Founded by volunteers in 2002 in Nong Khai Thailand, Travel to Teach is a non-profit making organisation that links volunteers from all over the world with grassroots community projects in the developing world.
Travel to Teach was founded in opposition to the large western corporations who use volunteering to make a profit. The Travel to Teach team felt that by actually basing themselves in a developing country they could keep costs down and offer moderate fees, whilst creating opportunities to volunteer skills and contribute to local communities. By doing this they also felt that they could maintain a closer contact with the visiting volunteers, the local people, and the projects.
Since then Travel to Teach has grown considerably with programmes in over fifteen developing countries around the world, however it remains true to its core values. Ensuring that all projects are non-profit and that coordinators are always in close contact with volunteers.
Travel to Teach has also been very lucky in that several of their volunteers have wanted to stay on, help and get involved with the organisation.
Many of these volunteers continue to work for Travel to Teach today, in the head office or as in-country coordinators around the globe. Other ex-volunteers are promoting from their home countries as representatives of Travel to Teach.
Since 2002 Travel to Teach’s programmes have expanded from teaching English and computer studies into other areas such as art, sports, restoration and wildlife, but the element of teaching and learning has continued to be the main objective and core of all of our projects.
"I have the strong belief that the best way one can help a person, or a country is by providing education. Nothing is more positive than trying to help ‘empower’ people, and create conditions for ‘sustainable development’ by offering education. I also believe that nothing is more likely to help provide an international understanding than by actually being in day-to-day contact with the people of another country as this goes towards creating a positive bond between different cultures."
So the ambition of Travel to Teach is twofold:
Lotte, Holland