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Entering the small village of San Benito, dust billows around our van crammed with volunteers, blowing into the windows and clouding the view. I had grown accustomed to the dirt, the heat, and the smells. All of these had become part of my journey, having left American luxuries far behind. My eyes grew round and not one of us in the van uttered a word as we slowly made our way through the village, over potholes, ruts and divots in the unpaved road. Village members slowly peered from windows and doors of their primitive, one room homes to see who had arrived. A woman stops sweeping her dirt floor to smile and wave. Children of all ages run towards the moving vehicle, laughing and yelling to our van as if we were long lost friends returning from an extended absence. We park and exit the van at a community center…
Between the Alps and the small herd of sheep left in my care unfurl the slopes of the Langhe, a rolling patchwork of pasture, vine and orchard nestled above the Italian Riviera. Here and there a winery pokes out from behind a hill, its metal tanks gleaming amidst the folds of the valley, but otherwise the few farms stand isolated atop ridges. Added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 2014 for the “authenticity of the landscape”, the area retains both a strong sense of community and a certain wildness. The sheep belong to Mario and Lisa, proprietors of the farm I've been staying at for the past fortnight, Cascina del Finocchio Verde. In exchange for food and accommodation, volunteers help out with the animals or the hazelnut harvest or whatever the season may call for. Guidelines suggest six hours of work per day as appropriate, although here it seems…
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Graduating with a Different Plan: Volunteering in Tanzania
Written by Meredith Chait
With a month left until college graduation, I had no idea what I was going to do after May. Like many of my peers, I could not see myself having a 9-to-5 job at this stage of my life. I wanted to travel before I got the dreaded desk job I had heard so much about. East Africa had been calling me since I started taking Swahili my freshman year at the University of Kansas. When I did not test out of a single Spanish class (after four years in high school), I decided to take Swahili, fulfilling my desire to take a less commonly taught language in college. I ended up loving my Swahili classes and studying it for five years, even minoring in it. I decided to go to Tanzania: it is one of the safer countries where Swahili is spoken. However, many of my online searches turned…
The port of Shimoda at the tip of the Izu peninsula is the place where in 1852, commodore Perry’s black ships were first sighted. America came requesting a trade route, they were refused, so came back a year later in warships and requested again; thus signifying the end of Japan’s self-imposed isolation from the world for over two hundred years. I stood by a large model of one of the ships, waiting for a bus. I was heading to a WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) farm further south. The previous morning I had left Tokyo, and after three weeks was city-tired. As the train rolled slowly out of the station, something began to lift; it was a mind frame born out of adjusting accordingly and without my noticing, to things like: how to deal with 24hr crowds of consumerism, 24hr neon adverts on video screens almost the size…
My body ached all over. Carrying twenty five kilo bags of gravel will do that to you. My clean clothes were brown and muddy. It was my first day as a volunteer with Madidi Travel’s rainforest reserve Serere. Five weeks of conservation work without electricity or hot water in the Bolivian Amazon was to follow. I was filled with both excitement and apprehension. Having never done prior conservation work, I may have been forgiven for having naively inaccurate preconceptions of what it entails. What I imagined drew largely from what I had seen on television, where selfless nature lovers cradled wounded animals and gently fed them milk from a little bottle, or staked out endangered animals to tranquilize, tag and later monitor via GPS tracking. Really heroic stuff. I now know that the other ninety percent of conservation work that was not often publicized was all hard labor and if…
Sunday, 28 April 2013
From Zero to Zambia: a Riders for Health Adventure
Written by Richard Warmsley
The Wobbly Road to Zambia It’s November 2011 and I hear the words “We’re sorry to say your job is at risk...” Except, what I actually hear is, “You’re up for redundancy. You’ve been here eight years, so we’re going to pay you to go on the bike trip you’ve been waiting for.” To some this might not seem the most rational response to the situation. But since when has logic been a good start to a mini adventure? I’d been in the potential redundancy situation before, so I knew my plan. But where? How? Was it feasible to get a taste of adventure without a GS, a big beard and a TV crew as back-up and with only eight months on my bike license? Actually, I’m getting ahead of myself because at that point not only was my license new, but I hadn’t exactly been a natural on two…
Thursday, 28 February 2013
