VOLUNTEERS
Volunteer Projects:
Additional volunteer Needs:
Music
Kindergarten teachers
Tuturing
English teachers
High school science teacher
Maintenance
grounds/Landscaping
Deans
- We would like to set up industries at Sunshine Orchard and are open to suggestions/ideas/help.
- Maintenance needs-repair of toilet buildings and general maintenance-so MUCH work to be done!
- Painting Sunshine Orchard "Riverside"- buildings
- Continued cement paths
- Mountain schools are in urgent need of toilets, staff homes, kitchen, cafeteria and classrooms!
Additional volunteer Needs:
Music
Kindergarten teachers
Tuturing
English teachers
High school science teacher
Maintenance
grounds/Landscaping
Deans
Welcome to Sunshine Orchard. Please read this information about Sunshine Orchard, as it contains important information that will assist you before you arrive.
About Sunshine Orchard
Sunshine Orchard is a Christian learning centre on the border of Myanmar and Thailand. Established in 2009 out of a crisis situation, the School has developed hugely over the years. The centre is run by the Adams family together with native staff. Foreign volunteers are usually unpaid, raising their own support, serving God sacrificially, with a cheerful heart.
To keep in mind
Make God first is the motto of the school, so take care of His school and its environment. Everything belongs to God. Your example and influence will impact our children immensely.
Volunteers
Everything here is basic and simple. Most houses lack indoor bathrooms, toilets are Asian squat style, toilet paper is not supplied, the people here use water instead, please bring/purchase your own toilet paper as needed. Most beds are on the floor, we provide a traditional Thai sleeping mat(no cushion whatsoever, it's a plastic braided mat), a blanket and mosquito net. Please bring(or purchase here)anything beyond this that you need. Some bring thermal rest camping sleeping mats. Please be prepared that power outages come and go depending on the season and weather conditions.
Shops
You can take an overnight bus from Bangkok or fly with Nok Air, there are flights several times a day from Bangkok arriving in Mae Sot(nearest city to Sunshine Orchard). There are local buses, just basic pick up trucks(orange) with a plastic or metal covered roof and seats in the truck bed for passengers, this can take you the two hour trip north to Sunshine Orchard. We can at times pick you up, but please help with fuel, as it's a four hour round trip.
Flora and Fauna
There are poisonous snakes in this area. Anti-toxins are available at nearby clinics.
Cute furry caterpillars cause bad skin blisters and pain. Therefore do not touch. Large centipedes have a nasty bite. Scorpions are similar to a bee-sting reaction. We have bees that sting as well.
About Sunshine Orchard
Sunshine Orchard is a Christian learning centre on the border of Myanmar and Thailand. Established in 2009 out of a crisis situation, the School has developed hugely over the years. The centre is run by the Adams family together with native staff. Foreign volunteers are usually unpaid, raising their own support, serving God sacrificially, with a cheerful heart.
To keep in mind
Make God first is the motto of the school, so take care of His school and its environment. Everything belongs to God. Your example and influence will impact our children immensely.
Volunteers
- Volunteers are most welcome-We love having volunteers! However, this is not a tourist destination. This is a learning centre on the border of a war torn land.
- Before you come, please contact us. It is wonderful having volunteers coming and helping, and it is much appreciated. Please understand, that though we desire to do so, we are often not able to cater to those who come, we are often extremely busy and our first responsibility are for meeting the needs of the children and youth in our care. Volunteers need to be self starters as much as possible, and able to handle most of their own needs unless emergencies and urgent situations. Saying this we are more than willing to minister to volunteers needs and will go out of our way to help you.
- We are here to provide a practical well rounded education in order to equip young people to take their stand as useful members of society and hopefully as God's workers. You become their example and they will most likely follow your lead. We believe in servant leaders and expect our volunteers to do their best to have this heart as well. If the Lord calls you to come to teach or work on specific projects, we appreciate if you are able to help in the practical things of everyday life also, as strength and time allow. There are many areas of ministry that could use an extra hand; child care, cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, carrying water, gardening, landscaping, construction, tutoring, teaching, medical work and so much more. Working together with the students and children is a true blessing.
- Plan to live like we do – we have a basic vegetarian diet with eggs(no dairy) with rice for every meal(the school at times may have fish or chicken-but it's very rare. There is ALWAYS a vegan/vegetarian option). If you would like bread, treats and fruit, feel free to bring your own(but don't eat this in front of the kids), as we can't afford these items often, and it's therefore considered a treat. Karen food is more simple than Thai cuisine; the food people often associate with Thailand; sweet and sour, cashew nut veggies, pad thai, coconut curries, spring rolls and such are available in the nearby towns, but not at Sunshine Orchard. We serve Karen food and it's simply just vegetable stews cooked with varied seasonal veggies such as pumpkin, bamboo shoot, greens, long beans, eggplant and cucumber-yes, we cook the cucumbers. We use lemon grass, galangal, cilantro, ginger, chili, garlic and onions for seasoning.
