Dear Friends,
 I am a new addition to the AD team and would like to extend a warm and enthusiastic greeting from Kuraburi!
The chains of corporate America are finally loosening as I start my third month at Andaman Discoveries. I
arrived in the wake of graduating with my M.S. in Environmental
Management, and have fully recovered from the frantic San Francisco
lifestyle I left. Thank you AD!
I
have never worked in the tourism business, nor have I lived outside the
U.S. I came to Thailand to absorb as much information as possible about
community-based development, having just completed my thesis on
sustainable construction in Haiti.
So
far, the people are amazing, the food is delicious, and the sunsets
continually surprise me. I have grown beyond my wildest expectations,
both professionally and personally, all thanks to the AD team.
Sincerely,
Jenny Lovell a.k.a "The Jeneral"
Comment
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Water Lily Planting in Nakha
 Several members of the Andaman Discoveries and N-ACT teams joined with a wide variety of other groups to spend an afternoon planting water lilies. The event raised awareness of youth in plight.
Nakha
boasts stunning mountainous scenery, and is home to the highly
endangered Water Lily, known locally as the "Yah Chong." This
fresh-water plant has unusually long leaves and delicate white flowers
that bloom from October to December. Unfortunately, the water lily
faces serious threats from river dredging and collection for resale as
aquarium plants.
To help save the Water Lily, locals formed a
conservation group to protect its habitat, and now offer rafting
excursions to raise public awareness of this beautiful plant. Profits
are used by the club to pay for school trips. The club also sponsors a
nursery that is used by the youth group for replanting the water
lilies.
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Andaman Information Superhighway
Regional Tourism Network Launches Website |
The North Andaman Community Tourism (N-ACT) network is ready to take its message t o the world! Years in the making, the Andaman Coast Community Tourism website officially launched in January with the goal of promoting community-led responsible tourism by providing access to the attractions and activities found in the North Andaman region of Thailand. The site enables community members to directly outreach and market their homestays and tours.
The
N-ACT network was established in 2008 to help local communities secure
their future through sustainable tourism and conservation. The website
is a key marketing tool and is a collaborative effort between the
villagers, with support from the International Union for Conservation
of Nature (IUCN).
The N-ACT
network serves as an evolving platform to increase the contribution of
tourism to sustainable livelihoods and sound ecosystem management by
providing communities with access to the best available knowledge and
practices. The network's success is based on careful selection of
partners, capable communities, and ethical businesses with a genuine
commitment to responsible tourism. The network has developed a number
of tools for community tourism development and also works closely with
local conservation and community development efforts |
Awesome New Staff!
Welcomes Laura, Jenny and Carli
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Andaman has experienced a "changing of the guard" in recent months.
We are excited to welcome out new interns Laura, Jenny and Carli to
the team! We now have a fresh group to take 2010 community based
tourism by storm!
A
northern California native, Jenny came direct from San Francisco,
California. She recently graduated from the University of San Francisco
with an M.S. in Enviornmental Management, and has over five years of
experience as an Environmental Consultant around the US. Jenny hopes
to bring fresh program ideas and marketing concepts to the AD team.
Carli came all the way from Michigan State University to join the AD team for two months. She was sent by the Asian Institute University of Technology (AIT) through their intern abroad program in Thailand.Carli
came to AD to get hands-on experience in sustainable tourism and while
serving the community. So far, Carli has visited several community
projects, villages, and events. Carli hopes to help our
marketing efforts online and support the AD team efforts in villages.
Laura
will be with AD for eight months and is our first intern from Pistes
Solidaires, a French non-profit organisation based in Marseille. Laura
is here to learn all she can about community-based toursim and Thai
culture. This is an extraordinary experience and she really wants to
add something new and help the organisation. |
Week Without Walls
International School of Bangkok Visits AD Team
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 The
International School of Bangkok (ISB) became AD's first high school
community service group in February! The pack of 21 students hailed
from around the world, forming a truly diverse mixture of guests. Lead
by Tui, our fearless Director and Translator, the students experienced
a variety of activities that the Northern Andaman Coast had to offer.