Volunteering in Benin: Helping and Discovering a Community from Within
Written by Eloise Stark
I wake up early to the sounds of prayer drifting from the nearby Church and Mosque, the low chants and songs intermingle into a kind of religious harmony. I know that soon, the chorus of birds will start singing. This was the thing that first struck me about living in Africa, the beautiful sounds of everyday life, no longer hidden under the incessant rumble of traffic. The prayers give way to the birds, then to the sounds of town life as my neighbors wake up, listening to African music as they get ready for work and talking in loud voices, over the sound of the Zem’s (motorbike taxi’s) hurtling along the twisted path, and of street sellers bartering with housewives. I know as the day draws on, my head will be filled with voices, children chattering and laughing at the school where I volunteer, my neighbors', friends' and host family's…
Tuesday, 01 January 2013
Volunteering with Wildlife Projects in Namibia: Enkosini Eco Experience
Written by Norman A. Rubin
As newly retired folk, my wife and I thought that Southern Africa would be an excellent place to travel. We were interested in learning about the cultures and traditions as well as learning about the array of spectacular wildlife. So for one week this summer, we volunteered with the Noah's Ark Wildlife Center in Namibia, one of Enkosini Eco Experience’s projects. I knew that short-term volunteer opportunities in Africa were becoming more accessible with the rise of “Voluntourism”. There has been a rise in the number of tourists visiting Africa now who wish to spend a portion of their vacation in a more enriching way; such as helping local communities, or becoming involved in conservation efforts. When we arrived at the camp, we first registered, and then were assigned a raised wooden cabin overlooking a big waterhole with a background of the beautiful desert land of Namibia. We were fortunate…
Sunday, 28 October 2012
A Unique Education on a Liberian Refugee Settlement
Written by Hannah Garrard
A School is Built The Liberian civil war that erupted in the late 1980’s continued for fifteen years. It led to the mass exodus of Liberians, who sought safety in neighboring countries. Ghana opened its doors to Liberia’s displaced communities, and the Buduburam refugee settlement, 40 km west of Accra, became home for 42,000 people. As fighting continued in Liberia and spread to Sierra Leone, it soon became apparent that people would not be returning anytime soon. Although UNHCR auspices provided immediate shelter and food and immediate health care, education and schooling was not guaranteed. Liberians did not have the same access to school, health care or even bank accounts as Ghanaians did, and so those with refugee status were stuck in a kind of no man’s land; unable to return home and unable to enjoy the same rights as free people. Without education and social development in the interim, what hope did…
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Saving the Satos: Street Dog Rescue in Puerto Rico
Written by Ralph Quinonez
Driving a desolate road near Los Machos Beach Puerto Rico, Katie Block spots a small puppy lying in the middle of the road. After a brief search, the puppies’ mother and two siblings are found nesting in the roadside bushes. “These dogs are new to this beach,” she tells me. “They were probably dumped here yesterday.” As the founder and director of Island Dog Inc., the largest nonprofit animal welfare organization on the island, the rescue of homeless dogs is a daily routine for Block. On a daily basis, Block and volunteers feed and medicate homeless dogs living on several beaches on the eastern coast of the island. Many of these dogs have suffered horrendous abuse from beatings, scaldings, and starvation. Currently an estimated 150-200,000 stray dogs inhabit Puerto Rico at any given time.Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, has long harbored a poor reputation for the treatment of animals.…
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A shopkeeper’s donkey trod over my 27kg wheeled backpack and my instant reaction was to yank the zip open and check that the coloring books and crayons had survived. I didn’t care about my shoes and toiletries; those were luxuries that I could live without. I was here for the children and as far as I was concerned, the tub of Hasbro ‘Play-Doh’ in my luggage was more important than my hair straightener.Volunteering abroad is full of highs and lows so choosing to do that in one of North Africa’s most thriving capitals seemed less difficult in comparison to the next two choices on my list, Peru and Cambodia. Within the first five minutes of stepping out of a small, sputtering beige taxi, I was convinced that this was going to be a trip I’d never forget.In 45 degrees blistering heat, I stood in a grey hoodie, black leggings and…
