Community Natural Resource Conservation and Management Project
Volunteers needed to assist community programme Phra Thong Island   - Thailand

community recycling site. photo by Por

photo by Valerie

Naucrates together with Mangrove Action Project (MAP) conducts the Community Natural Resource Conservation and Management Project at Lion Village, Phra Thong Island.

The project aims to introduce environmentally friendly practices to improve the living conditions of the Lion Village Community strengthening the capacity of local community to implement conservation programs; establish a positive-sustainable relationship between ecotourism, conservation and community economic development.
Activities include environmental education for school children, seagrass monitoring programme, livelihood activities in the community in order to increase the capacity amongst local people. In March, a training on Thai massage was carried out for local women. The result is that visitors arriving at Lion Village can now have Thai massage. Tree planting activities will be carried out in the rainy season.

Volunteers will help us by bringing their skills and knowledge with a small economical contribution to cover some expenses of the project. The team brings life and innovation to the local community encouraging them to understand that the development of ecotourism programmes could be an important alternative and supplementary source of income for their future.

volunteer at the school photo by M.Hulme

children working at Ban Tao Photo Naucrates collection

Project activities

• Teaching English to children and adults (except during school holidays)
• Help organize the museum for the tourists and environmental education centre in the village
  
• Make signs to facilitate visitors of the village (illustrative skills appreciated)
  
• Work with the villagers to build a communal garden and effective compost facilities
  
• Help create a mangrove/animal species information booklet.
  
• organize games or activities for school children
  Participate in the community seagrass monitoring programme
  Tree planting (rainy season)

Period

All year around for 2010

Project Supervisors: Jaruwan Kaewmahanin (Ning) - MAP and Monica Aureggi - Naucrates

Project Coordinator: Piyapat Nakornchai(Por)- speaks both Thai and English

Project responsible of logistic: Lory (speaks Thai, English, German and Italian)

Number of volunteers:  2-3 volunteers at one time

Location
Lion Village,a new post tsunami community, on Phra Thong Island, (about 100 km2; 15 km long by 7 km wide), is located about 5 km from the western coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea (9.03-9.17°N, 98.25-98.33°E).
Kuraburi is the nearest town located on the mainland, where supplies are purchased.

Project Base
The team will be based at the Lion village (former Bak Joke village), in the north of the island. The village was destroyed by the tsunami and rebuilt in a safer location by the International Lions Club as ‘Lions Village’. The village consists of 150 houses, one school, one common area and a small pier. Each house is made of cement and has a kitchen, a toilet and 3 rooms. A local person will cook for the project team.
Volunteers will live within the local community and will involve the local people in the programme. Electricity will only be available in the evenings.

Accommodation
You will live with a Thai families (home-stay)in different homes but houses are very close to each other. You may have to share a room with another volunteer depending on the availability.
One house is used by Naucrates as office and research assistant’s accommodation as well as a volunteer common area. Electricity will be available but only in the evening (after 18.00 every day until about 22.00 at night).

Volunteer Involvement
You will follow the community programme under the supervision of the project’s coordinator.

An initial training will be conducted on your arrival, then you will work independently.
Every day your duties will include activities like planning school children games or lessons, preparing material for the environmental and visitor center, assist Naucrates and MAP staff in carrying on activities for the community, maintenance work at the center, etc.

Activities varies according to the period and the season.

Between January and April, Naucrates Conservation Project on sea turtles and mangrove rehabilitation is open. An international team is involved in beach monitoring, nest protection and hatching releasing.

In July, rainy season, tree planting and mangrove rehabilitation work is conducted.

Volunteer contribution
The contribution required to take part in the project is 200 Euro for the first week. Any additional week is 180 Euro. This will include food and accommodation. You must have your own health/accident insurance and cover your own travel expenses to reach the island (flight, boat, car, etc).
A special rate is available for Thai Volunteers.
Please contact Monica Aureggi for more details on info@naucrates.org

How to Book
Before booking, contact Naucrates (info@naucrates.org) to find out if there is availability during the period that you would prefer to join the project.

Then, download the booking form or write to Naucrates directly.

Requirements
Previous experience doing environmental education or working with children would be a great asset. You should be willing to work in warm and humid conditions. You also need to be friendly, communicative, and be able to work in a group living in a small Thai community. Local people don’t speak English or just a few words, so please be prepared to be innovative in communicating and try to learn some important Thai words which will go a long way to making your cross-cultural experience satisfying.

You will be on a remote tropical island, and need to be prepared to live without night life, shops, television, etc. You will have a lot of free time during the day to walk and explore the beauty of the island or to read a book.
Any health issues must be communicated before booking.

To learn more about Naucrates see: http://www.naucrates.org/

To learn more about MAP see: http://www.mangroveactionproject.org/