• Assist the Institute Board activities
• Assist with devotional gatherings, study circles and children classes in Yasothon town and in villages nearby.
• Free accommodation is available at the Coordinator’s house in Yasothon or in the one of the villages.  US$75 per month should cover all expenses for a thrifty person.

• Nonthaburi Province, Pakkred District: is part of the Greater Bangkok area and borders north-west Bangkok.  Volunteers can assist the Nonthaburi Bahá'í community in the following ways:

• The Bahá'í Foundation has begun a pioneering project in an English-medium Catholic Highschool in Pakkred area taking students through the pre-youth materials starting with Breezes and the Straight Path.  Volunteers are required to be trained to be youth animators and are expected to spend periods of at least 6 months in service.
• Assist with children and youth classes on Sunday afternoons, e.g., help prepare materials, arts and crafts, games, and teach basic English in the Thai classes, and help facilitate classes for junior youth in English medium.
• Teach and expand the number of English classes given as a free service by the Nonthaburi Bahá'í Centre.
• Make friends in the neighbourhood and invite them to participate in Devotional Gatherings and Study Circles.
• Help host. guide and orientate youth and visitors staying at the Nonthaburi Centre.
• Help and participate in activities in the Greater Bangkok community.
• Help with certain projects at the National Bahá'í Centre, e.g. organising the bookshop, the National Archives and Warehouse.
• Within 10-15 minutes by bus from the Nonthaburi Bahá’í Centre are many Government homes for children.  There is a great need for volunteers to work with the mentally and physically handicapped children here. 
• Free accommodation is available at the Nonthaburi Bahá'í Centre.

• Greater Bangkok area: assisting in the National Office and youth activities in the Greater Bangkok area and in other communities.  Assisting with the National Assembly’s archive project to digitalise historic photos and VDOs.

• Sriracha/Chonburi: This area with beach-side resorts is about 1.5 hours southeast of Bangkok. Accommodation is available in the homes of pioneers.  Youth are needed to teach English to other youth and assist with junior youth programmes.

• Student Pioneers.  Several Thai universities now have undergraduate and graduate programmes using English as the medium of instruction.  This is an excellent way to bring the Faith to the younger generation.  Standards of instruction are OK, and most major subjects are taught.

• Periodic Service: These activities may eventuate during one’s service in Thailand:
• Helping with English Camps periodically organised in different parts of the country.
• National youth camp held in October, in Central Thailand. It is held once a year and youth from all over Thailand participate. Can help organise activities for the camp.  Give other ideas and assist the organising committee.
• Please note that there are opportunities to visit Bahá'í communities in neighbouring Laos, Cambodia, and Malaysia and the more adventurous can travel by land through Laos and Cambodia/Vietnam up into southern China.

Notes:

• All volunteers are expected to be self funding.  Approximate Monthly Living Expenses in Thailand:
• Free accommodation is available in all project areas but if one wants to be more independent a rented room with all utilities without air-conditioning would cost US$100/month
• Food (eating mainly Thai food): US$100/month.
• Trip (possibly every 1-3 months) by land to extend visa in Laos, Cambodia, Burma or Malaysia: $50/trip.
• Current Exchange rate: 1 $US = 38 Thai Baht.
• No qualifications needed for teaching English.  You just need to be able to speak English, slowly and clearly.
• Visas: All prospective volunteers should try to obtain a multiple-entry one year non-immigrant visa from the Thai Embassy in their home country, otherwise it may be necessary to leave the country monthly to renew one’s visa.  A six-month double entry non-immigrant type ‘B’ visa may be possible.  A letter of invitation from the National Assembly of the Bahá’ís of Thailand may assist with this process.  If it is too complicated to get a non-immigrant visa, request a Visitors Visa which will usually give an initial 2-month stay which can be extended for one month.  A one-month transit visa will be issued for most ‘Western’ passports if one arrives without a visa – this is difficult to extend.
• The visa situation has become tighter since the beginning of 2007 and it is still not clear of its implications.  If one comes on a visitor’s visa one may have to leave the country every three months to obtain a new visitor’s one – short border crossings and getting a one-month visa on return no longer seem possible.
• All volunteers must learn about the Thai culture before their arrival or soon after.  These books are recommended: Culture Shock Thailand, Do’s and Don’ts in Thailand, and the Lonely Planet guide to Thailand.  You may be able to borrow these from Service Volunteer agency in your country or we can send you a copy.
• Mobile phones: Volunteers staying any period of time will find ownership of a mobile phone to be very useful.  Either bring one with you (Need a GSM-compatible one - North American phones are usually not compatible) or buy one here for some US$75, a local SIM card costs US$5, and pre-paid cards use a minimum of US$8/month.

If you are interested in serving in Thailand, please send us an application form (please request one first) which includes::

• A short statement expressing your interest in which project and why. 
• Information about you including your name, age, gender, nationality (as in passport), educational background, work experience, languages spoken, and any special needs, e.g., health and dietary needs.
• Information about your current Bahá'í activities and interests.  Your progress in going through the Ruhi institute series.
• Expected arrival date and length of stay.
• A letter of introduction/character reference from your local Assembly or a Bahá'í institution is helpful.

For more information contact:

Vaughan Smith
Bahá'í Service Coordinator for Thailand.
40/265 Chaengwattana-Pakkred 28
Nonthaburi 11120, Thailand
Tel/Fax: (66) 2962-0307, Mobile: (66)87-9293789

Email: vaughan9@gmail.com

Application Form for Volunteers for Projects in Thailand

A Report from a volunteer served in Yasothan

Another Report from a volunteer served in Yasothan

A Report from a volunteer served in Omgoi

A report about Yasothan by two ABMs

Yasothan-Santitham's needs - Jan 2004