Volunteer Teacher Thailand (or VTT) is almost single-handedly run by Ken Hyde, a British school principal who went to Thailand after the 2004 Tsunami to help rebuild houses and discovered the great need for learning English in the area since 90% of the English-speaking population of Khao Lak was killed in the disaster. Many of the tourism facilities and employees were located right along the coast where the tsunami hit. Upon returning home, Ken decided to take early retirement and go back to Khao Lak and offer English classes led by himself and volunteers.The volunteers work in teams and go out to mostly elementary and middle schools in the surrounding community who have limited facilities and resources. When enough helpers are available he’ll send them to a high school and a local orphanage. The first day of our week was spent lesson planning. Ken helped pick out the lessons for…
Pascal spent 7 weeks volunteering with JDPC, a micro-credit organization in Nigeria on an AIESEC exchange, the following is a couple days worth of observations and experiences living in Nigeria.I have been swinging back and forth in my opinion of this place and my travels so far, ranging from “this is the greatest thing I have ever done“ to “what kind of half-thought-out, silly situation did I get myself into this time.” Is it one of the most uncomfortable and difficult things I have ever done? Yes. Is it one of the most rewarding? Definitely. Has it been worth it? I think so. Time will tell. I took a 14-hour long bus ride to Calabar for the AIESEC Global Village event, which was scheduled to last 2 days. The trip there was long and surprisingly comfortable compared to what was waiting for me on the trip back. I was given…
Chiapas, Mexico has always been a place of wonder for me. Since I first heard about the Zapatistas, an indigenous led revolutionary movement that has broken society’s structures, to create a new and improved society. I was privileged enough to live with the people of this inspiring movement for three months and learn about their intriguing and diverse culture, natural surroundings and the struggles of its people, through my internship in Mexico. Located in the very South of Mexico, the state of Chiapas is enveloped by mountainous jungle, enshrined in rich indigenous traditions and home to many ancient Mayan kingdoms that can make any person imagine the intrepid stories that took place here. Chiapas is known for its abundant vegetation and precious biodiversity. I traveled to Chiapas for three months to participate in an internship at a small grassroots organization working to promote women’s health and support women’s groups, some…
Food is my obsession. I don’t just mean from the moment it hits my plate; my interest is in everything from the soil and the growing to sustainability. Yet I’ve always suffered from a case of consumer guilt when it came to food. I’ve never eaten anything that I’ve grown myself or hunted my own food. Whenever I’ve discussed the ethics of certain farming practices I could hardly justify my criticism, being far removed from the process that keeps me alive. So when a friend of mine, Steve, left the big city with his girlfriend, Hazuki, and went to Northern Thailand to study permaculture, I was very interested to find out more. Two flights and a winding bus ride later took me to beautiful Pai. Permaculture, short for ‘permanent culture’, is an agricultural practice where one tries to design a farming system that mimics systems found in nature. Permaculturalists oppose…
When people ask about my year of directing an orphanage for the International Humanity Foundation in Kenya, their most frequent question is, “Was it hard?” They mean “Was it hard to have spotty electricity? Did you miss flush toilets? Was it difficult to live where air conditioning was a breeze in the shade and there were no heaters to keep you warm when the temperature plunged at night?” I guess so, but I got used to all that. It was annoying for the first month or so, but then it became normal. I adapted and didn't notice what I was missing anymore. Not that living abroad was easy. That year was the most difficult in my life… no exaggeration. It's just that the greatest difficulties weren't of the physical sort, three bouts with malaria withstanding. I went abroad to learn about poverty, to live a different life from the one…
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Volunteering at Educational Support Tibet
Written by Eibhlin Nic Diarmada , Paula Mc Mullan
Volunteering Abroad: two volunteers’ experiences Give an education to gain an education Gaining an education was neither the purpose of this venture nor was it within the reaches of my imagination how literal ”give an education to gain an education” would prove to be. I had decided to spend a year volunteering. It was a vaguely researched decision of the heart over the head that steered me towards India and the Tibetan community. My heart chose well. I threw caution to the wind and came to India without a plan, without direction, and without expectations. Diving headfirst is a risky business, but it achieves depth. And so it was with hope, excitement and a dash of fear that I began to wander. I stumbled across E.S. Tibet, and after a brief introduction and tour, my heart had finished wandering. I moved into the volunteer rooms as soon as the manager…
Admittedly, it was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that I initially accepted a position as a volunteer archaeologist in Jordan. Stories of grotesque camel spiders and venomous snakes were a source of apprehension, but the thought of working with the local Bedouin people on ancient sites in Jordan’s picturesque Dana Biosphere Reserve quenched any initial misgivings.
