Young or Young at Heart?

Vietnam and Nepal are great places to travel to and GVN has two tour opportunities for those who would like to join a small team of volunteers with the added benefits of additional supervision and a scheduled itinerary.

 

The Vietnam Youth Tour

Designed with 15-17 year olds in mind, this program has been created to allow teens the chance to take part in the Vietnam Orphanage program starting 9th July 2012. 

This tour gives teens the opportunity to experience another culture, and foster personal growth, whilst caring for babies and children in orphanages, working with disabled children and sharing English skills. 

Stephanie, a past Youth Tour participant says "My experience of the YT has been amazing. There hasn't been one day where I haven't wanted to jump out of bed and get straight to work. It's a fantastic opportunity for young people to go out and make a difference even if it's just a small one like making a child's life that tiny bit better even for just one day. It really makes you think of everything you take for granted and makes you want to help for the rest of your life." 

15 - 17 year olds....Check out the Vietnam Youth Tour and to apply at http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/youth_tour/vietnam/

The Nepal Young at Heart (50+) Tour

This tour has been designed for mature volunteers who are over the age of 50 years old, still feel young at heart, and are ready for their next adventure! 

During the 10 day tour starting on 4th May 2012, volunteers will have the opportunity to participate within a variety of projects. Volunteers will assist by organizing activities for children, and teaching basic English. 

 

This tour truly allows the volunteers to experience Nepal through the culture, cuisine, lifestyle and children in the heart of Nepal. You will eat traditional Nepali food, observe village culture and get a general feel for local life while continuing with your Nepali language and cultural lessons. Volunteers are placed individually into local host families.  

This is a fantastic way to get more out of a short trip to Nepal is being placed with a Nepali family for your stay. Taking in true culture and resulting in an overall more exciting way to experience Nepal.

As well as tours to different cultural and ancient sites included in the ten day trip. As your time in Nepal falls on Buddha Jiyanti (Buddha’s birthday), a walking tour has been arranged for the whole Young at Heart tour to visit the Golden Buddha. Opportunities to visit other museums and ancient sites including Patan (also known as Lalitpur) are included in your itinerary.

50+ years old....Check out the Nepal Tour and to apply at http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/young-at-heart-tour/

Vietnam Orphanage Program Provides A New Lease Of Life

A retired couple volunteering in Vietnam feedback on the wonderful experience they are having at their project.

"WEEK ONE FOR TWO NEW AUSTRALIAN VOLUNTEERS AT TAM KY"

"At the end of our first week in Tam Ky, we’re thoroughly enjoying the experience and totally besotted with the wonderful children and young adults we’re assisting.

Activities in the orphanage each morning are hectic, with bathing of babies, physio and feeding for some of the disabled children, English lessons for the older ones, and lots of play!  We’re bringing bananas with us each morning and these are a real winner with the children – it’s “bees to the honey pot” when they’re handed out.

The afternoons at Peace Village with disabled children and young adults are a little less hectic as the  numbers are considerably less, but it’s a full afternoon’s activities just the same. We commence by handing out fruit and then have all clean their teeth.  Then it’s party time with dancing to music from our IPods – Peace Village really rocks!

After the dance, there’s physio with some of the residents, art and craft activities indoors and more physical activities outdoors to engage and stimulate them, and finally we assist with feeding some of the more severely handicapped. 

On two evenings each week we take English classes at the baby orphanage for about 30 children aged between 7 and 12.  Whilst lively, many are keen to learn and the activity is particularly rewarding for the teachers and, we hope, the pupils!

For two retirees in our 60s, the Tam Ky experience is providing a wonderful and fulfilling new lease of life!"

John & Lyn Quilty

Check out the Vietnam Volunteer Program and how you can become involved > Here

Mt Kilimanjaro Fundraising Trek 2012 - Trek Report

Anna McIntosh, a GVN representative reports on the success of the recent trek to Mt Kilimanjaro

“At 11pm on Thursday 12 January, all eight of us GVN trekkers were up and ready to begin the final ascent to Uhuru Peak. We had been climbing  for the past four days through rainforest, up grassy slopes and across moorlands and by now were anxious to do what we had come there to do – make it to the top of Kilimanjaro! After a long ten hours of hiking in the dark up scree slopes, rocks and snow, we finally all made it to the summit at Uhuru. The feeling of relief and amazement (and complete exhaustion!) at having actually made it to the top was incredible and well worth all the hard work of the previous few days. Looking back now a month later, the feeling of satisfaction is still strong for our entire group!

