July 31st, 2007

Travel To Teach: News And Volunteer Blogs

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Travel to Teach is an organization which provides basic training to paying volunteers who then are placed in schools, frequently in disadvantaged areas which would not otherwise have access to native English speakers (read the Volunteer Logue overview of Travel to Teach). Aside from descriptions of country programs on their website, they also feature regular stories from volunteers.

One recent addition is that of the China program. Volunteers can now teach in Shanghai – at underfunded schools - and the nearby village of Feng Jing, where they work with students from kindergarten to high school who have little chance to interact with native speakers.

There is a new story from a volunteer who celebrated the end of her graduate study at the age of 23 with two month split between Thailand and Vietnam; you can also read her travel blog, which details her experiences while on the program and a number of reflections after.
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July 31st, 2007

“Smiling And Suffering”: A Critical Take On Views On Africa From World Hum

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“For those who look at Africa and see only poverty, I say that your view of the world is narrow and sad.. [I recommend] visiting the place; talking to the people… The real point is that Africa is so much more than the sum of its ills. It is a rich place, humanity-wise.”

These are the words of Frank Bures, who recently wrote Smiles and Suffering: Vanity Fair Does Africa for World Hum (which, while it is not specifically geared towards volunteers, certainly provides a great look at all that awaits you in the world through its well-done travel articles).

Briefly, Dures thinks Vanity Fair’s recent Africa issue presents the continent in the light of the unfortunately common view that it is “a problem to be solved. By us.”

No doubt Africa has problems, Dures writes, however, they won’t be solved by foreigners with a do-good bent, but rather by Africans themselves, and the image of Africa as a continent of misery does a disservice to its people and multitude of vibrant cultures. An insightful commenter points out that, given that many problems in Africa do in fact have roots in the western world, it may be a bit late to say that the west shouldn’t attempt to play any role in the solution of those problems.
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July 29th, 2007

Wildlife Direct Volunteer Staff And Park Rangers Urgently Need Help To Protect Endangered Gorillas

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Wildlife Direct provides an innovative response to critical conservation issues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The non-profit organization facilitates the donation of funds directly to those working on the front lines in different locations in Congo; they also have helped set up and run an ever-expanding series of blogs so that the world can learn about the work that local rangers (and many others) do to protect Congo’s mountain gorillas, hippos, and bonobos to name a few.

There is obvious value in preserving the lives of the individual animals as well as the species in general; there is indirect value to local people in protecting the amazing wildlife that Congo is home to, as eco-tourism will likely play a vital role in the economic relaunch of the country following its war.

But recently, at least seven mountain gorillas have been shot; back in May, an armed group of rebels attacked a park ranger base, killing one ranger and injuring several others. Wildlife Direct is looking for help in the form of awareness-raising and donations right now in order to ensure the park rangers can monitor the park to protect the remaining gorillas.

In an email sent to supporters, Wildlife Direct Volunteer Staff Member Will said:

“We have had two very serious attacks on the mountain gorillas in the past two months. At least seven critically endangered mountain gorillas have been killed. We believe that these are the worst attacks on the mountain gorillas on record, and we are very concerned that there may be more to come. You can read the details on our website at wildlifedirect.org. We believe that public awareness is a very powerful way of getting desperately needed support to the rangers on the ground. We badly need the message to reach as many people as possible, so we would be enormously grateful for your support in getting this message to others.”

July 29th, 2007

Volunteers You Should Know About

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Some volunteers search for the right opportunity – others see a need and respond to it. Conor Grennan is a stellar example of the latter; he started out as a round-the-world traveler and short term volunteer and ended up founding children’s home and NGO Next Generation Nepal.

Wayne Parks is another stellar volunteer of sorts; he is not a round-the-world traveler (or a blogger) but a veteran volunteer firefighter. He recently segued into running a non-profit language learning center, primarily because he noticed that in his original field of work – construction – there was a dearth of qualified native English speaking workers but an abundance of qualified workers who don’t yet speak the language. And these non-English speaking workers frequently end up being taken advantage of specifically because of that.
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July 28th, 2007

Experience A Refugee Camp At Home, Via MSF

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Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) is organizing a refugee camp simulation so those who haven’t had to take shelter at a real one can get some sense of what the experience is like. If you live in Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston or Dallas, you can visit the exhibit for free.

Visitors are asked to imagine that they are among the millions fleeing violence and/or persecution in countries such as Colombia, Afghanistan, Congo or Sudan, and will be guided by MSF aid workers who deal with topics like safety, food and water, and medical care. The makeshift camps will include actual medical and other equipment used my MSF in the field.

I know personally several people who were once refugees and while it strikes me that there is a risk of a rather voyeuristic element of a refugee camp exhibit, I think MSF’s goal - to make more widely known the situation and conditions facing those fleeing violence – is a useful one.