Monday, 22 March 2010
Volunteering with the Ndebele community in South Africa
Written by Emma Finlay
I would like to share one unexceptional day of the three weeks I spent in South Africa. It started off normally except we were out of orange squash. No big deal, I took water instead. As I was walking to work, Elizabeth caught up with me, slightly out of breath, and handed me a small flask. “It’s your orange juice for lunch. I’m so sorry it’s late. I noticed last night that we had run out of orange juice in the lodge so I planned to get some from my house and give it to you this morning, but you are quicker than usual. I know you are here alone and that must be difficult – we all need family and friends. It’s my job to look after you and to be your family, so I wanted to give you juice from my home just for today.”
Friday, 22 January 2010
Volunteering Abroad: The Quiet Moments of Life in Samoa
Written by Elizabeth Gartley
I set my alarm for 6 a.m., but since the roosters wake earlier, I’m generally up by 5:30. After a year and half, my life as a Peace Corps volunteer in a Samoan village has in many ways become familiar and routine – but naturally, there are plenty of surprises always waiting to sneak up on me.
“You mean you spent your holiday looking after an elephant?” my friends ask incredulously before bombarding me with dozens of questions. Yes, it’s true; I spent my holiday this year with my very own elephant! It all came about when I decided I needed to get away and try something new. They always tell you a change is as good as a rest and I was hoping that was correct, because after working extra hard for the past 12 months since the start of the ‘credit crunch’ I felt I deserved some quality relaxation.
Tuesday, 01 September 2009
Eight Days in a Spanish Mountain Resort Without Spending a Dime!
Written by Lies Ouwerkerk
How about a holiday in Spain, free of charge, including your own comfortable room with a superb view over the mountains or the ancient town below, hearty breakfasts and gastronomical lunches and dinners with red wine from the very same region, a lovely swimming pool, and splendid weather? And on top of that, the opportunity to get acquainted with 20 highly motivated Spanish professionals who will fill you in on "everything Spanish", plus another 20 interesting Anglos from all walks of life and every corner of the English speaking world? "Great", you may say, "but..... what's the catch"? Well, it's hard to believe, but all you really have to do is converse with your new friends in your native tongue, English!
The number ten stands out to me: it represents the amount of days I was a proud member of a Global Village team. On behalf of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, my seventeen teammates and I left the biting Minnesota January weather for the sweltering heat of Puerto Ángel, México—a Pacific fishing village in the state of Oaxaca. We excitedly absorbed our host culture, witnessed magnificent sites, and met fascinating people during our week and a half in the tranquil town. But what I remember most is digging trenches, mixing cement, and tying rebar under 90+ degree heat and hellacious humidity. My teammates and I spent most of our time working alongside local residents to build the foundation of a house for a family in need. It was an extremely gratifying trip; ten days I will always remember.
Every year in the Himalayan country of Nepal, thousands of girls are sold by their families to be bonded servants. Olga Murray, an 84-year-old American, is in the process of eliminating this custom. The organization founded by Olga uses a unique method: it offers a family a piglet or goat, which they can raise on scraps and sell for more money than they would receive for their daughter’s labor, in exchange for simply letting their daughter stay at home and get an education.
If an 80 year old woman can do it, you can do it too. I have been back in Arizona only a few days and my mind keeps going back to the orphanage in Costa Rica. My eyes get watery when I look at pictures for the umpteenth time, then I laugh and dry my tears. There are so many good memories, but I wonder, did I do enough for the children? Or is there still something more I can do?
