There is nothing like the feeling of 4-5 smiling children clamoring to give you hugs, high fives, or hold your hand all at the same time! They have so much love in their hearts, and they crave adult attention! The children were lovable, and the staff was so friendly. If you visit the hill tribes, you will leave with memories that will linger until your next visit.

Don Germaise
Thailand Hill Tribes
February 2026

Our family of 4 helped to build an extension for their existing chicken coop. The eggs from the chicken (and chickens themselves) are an essential source of protein to feed the over 200 children living there. We saw where the caretaker Chow was already hatching close to 50 new chickens, so we knew the extension to the coop was needed in the very near future. 

We worked hard the first 3 mornings from 9am-1pm and were able to complete the chicken coop in 3 days. This allowed us free time in the afternoons and on the final day to explore nearby Chiang Dao in the hill tribe village, visit an elephant sanctuary, enjoy a dinner out with the team and guests, and more time with the children!

Experiencing the mission of the project site, meeting the exceptional staff, and interacting with the children they serve were the best parts of this experience. Learning about the history of Hill Tribe villages in northern Thailand gave us the foundation to understand why a program such as this is valuable for these students. From the moment our coordinator, Thak, picked us up, he briefed us on the program and how/why they serve this community of children. The entire staff has the best interests of these children in mind, and entering the property, you could feel the love, dedication, determination, and hope provided. The children, coming from such difficult circumstances, were all joy-filled, greeting us with smiles, hugs, high-fives, and more hugs, every day. They confidently showed us around to the frogs, fish, soccer field, and their community areas. It was evident that they felt safe and cared for, as they were all ready in their uniforms and in line at 6:30 am each morning, ready to board the bus to school. The kids shared with us their school work and, despite a language barrier, we learned from each other about our lives. It was evident they were serious about their education and the opportunity provided to them.

In terms of the program, we enjoyed the flexibility offered for us to interact with the students in our own ways. We enjoyed reading to the younger kids in the evenings, but also, my daughter loves volleyball - so we planned volleyball matches for 2 nights with the older students. We were able to treat the children to ice cream one night, which Thak helped arranged on property. 100% - we enjoyed the one-on-one interactions with the children and also experienced the local customs, culture, food, and activities of the northern Thai and Chiang Dao region.

Thak clearly communicated the pickup time/location, and from then on remained by our side answering questions, setting expectations of what the week entailed, listening to our interests, and being flexible when activities had to shift. Truly outstanding! We could not have imagined the week without his incredible kindness, enthusiasm, and guidance. He is so knowledgeable about this region, how the program started by his father, and clearly explained the mission. He joined us on all the outings to Thai massage, hot pot dinner, temples, the elephant sanctuary, and restaurant meals out. He even sweated alongside us while building the chicken coop - all with a smile on his face the whole week! In addition, he was able to share challenges they face, local cultural norms, and answer hundreds of our questions, with patience, interest, humor, and genuine friendship. We feel so lucky to have had him as our volunteer coordinator!

We would highly recommend this volunteer trip and there's nothing we would have changed about our experience. We are so excited to work with Coordinator Joshua in setting up sponsorship for 2 of the children we met while at Leadership Home! We visited during the start of the 'rainy season' in June, and even the weather cooperated, with rain never impacting our activities or plans!

Kathy Lindner
Thailand Hill Tribes
June 2025

What do I like best about the trip? Here are my top three. In order: 1. The Kids 2. The Kids 3. The Kids, and an Honorable mention: cold beer at night! I’m sort of at the stage now where I’m like a relative who visits once a year. We have a grand time together! The time I ate bugs and survived an earthquake. It doesn’t get much more immersive than that! It's always an adventure in dining. I got fried red ant eggs and monkey stew. Breakfast was the same filling buffet every day. And good coffee! You don’t expect barista coffee in the middle of nowhere. But they have it! One day, we went to the Thai version of a water park. The Bing River has cabanas, amazing concessions, inner tubes to float on, and cold drinks. And I was the only foreigner there. I had so much fun! Then, one day, we visited a street market at the Myanmar border. Thousands of people. No Westerners except us! A great experience!

Don Germaise
March 2025
Thailand Hill Tribes

I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know how much we enjoyed our Globe Aware trip to the Thailand Hill Tribes program last month. It was very well organized, we felt that the work projects were meaningful, we had ample time for excursions and sightseeing, the lodging and food were all great. It may have been our best Globe Aware trip yet. We really appreciate you and all that you do. We always look forward to our Globe Aware trips and all the experiences we have and memories that we make on those adventures.

In case you are interested, here is a blog post that we recently wrote about the trip: https://www.faithfulparent.org/blog/thanksgiving-in-thailand-a-family-adventure-in-serving-together

Thank you again for making this experience possible for us. We are already thinking about where we might want to go next year. Have a blessed week!- Derek Weichel, November 2024 Thailand Hill Tribes

Thank you so much for such an incredible trip! This was one of our family's favorite trips, and these volunteer trips have been such a blessing to our family! We really felt immersed in the culture and we got a very good picture of what life is like and what is important to the people there. Our coordinators were great and did a great job of communicating. It was so impactful to hear about the work they were doing there and to meet the children and people who live there. We helped at the local school, and we were also able to build a chicken coop and see the chickens in the coop before we left the program. It was one of our best Globe Aware trips!- Derek and Amy Weichel, November 2024 Thailand Hill Tribes

The work was not as meaningful as in years past, but we had record flooding and rain. It canceled several projects. Still, we worked hard enough each day and there is something new every time I visit. We had to survey flood damage one day because the rivers were overflowing. As we approached the area, I heard a rustle in the woods to my left. It turned out to be a small elephant! An unforgettable experience, steering an elephant in the wild.

I had lots of free time to spend with the kids, they are adorable. If you can speak English and give out lots of hugs, you will be. The coordinator and director are like family by now and there were multiple opportunities to interact with locals. I was the only non-Asian I saw for six days! This location also had some of the best accommodations in the Globe Aware system and I enjoyed the food, there was always enough!- Don Germaise September 2024 Thailand Hill Tribes

The mission and scope of work for the kids was very compelling. Every person we met was terrific, and we felt very well cared for. Our experience was amazing, and we loved our time and the connection with the people and this region of Thailand. We really felt a part of the community.- Tom Thorpe December 2022 Thailand Hill Tribes

The mission and scope of work for the kids was very compelling. Every person we met was terrific, and we felt very well cared for. Our experience was amazing, and we loved our time and the connection with the people and this region of Thailand. We really felt a part of the community.- Tom Thorpe December 2022 Thailand Hill Tribes