I had a wonderful experience with WLS International during my 2 week program in Chiang Mai this past January. I initially signed up for 2 weeks of volunteering in the Vieng Ping Children's Home in Chiang Mai city, but I ended up doing much more than that. I did spend time at the orphanage in the city, but I was also given the opportunity to visit Kingdom Kids (a daycare for children with special needs), a monk school, and also changed my plans to participate in the elephant camp program. It was such an amazing experience due only to the efforts of the outstanding country volunteer coordinator, Prachit. From the moment you are picked up at the airport, you have not a thing to worry about. All the issues of accommodations, volunteering, and transportation are settled and organized. I had the flexibility to make changes in my plans and Prachit was there to promptly assist me whenever I needed her. She went well and beyond for each volunteer to ensure that they were satisfied with their program arrangements and at the same time having a good time. Even though it was the busy season of volunteering, Prachit was always accessible to volunteers. I appreciated her telling us where our money goes when we signed up for the programs, it was nice to see that at least some of the fees were going back to the organizations. She genuinely cared for the organizations and wanted volunteers to see beyond the exterior of each place. All in all, it was an experience of a life time! I met numerous remarkable individuals locally and from all over the world, got to see Thailand from a different perspective, and made memories that will last a life time. I would do another program in Thailand in a heartbeat and I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to volunteer abroad in the land of smiles.
