Volunteering in Thailand – Need and Impact

Do you want to know one of the hardest things about returning home after a nearly six-month trip around the world? Deciding which experience stood out as my favorite. As much as you might try to fight it, all your friends back home just have to know “the #1 experience”. For me, hands down it was my time at the orphanage in Inburi, Thailand organized by GoEco.

Expectations are unavoidable when you quit your corporate job in New York City at 30, grab a backpack and buy a one way to ticket to Thailand. However the experiences I had, the people I met, the things I learned far surpassed even my craziest expectations.

I ended up covering five countries and volunteered in four of them. The weeks I spent with GoEco volunteering in Thailand were the most impactful for me. The reason is simple: NEED and IMPACT. Nowhere else in Asia and the Middle East did I feel that the place I was volunteering needed my help as much as GoEco’s Learn, Volunteer and Travel project in Thailand. Without volunteers, the work we completed at the orphanage would never have been done. As volunteers, our voices were heard by orphanage management. If we saw a need and could suggest a solution, it was implemented quickly. The impact we had on the children was real and measurable. After my two weeks working at the orphanage we had vastly improved their waste management system, build flood walls to protect their dining area during the rainy season, dressed wounds and successfully taught the children how to bathe.

My fellow volunteers were unlike any group of people I had come into contact with before. Their openness, sincerity and pure desire to help the orphanage blew me away. When I walked in I was immediately met by a slew of friendly faces offering me suggestions and making sure I was well taken care of. As I got to know the volunteers more I found a true sense of selflessness, adventure and good will. They were enjoying their vacation, but really trying to make an impact during their travels.

During my trip I spent a lot of time sightseeing but no ancient temple, museum, mountain range, beach or yoga retreat gave me nearly the fulfillment I received from getting my hands dirty to help the kids living at the orphange.