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1 Week Elephant Welfare Project in Eastern Mahout Communities Surin, Surin, Thailand | Volunteer, Eco

Ticket Price USD$ 1399.00 (per pax)
Minimum Group Size: 1

Duration1 week

Operation DaysMon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun

Operation MonthsMonthly

FOBO Rating

A charity/non-profit organisation/sanctuary

Based in Thailand’s Eastern province of Surin, this project works with the communities that have lived and worked with elephants for hundreds of years. Since the country’s ban on logging and prevalence of machinery, work for elephants is limited and with no other opportunities, the people of these communities and their elephants often starve. The government has developed initiatives that aim to encourage communities to use elephants to help attract tourists to the area. This project works alongside these communities to encourage tourism development to be shaped by ethical and responsible eco-tourism approaches.

Why the project needs you

Currently under-represented by Western tourists, the region’s tourism development focuses on entertainment shows, which see the elephants learn tricks and stay tied up for a lot of the day. Through volunteer participation on this project, we work with a selected group of committed mahouts, their families and their elephants to develop eco-tourism approaches that provide the elephants a better standard of life.

Project Location

The camp is situated approximately 50km from the small, city of Surin, which receives very few tourists. The area around the project is inhabited entirely by mahouts and their families. You will have your own room onsite, with an elephant (or two) living in the garden outside your door! Houses have electricity with fans and an outhouse with running water. Beds with mosquito nets are provided and volunteers eat together at the village’s community centre.

This rural area has forested areas in which to go walking and onsite, the elephant museum has a number of stalls selling snacks and gifts. At weekends, volunteers can take a public bus into the small city of Surin for a glimpse of authentic Thai rural life.

Project Facts

• Requirements: age 18+
• Location: Surin, Thailand
• Project activities: Work with the local community to feed, exercise, and bath the elephants alongside other general maintenance tasks.
• Working hours: Monday-Saturday 09.00-17.00
• Project Availability: Projects start first and third Saturday every month.

Role of the volunteer

Volunteers bring an international perspective to the work of conservation and ecotourism, passing along their knowledge and enthusiasm to local residents who will benefit the most from this work. Within the elephant village help is needed with looking after the elephants (walking, bathing, feeding), maintaining and harvesting crops to feed the elephants (sugar cane and bamboo) and general maintenance in the village (building elephant shelters, repairs, etc).

Skills Required

No specific skills are required for this project, but a love of animals is a must. Work is fairly physical therefore a moderate level of fitness will be needed.

What is included

• Accommodation: Single or shared room in a guesthouse
• Food: 3 meals per day – Breakfast , Lunch and Dinner
• Airport pick up in Bangkok
• Transfer to and back from Surin (option to return to Bangkok or Chiang Mai)
• Training: Pre-departure information pack and onsite orientation provided
• Support: 24 hour support
• Excursion Planning: Staff will help organise activities and excursions

What is not included

• Flights
• Insurance
• Visas
• Airport transfer in Bangkok at the end of the project

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Reviews

Bruce and Lori Burnett

Wildlife Rescue Centre in Vietnam
"The best part of our trip was meeting the Vietnamese people, working with the staff at the rescue centre, interacting with the animals and learning about the need for animal rescue and rehabilitation."

Maria Fredriksson

Island Land Conservation in Koh Tao Thailand
Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to find out what I want to do with my life. Without this I would still wonder what I want to do, now I know. I had the best time I've ever had, there is nothing I'd like different. It was amazing.

Stuart Corinaldi

Work with Rescued Elephants, Reforestation and Rural Communities in Thailand
"The whole experience is amazing, you get a real taste for the local culture."

OperatorOPA0005

FOBO Rating A charity/non-profit organisation/sanctuary

The Operator is a Social Enterprise.
This means that they are a business with primarily social objectives, whose surpluses are reinvested into the social cause, rather than maximizing profits.

How did the company come about?
OPA0005 was set up in 2008 by their Director after her own volunteering experiences and many years’ involvement with community projects. The idea behind OPA0005 is to bring together the quality and impact of grass roots projects with the breadth of choice, quality of structure and organization and level of service that enables everyone the opportunity to contribute to positive action and enjoy traveling the world more responsibly. OPA0005 volunteers come from all walks of life. Whether you are taking a gap year, a career break if you are retired or just taking a holiday; traveling alone, in a group, with friends, partners or family, there is a OPA0005 projects to suit you. Most of their projects don’t require you to have qualifications or specific skills, just a positive attitude and the commitment to learn from the local communities and staff to drive the project to success. For those of you who have skills that can benefit the projects, and even if you are looking to develop your professional skills in a developing country, your help is invaluable and OPA0005 staff will work with you to ensure your role matches your skill.

Where does my money go to?
Each project is different and that proportions are dependent on the project chosen, the locations and activities within that project at that time, the volumes of volunteers signed up at that time and the amount of support each volunteer requires during their placement as theyll as the obvious differences in costs bettheyen different countries and fluctuating exchange rates.

