| |
|
|
| |
Summer holiday, Easter, Christmas and winter vacation breaks can be just right for volunteering abroad. Rather than taking a gap year you can volunteer in the
school or university holidays. Our orphanage projects, street children, medical placements and conservation projects particularly
need support in the summer holiday break.
"When I first went to Cambodia on a holiday in South East Asia, I was overwhelmed by Angkor Wat but appalled by
the poverty and the consequences of the Pol Pot regime. The friendliness and dignity of its people, living in intolerable
conditions, convinced me that I had no alternative but to return and do something a little more constructive than sight seeing.
So this summer that is exactly what I did. Little did I know that my whole life would change in the most radical way."
Dale Hurd. Summer break volunteer.
Our overseas volunteer projects run throughout the year. You don't need to take a gap year to participate. A
number of them particularly need volunteer support during our holiday periods. July and August when gap year volunteers have left
school and are free before going to university is ideal for this. University and college students also have a long summer break. Our summer
break projects last for a minimum of a month. Shorter projects can also be organised over the Easter and Christmas periods. These are
times when we really need your support.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Articles / Volunteer Evaluations
| |
|
|
| |
I have just got back from yet another fantastic day at work. I love it here. Working with the kids is
absolutely fantastic. Today James (another volunteer) and I, taught 2 classes of English. We have approx. 30
in the basic class and half a dozen in the higher class. So far so good. It's tough teaching in a different
language, but I'm amazed how much we are learning too, every day. My head feels like a sponge at the moment,
I am soaking up Spanish like there`s no tomorrow, it's great.
After lunch today, Fernandez the co-ordinator of the Street kids Centre, James and I, went on a drive
around the local houses. This by the way is a bit of a safari in itself. The roads are just dust tracks
filled with craters and the houses are made from anything they can lay their hands on. Car bonnets, bits of
wood, flattened plastic bottles, binliners, odd bits of fencing etc. I saw a man gardening yesterday with a
circular piece of cardboard on his head, to protect his face from the sun. I haven't taken many photos yet,
feel like I should introduce myself first. But word does get around.Everyone knows everyone else, and most of
them know my name or say, "Hola, Teacher". I feel very welcomed by them all. They are all so
friendly. The staff at the centre work so hard to give the kids a strong platform of knowledge so they have
the best possible chance to spread their wings in the big wide world. It's so frustrating catching the bus to
work everyday, past huge cruise ships and condos and then heading toward the areas where people actually live
on the rubbish dump. Many of the kids haven't been to school so it is really hard to teach them how to write
in Spanish let alone English.
But next week we are taking as many of these kids, both from the centre and those on the rubbish dump and
surrounding area, on a camping holiday in the mountains. James and I are going to be teaching English there
too, but the main focus is for them just to be children for 5 days and have fun. Even the 6year olds here are
put out to work for their families. They don't really have Holidays so this is just the best chance to give
them some fun.
But anyway, after lunch we drove around the local area in the pick-up in the boiling hot sun and called
into local houses to ask the children if they were coming on the holiday trip. Outreach International organise
this every year for around 70 or more kids. They will have access to superstar teachers like James and myself,
phycologists, councillors and games coming out of their ears!
Gotta go now, we have a painting class arriving.
|
|
| |
|
|
-
Evaluation by Joanna Whitely
| |
|
|
| |
Hi there James, hope you are well sorry its been a while but i just wanted to thank you for helping to co-ordinate the summer of my life! iIcannot begin to tell you how Ecuador sick I am now and I am just dying to go back there. I met some incredible people, so warm and hospitable and I found the work with the street children highly rewarding. I feel that i have had a life-changing experience and that i have learnt an awful lot. I also had an amazing time staying with Monika and her family and Monika truly became like my Ecuadorian mum.
Hope you and your family are well and are having a great summer,
Regards
Zoe Nobil. Street Children. Summer break Project Ecuador
|
|
| |
|
|
-
Evaluation by Zoe Nobil
| |
|
|
| |
I'm sorry that I've not been in touch sooner, but I only returned home a few days ago. After completing my summer placement with the disabled children, I travelled around Mexico for a month in order to learn more about their rich and varied culture. I then spent a further two months gaining work experience in American hospitals, followed by a month in Sri Lanka, helping to distribute relief in one of the camps. I found all of these experiences extremely fulfilling, but my time in Mexico was by far my favourite. I learnt so much from the children I was working with - the courage they displayed when faced with such adversity was incredible, and really makes you appreciate all that we are fortunate enough to take for granted. Thank you so much for making my stay in Mexico possible. I will definitely be returning to this fascinating country, as soon as I can.
I will try my best to send you a full evaluation of my projects, but as I begin University next week and so will be rather busy, it may take a while.
Danielle Sherman. Disabled Children project. Mexico
|
|
| |
|
|
-
Evaluation by Danielle Sherman
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
There are suitable holiday volunteering projects in all our destinations: Ecuador, The Galapagos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Costa Rica and Mexico. For example, during our summer all of our schools are open for the teaching projects on the Galapagos. July and August is the busiest time on
the giant turtle conservation project in Mexico.
The children who live in our orphanages do not attend school during our Christmas, Easter or summer holiday periods and love it
if there are volunteers to put on exciting activities for them. This might involve teaching English, teaching art or teaching
sports, music or drama.
We encourage the children on our Street Children projects to attend school. These schools are also closed during our holiday
periods so we organise special holiday programmes for them. With volunteer support the children can engage in stimulating, fun,
educational activities.
Children, community and conservation projects cannot 'close' for a holiday. They need volunteer help throughout the year. Our
projects are serious but also tremendously rewarding and great fun.
Come and join one of our small teams and make a difference to communities who themselves don't have a holiday.
|
|
| |
|
|
|