SHALOM
VISITOR GUIDE
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Working with Vulnerable Peoples
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Transport, Logistics & Safety
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Home Visits
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Healthcare Ministry
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Packing List
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Education Ministry
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Discipleship & Spiritual Life
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Giving & Donations
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Understanding
the Border Community
People before projects
The communities around Sangkhlaburi include people from different languages, cultures, and life experiences. Some are rural, displaced or underserved.
Every person has a story, strengths, relationships and hopes that cannot be summed up by a label.
Many stories,
many backgrounds
You may meet Thai, Karen, Burmese and Mon families, as well as people whose lives cross more than one culture or community.
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Do not assume someone’s nationality, religion or personal history
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Let people describe themselves in their own words.
Documentation
can be sensitive
Some SHALOM team members and people in the communities we serve may not have national identification documents.
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Avoid pressing for details about identity documents or legal status.
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Let local SHALOM staff guide sensitive conversations.
Listen before you interpret
What looks unfamiliar to a visitor may have a practical, cultural or personal reason that is not immediately visible.
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Ask respectful questions rather than making assumptions.
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Listen more.
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Speak less.
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Learn first.
Protect dignity
and privacy
A person’s home, health, family circumstances and history are not stories for us to share without permission.
Ask before taking photographs.
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Avoid sharing identifying details or sensitive stories casually.
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Follow the guidance of SHALOM staff
A Volunteer's Posture
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Come as a guest
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Notice strengths as well as needs
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Follow local leadership
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Offer respect before assistance and relationship before responsibly
Remember
Every person is more than the circumstances you first see.
