Thailand – Lantern Festival

The Need

Your team will treat remote indigenous groups of the Akha who dwell high in the Chiang Rai mountains. Our other patients will include local orphans, migrant workers, and refugees from Myanmar. While at clinic, you can expect to treat bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis, dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, and leptospirosis. You will also care for patients with symptoms of HIV/AIDS, rabies, food and water-borne diseases, tuberculosis, and miscellaneous sexually transmitted diseases.

You and the rest of the volunteer team will also educate locals on how to stay healthy and how to care for their loved ones. One of the main focuses of this mission is dentistry. Because all community members are encouraged to attend, the demand for dental care will be high. Because the World Health Organization reports that Thailand is still recovering from a strikingly high infant mortality rate, another focus of this mission is women’s healthcare. We will provide general women’s and infant care, as well as empower women to seek higher education.

Our Work

International Medical Relief (IMR) first went to Thailand in 2015, providing clinics and supplies. Between 2015 and 2019, IMR has run six clinics with a total of 240 volunteers and staff that have served over 4,000 patients. IMR specifically works with the most underserved communities, which has brought our clinics to mountain villages. We also provide medical supplies and health education in order to deliver sustainable health care services to the communities we serve.

With diligent planning and preparation, IMR is dedicated to ensuring that specific goals are met on our missions, each in correlation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 17.

IMR works to elevate vulnerable populations through shoulder-to-shoulder care with our local partners, creating workforce density, and a cadre of future healthcare and public health leaders in association to UNSDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing.

In correlation with UNSDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, our organization works in collaboration and at the request of local hosts where we are under their direct influence and affluence. IMR never goes into a country without a formal invitation where there is a great community need for medical or dental care, and health education.

This Mission

Known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins, and ionic temples, Thailand is one of Southeast Asia’s most stunning countries. Thailand has also been successfully working towards their health development. However, there are still several rural areas and communities that face several barriers. Non-communicable diseases still serve as a heavy burden on Thailand’s mortality rate. Infectious diseases, such as malaria and tuberculosis, are still heavily prevalent.

Lodging/Transportation

You will stay in a modern, comfortable hotel in Chiang Mai for the majority of the trip. For 3 nights you will be in a remote hotel, comfortable and clean, but perhaps without all of the amenities that you will find in a “big city” hotel.   In the evenings you and the team will be able to explore the city and take part in the many events surrounding the Lantern Festival. All transportation to and from clinic sites will be included and provided by safe, trustworthy drivers. Some travel times to clinics may be longer than others, but you won’t want to miss the stunning views of the hillsides and towns as you ride throughout Thailand.

Highlights

Having the opportunity to work in the Hill Country is certainly one of the many highlights of this Signature Trip.  You’ll have time to enjoy the children and make a real difference in their lives during your orphanage days. The Akha are very traditional and unfailingly kind.   During your stay and to coincide with IMR’s year of festivals, your team will attend Thailand’s stunning Loi Krathong and Yi Peng festival! During this time of year, a celebration based on the Thai lunar calendar, people decorate their homes and craft baskets made from flowers, leaves, and lights which they then float on the river. You’ll have the opportunity to send floating lanterns up into the sky, joining thousands of others that light up the sky for miles around!

Extend Your Stay

Since you’re journeying halfway across the globe, have you considered extending your stay to visit some of Thailand’s top spots? Join International Medical Relief on an exclusive trip extension provided by our partner, Worldwide Navigators!

Travel to Chiang Mai, a culturally rich & vibrant city in northern Thailand, where you’ll visit one of the top elephant sanctuaries in the world. Get to know the stories of these magnificent creatures!

Ready for the adventure? Connect with Worldwide Navigators today!