We appreciate your flexibility and responsibility.
We ask you your special knowledge/hobbies/talent in advance. Please share with our children.
We also interview and ask your childhood memories and future dreams for children’s learning and inspiration for their future.
On your visit, there are certain things that we ask you for understanding and keeping them in mind during your stay.
Firstly, Rainbow School is different from many schools in your country.
When our children graduate from Rainbow School, they face tough reality of living in a society. They are not protected by their family nor the society. There is no choice to stay home not working and have no financial support from their parents, families, and the society. We believe Rainbow School supports each child to grow into an “independent individual”, which is fundamental among many educational aspirations. We can offer what we can in this extreme poverty area of Thailand, which is far different from that of developed countries.
Therefore, please read and understand our “Rainbow School core beliefs” below.
We foster bright children to have gratitude and be independent who create the future.
We are entitled to be happy by searching and practicing ways of living with the nature.
We provide a space where each individual can find own true and spiritual self.
For our volunteer guests.
Please take responsibility for yourself.
Please be positively and actively attentive so that each activity runs smoothly.
We strongly ask our volunteers to;
Spend and share most of the time with children.
Share what you enjoy and are good at doing with children. You may want to use some classroom time in addition to free time. Please inform us what you would like to offer to the school in advance, ex; skill sharing and teaching. Because the world they are experiencing is limited and small, meeting new people and experiencing something new that each visitor truly enjoys doing and can offer, are precious learning which opens up their horizon.
Please help cooking, washing, brushing teeth for young children, and cleaning etc.
We strongly ask to our volunteers NOT to;
Give money and gifts to children without our recognition.
Spoil children as they may use visitors as excuses to avoid daily tasks and study.
Ignore bad behaviours (Throwing stones at people and disrupting adults’ meeting). Please discipline children when necessary.
School daily schedule
Time schedule weekdays Mon-Fri
5:30
5:30
6:20
7:00
8:00
8:15
9:00
12:30
13:30
16:00
17:00
18:30
19:30
20:00
21:00
Wake up gong
Prayer, mediation and meeting/cooking
Cleaning
Breakfast
Morning briefing
School assembly (Daily news and reading)
Class begins
Lunch
Class begins
Cleaning and cooking
Free time(play, exercise, shower, etc)
Dinner
Chanting, Meditation
Free time
Light out
5:30 Wake up gong
5:30 Prayer, mediation and meeting/cooking
6:20 Cleaning
7:00 Breakfast
8:00 Morning briefing
8:15 School assembly (Daily news and reading)
9:00 Class begins
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Class begins
16:00 Cleaning and cooking
17:00 Free time(play, exercise, shower, etc)
18:30 Dinner
19:30 Chanting, Meditation
20:00 Free time
21:00 Light out
Saturday
6:30
8:00
9:00
12:00
16:00
18:00
19:00
22:00
Wake up gong, cleaning and cooking
Breakfast
Laundry and cleaning
Lunch and free time
Cleaning
Dinner
Free time, TV
Light out
6:30 Wake up gong, cleaning and cooking
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Laundry and cleaning
12:00 Lunch and free time
16:00 Cleaning
18:00 Dinner
19:00 Free time, TV
22:00 Light out
Sunday
7:00
9:00
18:00
19:30
21:00
Wake up and cooking
Breakfast and free time
Dinner
Chanting and meeting
Light out
7:00 Wake up and cooking
9:00 Breakfast and free time
18:00 Dinner
19:30 Chanting and meeting
21:00 Light out
Number of students and staff
0
children
0
staffs
3 female teachers, 2 male teachers and Mr. and Mrs. Kataoka
Recommended period for volunteering
Donation for staying
Feedback
We ask volunteers to stay for minimum one week.
On your departure, we appreciate if you could leave us some donation so that we can maintain our activities at Rainbow School. We don’t want to set a standard amount as we would like you to reflect on your learning at our place. We believe your stay will offer a deep and precious experience that many other seminars or workshops available in your area could not offer.
We ask our volunteer to write some reflective feedback. We would like to know your discovery and learning. This will help those who are interested in visiting Rainbow School in the future as well as for us to reflect and be encouraged.
Other notes
On donation, we appreciate cash donations as this contributes directly into managing the school and paying wages to the staff. We have already received clothes, medicine, toys, stationary and books enough to keep us going for now. We also appreciate any food ingredients for children to cook with and try something new and different from Thai food.
Classification of waste : Please separate your waste into categories; Burnable, recyclable (can, bottle, plastics, papers and metals) and non-burnable (glass, lightbulb and battery). Food waste. Recyclable waste will be purchased by some companies.
Insurance : Please make sure you have travel insurance before visiting the school.
Injury and illness : Please be informed about vaccination in order to prevent infections and injuries in advance. Please be responsible for yourself and any cost related to treatment and hospitalisation, unless it is due to our negligence.
Useful information
Language
Thai
Japanese
English
children’s own tribal languages (Karen and Hmong)
Lodge
Our current premises is not equipped with guestrooms. Therefore, visitors use classrooms and gym hall as bedrooms. We provide a mosquito net, futon and blanket.
Clothes/shoes
Long sleeves (Prevent insect bites and sun burn), trousers, shorts with leggins, hat, sunglasses, sandals (for daily use), flipflops.
Necessity
Torches (Sometimes we have no electricity. It is useful when we have black out in the night.)
Recommendation
S hook (In the shower room, you can hang your bag)
Portable washlet (We don’t use toilet rolls at the school. There is a water tank to clean in toilet)
Water
We use underground water for general use and for drinking and cooking.
Meals
Thai rice and two dishes. Some spices are used in the food, however we also cook with no chilli sometimes. Teachers and children cook together. Please join and help them cook.
Shower
Individual room with lock and water tank. Please be advised that you may use biodegradable soaps.
Toilet
Thai toilet with a water tank. No toilet rolls. If you prefer, please bring a portable washlet and reusable cloth hygiene products.
Washing clothes
There is a washing machine. We recommend to wash clothes by hand and use spinning to take excess water with the machine. Please bring small amount of clothes and wash them regularly in your free time as it reduces your belonging. We recommend washing clothes when taking shower as an efficient way.
Electricity
We have electricity but sometimes have shortage for a few hours. USA/Japan plug.
Internet
Wifi at the school. It could be inconsistent due to the weather.
Hospital
There is a public hospital within a 5 min bike ride. There is also a free clinic within a 10 min bike ride.
Food and shopping
A market opens nearby the school every Thursday. Other stuff can be purchased in Sangkhlaburi within a 30 min car drive. The market which opens every Thursday offers unusual experiences with mountain vegetables and other food that the villagers bring from the mountains. Although we grow vegetables at the school, we are not fully self-sufficient. Our staff and children sometimes fish and pick fresh mountain vegetables as well as cultivate rice. However, we largely rely on the market.
Communication in Thai
Some volunteers find it useful to bring a picture book to communicate with children. We also recommend you to learn basic Thai for better communication.
We appreciate if you could read and follow the rules written above to make your stay best experience for you and our children.
