REDLIGHTPattayaOutreachTrips
FrequentlyAskedQuestions
1. WhatisREDLIGHT?
2. Isthisworkdangerous…isamafiabullygoingtokidnapme?
3. Whatistheintentofthisoutreachprogram?
4. WhatisthecosttoparticipateinREDLIGHT?
5. Whatisincludedintheprogramcost?
6. Istherearegistrationdeadline?
7. Whenisthepaymentdue?
8. HowshouldIbookmyairfare?
9. IsthereaninternationalairportinPattaya?
10. Wherewillwestay?
11. WhatdocumentsdoIneedtotraveltoThailand?
12. Ineedtoplanleavefromwork&family,whatistheprogramduration?
13. Whatisthescheduleandprogramformat?
14. Aretheteamsassigned?
15. HowcanIcontactlovedoneswhileabroad?
16. DoIneedtogetanyimmunizationsortakemalariamedication?
17. Whatifthereisanemergency?
18. Isthefoodandwatersafetoeatanddrink?
19. HowdoIgettoandfromtheairportonceinThailand?
20. DothewomenwemeetduringanoutreachspeakEnglish?
21. I’dlovetolearnalittleThaibeforeIgo.Anysuggestions?
22. WillIhaveachancetomeettherestofteambeforewedepart?
23. WhenwillIfindoutwhomyroommatewillbe?
24. Whatistheweatherlike?
25. WhatshouldIwear?
26. ArethereanyimportantpersonalitemsIshouldpack?
27. ShouldIbringanygiftsforthegirlsImeetorfortheparty?
28. HowmuchshouldIbringforpersonalspending?
29. WhodoIcontactifIhavefurtherquestions?
Q. WhatisREDLIGHT?
A. REDLIGHTisashort-termvolunteerprogramthattakesyoutosomeof
theworld’shumantraffickinghubs,suchasPattaya,Thailandfortwo
weekstohelpliberategirlsfromexploitation.Youwillnotonlylearnmore
aboutsextraffickingbutalsocreaterelationshipswithgirls,boys,men
andwomentrappedinthesexindustryandintroduceNotAbandoned’s
practicalprogramsandservicestothem,providinghopeandawayout.
Youwillalsohelpconnectthemwithourstaff,transitionalhouseand
resourcestofindanewandsafejob.Thisisaonce-in-a-lifetime
opportunitytomakearealdifferenceandsignificantlyimpactalifethat
sodesperatelyneedshelp.
Q. Isthisworkdangerous...isamafiabullygoingtokidnapme?
A. Pattayaisasafecityfortouristsandyouarenotindangeraslongasyou
followoursafetyguidancecoveredduringpre-outreachtraining.Youwill
alsotravelinsmallteamssothatyouarenotworkingalone.Weare
strategicinchoosingneighborhoodsinwhichweinvolveourvolunteers
forthepurposeofoutreach.
Q. Whatistheintentofthisoutreachprogram?
A. TheprimaryintentofaREDLIGHToutreachtripisverysimple,weshow
upandwelove.Wedothisbycaringforsexuallyexploitedindividuals,
offeringempathyandpracticalhelptogirlsandwomen,boysandmen
whohavebeentrafficked.Ourgoalistoofferawayoutoftheirinjustice
andoppressivelifesituation.Weareoftenaskedifthisisa“missiontrip.”
Whilemanypeopledefinea“mission”differently,wedowanttobeclear
thatourintentasateamisnottoproselytizethoseweareworkingwith.
Becauseofthevastamountoftraumaandemotionaldamagetrafficked
victimshaveendured,ourmissionduringthistripistoreach-outwith
love,care,compassion,andthepracticalprogrammingthatNot
Abandoned’slocalstaffisabletoprovide.Wearecarefulnotto
communicatethemessagethattheyneedtowelcomeanewfaithin
ordertoenterourhelpprograms.However,youwillbuildsignificant
relationshipswiththesewomenandyouwilleventuallyhavean
opportunitytoshareyourpersonalfaithjourneyandwhatthismeansto
you.Youwillbecoachedinhowtoproceedinthisarea.Wealways
welcomeREDLIGHTvolunteerstobeopenandauthenticabouttheirown
faithjourneyaswebelievethatthisjourneyisanecessarypartoftrue
holistichealthandhope.
