Sawasdee
Welcome to Peace Corps Thailand
Thailand was one of the first countries to host the Peace Corps, with Volunteers arriving in January 1962. Since that time, more than five thousand Volunteers have served in Thailand. Projects in early decades covered such areas as secondary teaching in English, teacher training, community development, agriculture and fisheries, primary health care, malaria control, development of national parks, and soil and water conservation.
Currently, there are approximately 100 Americans serving as Peace Corps Volunteers throughout Thailand- from Trang all the way to Chiang Rai. Peace Corps currently works in Thailand under the auspices of two projects: Teacher Collaboration and Community Outreach and Community-Based Organizational Development.
The Teacher Collaboration and Community Outreach (TCCO) project aligns with the Thai government’s educational reform initiatives by focusing on primary-school teachers’ skills in using student-centered methodologies. Volunteers are paired with teachers on the grassroots level in schools throughout Thailand. TCCO Volunteers team teach with Thai teachers as well as participate in community outreach in health, environment, and other areas of community development based on local needs, interests, and Volunteer expertise.
The Community-Based Organizational Development (CBOD) project focuses on organizational development and capacity-building on the gras
sroots level. Volunteers are assigned to sub-district administrative offices (SAO) to work on a range of development activities responding to the needs/priorities of local communities. Volunteers assist SAO staff and community groups project management, community outreach, strengthening data collection and other skills to help them initiate and implement sustainable projects. Volunteers and Thai partners also share promising practices and resources.
As Peace Corps celebrates fifty years in Thailand, Volunteers along with their counterparts in communities around the country continue to play a vital role in the development of rural Thailand. We celebrate not only the development work of Volunteers and counterparts currently serving, but also the cooperation between Thais and Americans on a grassroots level in the spirit of peace, friendship and mutual understanding.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. President John F Kennedy