After we had returned to Nairobi from the mountain, we had the opportunity to visit the kids at Happy Life Children’s Home. After all, the whole reason we had all set out to climb Kilimanjaro was to raise funds for them. Our time there was spent holding, feeding, cuddling and playing with all the beautiful children at the home and we each definitely left a piece of our hearts with them. 

We were also able to visit the land where there are plans to build a Kenya GVN PoD. It was great to learn more about the PoD project and get a first hand look at how it will directly impact the local community in Kenya.

Overall, we had an awesome experience with a great group of people. The rewards of making it to the top of Kilimanjaro and the impact of visiting the projects in Nairobi were huge. 

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the trek and to all those who supported us!”

To find out information about our treks and how you can get involved in upcoming treks see our link http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/programs/treks

Why I Can't Leave Panama

Boquete is a very interesting little place, a town now, rather than a village. Because of its proximity to the States, and its tropical weather it has become a very popular place for Americans (not all, but most) to re-settle.

The people are incredibly friendly, everyone waves or says Buenos, the taxis and buses beep their horns, if you are walking,  cars will stop and offer you a lift.

There is a large focus on health here, organic or hydroponically grown veges, the fruits are amazing, as are the local markets with friendly Panamanians to look after you.  Every tuesday morning the community holds a market where you can buy (or sell) a cross section of wonderful things, from organic soaps, creams, fruit and vege, and  European breads, to bags, stunning (local made) jewelery, books and hand made cards.

The mornings are generally beautiful, warm and sunny, the tropical rain will come in the afternoons, sometimes not at all. The temperatures are lovely,  there is a  cool breeze because we are in the mountains, as opposed to Panama City, Santiago and David which are very hot and muggy. There is no Dengue Fever, Malaria, Yellow Fever, etc here, in fact even when in the rainforest, I haven't really been bitten by mosquitoes.

There is always something going on here, so depending upon the length of stay, there could be time for one to become involved with the community.

Once a month a volunteer organisation called Amigos de Animales, started by a most amazing woman Ruby, holds a free sterilisation clinic. I know of nothing like this elsewhere in the western world. People bring in strays, neighbours animals, indigenous animals, whatever, and a dedicated team of vets and volunteers will sterilise theses animals and nurse them back from anaesthetic thereby reducing the over population of the towns dogs and cats. If someone can pay, excellent, if they can't,  they are not turned away. If the vets find a tumour (very common here) or similar, they will remove that whilst the animal is under. It's amazing. On average the clinic will take care of 80 - 90 animals on the clinic day. This was such an amazing experience for me, I put off leaving just so I could be here for the next clinics.   Every Tuesday the mainstay volunteers for Amigos de Animales are at the local morning market, promoting, taking donations, and finding homes for animals up for adoption.

In Chorcha (about 1.5 hrs from Boquete) there is Alouatta Lodge, a rescue rehabilitation centre for Howler monkeys. The centre is run by Steve and Michelle, (Michelle is a Kiwi) and achance to get up close and personal with these wonderful creatures. I have helped Michelle as kitchen hand when she has tours through for lunch, as well as prepping and painting the first cottage they have built for people to stay. Again such an amazing experience. If there was a male out there who wanted to help with building, welding, laying in more paths for the forest walks, or similar skills, Alouatta would brings such rewards.

Jungla is a rescue centre about 15 minutes from the town square. Run by a minute dedicated woman called Dorothy her love and passion for the animals is amazing. She has created not only a haven for those animals who have come from abused circumstances, but also a little retreat for the Panamanian and Indigenous kids to come after school where they can hang out and be with the animals. We clean the cages and feed the animals and take 'up close and personal tours' as well.  She really needs people to help with new marketing ideas, and if there someone who was a whizz at putting together a very simple website, please come. You can stay at Jungla, if you wish, hang out with Manchita or Rocketta (two of the monkeys, really friendly) and just be in this amazing place.

Unexpected Moments of Magic Foundation supports Hogar Trister, the local orphanage. Here the kids will steal your heart away in a New York minute, they are clever and funny, love to learn and so love the volunteers who come to spend time with them. The environment is quite controlled to protect the kids, however, just very recently we were able to take them on an excursion to Jungla for the morning. We are hoping that has set a precedence. UMMF also organises volunteers to the local schools to teach English and crafts, however basic Spanish would be a re-requisite for this placement.  The other projects I have pretty much sought out for myself since getting here. There is also a new opportunity here for pre med, med or nursing assistance at the local Boquete clinic.

