University at The River

Last Friday we farwelled five "community development" students from Rajabhat Chiang Mai (university). These five had been working with us interns over their summer break.

As well as being involved in many of our community development works, these uni students also chose to sit in on our daily prayer, worship and teaching times. They understood virtually none of what was going on in our team when they arrived a couple of months ago, but now, after working with our team daily, they know that community development was more than deciding where to build roads and hospitals.  It is all about making relationships with the community and truly loving and serving the people.  They know that there was something very different about the way our team works and they know that it is because all of our team have a vibrant relationship with God.

Having completed their uni requirements and said good bye to us, they presented our team with a plaque (above) and then turned up the following day to help out with our kids club program.

They were all truly impacted by their time with us !

Welcome to The River

The River Team - April 2011

The River Team is a continually expanding group of men and women (presently in excess of 50 people), mainly Thai-born, but also several other nationalities, all sharing a heart to facilitate the healing of communities environmentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The River Team was established and continues to by Erik and Mariaana Klar, who have been serving in Thailand since 1993. The base for the River Team is in Hang Dong, Northern Thailand. It has extension works spanning the nation and beyond. Short-term and long-term volunteers and trainees are welcomed to strengthen the work of the Team.

Yingwhit  in the mountains of Huei Hia

The River Team works in the delivery of training and in community development work, connecting  closely with the local government departments in order to empower the local communities to identify their specific felt needs and to facilitate the implementation of sustainable solutions to these needs. By adopting this approach, The River Team is viewed by the community leaders as credible and instrumental in assisting the development of the communities!  The River community transformation projects are already underway in nearly 20 localities, with Thai nationals responsible and actively involved in panning and implementation of each work.

The River Hotel

The River also runs a coffee shop in the market place, a training and convention centre with a 28- room accommodation facility, 2 conference rooms, and swimming pool - all in the centre of Hang Dong. These facilities are open all-year round to the general public. The convention centre facilities are run solely by The River Team, providing opportunities for hands-on training in hospitality, business, grounds and vehicle management, English & Thai language learning, etc, for the local people. These facilities also assist The River Centre in its goal to become self-supporting. All the profits from these facilities are invested directly into The River Centre’s training and community development projects.

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