ISV - Volunteer Projects in Thailand

we cried a lot during the time in Thailand with our buddies, they are like my real sister and brothers, and i hope i can come to Thailand again to visit Maekok Foundation .
It was the most memorable experience in my life. I learned so much during the time spending with the Kids, and i miss them so so so so much!!!
We taught the Kids English while they also taught us how to do the work, like how to mix the sand and rock, how to plan rice.

It was cool working with the elephants first-hand. On the very first day, we got to feed them, bathe them, and make them sticky rice. These creatures were absolutely beautiful.
I liked this project quite a bit, but I later found another elephant conservation place, called Elephant Nature Park, that seemed much more aligned with my personal values. I would recommend volunteering there instead, if at all possible.

This past July (2016) I traveled to Chiang Mai Thailand with International Students Volunteer (ISV) to volunteer at Ran Tong Elephant Sanctuary. While we were there we lived with the elephants for two weeks! Never in my life did I think this itself was a possibility!! I knew I would be volunteering with elephants (which itself is amazing and a dream come true), but I had no idea that every morning I would wake up to a view of twenty elephants roaming around enjoying their new life Ran Tong provided for them. During the day we made a fence for the sanctuary, helped WASH ELEPHANTS, feed elephants, clean up after them, tend to the baby elephants, and learn about the daily routines the caretakers have to go through to provide the elephants with a safe and happy life. Most of the elephants were saved from the logging or tourist industry. The best part was that you feel like you are making a difference for these amazing creatures and that they appreciate your hard work. While I was there I made so many friends. Not just from my group, but the people who lived in Thailand as well. One friend I made that had a lasting impression was Adam. He worked at the sanctuary and helped us along the way. He help translate for us and helped us get the things we needed. He was so friendly and immediately became our friend. Another man I met was Gaga. Gaga lived near the sanctuary and would drive us to locations like the market or into the jungle to cut down food for the elephants. He was the nicest man I ever met. He even introduced us to his young son, who we played with many days when we were there! Gaga reminded me of Indiana Jones! I wish I could explain how nice the people there are! They would give you the shirt off their back even if they did not know you.

One of my favorite memories from my trip was bathing the elephants. We made soap out of bark and brought the elephants to a watering hole to wash them. My elephant was named Maku, she was 37 years old and the most gentle giant! We went in to about our chest and the elephants sat down in the water. We rubbed the soap on them and used buckets to rinse them off. The coolest part was the elephants could eat the soap. Maku knew this and tried to steal the soap from me. If I didn't give her the soap she would spray me with water from her truck!! I feel like I bonded with Maku and this will forever be a lasting memory for me. The fact that I was bathing an animal that giant in a watering hole in Thailand is the most humbling feeling ever. I hope when you read this you can see how excited I am about my experience! I have many more stories, but this was my favorite!

Everyday in Thailand is an adventure and ISV made it the most memorable trip ever! This was my first trip out of the country and my first trip by myself. ISV made me feel so comfortable every step of the way. The team is very supportive and the work that they do is amazing. I can never go on vacation again! I will always make my trips about volunteering to help better our world. ISV helped me see this and makes me want to continue making a difference. ISV helps you IMPACT YOUR WORLD. I recommend this project to anyone and everyone. BEST TRIP OF MY LIFE!

My time in Thailand was amazing, I learned so many things but mostly and most importantly bout myself. This trip pushed me out of my comfort zones and also re-instilled what is important to me. I learned many things during the first two weeks of volunteering like, international and national relations, trades/construction skills, time and money management, sustainable development and fostering beginning friendships. My project leader was very friendly and helpful, he made sure to really highlight the core values and purpose of our volunteering time and work to the Lisu village and women's group. Every day he had us write out five things we were grateful for that day. This activity really made me see how the simple and small things are what we take for granted so easily and so often; for example, so many times the fresh fruits served at dinner were on my grateful list because it was a bright and sweet end no matter how tired I was at the end of the day. The constant smiles and words of appreciation from our project leader, our project supervisor, and the village people we were ultimately helping was always a sweet and kind reminder of why we initially chose to be on this volunteer trip: to help others and learn about ourselves and what we are capable of, both physically and emotionally.