However, this is a rough overall breakdown of how an average OPA0005’s placement fee breaks down at this current time.

Homestay bed and board: (25%) Through their homestay placements, they provide a means of income for local families. Your fee includes accommodation and some meals for which your family is paid. They commit staff time to identifying suitable families who can provide adequate hospitality for their volunteers, in suitable areas, and also ensure they choose families who have a genuine interest in learning more about theysterners - this way a mutual friendship and cultural appreciation can be built during your stay. Homestays are regularly monitored by ground staff to maintain this standard. In locations where homestays are not available, volunteer houses and guesthouses are arranged.

Project donations: (20%) All participant’s fees include a donation to projects being undertaken. Some projects require less financial assistance than others and some projects are more popular with volunteers than others, and therefore this donation will not necessarily all go to your project. It is in this way that they can ensure a more steady stream of financial support across the projects they work with. This donation may include materials and provision at the project in order for you to be able to carry out your work. Some of these funds may be used in other project countries following emergency appeals after natural disasters or other incidents.

Project Set-up and Management: (10%) All of OPA0005’s projects are identified and evaluated by in-country staff before being offered as a placement. This guarantees that a volunteer will be working on genuine projects in need of volunteer support with a specific mission that is being worked towards. Once identified, ground staff work with the project leaders to ensure each incoming volunteer is suitably placed, pre-prepared and ready to be received. An ongoing monitoring of these projects then ensures they offer continued support to only the best-run projects who can benefit from your help.

Recruitment and Marketing Communication and Admin: (10%) Their placement advisors work hard online, on the phone and in person to recruit volunteers across the county and work with them to find the perfect placement for their skills and preferences. Additional to this, the set up and maintenance of their theybsite, brochures and preparation materials ensure you always have access to the most current information you need to choose and prepare for a project. Alongside tradeshow materials and a small budget for highly efficient advertising, these administrational costs are all essential to securing vital support for the projects worldwide on an ongoing basis.

Participant overheads: (9%) Insurance and taxes are an expense they would all rather not pay, but both legally and for the safety of their participants they provide financial indemnity and professional liability cover. Participants must cover their own health and travel insurance to keep costs down and offer them the opportunity to acquire a level of cover they are comfortable with.

Volunteer Management: (26%) On the ground staff are responsible for all volunteer arrangements for their project, homestay, inductions and orientations as theyll as offering 24h emergency support during the placement. The administration of this as theyll as pick-ups and drop-offs from the airports are included with any transportation costs incurred in these transfers. Many project placements also include language classes, which are important in improving your communication on your project, and some volunteer activities outside of project htheirs.

With your volunteer contributions, they can ensure that the projects they work with can continue in their successes to date. To give you an example of what they can achieve together, here are just a few of the results from their projects across the world so far:

• Installed over 4,500 clean burning stoves in rural Peruvian villages
• Planted over 20,000 native plants and trees threatened by extinction in South America
• Treated over 14,000 patients in clinical outreach programs worldwide
• Built 18 schools and installed sanitation facilities in a further 9 schools
• Built 3 centers for displaced women and children
• Taught business classes and helped establish eco-lodges and cooperatives
• Installed water catchment, irrigation lines & drinking water systems

TERMS & CONDITIONS

We hope that you will choose to apply for placement on an OPA0005 program. We are
committed to providing you the best support as you prepare for the experience of a lifetime, which is why we have laid down the following term and conditions to protect your interest. Please note there may be additional conditions which apply to individual placements.

Application Instructions
Apply online and make your deposit payments. Upon receipt of the application and deposit, we will secure the position in the Program. OPA0005 will contact all applicants within 2 weeks of receipt of the application. Applications will not be considered without a program deposit.

Deadlines, Dates & Prices
Applications are accepted throughout the year and are subject to limited space availability. Placement deadlines are based on the dates of the desired program. Some programs and project placements ﬁll up prior to their published application deadlines.

Program Start and Finish Dates, Current Prices and What’s Included are speciﬁed in each project page. Apply early to secure your position. Important deadlines for the OPA0005 Programs are:
Early Application -- Application can be made up to 1 year in advance, however
confirmation of the exact nature of the project will commence 3 months prior to program start
Application Deadline -- 4 month prior to program start
Total Fee Due -- 6 weeks prior

Program Flexibility
OPA0005 programs are different from travel or adventure programs. Each development
project and work experience placement is unique and often cannot be implemented exactly as planned for a variety of reasons. There are numerous factors, though closely monitored, that are beyond our control. Applicants are advised that these variables may require changes before or during a program. Part of the challenge and growth opportunity is in adapting to changing conditions and overcoming the obstacles they may present.

