KONG POR NEUA - Universal Peace And Culture Exchange In Karen Community

Name: KONG POR NEUA - Universal Peace And Culture Exchange In Karen Community
Start: 2024-12-09
End: 2025-12-23
Location: Thailand

Code: f1c34b5d-5a05-11ef-a62b-fa163ef8d720 Copied

Thailand Culture Children Languages Yoga Culture Children +3 Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

Immerse yourself in the fresh winter environment of a Northern Hill tribe at Kong Por Neua, a remote
Karen community from Chiang Mai province. Staying at the local temple, volunteers will help to organize
an important Buddhist ceremony there, a full day of activities with students at the local School and a 3
days-Universal Moral & Ethics Camp at the temple (our living place) with Karen children, youth and adults.
Even with the presence of a few translators, volunteers should be ready to practice communication in a
multi languages environment (Karen, Thai and English). We’ll create together activities to support values of
morals, ethics, international peace, culture exchange, solidarity, team building, leadership... The workcamp
is co-organized by the local monk Too Neuk, the foundation Watcharaparamita and Dalaa association.
Volunteers may help with vegan cooking, organization of activities, such as games for adults and children,
take parts in the discussions and share their own culture. The last day will be dedicated to local culture and
forest discovery/preservation awareness together with our hosts.

💼 What the programme involves

This project is born from the gathering between the foundation Watcharaparamita and DaLaa,
International volunteers for Social Development association. DaLaa organizes international workcamps
often in the education field with children and youth in Thailand. The foundation Watcharaparamita based
in Chiang Mai organizes Universal Moral & Ethics Camps for adults and it will be the second time they will

do such an event in the Ban Kong Por Neua monastery. Too Neuk, the active monk there, is the one who
invited the foundation and the first edition was a success. He is keeping the local people active in the
village and organizes often events with them.
This time with DaLaa we wish to expand our love to children there and embrace the foundation’s camp
(13-15 December) by creating meaningful activities for the children in both the school and the monastery
toward international culture exchange, having fun while respecting each other’s, learning about ourselves
and peace. Volunteers will help to prepare and join some parts of the foundation’s camp.

AIMS of the PROJECT

1. Allow children to broaden their horizons and learn English speaking skills.
2. Create fun activities on the basis of love and kindness.
3. Strengthen love and unity without discrimination of social classes, ethnicity and religion
4. Bring love and kindness to create great power. Join hands to develop ourselves, develop the society, and
develop the nation.

After a preparation day, volunteers will organize two full days of activities with students at the local School to support values of international peace, culture exchange, solidarity, team building, leadershipdepending of the skills of each one and using English language as a tool. The next 3 days, we will focus on a Universal Moral and amp; Ethics Camp at the local Buddhist monastery (our living place) organized by the foundation Watcharaparamita. Volunteers may help with vegan cooking, organization of activities, such as games for adults and children, take parts in the discussions and share their own culture. The last two days will be dedicated to local culture and forest discovery/preservation awareness together with our hosts.

🏠 Accommodation on site

We will all stay in the compound of Kong Por Neua monastery. There is a communal building and you will be provided with simple sleeping equipment like thin mats, pillows and blankets. We will sleep in communal rooms (1 for females and 1 for males). These rooms will be used in the day time for the camp so we will need to pack up our sleeping stuff every morning. If you need more privacy, we advise you to bring your own tent that you can pitch in the yard.

There are many toilets and shower rooms. You actually shower by throwing water on you with a bucket
from a tank. The water is collected from the rain but there should be enough for daily use. – No hot water.
There is no electricity in the village but there are solar panels at the monastery so this should be fine to
recharge your phone.

**Please do not expect intensive comfort during your time at the project

🍲 Food

We will have a cooking team (that you can join). They will provide volunteers with 3 meals a day. The food
will be vegan for the whole stay - No meat is allowed in the monastery.

📍 About the location

Kong Por Neua village is situated in a very remote area of hills in Om Koi district where mostly Karen tribes are staying. The forest is beautiful and we will go to see the watershed forest during the camp. There is no electricity lines but the monastery has solar panels.In December, it will be winter: the temperature is around 10 degrees in the morning so volunteers are encouraged to prepare additional winter equipment. Every night, we ll organize bonfire and do some theater or singing/activities together. During this camp we will have the possibility to get to know the local culture as many villagers will be part of our camp and the last 2 days we will have chance to visit and exchange more with them.

⚠️ Requirements

The volunteers should be ready to stay in a remote area, to adapt to the local conditions with only basic facilities.
Very few local people are able to speak in English and even most of the elders do not understand Thai language.
Volunteers should be able to handle spontaneous working environment. The mentality and way of thinking is
very different from the western world. There will have activities with the children. To have responsibility for you,
the kids and full involvement in community matters is a must. For the 10 days, you will be led by a DaLaa
member/staff who will help to coordinate the project.

🤝 Meeting point

Meeting point: 10 AM on Monday 9th of December 2024, at Chiang Mai
airport - Door N.2.
**We may not be able to wait for volunteers who will arrive late (over 1 hour). In this case, volunteers should
make them way to Om Koi district by themselves.
By plane: Chiang Mai has an international airport but it’s more likely that you fly through Bangkok. Bangkok has
two airports, the biggest Suvarnabhumi and the other Don Meuang. Several companies are flying to Chiang mai
from both of them.
From Suvarnabhumi Airport to Donmuang Domestic Airport, it takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour by taxi and a
bit more by bus. Do make sure you have enough time to commute and check-in process.
By bus: from Bangkok, bus to Chiang Mai leave from Mochit Bus Terminal. The ride to Chiang mai takes about
10 hours.
By train: The main railway station in Bangkok is called Krung Thep Aphiwat Station. Prices depend on the class
of your train. You can check the timetable of the trains at http://www.railway.co.th

ℹ️ Additional information

In December, it will be winter: the temperature is around 10 degrees in the morning so volunteers are
encouraged to prepare additional winter equipment such as warm clothes, hats, socks, gloves, and scarves.
The day time should be warmer.

OTHER PRACTICAL INFORMATION
• Laundry: hand wash only
• Internet/phone access: get a SIM card from ‘ONE-TO-CALL’ (AIS) or ‘TRUE MOVE’ company.
• There are small shops in the village for basic needs drink/snacks...
• Health center: 5 km away from the monastery, next to Ban Utum School
• Hospital- ATM: 40 km away at Om Koi district – we will have pick up car available in case of
emergency
• Clothes worn in the village: You will be living in a monastery with elderly people and children
around so it is appropriate that you dress modestly, for example no short skirts or shorts too far
above the knees. Also, women should wear tops that cover your shoulders. Bring some warm
cloth as mentioned above.
• Language: Only few people in the village can speak good English. We will teach you some basic
Thai language during the start of your project. Non-verbal communication will be as well
essential.

The fee is fixed to 9,000 Baht per person. The fee includes with the cost of on-arrival pick-up and departure to
and from the meeting point, for living expenses (gas, water, food, transport) and materials used in
projects/activities and for the other part to support financially our organization. Volunteers’ fee is our only
income.

Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.