Got Passport | Psychologist. Social Worker. 9yo. Travel. Volunteer. Learn. Teach. Inspire Action.

Family Mission

Service. We build community. We connect people. We create win-win solutions. We do so mostly through our blog, TEAM Chiang Mai Facebook Page, and other social media tools. Since J and A are professional helpers, it is second nature to be community-minded, even as we travel and live abroad. We are involved in an ongoing effort, as in daily, to connect volunteers (who happen to be travelers, college students, retirees, anyone) with Community Based Organizations (CBO). We are NOT a money-making business. Our work in Thailand is strictly voluntary.

Who are the CBOs?

Many CBOs we are connected to are ones that we know personally, and know first-hand what their needs are, and their commitment to serving their community. Because we work as volunteers, we are not compensated by these organizations or any other organizations. We are not an official non-profit, nor are we a “Volun-Tourism” type of business. We want your hard-earned dollars (or other currency!) to be spent on your travels and accommodations, and other useful expenses or donations, not to a business that profits from people who want to give time to volunteer. Our CBO connections are located inside Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, and provide a wide variety of services to various under-served populations.

Please visit our Volunteer Jobs list to see the organizations with which we work closely.

~~

We’re not independently wealthy.

People might assume that since we’re able to travel and live abroad, that we’re independently wealthy. That’s actually not true! Here’s an account of our living expenses in 2010.

A. gave up her secure career as a Director at a non-profit a few years ago to focus on moving to Thailand. She was overseeing multiple programs with multiple staff, volunteers, students, internal and external projects, funding sources and budget of close to 1.5 million dollars at the time of her departure. It was truly bitter-sweet as she worked hard, climbed the non-profit ladder after having made so many sacrifices, giving it her heart and soul to the people she worked with for nearly 6 years. She misses her co-workers immensely, even today!

After arriving to Chiang Mai in 2010, J. lost his full- time teaching job of 10 yrs as a professor of Psychology without any prior notice! Yes, it’s true. He prepped his on-line classes from Laos over a weekend while doing a visa run, and found out that they were all gone on Monday. Just like that. The attention to professionalism, or lack thereof, in the way this was dealt with was appalling.

J. is still teaching part-time online, along with freelance work.

We save religiously, play good defense (i.e., extreme frugalness), and make the most of what we earn. We don’t buy stuff for the sake of buying stuff. We’ve taken a drastic cut in income and financial predictability to be able to live out our goals.

We don’t regret our decision. We have a purpose – to live a life filled with community service, experiencing the world, and raising our daughter as a global citizen. Every bit will help us continue the important work we do, now in Chiang Mai. We have ZERO paid staff or additional volunteers. We’re it.

Wish List

Items will be posted here as our Volunteer Tutoring Center evolves where we will provide English tutoring out of our home. (E.g., books, school supplies, computers, educational games, DVDs, small furniture, etc.)

You can help us even if you’re not able to travel to SE Asia.

You might consider helping us continue the volunteer work we do, by leaving a contribution in our virtual donation jar (click the picture) also known as ‘Help Us Help Others’ Fund.

When you do help us via donations we definitely want to show our appreciation and give a “shout-out” to each contributor. If you wish to donate anonymously, please do say so via email and we will respect your wishes!

Click below to donate!