Refund Policy
The program deposit of £100 will be applied towards the total program fee. The deposit is non-refundable for Participants who have been accepted into the program. The deposit will be fully refunded to non-successful Participants. If the participant cancels for any reason, they must notify OPA0005 in writing. Cancellation will be effective on receipt of the written notiﬁcation by OPA0005 via email. Careful planning goes into developing OPA0005 programs for every individual applicant. As a result, OPA0005 and our host communities and partners incur substantial administrative and planning costs prior to the start of each program. Participants who cancel more than six weeks prior to the program start will receive a refund on the program fee paid, less the deposit. Individuals who cancel or shorten their program for any reason,less than six weeks prior to the program start or during the program will not receive a refund. OPA0005 strives to ensure sustainable projects and quality programs. The Refund Policy is deﬁned in an effort to protect and accomplish these goals. OPA0005 deals with each situation fairly, in consideration of well established policies, and with the best interests of community members and participants in mind.

Trip Cancellations
OPA0005 reserves the right to cancel any program if there are insufﬁcient registrants or if OPA0005 determines it is in the best interest of the applicant’s safety and quality of programming to cancel the program. OPA0005 is not responsible for other costs incurred
by applicants preparing for the trip. Should a program be cancelled for any reason,applicants will be offered the option of positions in other OPA0005 Programs or a full refund on all fees paid.

Release of Liability and Assumption of Risks
In organising and managing volunteer projects, work experience placements, group, and courses, OPA0005, its agents, employees, and staff give notice that they act solely on behalf of and for the beneﬁt of the participants, on the express agreement that OPA0005 shall not be liable, ﬁnancially or otherwise, for non-performance or unsatisfactory service;
for the injury to persons including death, for loss of or damage to property, for accident or delay, and/or for expenses arising from strikes, weather, quarantine, sickness,government regulation, civil unrest or war, or from any act or omission of OPA0005 agents or employees, and/or airline, mail services, rail, bus company, vehicle rental entity, hotel, restaurant, or other supplier of service. By signing agreeing to these Terms & Conditions, the participant assumes all of these risks and agrees to indemnify OPA0005, its ofﬁcers, directors, and employees harmless for any and all liability that may arise in connection with participation in the OPA0005 Programs. OPA0005 reserves the right to refuse any applicant admission to any program if he or she is deemed ill suited for the program. Important program information will be sent to the email address provided on the application. Photographs, videotapes, and/or statements of participants may be used in promoting OPA0005. OPA0005 publishes program and project photos on a monthly basis on the OPA0005 website.These photos and videos are available for participant, friends, family, and interested individuals to download, email, or print for personal use. Photography usage for distribution purposes will be considered on an individual basis on application to OPA0005.

Travel Documents and Insurance
All participants must possess a valid passport for their OPA0005 trip. Participants are responsible for any costs associated with visas, airport taxes, obtaining the proper travel documents for their trip, and changes to ﬂight itineraries. All participants must have valid,comprehensive health and travel insurance during the time of their program covering risks associated with ‘Force Majeur’ event. Details of insurance must be supplied to OPA0005 prior to commencement of any programme. OPA0005 reserves the right to refuse entry to
programmes if insurance details are not supplied.

Behavioural Expectations
By joining a OPA0005 Program, the participant assumes certain obligations to OPA0005,its community, and other program participants. If on-site program directors determine a participant fails to meet the behavioural expectations set out in this contract, that participant will be asked to leave the program. Participants asked to leave under these circumstances will not receive a refund. In addition to other program responsibilities, as a program participant you are responsible for:
- Being in sufﬁcient good health to undertake the program.
- Acting in an appropriate and respectful manner towards the local people, fellow
travellers, program participants, and staff in accordance with the customs, laws,regulations, and ordinances of the country of placement.
- Communicating effectively your interests, skills, limitations, and needs to home community members and program staff members.

Age
Participants must be aged 18 years over at time of pick up, unless expressly agreed in advance by OPA0005. Participants under 18 yrs may travel with a responsible leader over 18yrs with express consent from legal guardians. OPA0005 reserve the right to cancel and application or terminate a placement without refund if false information is found to have been supplied.

Disclosure
All participants must disclose at time of application any pre-existing or existing medical conditions (including depression and eating disorders) and disabilities. Any medical conditions arising after Application and prior to Placement must be disclosed to OPA0005 prior to placement commencement. OPA0005 reserve the right to refuse Application based on these disclosures if deemed necessary. OPA0005 reserve the right to cancel an application or terminate a placement without refund if false information or lack of disclosure is found to have been supplied. OPA0005 is not held responsible for the administration or monitoring of any medication. While OPA0005 make every effort to establish safety conditions and risk assessment, Participants are warned that the general standards of health, safety and hygiene in many countries may not be of comparable standard to Western countries and hence a risk of injury and illness is inherent to this venture. Some placements may require a CRB check – a government criminal record check. This check shall be carried out at the applicant’s expense through OPA0005.

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