Our volunteers activities are organized together with local communities mainly in South Thailand. In this way we are able to create close bonds between DaLaa organization, members, volunteers and communities members. The communities should be represented by one member (or small group of members) that we call host and who takes the full responsibility in hosting DaLaa volunteers and their activities. Before to start any cooperation and contact us, the host(s) should be able to answer yes to all these affirmations:

1-We started daily work showing our responsibility toward social life and environment in our community and the world.

2- We would like to get volunteers (possibly international ) to support our meaningful action. (English speaker in the team needed)

3- We are willing to share knowledge and skills with volunteers and respect the diversity of participants (origin, beliefs, religion, experience of life…)

4- We are willing to learn from and support the learning process of each individual coming to support us.

5- We have time, passion and resources to take care of volunteers.

6- We share DaLaa vision and understand DaLaa mission.

We encourage the new potential hosts to join DaLaa activities, to visit experienced Dalaa placements hosts and to send some community members as well.

After discussion with DaLaa staff, and agreeing on the possibility to work together in DaLaa team, we can organize members activities at the community place, like a mini workcamp of 1 or 2 days.

The next step is to fill the placement description form both in Thai and English as an agreement between DaLaa and the host. This document is the base of the contents we will use to promote any projects and volunteers placements. It answered to quality criteria, needed for the international cooperation with our network partners and basic respect of coming volunteers, such as security, meaning and values, work to do, daily life management, following and impacts.

During this step we can plan to organize a workcamp (usually 2 weeks or less) in the current or coming year. We will explain the part of involvement of DaLaa with the workcamp leader role, a possible training for the host and community to prepare to receive an international team of volunteers, a shared responsibility in the project and a balance between DaLaa and the host culture and identity.

The host will be invited to join our yearly Training and Networking meeting at the association office in the first week of May where you can meet all the other hosts and get to understand deeper DaLaa work and way of working.

Only after the common evaluation of the first workcamp and the participation of the Training and Networking meeting, the host community will be eligible to request for Middle and Long Term volunteers. In this case, and after agreement by DaLaa committee, a team of DaLaa staff will come for a preparation/training meeting in the community.

We hope this way to reach a level of quality and trust necessary between all participants and organizations involved. Our distinction between straight forward volunteering (without organization in between) is there: in the strength and authenticity of our network, within and outside Thailand, the support of our members, the following of volunteers… our 15 years experience (still a teenager though:)