When Greenpeace volunteer Panita Kongsook heard she had been assigned to a forestry project in Papua New Guinea, she was terrified.

"It seemed such a daunting prospect. I imagined a really primitive, unfriendly place. Then someone told me that the natives still practised cannibalism," says the 28-year-old.

Her fears disappeared when a Greenpeace officer showed her some photos.

"It's so beautiful. It's green. The sea is clear and the sky is blue. I saw small, dark-skinned kids jumping into the water and having fun. I saw villagers going hunting carrying hand-made spears."

A few weeks later, Panita was on board an 11-hour flight to Port Moresby, eager to start work on her month-long mission alongside members of the Kuni tribe at Lake Murray in PNG's Western Province.

Panita, an environmental science graduate, is no stranger to the volunteer world.

Since her university days, she's been involved in student camps and other social services.

In 2000, she spent a month in Japan with another 20 Thai students on a cultural exchange, then was involved in coordinating volunteers in the aftermath of the December 2004 tsunami.

"Controlling more than 1,000 young people is not easy; it requires effort and communication skills. For two months, our network supported and organised manpower for communities in need. We also supplied necessities like brooms and hammers," she says.

Her passion for helping has become her job. Today, Panita is involved with several non-governmental organisations and frequently travels to the provinces to visit remote communities and assess their needs.

But when she put her name down on the Greenpeace list, she never expected to be picked for an overseas mission.

"I didn't ever dare to hope that I would be able to work with people I'd only ever seen in a travel magazine or guide book".

Panita had to stay four nights in Port Moresby waiting for the next plan to Lake Murray. She didn't see much of the town.

"I was told it was unsafe and that I should never venture outside of the office compound without being accompanied by a local person. I took that advice seriously."

Panita was relieved to arrive at the Global Forest Rescue Station, the temporary camp set up in February deep inside the forest by Greenpeace and local NGOs at the invitation of the Kuni tribe to help them protect and manage the forest on the land they own under customary law.

With volunteers from 20 countries worldwide, the aim is help members of the tribe mark out the boundaries of 300,000 hectares to protect it from loggers so they can establish their own eco-forestry business.

Panita, who joined volunteers from mainland China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the US, the UK, Canada, Italy and Holland, was assigned to the bush camp for two weeks. Alongside tribe members and other volunteers, she walked the boundaries and placed demarcation ribbons at selected points along the way.

Progress was slow, with the party combating torrential rain and the creatures of the forest.

"The leeches were everywhere. It's almost impossible to keep them off you. Mosquitoes are a major problem. You have to cover yourself in repellent all the time," she says.

"And then there's the monki - a small red insect that bites, especially around the waist. Some of my friends were allergic to it and had to go home early.

"There are also giant snakes known as 'Big Papua', which are apparently very fierce."

But the payoff was enormous.

"There are numerous big trees and it's so peaceful. There's such a rich diversity of animals and colourful birds."

Although the team was unable to complete marking the entire 300,000 hectares, they were able to train the villagers how to manage their natural resources so that it will be sustainable and the next generation will be able to see what exists today.

Panita feels more could be done to help the communities. "If I have the chance to visit the village again, I want to help them develop their own accommodation so that it's safer.

"They need to improve their clothes and how to clean them. The children need better education. But at least they get free medical services provided by AustAid."

On the last night, the head of the tribe hosted a farewell dinner for the team. "The whole village came to our camp. They brought deer and we ate together. I felt flattered and so happy," she says with a fond smile.

"In the first week, I missed home a lot. But I found I didn't want to go home in the end. It was paradise. I've never lived in such a pleasurable place. I didn't want to go back to hell."

But life goes on and now Panita is back in Bangkok. Sitting in the small garden of an office building, she hopes more people will be willing to help the less advantaged.

"Everyone can help. Even if you have only one hour to spare, you can call in to read a book for the blind. You can do many things without travelling. There's no magic time to share with others. We need to do it now."

Women magazine will nominate Panita for a Working Women Award in the social welfare category.

She appreciates the recognition but is more focused on helping Greenpeace and other NGOs to further their projects.

Yet she is also quick to point out that activists cannot be the key persons when it comes to protecting natural resources. More important is cooperation of the people living in the area.

"I know the last ancient forest in Papua New Guinea will live. But activists cannot take care of every inch of the world. It is the local people who hold the fate of their land."

Juthamas Cholthavornpong

The Nation