The final two weeks of adventure tour however is where I really learned about being myself and about being independent. Though all of our activities were done together, I found some of my favourite days where when I did solo full day of half day trips. The friends I made on this trip were wonderful in that though we all had great times together (dancing in the rain by the ocean, helping each other overcome anxiety on snorkelling for the first time, bonding over amazing food and getting tipsy over a coupe drinks, offering words of support and hands to hold while getting traditional bamboo stick tattoos, or having memorable conversations while laying on a bed with tangled sea hair and sun sensitive skin at the end of an adventuresome day) they still understood times when I wanted to be alone and enjoy the busy city streets or rolling sea sands by myself. Some of my best memories are when I took a day trip to the highest peak of Thailand, did some self-guided temple touring, and traveled to one of the most renowned temples of the country. These moments are when I was really able to admire and understand myself and the world I marvelled at. Though these people I'm traveling with are from all over the globe, I have made friends and lasting memories with them. I learned so much about myself in that month abroad that I was truly saddened to have to return home; but, one of the things that this trip really showed me is that I have had this independent, curious, social, and adventuresome side within me all along, it just never had the opportunity to come out.

The universality of friendship and individuality really made this trip meaningful and beautiful to me. I hope to never forget all that I learned over in Thailand and that I will always keep open to meeting new people and learning from new adventures.

I went into this trip knowing it was going to be a blast. Little did I know that I would find myself along the way. I spent two weeks volunteering at Ran Tong Elephant Sanctuary where I learned not only about Asian elephants but about how an individual can make a difference. I found a new family at Ran Tong between the other volunteers and the workers/locals. I grew as an individual in more ways than one. Volunteering abroad with ISV was the best choice I could have made.

ISV provided this first-time lone international traveler with the opportunity of a lifetime. Throughout the program, I felt very safe. It was clear that ISV had put much time and consideration into the activities we did and tried very hard to accommodate our needs. I made friends with people I never would have met otherwise and despite our different backgrounds, ISV provided an environment where we could all feel comfortable with each other.
Throughout the program ISV encouraged us to become smart travelers over tourists and to respect and understand the environmental needs. As we got to the end of the trip I could tell I learned about the culture and the people enough that I felt comfortable enough to consider returning on my own at some point.
The volunteer project was extremely life changing. I will never forget the family I lived with and the impact I was able to make on the community. After the two weeks were up I had a greater appreciation for the accommodations and privileges we received during the second two weeks.

I knew going into this trip that it would be an experience of a lifetime and that I would learn so much about a new culture, the world and myself. Every single day of the entire month completely exceeded my already high expectations. It was truly life changing and I'm forever grateful to have been apart of ISV. The adventure tour was insanely incredible and I went on adventures that I never thought I would go on but volunteering was no doubt my favorite part. Highly recommend!!!

When I first heard of ISV programs, I knew right away that it was going to be a lifetime experience. ISV Thailand was an adventure that I will never forget. The Volunteer Project at DEPDC really touched my heart. The staff and the children are amazing people and I was privileged enough to be part of the community. The adventure tour was so much fun! Did so many different things with a group of people that will be lifelong friends! my favorite part was traveling with a group of people that had a common goal. It was to impact our world in a positive way while traveling and exploring an exotic country like Thailand.