Sunday, 16 November 2008
Alternative Spring Break: Service in the Dominican Republic
Written by Megan Veloza
“Bienvenido a la Republica Dominicana!” were the first words I heard after disembarking my 6:00 am flight. It was the start of spring break my senior year of college, and instead of joining my friends on a trip to Acapulco, Mexico, I opted for an alternative spring break trip coordinated through Stonehill College’s Campus Ministry.
Sunday, 28 September 2008
Reflections of a First-year Teacher in Managua, Nicaragua
Written by Jeannine M. Pitas
¨Why did you choose to come to Nicaragua?¨ It was a question that would plague me from the moment I arrived to the final days of the school year. Students, colleagues, tortilla vendors and taxi-drivers would never cease to ask me. Why did I choose to come to Nicaragua? Why would any gringo decide to leave the comforts of the US in order to live in the developing world?
Cusco was considered by the Ancient Incas to be the navel of the world, and served as the capital of their empire. With Machu Picchu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and recently named one of the Seven New Wonders of the World, nearby the tourism industry is booming. Thanks to a citywide ban on all foreign, corporate restaurant and retail chains (such as McDonald’s and Starbucks), visitors are encouraged to eat and shop from locally run businesses. Tourists can appreciate the fact that they are making an impact on the local economy and enjoy spending time in a city that, without the standard signs of globalization, feels a bit off the beaten path.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Measure of a (Dogs) Life: Improving the Lives of Bangkok Street Animals
Written by Voralak Suwanvanichkij
One aspect of Bangkok life that strikes new visitors is the ever-present street mutt. Known as ‘soi’ or alley dogs, they freely roam and breed throughout Thailand’s capital. The strays often resort to instinctive pack behavior and congregate in areas where they are regularly fed by food hawkers or residents.
Tuesday, 01 July 2008
Volunteering in Cusco: Values, Principles, and Love
Written by Douglas J. Klostermann
The little round sign above the door told me I was at the right place: Aldea Yanapay – Otra Forma de Vivir. A voice approached from behind as I searched for the right buzzer. “Are you here to volunteer?” It was as much an eager welcome as a question. “I just came by to see the after-school program,” I started to respond, but it suddenly no longer seemed necessary to give a calculated, uncommitted answer. Her unfeigned enthusiasm was already convincing me that this would be worthwhile.
Wednesday, 28 November 2007
Merazonia: Building a Future for Ecuador's Fauna
Written by Julie Dupuis
Imagine zooming along winding mountain roads in a rickety old bus, feasting your eyes on the changing scenery heading south from Quito. Imagine chatting away with an amicable Ecuadorian who points out various sights: a famous waterfall, a deep ravine, a bridge with bungee jumping, a good discoteca, his own family restaurant. Imagine being dropped off the bus in an unknown town without an address for your destination and being guided by friendly locals until, across the street from your hosts’ house, an elderly neighbour shouts at you from her second-story window that no one is home. Imagine being walked back the way you just came from by the neighbour’s friend, presumably to the home of your hosts’ employee, only to discover that Guido is in Puyo…
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Sea Turtle Gynecology: Volunteering with Pretoma in Costa Rica
Written by Noel Dunn
Spreading a final handful of maggots in the sand, I sit back to survey the remnants of a nest. In front of me there are two worm-filled corpses, a pile of 11 eggs that remain unopened and a large pile of broken shells. I walk over to the shade and pick up four baby sea turtles that are barely alive. 114 of their siblings hatched last night and these guys couldn't make it out of the nest.
Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Volunteering in Cambodia at Heritage Watch
Written by Chhun (Howard) Chau
While attending high school in Cambodia in 2000, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to live and study in Canada. I spent the next year studying English and another year and a half in high school before I was accepted into university to study architectural science. During the first two years of university we were taught the history of architecture and the value of historical buildings and ancient sites. I became very interested in this line of thought, partly because I realized that my home country, Cambodia, has so many precious monuments. At the same time I also began to appreciate my own culture and heritage. As a result I chose a topic for my final thesis that examined the integration of passive and active systems to help protect ancient sites from being looted.
