- Duration:
The minimum period of stay is a 3 months service.
- The project:
Kataphusin is the project to build a small autonomous community in the vigorous and generous nature of South Thailand. The way of life has to be sober, simple and spontaneous; to respect the nature in any way. Kataphusin knows that a balanced relation with the nature is an indispensable condition to human well-being. The place, a 5 hectares fruit garden crossed by a small river is waiting for determined volunteers to harvest its fruits and plant the seeds of a harmonious future.
- History/Reasons and philosophy of the project:
This garden has been started 15 years ago by a Thai-French family, and is now like an oasis of fruits diversity surrounded on a side by dangerous oil palm plantations and on the other side by a big national park and a beautiful waterfall. Jean-Luc, the initiator has always wanted to gather people with the common aim of living simply, according to the nature and create this small autonomous community. With DaLaa organization, we have been joining and sending volunteers to this project since 2009. We’ve been gardening, planting, building and doing activities with local kids at the project.
- Involvement of local people:
Most villagers make a living from rubber and palm oil trees. The relationships between people are rather difficult since money, properties and drugs have been taken over solidarity and respect of each others. We do our best to include local kids in our activities but it’s true that our volunteer project is not well understood by the villagers around.
- Type of volunteers needed:
Long term volunteers (over 3 months). Will to lead a way of life according to the nature, take a step back from the modern civilization and use this time for spiritual reflexion. French speakers would make it easier for discussions with the host.
- Work Activities:
Volunteers will help to take care of the agro-forest and the vegetable garden. This work will include planting seeds, nursing young plants, cutting the grass around young trees, gardening, collecting fruits, repair the tools
We can start again activities on the area with local kids on week-ends or evening (environment, gardening, art and craft, sport… depending on volunteers’ skills). It is the easiest way to get in contact with local people and to share our project aims. Let’s share and improve together our love for nature and others.
We would like to build some small huts to be able to welcome more people in the future.
An important part of the project is to manage smoothly our daily life in community. Getting our food, cleaning, cooking, times to get together, times needed for privacy, different opinions or life visions…, we’ll all have to adapt ourselves.
We can start/continue any other projects according to our aims (Ex: distributing seeds or young trees around)
It seems like 2 or 3 hours of physical work in the garden per day is a good rhythm. It may be more demanding when doing construction work. Don’t worry; you will have a lot of time for yourself. Saturday and Sunday would be the best time for activities with kids. A free day in the week for relax or do personal things would be important too.
- Food and accommodation:
We believe healthy food is directly linked to a healthy mind and we will give a strong importance to our alimentation. Fruits will be in a big part of it. One of the most important is banana, easy to grow and nourishing. There are many different species of fruits and vegetables on the land. There are also many coconuts, pineapples. Depending on the season, there are also avocados, durians, jackfruits, rambutans, wild mangos and many others but in fewer quantities. Some trees (all planted by seeds) are not fully grown. They are also missing people to take care of them.
We work also at the vegetable garden so we can get some safe good food from it. We still need to buy some more food from the markets. We will avoid a maximum industrial (packaged) food and no meat.
We will take turn cooking 1 meal a day in evening (rice or potatoes with vegetables, curries, salads, eggs, soups…) and just enjoy fruits any time. Jean-Luc can introduce you to raw food alimentation ( instinct) but you are of course not forced too.
Two small houses (huts) are available for volunteers in the garden (across the river). There is no electricity there. (but there is at the host house) Mosquito nets are provided
We use dry toilets (2 of them on the main house side), natural toilets are also fine since the land is big.
We can shower and wash clothes in the river (bring some natural soap), there is one private shower room at the main house.
- More information:
The land is on both side of a small river (stream) coming 1km down of Wipawadi beautiful 9 floors waterfall. It is a mountainous area. It brings some freshness (for tropical Thailand) to this place, a lot of rain and many mosquitoes as well. Wong Pack Wenn is a small, Buddhist village of about 50 houses. At the entry, close to the village main intersection, there is the main house (with electricity), where the host family leaves then the land goes down to the river, this part has been planted since several years and trees are well grown. There are a few neighbors too. There is a small bamboo bridge to cross the stream without being wet. Then on the other side, there is an old house and the new gathering hut where volunteers will sleep on. There is no electricity on this side. This area has been planted recently with small fruit trees and need more care. It is going almost 200 meters long and higher to Khao Sok national park border. The place is surrounded by rubber tree plantations.
The climate is tropical, temperature is usually between 20 in the night and 30-35 during the day, high humidity with rain shower often, rather more rain and cooler at the end of the year, it can be kind of oppressing with all the trees around for people coming from “temperate“ countries.
We love the nature and all of it, snakes, scorpions and centipedes and other less dangerous bugs or mosquitoes are sharing the area with us. There are some precautions to take but no reasons to be afraid.
Most of villagers make a living from rubber and oil palm trees. Apart from work, some spend fare amount of time on lotteries and gambling. There are also some small shops and local restaurants in the village. However, tt’s only a few decades that some people are living there. It was the jungle 50 years ago.
- Accommodation:
Wooden hut by the waterfall stream.
- Location:
Wipawadi, Surat Thani province, Southern Thailand.
- Meeting point:
Pun Pin train station
- Participation Fee:
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), but if you stay over 3 months, from 4th month onward, instead of paying 8,000 THB every month, we reduce the fee to 7,000 THB (approx. 175 Euro) per month.
- Example:
A 6-month stay volunteer, during month 1-3, 8,000 THBx3=24,000 THB, and month 4-6, 7,000 THBx3=21,000 THB. Altogether 45,000 THB/6 months.
- Basic conditions of DaLaa MLTV Projects:
- Participant is responsible for their own travel costs and all personal expenses during free time.
- Participant is responsible for taking care of their own insurance.
- Participant 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 friendship with local people and other volunteers, let's try to make this world a nice place to live in!
- Participant should have the basic skills/knowledge toward the project they apply for.
- Participant should ask for a visa “Non-Immigrant type”. DaLaa will provide an invitation letter and other officially registered papers.