"Traveling makes you speechless, but you come back a story teller."
That's exactly what happened in Thailand. Within the last 4 weeks of being in Thailand I've kissed Asian elephants trunks. I rubbed Siberian tigers bellies. I got an authentic bamboo Sak yant tattoo from a monk and had it blessed by the Abbott of the temple. I took walks with monkeys. I got stung by jelly fish as I sea snorkeled in the phi phi islands. I learned a new language. I've had birds land all over my arms and eat out of my hands. I saw elephants with half of a foot and one ear and severely abused by man kind. I've also witnessed a bond between a man and an elephant that is the strongest love anyone can have. I tried so many new foods. I worked in the agricultural fields of Thailand harvesting bana grass and sugar cane. I hiked over mountains, through rice fields and kayaked through ocean caves. I've swam under water falls where fish would nip at my feet. I've felt an unborn elephant kick my hand. I've floated down rivers on my back, on a bamboo raft, and on a white water raft. I've bargained with Thai people at the market. I've fed elephants by morning and bathed them in rivers by afternoon. I found and lost love. I walked through homes that are almost shacks where a family of 30 live in. I got traditional Thai massages by ex criminals. I learned how to cook authentic Thai foods. I stood in caves where bats soared above my head. I saw spiders bigger than my own hand. I taught English in a Thai school. I've meditated in a Thai temples. I learned the history and the culture of several villages around Thailand. I won free shots at a bar by playing connect 4 with the bartender. I was taught Muay Thai kickboxing. I danced with strangers. I raced home made go karts down a hill in the Hmong village. I soared above tree tops in the rainforest by zip line. I've offered rice to monks on the street. I learned a whole new religion and way of thinking. I've cried and laughed with so many new people. I've traveled by airplane, boat, van, back of pick up trucks, and even by tracker. I've gained so many new friendships that will last me a life time and will give me new opportunities of travel.
I came back home with so many stories and memories that will last me a life time. I recommend anyone setting out on a new adventure to a new place and immerse yourself into their culture.

International Student Volunteers in Thailand gave me the most amazing experience I have ever had abroad. I have traveled to many different countries, but my time in Thailand is still my favorite. From teaching children english, building a church, to bathing elephants and zip lining, I've had so many high points of the trip that it would be hard to just share one. Educating the children of the villages of Thailand was definitely one that will always be close to my heart. Their willingness to learn and immerse themselves in a foreign language was unparalleled to anything I've seen in the US. The scenery, mountain views, and temples are unlike any other I've ever seen; they were simply breathtaking. The food is satisfyingly delicious and the language was fascinating to learn.

But when I remember my trip, I instantly remember the people and relationships I made in Thailand. The Thai people are the friendliest people you will ever meet and the reason why they are called the "land of smiles". Our ISV leaders were so compassionate, caring, and generous. They helped us along every step of the way and quickly felt like family to us. Going to Thailand, I knew absolutely no other students in the same program as me. However once we all met at the airport, it was like we all knew each other for years. We instantly became a family, helping one another through homesickness and actual sicknesses and looking out for each other. We still talk to this day, exactly a year after we came back. They were from all over Northern America and exposed me to the different mindsets, lifestyles, and customs of people who live in different regions. Not only was I getting culturally immersed into the Thai culture, but I was also learning from those who just lived in the next state over from me. The Thai people and friends I've met on this trip taught me to be more open-minded, to be more free-spirited and to "give my hands to serve and my heart to love".

The cultural immersion, heartwarming memories, meaningful relationships, and life changing experience I found in Thailand will forever make this trip my favorite.

Traveling with ISV is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Traveling to a different country can be scary, and a bit of a hassle when it comes to planning everything. I did not have one worry throughout my entire trip because everything through ISV is pre-planned by the program down to meals and accommodations. The best part was that we had tour leaders who lived in Thailand and they were always knowledgeable and teaching us fun facts and recommending what to try every step of the way! Our tour leaders were fun and participated in every activity with us. I never once worried about my safety because my leaders made me feel very secure and confident with where we were, what we were doing and who we were doing it with. Aside from the outstanding program coordination, I had so much fun and learned so much on this trip. The volunteer portion of the trip was very rewarding in that every single day we did something productive. We got to go to bed knowing we were making a difference and that is why most of us were on the trip. The adventure tour was better than I could have imagined. I can't believe how many fun things we did; zip lining, white water rafting, snorkeling, island hopping, a Thai boxing class, a cooking class, canoeing, and more. We did more in this portion of the trip (2 weeks) than most people can say they have done in a lifetime. I absolutely recommend this program to others, and I hope to continue traveling through ISV myself!

