SKIP Oxford - Thailand

SKIP Oxford works in Chiang Rai, a province in Northern Thailand. We run projects in conjunction with the Mirror Art Foundation, a Thai non-govermental organisation. Our projects are aimed at improving the health, hygiene and welfare of the hill tribe community through teaching in schools, community presentations and community development projects.

What are our goals?

• To promote hygienic practice amongst the hill tribes alongside good health practice in all aspects of their lives including sex
• To provide a safe environment, in the classroom, where young hill tribe people can discuss taboo issues free from prejudice and discrimination
• To educate hill tribe children and villagers about germ transmission, hygiene, sanitation and healthy living in an entertaining and memorable way
• To inject money into the hill tribe economy
• To promote awareness of global healthcare issues amongst medical students

What does our project do?

We aim to send 3 groups of 10 volunteers, who spend 3 weeks travelling around rural Chiang Rai province with translators from the Mirror Foundation. Here is a sample itinerary:

• Visit Chiang Rai Hospital and a clinic for hill tribe people to meet with local doctors to discover the main
  challenges facing the hill tribe communities and how these can be overcome through improved education
• Week 1 - Live and teach in a hill tribe primary school and teaching healthy eating, exercise, hygiene and dental hygiene. During this week, there is a lot of opportunity to play with the children and to teach some English
• Week 2 and 3 - Time is spent teaching at 2 different secondary schools to teach about sexual health, puberty, relationships, drugs, smoking and alcohol. Teaching is done in the absence of the students’ teacher, to allow the discussion of taboo topics without fear. A “secret box” is made available to all students to post any questions they have anonymously, to allow volunteers to cater their lessons to the needs of the students.
• In the afternoon, time is spent doing community development projects, such as painting healthy promotions on primary school walls. Then, each evening, volunteers travel to a different hill tribe village to do a presentation promoting improved hygiene in the village and hand out souvenirs of toothbrushes, toothpaste and soap. At each village, there will be the opportunity to have a meeting with the chief to do research and development for the charity
• During the first weekend volunteers, stay at the Mirror Foundation guesthouse in Chiang Rai. There are opportunities to visit the night bazaar, many beautiful temples or go on a long-tail ship ride. For the second weekend, an elephant ride is arranged through the stunning scenery of the mountains on the Thai-Burmese
  border. This is followed by a traditional Lahu bamboo lunch and stay in the house of a hill tribe person. There is the opportunity to have a traditional massage and take part in an evening dance.

How do we raise money?

• Cocktail evening with live bands
• End of term ‘balls’ for Medics
• Annual dinners
• Bake sales
• Bag packs, bar crawls and street collections
• Club nights
• Anything that people will sponsor you for: sky diving, runs etc.

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at Skipoxfordthailand@gmail.com