Mundo Exchange

An open mind and heart and an ability to take each moment with humor and patience is required. Volunteers must adhere to the local Thai customs. This is a very rural, conservative area. Full Moon parties do not exist here. Dress code is strict. Our volunteers must be willing to abide by conservative language and clothing codes. Excessive drinking and partying is not acceptable. Should a volunteer be unable to abide by the strict behavioral codes of rural Thailand, you will be asked to leave without a refund. We do provide an extensive cultural orientation that will cover expected do's and don'ts. We have fun, but we are at all times representing our local Thai partner and thus must be respectful!

Volunteers must be able to communicate sufficiently in either English or Thai. Previous teaching or volunteer work is not necessary. If you would like to volunteer, but are under the age of 19, we would like to communicate with both you and your parent or guardian to make sure this will be a good experience for you and those with whom you will volunteer for. If you have special skills and are interested in putting those skills to work (e.g., health professional, computer specialist, animal care) let us know and we will try to arrange that for you. If you are interested in becoming an intern for Mundo Exchange, let us know that as well!

Need to be made by the volunteer, although we will provide information about possible hotels and flight connections. We can also provide transportation from the Udon Thani airport to Bueng Khan for E100. All food and accommodation must be covered by the volunteer. All volunteers must demonstrate proof of International Medical/Emergency Insurance.

Go to www.mundoexchange.org and follow the instructions. When you contact us of your interest, we will send you the necessary documentation. You will also have the opportunity to talk with previous volunteers about their experiences with Mundo Exchange.

Please check with your country's Thai Consolate. For those volunteers staying longer than 30 days, we recommend a Non-Immigrant O visa. Once you have paid you fees for volunteering, we will provide a letter from our organization recommending you to the Thai Consolate.

Working with youth from NE rural Thailand in schools that have few resources, but teachers and students with big hearts and great love for volunteers provides wonderful benefits for the heart and soul. Also you will learn about teaching children how to learn English. You will have the option to spend time with Buddhist monks and nuns at local wats, learning about Buddhist life and helping them with various temple projects and with English. Also, you have the option to visit important cultural sites and enjoy the beautiful and extensive natural reserves in the NE area. Bueng Kan and the surrounding villages natural preserves are rarely visited by foriegners. You will be immersed in Isaan life with many opportunities to see Thai culture that no longer exists in Bangkok or tourist-concentrated areas. Your relationships with the local Isaan Thais will be authentic and can be long-standing should you choose to maintain them after you stay. This is also a great opportunity to learn how a small intenational NGO can partner with local NGO's to provide services that make a huge difference in the community.

 Mundo Exchange is dedicated to providing a high quality cross-cultural exchange while providing needed and often vital volunteer services to rural, marginalized communities.  Through partnering with local community leadership, we provide authentic experiences to our volunteers and culturally sensitive, sustainable and necessary services to local constituents.

Mundo believes that through volunteerism and cross cultural exchanges, one has an opportunity to become a better person. Through this experience, each of us has the opportunity to broaden our world views, better understand another culture, be more flexible in our daily routines and thought patterns, and be more compassionate to our world neighbors. We have remained a small charity and are dedicated to partnering with local commnity leadership to identify services that are at once culturally sensitive, sustainable and actually of value to the community.

Mundo Exchange received it 501-C3 status in the United States as a Charity in 2006. However, we have been providing charity and volunteer services in both Thailand and Guatemala since 1983. As stated above, we have remained a small charity and are dedicated to partnering with local community leadership to identify services that are at once culturally sensitive, sustainable and of actual value to the community. In Thailand, we have partnered with Lakplian Logkatak, an organization in Isaan NE Thailand that shares our mission and provides a critical role in identifying volunteer positions and local projects from which the community can benefit. We originally focused on volunteering in rural schools, where our volunteers were assistants to the English teachers. We continue to provide volunteering positions in several schools where the volunteer lives with a family and works in either the elementary or high school. Typically, these schools are in very small, rural communities that provide volunteers with a firsthand look at what Thai life was like 50+ years ago in other parts of the country. In addition, we now are involved with animal welfare projects, and several social service projects including providing services to those who are blind, developmentally disabled, mentally ill, on hospice care, and orphaned children. We are also beginning to help with local monitoring of the massive yearly influx of migratory birds, as well as identifying and monitoring flora and fauna for the local nature reserves. Mundo Exchange has also been actively involved in partnering with several nearby Buddhist temples. Volunteers have taught English to the monks and nuns, helped translate important Buddhist sayings from Thai to English, and they have actively participated in the daily temple routines: early morning chanting, meditation walks, meditation sweeping, and temple chores. As a participant, volunteers are welcome to enjoy the delicious, often vegetarian, help cook the meals, and learn about living a Buddhist life.

In Guatemala, Mundo Exchange has primarily been supporting Maya children become literate and complete their education as well as working on numerous mental health projects that have help to alleviate some of the trauma incurred during the 36+ years of civil war that decimated so many Maya families and their villages. This has been achieved through monetary and volunteer support. We work in a very remote mountainous community that was one of the most egregiously affected during the war.

We are always looking for a few great volunteers. There are always Buddhist holidays and special events in Thailand to celebrate. Isaan is a rural area and celebrations tend to be conservative. While the festivities are numerous and great fun, there are no Full Moom parties, except those celebrate in the Buddhist culture.

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