This year I made my fourth pilgrimage to the Nordeste, Brasil’s northeastern coast. Although my travels in Brazil have taken me into both the rough interior state of Goiás and the urban sprawl of southeastern cities Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the state of Ceará on the northeastern coast has been my first and faithful love. It is the Brazil that I know best and that has had the greatest impact on me; it is the land of red dirt, brown skin, and white smiles. I am drawn not just to the foreign terrain, or the luau of exotic fruits, or the sweet sway of the samba. I am called to the children. I need to go back and see how Wellison is doing. Has Dalmo been taking care of his sister? I wonder what Tayane thinks about the pictures that I sent her.
So, let me get this straight. We take the number 5 bus to the end of the route, switch to the number 14, and then get off near the fountain. Then we walk uphill until we get to a path in the cornfield. At every crossroads in the cornfield, turn left until we find the building site? Do I have that right?
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Rescue Me: The Farm Sanctuary in Orland, California
Written by Jennifer Anthony
On a warm Sunday afternoon in October, Lily the pig lies flat on her side, eyes closed, snaggletooth poking out from a wide, peaceful grin. The enormous fans trained on the bevy of sows combat the heat and ruffle their short, wiry hair. Lily grumbles just a little when the pig leaning on her back shifts position, but soon settles down again, snorting into the hay. Lost in daydreams, she doesn’t so much as twitch when I reach out to tickle her wrinkly pink neck.
Each morning my alarm goes off at 6:45 and I’m out of the apartment by 7:45. I walk through the hutongs and buy some baozi for breakfast on my way to school. As I arrive, children call out “Laoshi’r hao!” The more intrepid students yell, “Good morning, teacher!”
Getting the opportunity to use one’s vocation or avocation to further a worthy cause is something that nearly all of us seem to aspire to, but don’t always fully pursue or know how to go about. Since everyone who visits this innovative site (and I emphasize ‘in’) lists travel either as his or her business or hobby: the project I’m about to mention may be your perfect chance.
Thursday, 19 October 2006
The PEPY Ride: Changing Cambodia's Future One Mile at a Time
Written by Alice Beban
To spread the message of ‘Protect the Earth, Protect yourself (PEPY)’ to schoolchildren across the country, myself and five other cyclists pedalled our way through Cambodia’s back roads for an epic 1600km journey this year. The 2006 PEPY cycling team hailed from Canada, USA, New Zealand, England and Finland, and came together to represent the Non-Governmental-Organisation ‘PEPY,’ which was founded two years ago by two American women: Daniela Papi and Greta Arnquist.
Thursday, 31 August 2006
Volunteering in Hanoi's National Pediatric Hospital
Written by Jennifer Anthony
It is 2:00pm and Hanoi’s heat is as stifling and claustrophobic as a damp wool sweater that is three sizes too small. The bodies of Korean, Canadian, and American volunteers glimmer with sweat- filthy from traffic exhaust and mosquito repellant. The women no longer bother to wipe the perspiration that streams down their temples, backs, and legs. Only Thuy, the group leader – who is from Hanoi– is as sweat-free as the scores of women who glide down the road on mopeds in long-sleeved shirts, pants, facemasks, and hats.
Saturday, 01 July 2006
A Communities Without Borders Trip to Zambia
Written by Sharon Henderson Ellis
Before we left the United States, I had serious doubts about what our group of nine teenagers and nine adults could accomplish in just over two weeks. We would be working with small groups of women in the slum districts of Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. Groups such as SWAAZ (Society of Women Against Aids in Zambia) and similar NGOs hold classes for orphaned and vulnerable children and their care-takers and provide food.
The early morning sun shines brightly; I hang my wet clothes to dry on the clothesline, hoping it will not rain before I come back for lunch. Ever since the water pump has broken and there has been no running water, simple chores like washing clothes takes infinitely more time. As Tarra, a visiting PhD student said to me, “you haven’t been to Africa until you’ve experienced the joy of bucket showers”. I wonder if my experience is even more enriched since our bucket showers come from our rainwater tank, which was also the home for a colony of small red worms that found their way into the buckets and thus, in our showers.
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