Roy Wan Pan Pba project is located not far from a small village called Kuan Mai Bong (hill of timber). It’s a Buddhist village situated in a remote area of Cha-uat district of Nakorn Sri Tammarat province, Southern Thailand. Population of the village consists of approx. 720 people (212 homes). Most villagers make a living on their property such as rubber plantation and fruit orchard. Some others are temporary workers earning wages from occasional hire.

The project was started from nothing but motivation and solidarity in March 2011 by the initiatives of a local environmental activist Pi Ju ( Mr Surasak Yentua)along with support of Kuan Mai Bong villagers and DaLaa pilot volunteers. Its objective is to focus on participants (kids, volunteers, and locals) to be aware of importance of staying self-sufficient in their environment and to respect it as a vital part of their life. This atmosphere is the basic key of the site that everyone can feel and learn from. Volunteers are working/learning in the week and spreading their experience/feelings with local kids who are coming on Saturdays. We believe the growing temptation of parents to send their kids to study in the city (for “better education”) and the dream of some young locals to leave their village for the consumption world can be refrained by organizing activities, learning and sharing with volunteers from outside. Volunteers are at the same time students and actors of the project.

Since 2011, Pi Ju has supervised this project to create a kind of model of sustainable garden. Thanks to great help from the locals and volunteers that they managed to build most facilities to welcome people to live and visit. There is now adequate availability of food from the vegetables garden, and fruit trees which already planted.

Food Autonomy is indeed vital to man and Alternative Education is important as well as to give kids the possibility to learn some basic skills of life that are often neglected at regular schools.

The project site is located in a mountainous village of Ban Tad Mountain Range. It is approx. 16 kilometers far from the main road reaching up to the mountain. It is surrounded by rubber plantation, fruit orchards and scattered settlement of villagers’ homes. The project is less than a kilometer from the small village center.

For your entire stay, you’ll live with Pi Ju’s family. They are a father (Pi Ju), a mother named Pi Nong and their little son named Roy Wan. You know now where the project’s name is derived from

“It is to build and run this project together”.
There is still some construction work to be built on/repaired in the project area. As part of the team, volunteers share great support to the local project to help keep the school and its landscape in good order. They are given responsibility to take care of vegetable garden, mushroom shed, compost making, tree nursery and seeds collection. One of the school plans concerning the campaign of agricultural self-sufficiency is that people need no buying food from a market but to grow or to raise whatever edible and make it into meals for their families.

On Saturdays, village kids gather at the project site to do activities with volunteers. Volunteers decide together how to organize the Saturday’s activities. The opportunities are endless: teaching different subjects such as basic English, art, agriculture, games. The kids vary in age (it can be from 6 to 20). This is never a problem. They like to participate in activities together. If you know any activities worth arranging for the kids from your country or any teaching ideas, please bring supplies you may need with you.

In everyday life, apart from main tasks, you are also expected to help with the family’s daily tasks which are helping preparing meals for family members, washing dishes, watering plants in dry season, and keeping the house area, kitchen, coffee-tea table, bathrooms and restrooms tidy and clean. Moreover, you can spend some time after work with villagers in the village when you’re not very tired from your main tasks.

Drinking habit of male villagers -
You may be surprised to see men gather up for their after-work drinking party. After the exhausting day from gardening work, drinking is what they normally enjoy. It’s a local habit, way of community lifestyle.

From mid-March till mid-May and October’s time, it’s school holidays throughout Thailand. It means that you can create more activities with local kids at the project site.

Happening yearly from October to December, gardening work and other activities may be reduced because of the monsoon season (lots of rain). However, the project will still open for application. Volunteers coming during this period should acknowledge that they will have a lot of time “indoors”, here we would rather say “under roofs”.

- To support Roy Wan Pan Pba project.
- To experience and see the importance of “Food Autonomy and Alternative Education”.
- To build good relationship between volunteers and local people.
- To let children be familiar with volunteers and learn in international/multi-cultural atmosphere.

Huts shared with other volunteers.

Cha-uat district, Nakorn Sri Tammarat province, Southern Thailand.

Hat Yai (from Bangkok you can choose to travel by plane, bus or train).

The minimum period is a 2 months service.

The fee will be used for living expenses (gas, water, electricity, food) and materials used in projects/activities. Some part of the fee will be used to support Thai volunteers and our organization.

8,000 THB per month (approx. 200 Euro). If you stay over 3 months, from the 4th month onwards, instead of paying 8,000 THB every month, we reduce the fee to 7,000 THB (approx. 175 Euro) per month.

A 6-month stay volunteer, during months 1-3, 8,000 THBx3=24,000 THB, and months 4-6, 7,000 THBx3=21,000 THB. Altogether 45,000 THB/6 months.

- Participants are responsible for their own travel costs and all personal expenses during free time.
- Participants are responsible for taking care of their own insurance.
Participants should respect and have willingness to understand other cultures and backgrounds.
- Living conditions will be in Thai style (willingness to adapt and enjoy simple conditions of living).
- Willingness to work and live together, build friendships with local people and other volunteers - let's try to make this world a nice place to live in!
- Participants should have basic skills/knowledge towards the project they apply for.
- Participants should ask for a visa “Non-Immigrant type”. DaLaa will provide an invitation letter and other officially registered papers.