Singapore Medical Society London

photo from: PKK 2004

Project Khon Kaen (PKK, as it’s affectionately known) is SMSL’s annual trip to Khon Kaen in Thailand for our members to carry out volunteer work in its surrounding villages. A group of 15 to 20 students spend a fortnight in a village chosen by the project leaders, and o n the agenda are basic health check-ups for the villagers (e.g. blood glucose tests and measurement of height and weight) educational talks and skits (all in Thai!) geared at the major health or social risks facing the village. Further activities include teaching English to the children and organizing fun-filled and educational activities for them while the students are there.

This year PKK will take place in the first two weeks of August, and prior to the actual trip there will be a period of preparation in the last two or three weeks of July in Singapore - this will encompass things like Thai lessons and skit rehearsals and other training for activities on the trip. The trip really is a great opportunity to help a community in need, and to learn more about a different way of life; participants in previous years have found it incredibly fulfilling and worthwhile - not to mention great fun!

Update:

We’ve filled up the spaces for this year’s trip already, but if you’re interested, feel free to get in touch, and do check back next year in April/May when we open up applications again!

The annual trip, PKK (the term of endearment we use to call this project) is organised by our members. The 2 leaders this year are Samantha Low and Chok Singwei who did a fantastic job of getting individuals from universities far and wide from the UK to abandon their luxuries back home, and bung them all to Thailand to do some good volunteering and social work. (Of course they had planned & taken many measures to ensure that they had a roof over their heads and food to eat as well!)

On their agenda were educational talks and skits (all in Thai, by the way!) on dengue fever, breast cancer and muscle strains etc. – all geared at the risks facing the village. Further activities include teaching English to children & organising some fun-filled activities for them whilst they are there.