Q. WhatisthecosttoparticipateinREDLIGHT?
A. Thecostis$2,100plusairfare(approx.$3000total).Youcanfundyour
owntriporraisefundstocoveryourpersonalcosts.Ifyouare
fundraising,youarewelcometosetupavolunteeraccountwithusto
collecttax-deductiblefundsonyourbehalfonourwebsite.Ifinterested,
[email protected].
Q. Whatisincludedintheprogramcost?
A. The$2,100includesallgroundtransportation,meals,andaccommodation
anddailyexpensesfordoingtheoutreach.Thisamountwillalsocover
otherprojectoutreachcostswhilebuildingrelationshipswithvictimsof
sextraffickingonceonsiteinPattaya.Alsoincludedinthisamountisa
mini-training-conferenceatthefrontendofyourtripandaspeciallast
dayactivity.(Shh!Ican’tgiveyoudetails,Idon’twanttospoilthe
surprise!)Inshort,allofyourexpenseswillbecoveredbythisamount
withtheexceptionofthatextraafternooncoffeeandanysouvenir
shoppingforyoursomeone-special.
Q. Istherearegistrationdeadline?
A. Weaskthatyoutryandcommittothesespecialoutreachtripsthree
monthpriortothetripdatesothatwecanmaketheappropriate
arrangementssuchashotelaccommodations.Youaremorethan
[email protected]
participationrequeststhoughwecannotguaranteeplausibility.
Q. Whenisthepaymentdue?
A. You’llwanttobookyourairfareimmediatelyforthebesttravelrateor
jointheteam-bookingschedulewheretheNAstaffdoesallthebooking
oftickets.However,youmaycontinuetosave/fundraiseupuntilacouple
weeksbeforeyouleave.
Q. HowshouldIbookmyairfare?
A. TheNotAbandonedstaffcoordinatesthereservationandpurchaseof
airlinetickets.Youarealsoverywelcometomakeyourowntravel
arrangementsifyoupreferusingmiles/pointorcoveringtheexpenseout
ofpocket,orifyou’rejoiningusfromsomewhereoutsidethegreater
Seattlearea.WeaskyoucoordinatewithNAstaffregardingdepartures
andarrivaltimestoensureconnectionswiththeteamincountryand
groundtransportation.
Q. IsthereaninternationalairportinPattaya?
A. WeflyintoSuvarnabhumiAirportinBangkok(BKK),locatedjusteastof
Bangkok.Fromthere,drivingtimetoPattayaisapprox.1.5hours.Thereis
technicallyaPattayaairportbutitwillnotaccommodateournecessary
flights.
Q. Wherewillwestay?
A. WestayatinthecenterofthecityattheSunbeamHotel,abeautiful4starhotellocatednexttothecity’slargestshoppingmall,andnearthe
beachandareaswherewewilldomuchofouroutreach.Thehoteloffers
afitnesscenter,swimmingpool,wifi,ahairdryer,complimentary
breakfastandforafee...laundryservice.Bottom-line,itisasafe,clean
hotelinthemiddleofeverythingweneed,whilestillkeepingourbudget
incheck.http://www.sunbeamhotel.net
Q. WhatdocumentsdoIneedtotraveltoThailand?
A. Youwillneedapassport,whichisvalidforatleastsixmonthspriorto
yourvisittoThailand.ForthosewithaU.S.passport,novisaisrequired
forvisitsunder30days.Ifyouholdthepassportofanothercountry,
pleasecheckyourlocalembassyforvisaregulationsinregardsto
Thailand,[email protected]
furtherassistyou.
Q. Ineedtoplanleavefromwork&family,whatistheprogramduration?
A. Theprogramruns14daysincludingtraveltime.Departuretimesvary
dependingonairlineschedules.Ifyou’reunabletocommitthislengthof
time,wecanworkwithyoutoshortenyourtripatthebackendif
absolutelyneeded.Pleasecontactusifyou’dliketoparticipatebut
durationisanissue.
Q. Whatisthescheduleandprogramformat?
A. Youwillreceiveamoredetailedagendaoncearrivingincountry.
However,theschedulewillincludefourgeneralphases:
i. Trainingandstrongglimpseintothedepthofthetrafficking
situationandhowtoeffectivelyreachouttotraffickedvictims.
ii. Morningteammeetingsanddailyoutreachbuildingrelationships
withexploitedgirlswhoworkinthesexindustry
iii. Effectivelyintroduceandconnectvictimstorecoveryprograms.
iv. Tripendpartywithnewfriendsyourhelping
v. Teamcelebrationandreintegrationtraining
Thefirst3dayswillbespentinamini-trainingconferencewithexposure
tripsaroundthecity.Duringthistimeyouwilllearnhowtocarefor
traffickedvictims,cultureobservationandunderstanding,principalsof
traumacare,debriefingandgenerallearningofThailifesothatyou’re
fullypreparedforpersonaloutreach.Onthesedays,youcanexpect
abouttwohoursofpersonaltime,inadditiontoteammeals.Youcanalso
expectlatenights,asweobservenightlifeinfullswing.
