Orientation
Most of the volunteer work is focused on the Mae Sot where there are refugee camps and migrant communities but there may be opportunities to work in other parts of the border. We have sent volunteer teams into camps in the North West [Mae Sarieng] and the South West [Kanchanaburi ]
Finance
Normal practice is that all volunteers finance their own travel and accommodation, although some projects may attract some support or expenses. The biggest outlay is an air fare. The cost of living in Thailand is very cheap.
Health
Please check with your doctor regarding vaccinations [tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis etc] and ant-malaria tablets.
There are occasional outbreaks of Dengue Fever and more recently there was a limited outbreak of cholera in one of the camps.
Security
There is fighting between the Karen and the Burmese Army on the Burma side of the border. There were incursions into some camps in the late 1990's.Since then the most vulnerable camps were pulled back further inside Thailand and have not suffered from a re-occurrence. |
Insurance
BEP will provide a comprehensive travel insurance for volunteers
Currently it is policy to ask for a contribution handling fee of £50. This is purely voluntary.
General Conditions
These largely depend on the placement. In the towns accommodation is cheap, clean and comfortable. Prices vary but a good hotel in Mae Sot where BEP has placed three volunteers might cost £6-7 a night but guest houses charge upwards from about £60 a month .
Thai food is excellent and cheap.
Laundry facilities are plentiful, in the towns, and very cheap.
In the camps conditions are basic but clean. A stay in a camp may be for a short period and volunteers are housed in Karen bamboo buildings which are clean and airy with adequate sanitary and washing facilities.
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