Koh Tao, Thailand from a volunteers view
 |
By Kathrin Hogson
I came to Koh Tao to take part in a volunteer program with the Secret Garden Environmental Activity Centre. When I first arrived, I felt like I had fallen into a postcard- Koh Tao looks exactly as I expected a tropical island in paradise to look.
Turquoise water, white sand beaches, coconut trees, and jungle-covered hills. Add to this some of Asia’s best loved dive sites and it becomes easy to understand why so many people you meet here are on their second, third or tenth visit.
Tourist has become the largest industry on Koh Tao, from scuba divers keen to explore the reef, backpackers soaking up the easy living and great nightlife, to families enjoying one of the friendliest islands in Thailand.
While the tourists bring a lot of money to Koh Tao, they also bring with them the usual set of problems in a developing country. Locals and expats who’ve made this island their home talk about how quickly the island is changing, from a decade ago when there was only one dive shop on the island and limited electricity, to the dozens of tourist related businesses that now exist in the main towns of Sairee Beach and Mae Haad.
The volunteer program has two main aims- conserving the environment and providing opportunities for the local kids. We remove rubbish from the beaches, plant trees to prevent erosion, and support the animal clinic to improve the welfare of animals on the island. The centre aims to empower young locals in order that they have a say in the future of the island. This includes improving their English skills, so they can communicate well with the visitors; teaching them to swim, enabling them to become a part of the dive industry; and opening their eyes to different career possibilities.
Sairee beach Koh Tao Thailand
Volunteers teach English at the local school, and this year we’re putting together a summer school for the kids- playing games and having fun, but at the same time teaching about recycling, caring for the environment and practicing English.
My main tasks have been beach cleaning and making support materials for the English teachers.
The kids are so beautiful, and they love to beat you at basketball and teach you secret handshakes. The school doesn’t have a lot of resources, so we’ve been making flash cards with the English words for things that are commonly found on the island. The secret garden provides stationery for the English lessons in school, and we’re also getting a load of children’s story books in for the kids to read.
Koh Tao Conservation Project - The Team
Every second day we walk along the main beach of Sairee and pick up the rubbish that has been left there or washed ashore. As we walk from one end of the beach to the other, we have a great view of the sun setting into the ocean behind the long-tail boats. But the best part about cleaning the beach is when other holiday makers join in to help, and want to get involved in the volunteer activities. We’ve just started posting beach cleaning times, so that anyone who wants to join in knows when and where to turn up.
In my experience, people who come here realize how special this island is, and really want to help make sure it stays that way.
The project is building, and hopefully in the next year we’ll start swimming lessons, and get involved with repairing broken coral on the reefs that surround Koh Tao. It’s been a wonderful experience to be part of this project. I’ve had a great time, met some fantastic people, and had the opportunity to provide some positive input into the future of the island.
I hope to come back in a year or so, and I can’t wait to see what will have been achieved by then- and to watch another one of those beautiful sunsets!
…..and to watch another one of those beautiful sunsets on Koh Tao!
Rating:
(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...