Afterthisinitialtrainingperiod,wewillcontinuetomeeteachmorningto
debriefonexperiencesfromthepreviousday.You’llmanageyourown
outreachschedulewithinyourassignedteamsintheafternoonand
evenings.We’llkickofftheearlyafternoontogetherasateambefore
headingoutfortheoutreach.
Attheendoftheoutreachperiod,wewillinviteallournewfriendsto
attendabeautifulparty/mealinthehotel’sballroomtoreinforcethe
program,providetheopportunitytomeetallNotAbandonedteam
members,provideyouwithanadditionalrelationshipbuilding
opportunityandmostimportantly...toshowthegirlshowspecialthey
trulyareandgivethemaplacetoblossomwithoutjudgment,pressureor
expectations.Atthistimewegiveoutpersonalgiftstoournewfriends.
Wewillendourtimewithsomespecialteamtimeofrelaxation,souvenir
shopping,culturalexperiencesand/orthebeach.Wewillalsohaveatime
oftripdebriefasateamandreintegrationtrainingbeforeyoureturn
home.
Q. Aretheteamsassigned?
A. Youwillbegroupedintoteamsoftwotofourmaxincludingyour
translatortohelpbridgethelanguagebarrieratthebeginningofthe
outreach.
Q. HowcanIcontactlovedoneswhileabroad?
A. ThereiscomplimentaryWi-Fiatthehotel.UsingtheInternet,youcan
makevideocallswithSkype(freefromcomputertocomputeroryoucan
buy$10inSkypecredittocallfromyourcomputer/smartphonetoanother
cellphoneorlandlineforunderadollarpercall).IfyouhaveaniPhone,
youcanalsotextforfreetootheriPhoneuserswhileconnectedtoWi-Fi
(ifyourtextmessagesareblue,theyarefree).Mostmajorphonecarriers
alsoofferinternationalusageplansthatyoucanaddontoyouraccount
onemonthatatime.We’dsuggestgoingintoyourcarrier’slocal
storefrontanddiscussingyourtravelplans/needswiththemtoknow
exactlywhatyouroptionsare.
Q. DoIneedtogetanyimmunizationsortakemalariamedication?
A. Atetanusshotisstronglyrecommended.Anydoctor’sofficewillprovide
thistoyouanditiscoveredbymostinsurance.We’llbeinavery
urbanizedpartofThailand;noothershotsormedicationwillbeneeded,
thoughthisisagoodtimetomakesureyouareuptodateonyour
regularHepvaccination.
Q. Whatifthereisanemergency?
A. NotAbandonedwillpurchasetravelinsuranceforeveryREDLIGHT
participant.Intheeventofanemergencythereisgoodmedicalcoverage
andmodernhospitalsforanymedicalsupport.Ifneeded,youmaybe
takentoalocalhigh-qualityhospital.
Q. Isthefoodandwatersafetoeatanddrink?
A. YoucanfindanythingfromStarbuckstoMcDonalds,Indianfoodto
Italian,andofcourse,deliciousThaidishesoneverycorner.However,we
doaskthatyouonlydrinkandbrushyourteethwithbottledwater(we
willsupplyyouwithplenty)andrecommendthatyouavoideating
unpeeledfruitsandvegetablesthatyouhaven’twashedyourself.
Q. HowdoIgettoandfromtheairportonceinThailand?
A. NotAbandonedwillarrangepre-paidgroundtransportationfromthe
airporttoPattayawhentravelingwiththerestoftheoutreachteam;your
driverwillbewaitingforyouintheoutdoorpassengerpick-uparea.
However,ifyouarearrivingordepartingindividually,NotAbandoned
staffwillreservetransportationforyouinadvance.
Q. DothewomenwemeetduringanoutreachspeakEnglish?
A. Somedo.Manydonot.Bepreparedtouseyourbestcharadesandhandmotioning-skillsfromtimetotime.Pleaseremembertospeakslowly,
articulateandusesimpleEnglish—stayingawayfromEnglish
colloquialismsandslangthatdonottranslateliterally.Therewillalsobe
translatorsprovidedbyNotAbandonedtoassistyou.
