Volunteer Positive, an international service organization comprised of people living with and affected by HIV, has assembled its first group of volunteers. The group is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Here are their stories of working with sex workers, at-risk youth, children orphaned by HIV and other groups.

By Dan G.

I retired from the education profession 6 years ago, but I still work part time and I do volunteer work in my community.  I’ve always loved to travel--throughout the United States and internationally.   I speak English and Spanish, and I’ve studied Italian and French. 

When I travel internationally I like to get to know the country I’m in and experience the culture as much as possible.  I’ve found that opportunity to be limited with traditional tours or independent travel.  When I saw the Volunteer Positive information on Poz.com I thought it would be a great way to really experience a different culture, and at the same time, make connections, build relationships, and as much as possible, provide assistance.  I do a lot of volunteering in the LGBTQ and HIV community where I live, and the idea of volunteer service for that community in another country was very enticing...especially in a country that I had visited once and really enjoyed.  It didn’t take me long to decide that I would apply to the Volunteer Positive program for Chiang Mai, Thailand.

When I was accepted, I was thrilled!  When I received my assignment, I was even more excited!  I had learned a few words in Thai from my trip to Thailand last summer, but now I wanted to learn more of the language since I didn’t know if the people working at my assigned NGO, and others that I would be interacting with, spoke much English.  I took a couple lessons online, bought a book on learning to speak Thai, and took a few lessons from a Thai woman that works in the coffee shop where I get coffee most days.  So, with a few days left before my departure, I felt as prepared as I could be for the adventure I was about to experience.

The day that I arrived in Chiang Mai I met most of the other volunteers.  I immediately liked every one of them.  We were from different parts of the country and world, with varied backgrounds and experiences, but we shared the commitment and passion for working with the HIV community.

I was a little nervous about my first day of volunteering at my assigned NGO, Violet Home, but I was immediately put at ease when I walked in the door. The staff of five guys that worked there were very friendly and made me feel welcomed and valued.  On the first day we discussed Violet Home’s role in the HIV community and how they assisted their clients.  We also discussed my work background and my history of volunteering in the HIV community in the United States.  We identified several possible ways that I could assist them with their responsibilities.  On the second day I jumped right into working on the tasks that we discussed, and time has been flying by ever since. 

The greatest thing about my assignment is that although we have serious work to do, we have fun in the process.  Every day we go out to lunch at one of the nearby neighborhood restaurants or food stands...you know, the kind that the travel guides tell you to be wary of.  I love Thai food and I’ve been eating all kinds of things.  And so far so good!  No negative repercussions!

In the evenings when we’re not involved in some Volunteer Positive activity, I’ve been venturing out in the city doing some shopping, sightseeing, or hitting one of the bars that the guys tell me I should see.  It’s been a great first week.  I’ve worked hard, met some great people, learned a lot about Thai culture and language, and I’ve had a lot of fun in the process.  

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For more information about Volunteer Positive, click here.