Volunteers for Sarnelli House
Sarnelli House is made up of 6 homes for children in three different hamlets in the Nongkhai province of Northeast Thailand.
- Our Lady of Refuge Home for Girls
- St Patrick’s Home for Boys
- Sarnelli House
- House of Hope
- Nazareth House
- The Jan and Oscar House
Volunteers are accepted for work at Sarnelli House only. Since the children infected with HIV/AIDS are now taking the Anti-Retro Viral (ARV) drugs, they are healthy enough to go to school.
IT IS FOR THIS REASON WE ACCEPT VOLUNTEERS DURING SCHOOL VACATION PERIODS ONLY.
March 15 – May 1
October 1 – October 21
Once school opens, volunteers are not needed.
If you are interested in being a volunteer during these times please send the following:
Essential Requirements:
- Up to date Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- 2 letters of recommendation from organizations, schools, or churches.
- Police Check
Responsibilities of Sarnelli House:
Charlene House is a 6 room facility for volunteers. It has 2 beds /room and share bathroom. One room is wheelchair accessible.
Lunch and dinner are provided by Charlene House, and breakfast food is available. However Sunday is the cook’s day off, but the kitchen is well stocked with food.
We are unable to accommodate volunteers who have special diets such as strict vegetarians or peanut allergies, etc. Our cook does not have the time or resources to accommodate these special needs
- Transport to and from airport
- Lots of fun, laughter and love from the children
Charlene House is a 6 room facility for volunteers. It has 2 beds /room and share bathroom. One room is wheelchair accessible.
Responsibilities of the Volunteer:
- Travel to and from Thailand
Organize and pay for travel to Udon Thani (closest airport to Sarnelli House. It is a 40 minute flight from Bangkok Don Meung Airport). There is an overnight train from Bangkok to Nongkhai as well
Our van will pick you up and drop you off at the airport or train station.
If you are staying in Thailand for less than 30 days you do not need to apply for a visa. You can leave and re-enter the country to get another 30 days over and over again over a period of 6 months. Most countries are included in this deal. Check the website if you are unsure.
If you intend to stay for longer than 30 days, you need to apply for a Tourist Visa. This allows you to stay in the country for 60 days.
You can also apply for a Visa-on-arrival which gives you 15 days in the country.
The Thai government wants all visitors to possess means of living expenses at the amount of 10,000 Baht per person.
Visit http://www.mfa.go.th The Kingdom of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Ensure that you have adequate travel or health insurance; if you should require hospitalization it would be necessary to transfer you to Bangkok.
Nature of Work:
Playing with the children and keeping them company is one of the main roles of the volunteers at Sarnelli House. Other ways of assisting the staff include
- Help the staff to dish out the children’s food in the dining room for evening meals
- Help the staff fold the washed clothes – after lunch
- Help the children with their English homework
- Run English classes on the weekend or every day in the school holidays – there are resources- ask Kate.
- Play and football, soccor, badminton, drums, guitar, ride the bikes with the children.
- On weekends the children sometimes go on outings. Ask ahead if anything is planned. If they go to Tesco Lotus each adult is assigned several kids. Each child has a spending limit. Help then to choose something appropriate and within their budget
- Sometimes the kids get a few baht to spend. They might ask you to walk to the local shop with them. Its just a few minutes from Sarnelli House.
- Teach the teenage girls at Nazareth House or Vienkhuk how to cook eg pancakes, brownies
- Try to give attention to as many kids as possible rather than getting to know only a handful. If you and a child get attached to each other it’s a difficult process of separation when you leave for you and the child.
- Respect routines and the Thai staff. The staff have been with the children for a long time and know them well. Be supportive. Learn some Thai.
There are also orphans at St Patrick’s Home for Boys, The House of Hope (children under 5 years) and Our Lady of Refuge Home for Girls at Vienghuk. They don’t get as many visitors as Sarnelli Kids so they would appreciate a visit. You can cycle to these houses.
Please contact Kate Introna for further information:
Email: Kate Introna
Visitors to Sarnelli House
Visitors staying at Charlene House
Charlene House has been blessed by faithful donors, like Father Dan, Mike Mouton and Reggie Bollich of Lafayette. But the price of electricity food and fuel makes it imperative that we post a daily US$20 charge for anyone staying at Charlene House.
This money will help defray the expenses of electricity, TV (UBC/CABLE TV is 1,600 baht a month), fuel, beverages and food. The charge covers breakfast, plus two cooked Thai meals a day, and the use of laundry machines, TV, and helps with the upkeep of the gardens. We are hard put to keep our 130 children adequately fed, and Charlene House bills were being paid by SARNELLI HOUSE funds that supplies all the children’s needs. We reluctantly decided to take this path. Thank you for your understanding.
Information for Visitors Visiting Any of the Sarnelli House Projects
- No visitors should enter the showering/bathing areas of any children on any of the sites
- No visitors should enter the sleeping areas of any children at any of the sites
- Sarnelli House is a No Smoking Area
- Visiting Hours : 9.30 -11.30am and 2.30 – 4.30pm
- Photos are to be taken with permission only
- Visitors staying on at Charlene House need to provide their passport for a copy of the ID page and visa to be taken.
