The Project
Thailand Community Development Expedition

The priority projects requested by the communities of the region are English language teaching but program participants also assist with additional cultural and environmental activities. You will spend time working on local and tourist environmental and cultural awareness, and assist sustainable development and local capacity-building initiatives, all in and around the region’s breathtaking natural beauty, temples and ancient ruins of past kingdoms.

Expedition Aims

The Krabi Province of Thailand suffered immensely due to the tsunami which struck late in 2004. Many of the people who died were from the coastal communities where English language was popular due to tourism. The loss of these people meant a huge loss of skills, knowledge and experience, including much knowledge of the English language. This has created a great demand from local communities for English language lessons so the communities can regain those skills and receive maximum benefit from the tourism that was lost along with many of their community members. GVI works in partnership with local communities and local organizations to help communities conserve their culture and their natural resources, which are increasingly under pressure, and assisting them with achieving sustainable incomes, whilst protecting their natural resources. In Krabi, GVI supports the effort of its local partners to increase the long term benefits of tourism to the local population by:

• Supplying free communicative English language lessons to the local communities
• Training local teachers in English language teaching
• Supplying free English language lessons to local partner staff, guides, rangers and researchers
• Supporting Thai culture and the efforts of organizations and communities to preserve it
• Supporting community environmental awareness
• Supporting tourist environmental and cultural awareness
• Increasing the capacity of the local community to benefit in a long-term, sustainable manner from the tourism coming into their area.

The Problem

The area suffered heavily as a result of the tsunami and many skills were lost with the deaths that occurred. In addition to the lost lives and skills, many people lost their homes, jobs and businesses as a result of the tsunami. This region has additional social issues due to a high rate of immigration from Burma, as well as the dwindling population of Moken sea gypsies, a group indigenous to Andaman’s islands and coastal communities. As proven by the development of Phuket, investment from outside the area and country, combined with skilled and unskilled immigration of workers to staff the development, is leaving the local communities displaced. The local communities are losing their homes, tradition, culture, lifestyles and find themselves in poorly paid, low-skilled jobs without training or future potential. In addition, the natural resources of the area are being rapidly depleted and are suffering a negative, irreversible effect.

How You Can Help

Expedition members will work at community centers, at the workplaces of local people and within the local schools to supply free English language lessons, information on the area's natural resources and local flora and fauna, as well as assisting in the creation of sustainable businesses funded by, and supplying funds to, local people rather than outside investors. Business ideas that rely upon the long-term conservation of the area's natural resources are supported wherever possible. In addition, lectures and presentations on the natural resources of the area and their conservation are given to tourists and tourism providers, and the sustainable use of the area's natural resources is supported and encouraged.

Expedition members have the opportunity to use the skills to develop lessons outside of the main community center, and work with community members in the nearby villages or in their place of work.