I'm not too sure that typing my experience through text will come anywhere close to actually getting the real life experience. To say the least my eyes were opened up more than I expected from this amazing trip and I definitely recommend volunteering abroad to any, and everybody. This was my first time out of the country and I feel that Thailand was the country for me. The people, the cities, the villages, the culture, the climate, everything about Thailand I fell in love with. I was there for a month and I feel that was the perfect amount of time to see everything that I saw on my trip. I volunteered for two weeks in Northern Thailand, at the DEPDC which was the most amazing two weeks of my entire life. I am hoping that someday soon I can already go back and visit all the kids again. Then I spent two weeks sight-seeing throughout some of Northern Thailand and some of the Southern areas as well. Overall, this was a trip and an experience of a lifetime. A trip I will never forget with some of the most amazing people I have ever encountered. I can not even stress it enough how amazing it was to get the experience to make a difference and volunteer abroad in a different country. I just want to thank ISV for making this all possible for me.

ISV was an amazing program to travel with and I plan to take more trips through this program as well. I took a month long volunteer trip to Thailand and had never really traveled outside the United States before. Everything was well planned and directed; I never felt in danger during the time I was there. There are so many things that I would not have been able to do if I had made this trip by myself or even with others that have never been to Thailand before. All the staff and leaders that were with my group were very informative and had lived in Thailand, so they were able to share special information all throughout the trip. I learned so much about the culture and language with the ISV leaders help. Not only were there many activities planned, but there was also free time to go out and explore on your own which was very cool. I highly recommend taking a trip with the ISV program and will never forget this trip of a lifetime.

From the moment I was handed a flyer for ISV in my Political Science class I knew it was something I wanted to do. I took it into my own hands to go to an information session about ISV and the different programs it offers and I was blown away. They offer so many different countries and many types of volunteer work. Of course, I chose Thailand. I have an immense love for elephants and have wanted to visit Thailand for years, and going through ISV seemed like the best way to do it. Throughout my two weeks working elephant conservation, I learned more about not only myself, but about elephants, thai culture and thai language. The village people even took us out to places we would have never seen or known about without their friendship and kindness. I worked at Ran Tong Save & Rescue Centre, and loved every second of it. They aren't funded by the government so people that come to volunteer, or pay for a whole day with elephants makes a huge difference for the site. That's how the fund everything. Our main task was to build a bamboo fence along the entrance of the centre so that the elephants may roam wherever they please without disturbing the nearby villagers. While the work was hard and strenuous, I wouldn't have traded that opportunity for anything. Getting to know the elephants and the mahouts on a personal level was unbelievable. We even got a day off from the elephant conservation (who would want that?) & we got to teach English at the local elementary school! That was an amazing experience, I purchased things at a local store to donate to the class and they absolutely loved it. The students already knew so much English it was hard to actually teach them! We ended up just playing games. That was really cool, and I feel lucky that they through something like that into our work. The people at Ran Tong have so much kindness and generosity it is absolutely amazing. My group and I didn't even want to leave Ran Tong at the end of the Project Tour! We would have been easily happy working there for the whole month. Yet, moving on to the Adventure Tour was insane! We got to experience things together that I've never experienced before. From white water rafting in Northern Thailand to Snorkeling at the Phi Phi Islands. We adventured our butts off! This experience was actually mind blowing, and it still amazes me that I've done all the things I've done in such a small amount of time. I did not want to leave Thailand and all the wonderful friends I made through the ISV program. I definitely recommend it, and I would encourage everyone to choose elephant conservation in hopes that they get Ran Tong Save & Rescue Centre, because they deserve so much more attention and gratitude.

Serving at Ran Tong Elephant Save and Rescue Center was the most rewarding and amazing experience. I learned about myself, my faith, the elephants, Thailand's culture and language, and made friends with the locals. My group was fortunate enough to work along side some of the local villagers who taught us how to say things in Thai and picked fruits off of the trees for us to try. We were fully immersed and engaged with Thai culture. They took us on adventures that we would not have experienced had we been typical tourists. Hiking to the waterfalls and hunting for Earth Star mushrooms were unlike anything I've ever done before. We made friends with the men from the village and in return, we were given special blessings and gifts to bring home with us.

