Fah Thai Magazine May June 2018

SAMUI’S GOOD JOBS
Top
This Page
The Samui Elephant
Sanctuary gained
inspiration from
the Save Elephant
Foundation, whose
founder Sangduean
“Lek” Chailert, is
known for being
at the forefront for
elephant welfare
and ethical tourism.
From a previous
life of hard labour,
the elephants now
thrive in a caring
environment.
SAMUI ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
An experience not to be missed is
Samui Elephant Sanctuary which
opened in January this year and
already has five adorable elephants
in residence. Getting up close to the
elephants is a memory you can never
forget! According to the founder
Khun Pao, “Here at the Samui
Sanctuary, we treat our elephants
with the dignity and respect they
deserve. We do not allow riding or
any type of performance; instead we
work with our herd through positive
reinforcement via food! Our tours
follow a very relaxed programme
which starts with an introduction
to our work, followed by feeding
the elephants. Then (it’s) a leisurely
stroll through the sanctuary –
accompanied by other elephants!”
There are two tours each day,
from 9am-12pm, 2-5pm.
samuielephantsanctuary.org,
Tel: +66 95 269 8343,
email: info@samuielephantsanctuary.org
SOI DOG FOUNDATION
Founded in Phuket in 2003, Soi
Dog (which means Street Dog)
has an excellent animal welfare
programme, having efficiently spayed
and neutered more than 200,000
dogs since opening its doors. They
also work tirelessly providing
medical treatment, sheltering,
adoption opportunities and
sponsorship of dogs.
Funded entirely by donations,
Soi Dog currently has a mobile
sterilisation unit in Koh Samui
which neuters many dogs and cats
every month. To find out more or to
donate, please visit soidog.org.
SISTERS ON SAMUI (SOS)
Every month, around 50 ladies
gather for an informal lunch at one
of Samui’s excellent restaurants.
Aside from a fun social event, SOS
supports local charities and has been
the driving force behind several
important causes.
Its current focus is on raising
funds to renovate the Children’s
Ward at the government-run
Nathon Hospital. In addition to
the refurbishment programme,
SOS is looking for sponsors and
donations to provide new pyjamas
for the children and to install bright
new cheerfully coloured curtains.
Details of the work by Sisters on
Samui can be found at facebook.com/
kohsamuicharity.
SAMUI CLEAN & TRASH HERO
And where there are humans, there
is invariably garbage and Samui is
no exception. Visitors and locals
to the island can see an increasing
number of large bins on the beaches
that encourage disposal of trash
responsibly and help keep the
beaches in pristine condition.
Decorated with the message
Respect Our Beaches and bright sea
images, they are the brainchild of
local artist Idania Lucia Reiss, who
creates the captivating artwork
together with other artists. The
bins are then distributed by Brent
Jones, founder of non-profit
organisation, Samui Clean and
Samui Bins.
Samui Clean, together with
another group, Trash Hero,
organises beach cleaning sessions
every Sunday afternoon at 3pm.
They welcome visitors to join
them. Samui Clean accepts
donations, however small, to
finance the bins and the materials
needed for the artwork.
Details can be found on
facebook/samuiclean.
DOING MY PART
Two years ago, I co-founded
Impact Samui with my partners
Rodney Waller (an established,
award-winning developer on the
island), and financial and project
manager David Birchall.
With a clear focus on
responsible development, we do
new building projects and we
also carve a niche through our
restoration of existing, rundown
buildings. Rather than
demolishing them and adding more
development to the island, older
buildings get beautified and new
life breathed into them. Whenever
possible, usable materials get
recycled before donating the
remainder to various causes on
the island – in particular, children
and animals. Sometimes our
company sells such materials
and makes cash donations to
worthwhile causes. With our first
project, Lavaliere, we sold all sorts
of items, and made a donation
towards the redevelopment of the
Children’s Ward at Nathon Hospital
on the island.
If you’re just visiting,
consider a bit of volunteer or
responsible tourism by visiting
the organisations or sending a
donation. It’s what keeps Samui
beautiful.
Top
Above
Respect Our Beaches’
Idiana Lucia Reiss,
an artist who paints
the cans and Brent
Jones of Samui Clean
and Trash Hero
work tirelessly to
keep Samui shores
pristine.
Left
Volunteers for
Trash Hero may
also be non-Samui
residents. Jones says
that many tourists
ask to help with
beach cleaning who
directly contact the
organisation.
46
47