The
trip started in Ban Talae Nok where the students got a taste of
traditional Thai cooking. The local youth group lead ISB through the
nearby Nipa palm conservation project, explaining their efforts to
preserve the environment by working with natural tidal processes to
sustainably harvest crops. The ISB students then had an afternoon of
weaving nipa palm leaves to make traditional roofing materials, and
working with the Ladies' Soap Cooperative to mix up a batch of fresh
soap!
The students spent the next day at Koh Ra Ecolodge, an
environmentally sustainable outfit on an island off the Andaman Coast.
They learned about local wildlife, conservation efforts at the lodge,
and the nearby Reef Check Project.
ISB followed up Koh Ra with
two days of fun and games at local school events. First, they visited
Kuraburi High School, sharing their English conversational skills with
the younger students. The following day they attended the Family Fun
for National Children's Day in Khoalak, an event encouraging Burmese
family interaction and integration with the Thai community.
We
sent ISB off with a farewell dinner in Khoalak, where they shared their
favorite learning experiences throughout the trip. As the waves crashed
on the beach in front of the restaurant we enjoyed a delicious Thai
dinner and sent the ISB students back to Bangkok in style. |
Tung Dap Children's Day
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On January 9th, hundreds of villagers attended the annual Children's
Day at Tung Dap. The AD crew went out to Koh Phratong to join the
celebration , bringing good cheer and a healthy appetite. Over 50 children
gathered to dance in a specially adorned sala while guests and friends
cheered them on.
The village served a delicious array of
curries and fresh vegetables and
the AD crew enjoyed a brief walk down
to the beach, where you could see the devastation of the tsunami, even
now, after six years. The coastal swamps and mangroves were beautiful,
as were the smiling faces that welcomed us into the community.
We left
feeling full and sun-baked after a revitalizing trip to one of the
villages we hold dear.
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International Wetland Day
Governor of Ranong brings a big crowd to Laem Son National Park
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The International Weltand Day at Laem Son National Park focused on
the link between wetland health and climate change adaptation.  Governor
Wanchat Wongchaichana of Ranong and Chairman of Wetland International
Day joined the crowds of nearby primary and secondary school students
on February 2, 2010. Around 500 youth and adults joined the day of
activities honoring wetland. Below, you see the governor accepting a
basket from Somsak Soonthornnawapha, Thailand
Programme Manager with the International Union for Conservation of
Nature, filled with handicrafts from Ban Talae Nok and community
partner villages.
The event showcased exhibitions by
variety of organizations, a play about the wetland environment, and a
forum regarding wetland habitat in the area and how climate change will
affect it in the future. The National Park released 50 sea turtles and
10,000 white snapper during the culminating group event, designed to
raise awareness about key species that are vital to wetland and marine
health. Along with other wetland areas in Rangong, the
Laem Son National Park officially became part of Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands (Ramsar Site) in August 2002. The park is shaded by a mixture
of mangrove and fir trees, transitioning into sandy white beach as it
nears the ocean. The network of winding paths was dotted with
presentation boards from community-based handicraft groups,
conservation groups, and educational groups.
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Community Network - Profiles from the FieldRoliyah Chanchu, Muang Kluang Muslim Homestay
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Roliyah Chanchu, or Ja Ya as her friends call her, is a member of
the Muslim Homestay group in Muang Kluang village. In the past,
visitors to nearby Laem Son National Park would drive through Muang
Kluang but did not have an opportunity to learn about the local
communities or interact with them in any way. Concerned that an influx
of park visitors may threaten or affect their local way of life, locals
decided to offer homestay accommodation as a way to reach out to park
visitors and generate mutual understanding. Members of the Homestay
Club take pride in sharing their way of life with guests, including the
natural world on which it depends.
"Doing homestay gives me a chance to make new friends, and it is fun" said Ja Ya. Ja Ya notes that a focus on local style made it affordable to join the Club, as she already had a clean home with a guest room.
"There was no need to invest anything but my time and energy" she pointed out.
Ja
Ya's whole family gets involved in the homestay process. Her daughters
help cook food, including fresh fish caught by her husband, while her
son plays with guests after school.