MSF will be in each city for four to five days, starting in mid-September and ending in late October. Individuals can attend for free and without any reservation, but they ask groups of 20 or more to schedule a visit. Find out more at the MSF site.

July 28th, 2007

One Last Tip For Selecting A Volunteer Program

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A whopping number of volunteer programs pass before my eyes in my research for this logue; I also browse through a good deal of advice on how to select a program. There are many different lenses you can look at this advice through, and I appreciate the effort that goes into compiling tips that are general enough to apply to different types of programs throughout the world and yet specific enough to be meaningful. But one thing I don’t feel I see enough of is this tip: focus on a program that will give you the chance to learn – sure, to learn about yourself, but more importantly to learn about the local culture and people and what both have to offer.

It’s fair enough to argue that if you are truly volunteering, you shouldn’t focus mainly on yourself, how much money you have to spend, or what you can gain from it all. It kinda makes it seem not-so-altruistic after all. I most certainly agree that you should do what you can to ensure that whatever work you do partake in does not have unexpected negative consequences for the “beneficiaries”.

But I think one unintended negative consequence is the perpetuation of the stereotype that the (well-off, western) volunteer is always the one with something to offer, and the local person is always the one with something to gain in this “exchange”…which is not much of an exchange after all if the giving is one-directional.
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July 27th, 2007

Support The Expansion Of Youth Exchange Programs

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AFS is an organization that has been organizing and promoting student exchange (not to mention volunteering, community service and hosting opportunities) for sixty years now. It is international in scope as well as non-governmental and non-profit, and describes its mission as helping people “develop the knowledge, skills and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world” through intercultural learning opportunities.

To coincide with its 60th anniversary, AFS is right now gathering signatures for a petition in support of a global expansion of youth exchange programs. Much like volunteering abroad, youth exchange offers the opportunity for people form different cultures to interact, learn and make positive connections. AFS points out that the need for intercultural exchanges today is a great as it ever was; so far there are over 30, 000 signatures from 180 countries. Find out more about the petition at the exchanges4peace section of the site.
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July 26th, 2007

From Brave New Traveler: The Complete Guide To Volunteer Tourism

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Brave New Traveler recently published an article called The Complete Guide To Volunteer Tourism, by Christina Heyniger.

This guide provides a useful general overview of selecting a volunteer program if you go the route of utilizing a provider or placement organization. It recommends starting by assessing your own interests which is of course a wise move: are you interested in an emphasis on travel or on volunteer work? Concentrate your efforts on finding a provider offering what you’d like.

It also offers an outline on tips for assessing the substance of volunteer programs taking into consideration corruption (framed as the local organization, for example, “hiring” children to act as orphans in order to gain more donations) and sustainability. The questions which it suggests potential volunteers ask an organization are good ones overall, and include:

• How long has the organization been operating?
• How does it measure results?
• Have they had to deal with corruption?
• Do they understand the local language?
• Is the project sustainable in the sense of involving the local community?
• Does it empower people?

I think aid and non-profit/charitable work are complex topics, and while I would not agree that these questions necessarily separate the good from the bad – I think as basic guidelines they are extremely useful. I would also point out that the answers or information available will ideally give you some indication of the business practices of a provider.
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July 26th, 2007

Citizenship And ESL Volunteers

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If you’re craving some connection to other cultures but can’t leave home, consider volunteering with a local organization that provides ESL or citizenship classes to immigrants and/or refugees. Working one on one with people is a great way to learn about his or her life experiences and culture.

To volunteer as an ESL teacher or tutor, you will ideally receive free or low-cost basic training from the organization you assist. This is a great way to get experience find out how you like the work if you are thinking of volunteering overseas to teach English; obviously you can help someone improve their lives by learning your language as well. Read more of my tips on volunteering to teach English and get an inside look at an ESL class in Indiana.

Citizenship procedures quite likely vary by country; I was a bit surprised to learn that immigrants must live in the US for at least five years before they can take the test. I was also surprised that the test costs $675, which is a lot to lose if you don’t pass. Citizenship represents a more specialized subject than ESL and volunteers may be expected to have a background in the area or prior experience teaching it.
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July 24th, 2007

Common Ground Health Clinic In New Orleans

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The Common Ground Community Health Clinic in New Orleans opened a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit and today, the mainly volunteer staff provide free care to anyone who needs it, often 40 or 50 people a day. Decreasing barriers to health care is one of the main goals, as the shattered health care system is one of the roadblocks to the city’s recovery.

Hurricane Katrina displaced hundreds of doctors and nurses, and four of the city’s seven general hospitals no longer function. Combined with the fact that being out of work also often means lacking health insurance in the US, the outlook for health care in New Orleans is quite sobering.

However, the Common Ground volunteer medical staff and others look at this virtual absence of a health care system as an opportunity to create something newer and better.
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