Aftermore than16 years in the banking industry itwastimeformetoseeandexploresomethingtotallydifferent.WhileIwaslivinginSingaporeandHongKongforthelastsixyearsandtravellingafairbitinmanyAsiancountries,Iwaskeentoexperiencemoreofpeople’sdailyliveinlessdeveloped economies and countries. Knowing aboutChild’s Dream since 2011, I was curious to learn moreabout this charity organisation and the Non-Profit-Organisationindustryingeneral.InNovember2014Igot

thechancetosupporttheChild’sDreamteamforsevenmonthintheirChiangMaiofficeinthecapacityas“VolunteerSpecialTasks”.Whatafantasticteam,thestaffofChild’sDream!ThemomentIstepintotheofficeonmyfirst day, I felt very welcomed, all was nicely prepared, and the colleagues were veryhelpful.InthefirstfewdaysIcouldseeandfeeltheirpassionandstrongbond,workingasateamtoempowermarginalisedcommunitiesintheMekongSub-Regiontoshapetheirownfutures.Thecultureinthisorganisationandthegreatattitudeofthecolleaguesweresuper infectious and with high motivation I was pleased to contribute: Writing donorproposals and project reports, financial reporting of the 2014 results for the differentlegal entities, presentations for fundraising activities and special topics, managing thecontact database, writing manuals and guidelines for internal applications andprocedures, setting up Child’s Dream’s profile for multiple fundraising webpages andcrowd fundingsites,andsomeEnglishandGermantranslationsbecamemydaily tasks.Notonly thebroadvarietyofworkbutalso thisopportunity toseebehindthesceneofChild’sDreamwasanunforgettableandinvaluableexperience.It’s impressivehowevery singleperson inChild’sDream is restlessworking for suchagoodcauseinsuchaneffectiveandimpactfulway.Itwasanamazingexperienceforme–coming fromthecorporateworld– tosee thisperfectbalancebetweenprofessionalismandfun,insuchafriendlyandsupportiveteamenvironment.

NationalChildren’sDay,ThailandBesidemyoffice tasks Ialsohad thepleasure tohelpand participate on the Thai Children’s Day. Preparedwith games, the Child’s Dream pick-up cars loadedwithprizesandgiftsforchildrenweheadedtothePhaDaeng Luang Primary School. After good four hoursdrive to this remote area in Thailand, close to theborderofMyanmarwefoundourselvesinsmallvillagesurrounded by a beautiful

landscape, faraway fromanyruralplaceorcity.Mostpeoplelivedinbasicwoodenhutsandfoodiscookedonfire.Whenwearrivedtotheschoolsomepreparationhavebeendonebeforewecouldenjoyagoodmeal fordinnerandanightrest intheschool’sboardinghouse.Earlyinthenextmorningwestartedwith final decorations for the games before the school kidscould start, in groups rotating from one game to the next.Laughter,cheering,friendlycompetitionandhappinessallover...itfeltamazingtoseeallthesesmilingfaces.Insuchacaseallare winners and the prizes – stationaries and sweets – gotdistributedandsharedequally.

WithsingingandlocaldancingperformancetheyexpressedshowedustheirappreciationandwithsharingahugecakealltogetherweendedtheThaiNationalChildrenDay;whatagreatandunforgettableevent.

ChiangMai–smilingpeople,yummyThaifoodandvastgreennatureWhatabeautifulplaceinthenorthofThailand.Thecityoffersallyouneed,iseasytogoaround and is surrounded by beautiful nature; mountains, forests, nature parks andplenty of waterfalls to explore. There is not one day I could not think of trying outsomething new; exploring this beautiful region by motorcycle, tuck-tuck, car or whilerunningandhiking.

HerearemyalltimefavouritesIwentbackagainandagain...HuayTungTao(linkTripadvisor)A beautiful lake, located about 20 minutes drive(motorcycle, Tuck-tuck or Songthaew) in the north ofChiangMai.Easy toquicklyescape thebustleof thecity,thisplaceisverygreenandrelaxing.Enjoyingthenature,indulging the local food at the open-air eateries anddaydreaming while observing the clouds passing by. Orhowaboutanicemorningrunaroundthelake(oneroundis slightly below 4km) and then heading back for adeliciousbrunch.ChiangMaiBreakfastWorld-MoonmuangRoad(linkGoogleMaps)Justbackfromamorningrunorabouttofinishthepartynight?ThisisTHEplacetogoforbrunch,Western cuisine. Themenuoffers a huge variety, great quality of food and theplacehasacosyloungetoenjoyanicemealwithfriends.

Exercise,nicebrunchandthen...ofcourse...Green bamboomassage -MoonmuangRoad (linkGoogleMaps)Superfriendlyandprofessionalstaff,absolutely cleanplaceandvery reasonableprices(reservationrequired)MaeNgatDam(linkTripadvisor)Anotherbeautifulplace innature is thisdamandreservoir. Located about 90 minutes drive(motorcycle, Songthaew or car) in the north ofChiangMai.Atthedamyouhopontoalong-tail-boat,whichbringsyouin10minutestothe house boats. A day trip or even with an overnight stay for about 400 Baht in thefloatinghouses.Takeaswim,doatourwiththekayakandenjoygoodThaifood.Thisisanexcellentplacetospendafunandrelaxingweekendwithfriends.

Child’sDreamisafantasticorganisationandIcanhighly recommend volunteering with them. Iwould like to express a special thank toManuelaandMarc,whotooktheirtimeinHongKongtoseeme for a pre-discussion and accepted myapplication. Further a special thank toGene –mylinemanager –who empoweredme formy tasksand Larissa, my co-volunteer doing such a lovelyintroductiontoourduties.Lastbutnotleastabigthank to all Child’s Dream staff; you are amazingco-workers, friends and all of you can be very

proudofChild’sDream’spreciousachievements.Yours,Lorenz