Asked about other
benefits of community tourism, Ja Ya observes that even though the
income she receives from homestays is not significant, she has learned
a great deal from study trips with the N-ACT network. Having visited a
number of communities that exemplified sustainable development, Ja Ya
has separation bins for wet and dry garbage and recycling. She is also
exploring how to make her own bio-fertilizer. |
Indigenous Education - Koh Surin |
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The
Moken are an ancient sea people who have travelled among the islands of
Thailand's North Andaman coast for thousands of years. Traditionally
nomadic, they would spend most of their time out at sea in their boat
houses and moored in sheltered locations during the monsoon season. In
recent years, the Moken have responded to growing socio-economic
pressures by settling permanently in Ao Bon Bay.
They
have come to rely on selling handicrafts as an important source of
income, but often have trouble communicating with visitors who wish to
buy their woven baskets and hand-carved model boats. To help with
this, Andaman Discoveries partnered with a local health worker to
provide English lessons to the children of Koh Surin - we provided
books, pencils, lesson plans, and a whiteboard. Andaman Discoveries is
also sponsoring a "clean household" competition to encourage Moken to
address the litter generated by goods from the mainland. |
Pink and the Youth Group need your support |
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 Pink
is the all-star leader of the Ban Talae Nok village youth and
conservation group - over the last year they have restored a former
shrimp pond, performed educational puppet shows about global warming,
and hosted an international seminar with youth from six other countries.
Please
consider sponsoring Pink's monthly salary ($180) so she can continue in
her role as a community leader while raising a family!
Life
has not always been easy for Pink- the majority of her village was
destroyed in the tsunami, and, due to declining fish stocks and
mangrove destruction, she was unable to return to her traditional
fishing lifestyle. With the development of community tourism, however,
her luck is turning around.
"We
are beginning to understand how to connect tourism with our way of
life, and share with people how we conserve the natural environment.
Andaman Discoveries is supporting the youth group to develop our own
projects," Pink explains.
Pink's other projects include: Waste
Management - The Ban Talae Nok Youth group has been encouraging
community members to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, and the village now
has a trash bin for every home as well as in public areas. The youth
group regularly collects and separates the garbage in the village and
on the beach, and also makes fun recycled art. The donation supports
the purchase of snacks and drinks after the weekly cleanup.
Organic
Garden - The result is six garden plots where vegetables such as lemon
grass, long beans, chilies, galanga, eggplants, and morning glory are
locally grown. Approximately 20 houses have been given seedlings to
grow fresh vegetables, with the goal of even more villagers growing
their own food. Donations support tools and snacks on gardening days.
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Copyright
2010 Andaman Discoveries
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Why Us?
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Andaman Discoveries' internationally recognized community development and tourism projects make a real difference. Our International and bilingual staff have extensive knowledge, allowing guests to enjoy a true cultural exchange.
We have developed comprehensive teaching materials for those planning to volunteer in a school. And for folks new to Thailand we can arrange regional transport and accommodations, and even offer advice on traveling (our staff loves to explore the country, too!).
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Stay Connected!
Become a friend and be fan on Facebook, follow our moves on Twitter, and watch us on YouTube!
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"This
experience was one of the most amazing experiences. I will probaly encounter.
Everyone was so friendly and hospitable. I felt completely safe and comfortable
for the duration of the trip. The culture is so beautiful in this wonderful village.
I'm so happy to have been part of it."
Kate Mc Nally , february 2010 ,Ban Talae Nok.
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"I will
never forget the children and staff. You all have a friend in America. I feel
like i have a new family in Thailand. I will keep following along on the Home @
Life website to see what items are on the wish list. I will help whenever i
can. Thank you for the gift of your love and friendship."
Jennifer Jalil, Home & Life Orphanage
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"Thai smiles
, delicious food , guides laughing, gibbons songs, buffaloes in the sea and BBQ
in front of the sunset ... A lot of sounds, pictures, smiles , beautiful experience
i can remember."
Carine
Morin Batut , February 2010 , Ban Talae Nok
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