The Tsunami Volunteer Center (TVC) is a Thai-led NGO located in Khao Lak, the area in Thailand hardest hit by the 2004 tsunami; it aims to work in partnership with the people served. Projects are driven by community need and often done in cooperation with other organizations.

Current projects include several under the umbrella of child outreach and development (environmental education clubs, English teaching), construction, small business development, and citizenship projects – and these are just a few. Volunteer English teachers need to make a commitment of 15 hours a week for a minimum of one month; there are also “learning clubs” which engage children in different topics – using English as a medium of instruction but not English clubs.

Volunteers pay a modest registration fee of 1000 Baht (about $20), and pay for their own accommodation and food – there is a stellar list of hotels provided, with basic information on rates, facilities, location and contact info, as well as the date updated. While projects and needs change all the time, general skills needed include construction, IT, fundraising, communications, administration and English teaching. To apply, potential volunteers fill out a form and submit a cv, which allows TVC to match a volunteer to an appropriate project.