Apart from all of that I have spread my wings into some other areas, of course I have been able to do that since I have chosen to stay here for a while. The brand new local library is almost finished,  and at the moment we are trying to get over 9,000.00 books catalogued into the computer and onto the shelves in preparation for the opening.

Several times a year the Foundation de Integration (Disability centre) carries out a donation run for money and food to assist with the 120 families they feed each month,  and once a year there is 'Bid for Boquete',  a huge auction in February run to raise funds for four major charities here in Boquete.   The lady I am staying with is one of the main organisers for this event, so we have been photographing and cataloguing donated pieces for the auction as well as soliciting such, and I find I am now organising to produce a calendar of the Extreme Adventure guys, the proceeds of which will go to Bid for Boquete.

It is very easy to make friends here, I went up to Chorcha for three weeks, and when I returned to Boquete I had been missed. Its heart warming to say the least. It is an easy community to become involved with, and they are incredibly appreciative of anything you do. I wanted to go somewhere to make a difference, and here I feel as though I am doing that. To be honest, since this is my first time volunteering I had no idea what to expect, but I chose this placement because of the region, and the opportunity to learn a little Spanish.

I expected to be here for three months, so far I have been here for just over four, and with Alouatta Lodge, the 'Bid for Boquete' charity auction, and Amigos de Animales projects I will be applying for an extension to my visa.

Vicki Whittle

For information on becoming involved in the Panama Volunteer Program or to apply online go to http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/panama 

My Unforgettable India

Jorge Fernandez, a 24 year old from Mexico spent 8 weeks volunteering in GVN's India Children's Program.  Volunteers in this program have the opportunity to work with street children and children from slums in daycare centres and schools which have been purposely set-up to help alleviate poverty. There are opportunities to teach English, provide care and basic education for children.

Jorge wrote a very moving final journal piece about his experience volunteering in India, excerpts of which we're proud to share with you today:

"The first of my conclusions is that if you are either a person eager to see and learn about the world and the people living in it or one of those idealists who believes the world can be changed for the better, then you should definitely consider volunteering in India.

And so you might ask: Why India?  Well this might just be my very own, tremendously biased opinion, but I can hardly think of a country in which you will find such impressive cultural vastness, mad/fun craziness, overwhelming contrasts, functional chaos and unbelievable diversity, cultural clash, all in the same place. “India is a land you learn to love as much as you hate sometimes” as my friend Tamara says, is the best way of defining it I heard, and it’s absolutely true, so why not experience such a country?

Secondly, and most important: WHY volunteering? Well…

My most definite answer would be a very Indian “Why not?”. Why not go on about a trip aimed to cultivating our minds and hearts in ways different to what the regular, tourist trips do? Why not help people anywhere in the world? After all, we are all human beings, trying to achieve the happiness and peace we’re all entitled to have. I know for me this is what India taught me and I can’t be any more grateful for finding a home in Jai Jawan Colony 129, a family in my fellow volunteers and a bunch of great, wise teachers in the people I got to come across during my 12 revealing weeks in which, in exchange for a piece of my heart left at Jaipur, I took so much more that will define me and my future.
 
Every single day was an adventure because we let ourselves enjoy and work with every moment as it came, even the ugly ones. It’s a good reminder of how we can improve our regular, daily lives.

So… Why not?"

If you'd like to find out more about volunteering in India, or to apply online visit http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/india/

Make Your Summer Count!

The northern hemisphere summer months are among our busiest at Global Volunteer Network.  In this blog post we’re taking a look at the top 7 reasons so many people spend their precious summer months volunteering abroad, and what they really gain from it!

1) Spend your summer doing something meaningful – it will look great on your resume/CV and shows a commitment to social change and willingness to work hard.

2) Give yourself a well-deserved break from the classroom. Volunteer in an exotic location and experience the world whilst gaining experience you won’t get in your classroom!

3) Gain career direction or clarification; gain experience working in your field of interest; or try out new areas of interest to see if you want to pursue them further.

4) Get ahead of other recent graduates in the job market and make yourself stand out from other applicants.

