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AFECT - THE ASSOCIATION FOR AKHA EDUCATION AND CULTURE IN THAILAND - is the oldest HILL TRIBE non governmental organization in ASIA and for 28 years we have been protecting HILL TRIBE culture and its inter sustainable ecology. Because HILL TRIBE heritage is now under tremendous pressure we are pleased to offer short and long term volunteer placements to help us conserve the tribes. We feel these volunteer opportunities are some of the best in Thailand. Booking directly through our website enables a 50% reduction than the agencies advertising our programs.

Many NGO's do great work and offer exciting volunteer exchanges but often centre on fragments of humanitarian work. Because we are run and managed by the hill tribe we believe in a holistic and progressive approach to charitable work. Working within the cultural structures of hill tribe society creates a lasting and more sustaining autonomy. Your exposure to how creative tribes live will give you valuable life skills which will stay with you for ever, teaching us a deeper understanding of interwoven life and ourselves within the natural environment as we are all trying to make sense of the environmental crisis.
We can arrange extremely diverse volunteer packages around the 12 humanitarian programs we manage.

The volunteer program is a 100% non profit scheme where all the revenue generated goes directly back into the poor and needy Akha communities to carry out conservation and development activities. Your fee helps to educate children and adults, form and strengthen health programs, develop local income sources and conserve natural and cultural heritage.

OUR STATEMENT


AN NGO RUN BY THE TRIBE FOR TRIBE


AFECT is a non-government organization for Thailand’s hill tribes, and was established in 1981. AFECT runs educational, health and cultural programme's for redeveloping Thai Hill Tribes in 268 villages within four northern Thai provinces. Dr. Sutep Suthornpasat, from Chiangmai University, was elected its first chairman and since then AFECT has grown into one of the longest running NGO for Hill Tribes in Thailand.

AFECT Vision Statement

The Association for Akha Education and Culture in Thailand (AFECT) assists rural hilltribe communities to build educational resources, stabilize and regenerate forests, develop and expand health management and preserve hill tribe cultural identity.

At AFECT, we believe that including local communities in the management of natural resources, bettering education, utilizing traditional naturopath health resources and promoting human rights leads to increased livelihood security and poverty alleviation that, in turn, encourages greater sustainable development. AFECT enables hilltribe communities to manage strategies that can forge integral and sustainable indigenous populations. We are run and managed by the Akha Tribe for the Akha communities and other indigenous partners.

AFECT'S programs are implemented through eight interrelated thematic areas: 1) To Educate Hill Tribe Children and Youth, 2) Create an Affordable Health Programme, 3) Develop Natural Resource Management, 4) Promote Human and Women's Rights, 5) Promote, Conserve and Resuscitate Akha Hilltribe Culture, 6) Strengthen Hilltribe Communities, 7) Strengthen Citizenship, 8) Build International Hilltribe Relations within the Mekong Region.

The program components are designed to engage regional policy makers, professional practitioners, and communities to facilitate learning, reduce conflicts, and ultimately create management agreements that result in more equitable, sustainable Hilltribe Communities.

AFECT has no links to or alignment with any political parties. We work primarily but not exclusively with the AKHA Hill Tribe.

To Apply please view our website links below.

http://www.akhaasia.org/index-3.html
http://www.akhathai.org

then email us

info@akhaasia.org