The moments that will stick with me most from my experience in Thailand will definitely be from the two weeks I spent at Ran Tong Save and Rescue Elephant Centre. Every day we were immersed into the lives of the elephants and shown that there is no need to be afraid of these gentle giants. We were able to build relationships with them, especially the newest member of the Ran Tong family, the four month old baby named Harry Potter. Now, don't take "baby" the wrong way, he is more like a 400 pound puppy. While trying to clean his pen he would try and play with us by pushing us around and trying to take our tools and hats. He would grab our hands with his little trunk and teethe on them gently.
Not only did we get to experience the elephant's world, but we got to experience the villager's world. During our project we had the mayor of the village, the head of the village, and the former head of the village, helping us the entire time with our construction. They were incredibly kind and welcoming and taught us as much Thai as they could considering their English was quite poor.

I always had a thought and image of how Thailand would be, but after arriving it completely surpassed my expectations.
Fantastic place, and great people, cannot wait to get back over there!
The staff with ISV were great and very helpful, and made me feel at ease when in a new country. Would definitely recommend.
Also, traveling with people who knew the areas made the whole experience a lot more comfortable too, no worries or stresses.

An unforgettable time spent exploring the many wonders of Thailand and volunteering in an eco-tourism village. 100% the best month of my life, the first two weeks were spent on the adventure tour, and the second fortnight in a homestay. Normally the two are the other way around which might have better suited me but the order wasn't a big deal.
The first two weeks : zip-lining through jungles, white water rafting, bungee jumping, Muay Thai kickboxing, cooking classes, night markets, kayaking, floating restaurants, elephant washing, monkey attacks, mountain top temples, hikes through rice paddies, paradise-evoking beaches, fertility shrines with hundreds of wooden penises, neon paint parties and 27 new friends.
The second : living with a host family and the crab in the toilet, being given a new name by schoolchildren who can't figure out how your name works, having your fortunes read, trying (and failing) to create toys out of bamboo leaves, discovering the joys of squat toilets, getting rescued after sinking knee deep into mud while planting mangroves, watching the tide recede beneath the floorboards in the kitchen.
I learned so much in my time in Thailand about myself and about others. I learned that through perseverance I could climb that mountain and find the courage to bungee jump. I learned that I do like flavourful food and I can also cook without burning everything. I learned that there is a technique to using squat toilets and that motorbikes can fit a family of four. I learned that having to share a bed with someone will quickly turn that stranger into a friend so long as they can put up with my sleepwalking. I rediscovered my love of swimming and learned that making friends isn't quite as daunting as I had thought. I learned that you make your own happiness and I learned that there's nothing holding me back but myself.

This was by far the best experience I've ever had. I got to work with elephants hand-on. We took walks, gave them baths, feed them, and learned a lot about them and about animals in the tourist industry. It was my first time in a different country and ISV helped me feel safe and prepared. I was worried about funds, but they offered solutions to help with fundraising. Overall, it was the best experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

Asia was one continent that I never had a burning desire to go too, until I found information on ISV's Thailand volunteer program. While there, I volunteered at a school for low income children who were at high risk for becoming part of the human trafficking system. Majority of these kids came from nothing. Many of them wore the same clothes everyday, but even though they had nothing, they were the absolute happiest children I have ever seen! While at DEPDC, we (the volunteers) taught the children English, built a fence, painted a wall, cooked for the kids, and just played with them. It was the most rewarding experience I have ever been a part of, and I miss being there every single day! We also did a lot of adventure activities as well, such as zip lining, snorkeling/scuba diving, a Thai cooking class, sea and lake kayaking, elephant sanctuary, waterfalls,Thai kickboxing class, Xorbing,Thai massages, and lots of shopping and free time. All of these activities were pre-planned, so we were the only group participating while there. It was great because we NEVER had to wait in line anywhere. The food was AMAZING!!! So much better than Americanized Thai food.
I signed up to go on this trip by myself, and it was the best decision I have ever made! I met some absolutely amazing people from all over the world, and I still keep in touch with many of them. My experiences in Thailand are the best I have ever had, and I would 100% recommend this trip to anyone who has a desire to travel. This experience made me realize how lucky I am and has changed my views on the world and how to live life. I am forever grateful for ISV and this volunteer trip and am already trying to plan a trip back!