Andaman Discoveries Blog
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Spreading the word, sharing good will.
On a beautiful Saturday morning in November, Angela Miller and her family found their way to the Southern Thailand Orphanage to share their generosity with the children from the home. The word was spread by the Brown family, who happened to be friends of Angela's family. As they arrived joyful and with good will to help with the bakery construction, they also brought gifts from the October wish list as well as other items that they had been gathering for a while.
According to Angela, “Language was no barrier for my two children as the children at the Orphanage took them by the hand and showed them around.
We had a wonderful day at the beach playing and swimming and were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help some of the older children get dressed and prepare for their performance they had booked for later that night. It really was a wonderful experience, for us as adults as well as for our children. We hope to visit the Orphanage again during our next visit to Thailand and in the mean time, we will continue to support the foundation financially where possible, as it is clearly needed and appreciated.”
Labels: orphanage, southern thailand orphanage
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Holiday For The Kids!
A Little Jungle Hike, Camping, and Environmental Education
On a fresh Saturday morning, Andaman Discoveries, along with a team of very willing volunteers, decided to give the children from the Southern Thailand Orphanage project and the Youth Group from Ban Lion an amazing holiday. We arranged an adventure-packed weekend for the children to our nearby islands on the Andaman Sea.A few drops of rain in the morning did not keep us from jumping on the boat! Our poncho's all packed, we were off to Koh Ra for a hike in the pristine jungle. There were 50 children excited to run through the jungle and explore the area, and enough guides to help them through the days activities!
After a hike of about 1.5 hours we arrived at the beach with wild waves crashing onto the shore. Children were running around on the beach playing with the waves. Just as everyone arrived the heavens opened and we had an adventurous wet lunch - food was never eaten this fast!
After the lunch we came back to our starting point, and the children went for another swim at a waterfall.
The boats were then ready to pick us up and take us to the island Koh Phrathong, were the children of the Southern Thailand orphanage set up their tents ready to stay overnight! The next morning the children got up early to explore the nature of Koh Phrathong and learn about the ecosystem surrounding them - a beautiful savannah on a deserted island.
After an educational and fun day, the children packed up and headed back to the Orphanage. We hope to see them again soon!
Labels: jungle hike, Koh Phratong, orphanage, southern thailand orphanage
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Nipa Palm & Mushrooms
New Garden at Southern Thailand Orphanage
One of our Southern Thailand orphanages has just sent us word about their great new garden. They plan to grow mushrooms of their own to eat and sell in the local market! The children helped build a small hut to provide shelter and humid conditions for the fungi to grow.
Nipa palm leaves, a traditional Thai building material, were used to build the roof and walls of the hut. Nipa palm roofing is sustainable, cheap, durable, waterproof, and can last from three to five years. The children will be helping take care of the mushrooms, making sure to water them and keep them moist. This garden is another addition to the orphanage's efforts to get as self-sufficient as possible.
If you plan a visit to the Andaman Coast, you can try one of our cultural village tours and learn more about Nipa palm! Try your hand or simply observe as the villagers weave these leaves together.
Labels: nipa palm, orphanage, Southern Thailand Volunteering
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Southern Orphanage Experience
James & Rebecca's experience
As it was the end of the rainy season, we worked with the family to weed vegetable patches, preparing them for seeding and growing in the coming weeks. We stayed onsite, lived, ate, worked and played with the family and the children. It has been an amazing experience, to see how well the children are cared for, how much the orphanage is like a family - providing love and care for all the children. It has been incredibly warming to be able to help and be part of the support to the children.Thai cooking lessons are also a part of the experience, and a brilliant one too - the food here is very good, and varied, and Gai is an extremely good teacher.
Thank you to all the family at Baan San Fan, we thoroughly recommend the experience to other volunteers - get involved and help this very worthwhile home provide support to the children.
Labels: orphanage
Monday, August 31, 2009
Career Breaks that Matter
Southern Thailand Orphanage Volunteer
The study tour participants weren’t the only UCLA students we welcomed in July -- UCLA alumnus and Los Angeles resident Christina Liu-Shaffer also joined us as part of a two-month career break. Christina wanted to experience a place abroad rather than just see it, so she chose to volunteer for a month at the Southern Thailand Orphanage before traveling throughout Thailand and China.
Christina said, "My volunteer experience has been amazing. Volunteering at the orphanage has changed my life! I feel so lucky to have been a part of the orphanage’s family and I will cherish this experience forever.
"I was warmly welcomed into the family as soon as I arrived. When the kids got home from school they ran out and gave me hugs and flowers.
"Before I arrived I was worried because I thought volunteering at an orphanage could be really sad. This proved to be the exact opposite of everything I worried an orphanage might be like.
"The kids are the happiest kids I have ever seen! The director and his wife are amazing and their huge hearts and desire to help others is truly inspiring. I love everyone at the project and always want to stay connected and help them in any way I can.
"What I enjoyed the most at the orphanage was that I could see I was making a difference. Whether that was seeing the newly re-painted bedroom after I just helped paint or making the kids laugh and smile. I could see that my time there was making a difference and that was the reason I wanted to volunteer."
"What I enjoyed the most at the orphanage was that I could see I was making a difference. Whether that was seeing the newly re-painted bedroom after I just helped paint or making the kids laugh and smile. I could see that my time there was making a difference and that was the reason I wanted to volunteer."
If you’d like to contribute your time to volunteering at the Southern Thailand Orphanage, please contact us to learn more about how you can get involved.
Labels: long-term volunteering, orphanage, volunteering Thailand
Monday, April 20, 2009
Southern Thailand Orphanage
French couple pilot new long-term volunteer opportunity
Jeremy and Audrey (France) wanted to spend time with local people and contribute their talents to a worthwhile cause. They found that opportunity through Andaman Discoveries’ newest long-term volunteering program at a southern Thailand orphanage.During their nine days at the orphanage, Jeremy and Audrey taught the children fun activities like juggling, and also assisted them with gardening, handicrafts, cooking, drawing, and various construction projects. They discovered that even simple acts like smiling and eating with the children provided companionship and support. “The eldest children are really independent, so most of the time we were with the younger ones. They like drawing, singing and listening to us read story books. The children were always ready and happy to do things with us.”
The couple concluded that “it was a wonderful experience. Thank you to Andaman Discoveries for introducing us to the orphanage. We encourage everybody to do the same.” You can learn more about this new program on our website, or contact us for details.
Labels: orphanage, Thailand, tsunami, volunteer, volunteering
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