5) If you’re studying, chances are you’ve got the time.  When you eventually enter the workforce you’ll be restricted to much shorter periods of annual leave.  With flexible placements from 1 week up to 3 months there’s no better time for you to volunteer abroad.

6) Step out of your comfort zone and discover what you’re capable of! You might be surprised!

7) Meet people from around the world and build on your communication and relationship making skills, your cultural understanding and best of all....make new friends!

As you can see, spending your summer volunteering abroad offers so much more than your average summer vacation.  Make your summer count by spending 1 to 12 weeks exploring a new country and culture, whilst at the same time sharing your time, talents, and passion with communities in developing countries who really need you.

It’s not too late to get involved this summer 2011!  If you’d like to learn more about summer programs available to you, or to apply online visit www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/programs/

Muraho from Rwanda!

Every now and then we come across funny, interesting and inspiring journal entries written by our volunteers, which provide a really unique personal insight into their volunteer experience.

Recently we've been enjoying the journal of Heather Padilla, a 27 year old from the USA, who is volunteering for the month of May in our Rwanda Literacy Program.  Below we're sharing with you some of Heather's pearls of wisdom, her highlights, funny anecdotes and experiences teaching in a school in Rwanda.

"After a bit of a rough start (i.e. luggage full of everything for the month being sent to another city, potential blow-out of laptop, adjusting to the city/life in general), things have finally started to settle down and I’ve found myself able to take a deep breath and relax a bit.

The first week in a new place is always eventful and a bit energy-sapping as you are thrust into a new way of life in unfamiliar terrain and this has been no exception.

“African Time” – even though I had mentally prepared for it, it’s been a bit of a challenge going from a rigorous, packed “5 minutes early is on time” schedule to a “no rush – we’ll get there when we get there” mindset.

I got a chance to see the school where I’ll start teaching tomorrow, there are two shifts (students come from 7-11:40 and 12:40-5)...the school is EXTREMELY poor (no running water or electricity) and the students walk there from all over and crowd into rooms of sometimes 50 or 60 students at a time, some of the students don’t even have shoes…however, evidently they are still really good at soccer…the director’s assistant was very proud of how hard the students try and showed us all the medals they had received from games.

It was decided that I would teach P3 (third grade) English. I’m not sure if I’ll be moving around to other grades as the weeks go by or not but for now I enjoy the age group. The students are really funny. The first day they seemed really shy and quiet (well, apart from the breaks where they would just surround me and stare until one brave soul decided to talk to me, consequently opening the door for the rest of them to shake hands or hug me as they giggled).

They have progressively become more talkative though (mostly when their Rwandese teachers are out of the room). There are five questions that they ALL ask me: 1) “How are you?” 2) “What is your name? 3) “Where do you live?” 4) “How old are you?” and my favorite 5) “What is your mother/father’s name?” Some of them are becoming more familiar with me and have decided to try and school me in English. As I walk around the room monitoring the class as they copy notes from the board (which takes forever, by the way, but is essential since they don’t have worksheets or workbooks) I will hear [Student]:“Teacher, teacher! What is this?” (holds up a pen) [Me]: “It’s a pen.” [Student w/ HUGE smile and congratulating eyes]: “YES!! Very good!” They then continue to ask me everything they can think of (paper, eyes, ears, nose, hands, etc.) and seem very surprised each time when I know the answers.  Speaking of answers, these students LOVE to try and participate when they know the answer. We studied how to tell time this week and I was a bit blown away the first time I drew a clock on the board and asked them what time it was. The class of 50 or so students was filled with raised hands...

As far as school goes, all I can say is I’m ready to challenge anyone to Pictionary or Charades as soon as I get back home. There are no worksheets or workbooks…just my acting and chalkboard drawing ability. I’m sure it’s quite entertaining to watch me dramatically act out various jobs or places in the community (the lessons this past week).

I was told that my first name is hard to pronounce so it might be easier to go by Padilla instead. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it at first but then decided that it sounded pretty sporty (going by last names and all) and might be kinda fun. Apparently Padilla is just as hard to say. All the students and teachers called me “PED-rah” after the first day so I made an executive decision to go back to Heather. It doesn’t really make a huge difference though because the students call me “Teacher” anyway. Well, that or “Natalie”…the name of their last teacher!"

Volunteers in the Rwanda Program have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of under-privileged children and adults by assisting processes to help eradicate poverty, reduce HIV infections, provide education and help communities through capacity building programs.

For more information about this program, or to apply online visit: http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/rwanda/