The Burma Volunteer Program (Thailand) provided educational opportunities to mixed ethnic nationality students from Burma who were living in Thailand. The program began in January 2000 and provided volunteers every three months to a variety of groups based in Thailand.
There are Burmese students in Thailand who need English language skills. After leaving their home country they go to Thailand with the hope of educating the world to their country's plight.
Typically volunteer groups were involved in social development, labour rights, and women's issues. Volunteers live with the group they are working with and a small discretionary allowance is provided to assist with food costs.
Unlike many other organizations, BVP did not charge a program fee and prides itself on the fact that many volunteers have leveraged their volunteer experience to gain full-time employment with both international NGOs and host organizations at the border.
Placements were unpaid and volunteers had to cover travel, visa and personal insurance costs. Positions sometimes provided accommodation, food and local transport costs to save the volunteer the expenses of day-to-day living.
The minimum commitment for volunteers was 3 months, and participants were required to attend a week long orientation in Mae Sot before starting their placement. Candidates needed to be native English speakers, or fluent English speakers with EFL qualifications and/or relevant experience. Demonstrated knowledge of human rights or international politics was a plus.
Burma Volunteer Programme has now stopped operating.
