Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? Well, I do. And this is my story.

It was my second time in Thailand, so I wanted to try something different. I decided to volunteer and put my skills as a behaviour therapist into action to help children in need.

Looking up for places online, I found Camillian Social Center Chiang Rai. I was amazed when I got accepted and super excited to start.

However, on the plane, flying to get there, I started feeling anxious and insecure. This would be the first time I’d volunteer for a month. I wondered if that was the right choice, if I would be a good therapist for the kids, and if I’d be enough for them. I guess everybody gets scared before starting something new outside their comfort zone.

While all of those thoughts were hovering around my mind, I looked down the window and that’s what I saw:

I was so well welcomed since my first contact with Sister Cecilia, Jirasak and the kids that it felt like being home. It didn’t take long for me to understand their routine and bond with each one of the children. They are incredibly sweet! You will notice that they are like any other children of their age: they don’t need lots of things to be happy, they just want quality time together. They like to play and talk, they like attention and cuddles, they enjoy learning and showing off things they’ve learnt. But they have something more special that most young children at their age don’t know what it is yet: RESILIENCE and HUMILITY.

They are so independent despite all difficulties. They take care and protect one another in the most beautiful way you will ever see. For every little thing you do to help, you’ll hear them say “PLEASE” and “THANK YOU”.

We tend to believe that volunteering is an act of service (and it is) and we are bound to believe that we are the ones helping and teaching, when in fact, we are the ones being helped and taught. We leave with so much more than when we arrived. Everyone should experience what it is like one day.

Although there are great therapy facilities in center, unfortunately there has been a lack of staff lately. The kids need consistency in their therapies so they can keep thriving and it’s fundamental to have physical therapists, speech therapists, behavior therapists, occupational therapists, and teachers helping to continue the work, which is not the case at the moment.

If you have the means to go and volunteer with them, I guarantee you won’t regret it and your experience will pay off your effort. You can also support the center following their new Instagram account and share it with your friends and family, so more people will get to know their project and maybe volunteer with them in the future: @homeofcharitychiangrai

Finally, I would like to thank Sister Cecilia, Father Brodi, Jirasak for their hard work on leading this project and keeping the center alive, for their hospitality with us, volunteers, but above all, I would like to thank their true treasure, the kids, for embracing me since my first day, for all the laughs we shared and for teaching me so much about life.

I miss them and I think about their joy every day.

I am genuinely blessed for having had the opportunity to volunteer at Home of Charity, an experience that I will never forget, and a memory that will certainly last forever in my heart.

Alessandra Yukimi, 31, behavior therapist

Instagram: @alessandra.yu
Email: alessandra.yu@hotmail.com