Within our rural communities development is slow but steady. Often a shortage of funds dictates the rate at which they can develop. None the less, when the community decides a new and worthwhile build will take place Fernthai volunteers are never far away from the front of the queue to lend a hand.
If a local housebuild is taking place the entire community will often be involved in the initial stages. Large timber posts are always used in the construction of traditional Thai hardwood houses to form a framework for the rest of the building. Any help Fernthai volunteers can lend within house builds, whether skilled or unskilled labour, is always welcome.
Timber with its plentiful supply, was, for a long time the favoured building material. Now, with more and more restrictions on logging the Thais sometimes turn to cheaper alternatives. Concrete breeze blocks and posts are being used in more and more simple developments. Outside toilet blocks, bathrooms, animal enclosures are often all constructed using simple breeze block walls with corrugated aluminium roofs. Again any Fernthai volunteers with building skills are always welcome to join in and lend a hand, as are those not so skilled who are just willing to get stuck in and help out with the manual labour.
Communitites are now developing fantastic small projects which involved creating small river dams higher up the surrounding mountains. With Thailands climate as it is, during monsoon rain is in plentiful supply, but as the rains subside the heat quickly takes over leaving the farmlands desperately parched. The small dams allow mini reservoirs to be created which hold back some of the rainfall allowing it to slowly run off for use in better irrigating the farmlands over a longer period of time, thus increasing their farming productivity leading towards a more sustainable route out of poverty. Whenever new communities decide they are keen to embrace these projects Fernthai Volunteer Foundation is always keen to be involved.