- Emergency contact details are to be provided also
Considerations
You should dress for a tropical climate: cotton, silk or linen clothes are most comfortable. Exposing too much of your skin will not only earn you sunburn, but is also frowned at by the locals and is not culturally appropriate. No matter how hot it is, gentlemen should wear knee length to long pants, for ladies, pants are also o.k., or you can wear a skirt or a dress that covers the knees. Sleeveless shirts or singlet tops should be avoided. Beach wear is only acceptable on the beach!
The tap water in Thailand is not for drinking. Bottled water is supplied at Charlene House, and Sarnelli House has a water purifying system and all the water in the water dispensers is safe to drink.
Try and familiarize yourself with some basic greetings in Thai before you arrive. It will be much appreciated by staff and children.
There is internet access in the office, but this is used by staff. There are internet cafes in Nongkhai. There is no phone land line at Sarnelli House.
The King and Queen of Thailand are much loved and respected by all Thais, and you see their portraits in every Thai home. No disrespect or dishonor should be given them and will not be tolerated at Sarnelli House
If you are looking for something to bring over for the children here are some ideas:
- Teaching English resources
- Basic ABC books for toddlers learning English
- Colouring books and pencils/crayons
- DVDs in Thai for the kids to watch - great for the rainy season
- You can buy toys and clothes for children in Nongkhai at a cheaper cost than at home.
Security and Child Protection Policy and Guidelines
Please downloand and read
Sarnelli HouseSecurity & Child Protection Policy and Guidelines
download (pdf format)
In accordance with our Child Protection and Security Policy, if volunteers or visitors are behaving in such a way as contravenes this policy they will be removed from Sarnelli House and may be subject to criminal prosecution.
Direction to Sarnelli House from Nongkhai
(approximately 20 kms from Nongkhai)
From Nongkhai follow the signs to the highway to Udon Thani. This is straight 2 laned highway. After about 15 km you will pass the town of Nong Song Hong on your right on the other side of the divided highway. Follow the signs that say Thabo and make a Right U turn to Thabo. When you are facing towards Nongkhai turn Left at Nong Song Hong (road number 211) and follow the road heading towards Thabo, Sri Chiang Mai. After about 7 km you will see a small service station on the right side, and then a sign for Sarnelli House, turn right here, and follow the unpaved road for about 2 kilometers, then turn Right at another sign for Sarnelli House.
If you have any further questions, please contact us. Thank you for your interest!
Alexandra Bless from Switzerland came to volunteer for 3 weeks. This was her first trip to Thailand. She was able to go on Outreach and Hospital visits with the kids, learn Thai cooking and bring her kindness and gentleness to the kids. 
Mary Beth Patout from Louisiana USA arrived for a shorter stay than her usual visit. She was able to help out with nursing activities in the Outreach Program and in the medicine room at Sarnelli House. We thank her for carrying the donated medical supplies from Reggie Bollich and the supporters of Charlene House. 
Josh Feitelson and Marlene Brandl who are students from Hamburg Germany, visited to gather information about Sarnelli House and similar projects in Thailand and Cambodia. They will then go back to Germany and use the material they have produced to promote awareness of these projects among school children and university students.
Lee Millar and Richard Wilde seminarians from the UK visited Sarnelli House on their trip to the Thai Burmese border to help with a project there. 
Angela Introna came for a quick visit to see Kate, the last time she was here was in 2003 – so the children have grown a lot since then. She enjoyed her 2 days and then it was back home to work.
(pictured: Brice Higginbotham) 
Zach Fourroux 
Rebecca Bramlett, James Lawrence, Lorcan Byrne, Alice Hyde, Sarah Holt and Laura Cairney from Project Trust UK visited in their own school holidays. They all teach teach English in Thai schools and enjoyed their time at Sarnelli House. This was Lorcan and Laura’s second visit. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their energy and enthusiasm. 
Alice and Lorcan
(pictured: Daniel and Boy Lek) 
(pictured: Jim Snell and Auhn) Jim Snell from the USA came for his second visit. Jim participated in the Cebo Ride last year in the States and is planning to again this year. Unfortunately Jim’s month of volunteering was cut short by the death of his mother, however he experienced the life of Sarnelli with outreach visits, and outings with the kids to the aquarium and Nongkhai. We look forward to welcoming him again next year. 
(pictured:
Baby Maggie enjoys a cuddle with Janet) 
Irene and Manu with Yoy, Fern and Gip
Hannah and Louise 
Fr Chuck’s much anticipated visit arrived at last. The kids can’t wait to see him every year. He brings so much love and joy to all those around him and his big laugh keeps everyone happy. This visit he is staying until February so the kids and the staff can enjoy every minute. Fr Chuck also brings with him and shares around the love and care of all the sponsors he finds for the children.
The teachers from Ruamrudee International School (RIS) in Bangkok came for a weekend with a huge amount of enthusiasm, donations for the children and lots of activities. The kids made Christmas decorations, gardened, ran races; hit the piñata filled with sweets and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. There were a few hearts lost to the children and everyone was sorry to see them go, but look forward to their return in 2010. Thanks for everything! 
Brittany Hurdertmark and Alissa Kraus visited from Wisconsin in the U.S. The girls are first cousins
and their grandfather and Fr Shea were in school together. This was their first
trip overseas and they are still studying in college. They experienced the
mayhem of camping over New Year and the daily life of the kids through most of
January. 