Q. I’dlovetolearnalittleThaibeforeIgo.Anysuggestions?
A. Whilenotarequirement,itgoesaLONGwaytolearnsomebasicThai
beforeyourarrival,includinghello,thankyou,howareyou,etc.Ifyou
ownasmartphone,downloadthe“LearnThai”appandbesureto
upgradetothe$4.99versiontoallowaccesswithoutInternet.Thiswill
notonlygiveyoukeyphrasesbutalsoallowyoutohearthefemaleor
malepronunciationonthefly.Apocket-sizetraveldictionarywillalso
comeinhandy.
Q. WillIhaveachancetomeettherestofteambeforewedepart?
A. Yes,therewillbeasetnumberofmeetingsbeforeeveryonemeets
togetherinThailand.FacetofacemeetingsforthoselivingintheSeattle
areawillbeheldandcanbejoinedviaSkypeforthoseoutofstate.
Q. WhenwillIfindoutwhomyroommatewillbe?
A. Unlessyouspecifiedyourownroomonyourapplication,youwillreceive
yourroommateassignmentuponarrivalatthehotel.Ifyouhavea
roommaterequestorconcern,besuretomentionthisonyourprogram
application.
Q. Whatistheweatherlike?
A. Thailandjokinglyhasthreeseasons:Hot(Nov–Feb),Hotter(March–
May)andRainyHot(June-Oct).
Q. WhatshouldIwear?
A. Pattayaisatouristresorttownandalthoughyouwillbeseenasa
customerwedowanttoberespectfuloftheculture,wearcomfortable
loseclothesforhothumidweather.WithrespecttotheThaiculture,we
requestthatyoukeepyourhemlinesandnecklinesconservative.Priorto
thetrip,morespecificinstructionswillbeprovidedregardingwhatand
whatnottotake.You’llalsowanttobringalightsweater,astheair
conditioningindoorscanbequitechilly.
Q. ArethereanyimportantpersonalitemsIshouldpack?
A. Besuretobringauniversaladapterforpersonalappliances.(Cellphones
canplugdirectlyintothewallaswellaslaptops.)You’llalsowanttocarry
asmallnotebookandpentotakenotesduringourtrainingandteam
meetingtimes.Wealsoencourageparticipantstobringyourpersonal
journaltorecordyourthoughtsandexperiences.Alsobringingfamily
photosisanicewaytoconnectwiththegirlsyoumeetduringoutreach.
Thesecaneitherbecarriedaroundinprintedformoronyoursmart
phone.Keepinmindwhenchoosingphotostosharethatyoudonot
wanttoflauntyourcomparativeaffluence.Onthissamenote,please
leaveyourmoreexpensivejewelrysafelyathome.
Q. ShouldIbringanygiftsforthegirlsImeetorfortheparty?
A. Thegirlsyouestablishrelationshipswitharelikelytogiveyouasmallgift
ofremembranceandgratitude.It’snicetobepreparedwithalittlegiftin
return—somethingsymbolicofyourrelationship,ofchangeoralittle
tokenfromAmerica.Youcanexpecttocreaterelationshipswithan
averageof4-10girls.(Examples:simplebracelets,lipbalm,keychain
fromyourhomecity,etc)
Wewillalsobegivingawaysmallgiftbagsanddoorprizesatourpostoutreachpartyandweneedyourhelp!Pleaseinvolveyourfriendsto
gathersmallitemsforgiftbagsandprizes.Theseshouldbefun,
inexpensivebutniceandNEWitemsthatwouldbrightenyournew
friend’sday(Thinkteenage&tweenerstockingstuffers!)
Q. HowmuchshouldIbringforpersonalspending?
A. Theminimalistcangetbywithaslittleas$100USD.Ifyou’reashopper,
you’llwanttobringmore,astherearevariousmarketsandhandicrafts
shopsavailable.Theaveragepersonwilldofinewith$200USDtopayfor
impromptucoffees,Thaifootmassages,andsouvenirs.Besuretobring
crisplargedenominationbillsforthebestexchangerate,aswellasbills
thatarenoolderthan10yearsold.Wrinkledorolderbillsareoften
rejected.
Q. WhodoIcontactifIhavefurtherquestions?
A. Youcane-mailusatourNotAbandonede-mailaddress:
[email protected]