- The people we serve are predominantly poverty stricken and often exist on white rice, chili paste, salt and MSG...pig, rats, snake, frogs...basically ANYTHING that moves. Fish, chicken, goats, cows etc. are for special occasions or as the people can afford. Greens are found in the jungle during the rainy season. A fish paste preserved with salt is a staple, sometimes a bean or sesame paste preserved in a similar manner is served. But those who are poor eat rice, chili, salt and MSG for their daily bread, sometimes with a watery vegetable soup, with the other items mentioned, added as able.
- Health products and dietary supplements such as you might be used to, are only to be found in larger cities and specialty grocery shops, catering to foreigners or the more well to do Thai. Therefore nutritional deficiencies are common.
- Please come with a happy heart, willing to accept what we have and are. Criticism or complaining is the hardest thing for our children and us to handle. Most of the foreign workers through the years arrived as strict vegans, but shortly accepted to include eggs to their diet for nutritional reasons.
- So, if you come, please bring a happy optimistic smile on your face and warmth, love and adaptability in your heart.
- The common diseases and ailments are respiratory conditions, bronchitis, pneumonia, dengue fever, wounds that won't heal and infections. Bring mosquito repellent and any other special medications and natural aids you might need. We do have a well stocked medicine cabinet and there are nearby clinics and hospitals. You can purchase most meds over the counter at a very reasonable cost.
- CLOTHES TO WEAR: Don’t bring heavy shoes – flip flops(sandals)are what everyone wear. Fast drying clothes such as sport shirts and light weight skirts and pants are welcome during the long rainy season, when it takes what seem to be forever to dry clothes. A fleece jacket for cold season. Modesty is important. Skirts need to cover the knees. No low cut tops shoving cleavage please. Please don't bring bathing suits etc. for swimming-this would be highly objectionable, instead wear lightweight shorts(not short)and a t-shirt. Here the school girls wear skirts and t-shirts, boys wear shorts and sometimes a shirt of some kind. For daily bathing sarongs are used and it takes some practise to learn how.
- INTERNET – You can buy prepaid sim cards for cellphones. You need an AIS sim card.
- VISAS – Thailand has a 30 day tourist visa on arrival. It is VERY IMPORTANT as a volunteer that you come in under a TOURIST VISA. Do NOT put WORK as your main reason for coming. (you are not getting paid). For those coming for longer periods, we will issue an invitation letter and you need to obtain a 3 month Non O-immigrant visa at your local Thai embassy/consulate. We encourage volunteers especially teachers to remain a whole school year and you will be assisted in obtaining a work permit/visa. Please bring copies of your high school diploma/GED and other educational certificates/diplomas that will assist towards that end.
Everything here is basic and simple. Most houses lack indoor bathrooms, toilets are Asian squat style, toilet paper is not supplied, the people here use water instead, please bring/purchase your own toilet paper as needed. Most beds are on the floor, we provide a traditional Thai sleeping mat(no cushion whatsoever, it's a plastic braided mat), a blanket and mosquito net. Please bring(or purchase here)anything beyond this that you need. Some bring thermal rest camping sleeping mats. Please be prepared that power outages come and go depending on the season and weather conditions.
Shops
- There is an "open" small shop within walking distance for small basics.
- Closest town is Mae Salit, approximately 10 minute drive, with a few more BASIC small shops.
- Tha Song Yang is the closest town, approx 40 minutes drive. Mae Sot closest city about 2 hours drive.
You can take an overnight bus from Bangkok or fly with Nok Air, there are flights several times a day from Bangkok arriving in Mae Sot(nearest city to Sunshine Orchard). There are local buses, just basic pick up trucks(orange) with a plastic or metal covered roof and seats in the truck bed for passengers, this can take you the two hour trip north to Sunshine Orchard. We can at times pick you up, but please help with fuel, as it's a four hour round trip.
Flora and Fauna
There are poisonous snakes in this area. Anti-toxins are available at nearby clinics.
Cute furry caterpillars cause bad skin blisters and pain. Therefore do not touch. Large centipedes have a nasty bite. Scorpions are similar to a bee-sting reaction. We have bees that sting as well.
