We have been lucky enough to work with volunteers from around the world, all of whom have made invaluable contributions to our organization.

We are currently looking for help with our Banyan School initiative! Please check out the school page to learn more.

Because we are a very small organization, we do not have the resources to provide training for and supervise a wide variety of volunteer projects. We work with volunteers to make the most of their skills and interests, but projects must fit well with the refugees’ current needs as well.

If you would like to help us with administration and fundraising, this work can be done from anywhere in the world. Do you have ideas for our capital campaign? Do you like working on websites? Do you want to put your writing skills to use for our community? Are you good at outreach? Are you a social media maven? Well, we are Facebook delinquents. We would love your help.

If you would like to work with us on-site in Thailand, please consider the following:

1. •We do not have the resources to pay our volunteers. Most of our interns are post-graduate level students who apply for grants via their universities or external foundations. That said, nor would we ever charge volunteers for hands-on experience, as many programs do. If a small percentage of volunteering expenses need to be covered, we work with potential volunteers on potential funding sources to cover basic housing and on-the-ground expenses.
   

2. •The volunteers must have the ability to design and conduct projects, both independently and while working with BRP staff and refugees. Facility with and sensitivity regarding cross-cultural communication is essential. Language skills in Thai or Shan help quite a bit.
   

3. •Our refugee community lives somewhat precariously in northern Thailand, and many of its members are afraid of attracting too much attention or “rocking the boat.” Volunteers should be respectful of these circumstances.
   

4. •Because of these conditions, it takes time to build rapport and trusting relationships with the refugees, especially the children. We ask that volunteers commit to at least 2-3 months with the BRP, especially if they would like to help with English classes or children’s activities. In exceptional cases, we work with volunteers who work for shorter periods, i.e., one month-- These volunteers tend to be highly specialized and provide direly needed expertise, such as healthcare examinations and workshops on specific issues such as childbirth or alcohol abuse.
   

5. •Volunteers who wish to conduct academic fieldwork with us must discuss this with us in advance, especially regarding Human Subjects approval.
   

On-site volunteers still have quite a bit of flexibility regarding specific activities. For example, past volunteers with us have taught English classes, provided intensive tutoring to our neediest cases, helped to document conditions and design interventions for mental and reproductive health, developed and implemented arts therapy workshops, and trained our staff (alongside the staff of other local NGOs) on first aid and medical emergencies. While working with us, they have also examined different models of refugee education, or compared the coping mechanisms of our refugees with those of other local refugee populations.

We work with volunteers to make sure that all stakeholders-- the volunteers, the refugees, organizational staff, and others in the local community-- are treated with respect, and get something meaningful from our collaboration. If you are interested, please contact us.