Lunar Tet Holiday for Poor Children January 6, 2012

The Lunar New Year is nearly upon us and the 2012 Tết Holiday in Vietnam is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before. Here at Volunteers for Peace Vietnam Saigon Branch we are just as excited as everyone else and we want to use this year’s Tết as an opportunity to extend our outreach in Vietnam.

Project Overview

For a new year coming, Tet 2012, we would like to organize a voluntary trip to K’rông Pa, a small village in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. We want to try and make a difference to this community (especially for children) in a variety of ways over a 2-3 day trip. Villages like K’rông Pa are often forgotten in popular society and rarely receive voluntary aid; and the local people have a very poor living condition at the moment. We are looking to raise funds to help us make a positive impact in K’rông Pa, hopefully leading to continued efforts in similar communities in the future.

There will be 3 main aspects to the trip:

• Gift and everyday necessities donation
• Organisation of traditional games of Tet for children
• Personal Hygiene guidance     

Gifts: We would like to give presents to the local children in celebration of Tết. Ideally we are looking for direct donations of everyday necessities such as food, blankets, clothes, in particular socks and underwear, as well as important items like new mosquito nets and any other items you may feel are relevant to the living conditions. We understand this is not always possible and will also look to raise funds in order to purchase gifts ourselves. Everything will be spread out equally and we hope for every child to receive the same or similar gifts which emphasizes the importance of these donations. This is a great chance to enhance the living standards of these children but also the families who may be too poor to afford these crucial items.

Activities and Games: With 2 or 3 days in Buon Phum, we plan to arrange many activities for the children especially but we would like to involve as many people as possible. We will play traditional Tết games and arrange performances by the VPV volunteers involved in the project and stories around the fire etc. The most special event will be the making of ‘Bánh Chưng’. It is perhaps the most famous food associated with Tết, It is a rice cake with a square shape to represent the earth. The outer layer wraps in green banana leaves. In the middle is pork meat and mung bean to represent animals and plants on earth. It’s a special tradition and will be lots of fun for everyone involved. This will also be a great opportunity for volunteers and local people to share both experiences of living in such contrasting environments and also local customs that either group of people may find interesting.

Personal Hygiene Guidance: Perhaps the most important aspect of the trip will be a Personal Hygiene guidance for villagers to learn more about improving their cleanliness and personal health. It is so important as we hope to develop simple but crucial life skills that will benefit the children especially in later life. If we can get them to understand the significance of brushing your teeth or the most effective way to keep warm in the cooler mountain weather they will be able to avoid simple but devastating health problems that can arise as they get older. As part of the guidance we would like to offer free toiletries, like toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, toilet paper and other important accessories in hygiene. We need to raise funds in order to create pamphlets that can be distributed amongst locals as well as the amenities mentioned earlier to give out so that we can put the message into practical use for the foreseeable future.

Resources – Available and Required

Available:

• VPV Staff
• Local Volunteers

Needed:

As a non-profit organization it is difficult to arrange a project like this which is unrelated to everyday work and provide sufficient funds from within the organization. The fundraising efforts break down into two main areas:

Donations either in actual physical objects, gifts or items for workshop or funds which can be used by VPV to purchase these items. Donors will be made aware of the use of their contributions.

1. Transportation costs: – there will be around 20 – 30 volunteers taking part in the project. Most are students and will have difficulty in covering transportation costs. The maximum will be 30 and the price per person is estimated around 500,000VND per person. The target transport budget will be 15m VND which will cover the maximum number of volunteers but if we do not reach capacity can be used in the same way as funds donated towards the gift giving or workshop.
2. Ways of donation: directly at VPV office (88/1B Đào Duy Anh, ward 9, Phu Nhuan district, HCMC) from Monday to Saturday (7:00 am – 9:00 pm) (for local volunteers)
3. Through Western Union Service / Transfer from Visa card / Pay pal /….. (for international volunteers)

Information of person in charge of fund raising and received your support:

Name: Don Hong Minh

Phone number: +84(915 767 897)

Email: saigon@vpv.vn

ID card number: 111583231

ID card day of issue: Jan 10^th 2011

Bank Account: 102 2526 9503 017

SWIFT: VTCB VN VX       

Any amount of donation will be highly appreciated (5usd, 10usd,…)

VPV is a trustable organization I volunteered for in 2010. I donated money for this project two years ago and wrote in a blog post about this annual initiative of bringing food to children in the Highlands of Vietnam for Tet. If you feel like making someone happy, it is a good cause. These children live in real poverty, and your presents will brighten their lives!

Volunteering puts crisis in perspective (Ireland vs. Nicaragua) February 5, 2011

Read full article at http://laesperanzagranada.blogspot.com/

The organisation sponsors 90 children through secondary school and a further 11 ‘ayudantes’ (or helpers), who work full-time for La Esperanza for US$80 (about €60) per month in return for being sponsored through University at weekends.
My job involved making videos of the volunteers at work, organising the weekly volunteer meetings, and bringing computers out to the schools where the joy of the youngsters was overwhelming.
Early on, I learned the value of acceptance and patience when an attempted Skype link-up with an American school failed. The children, so full of expectation earlier, just shrugged their shoulders and got on with things. In the Third World, things we take for granted here in Ireland don’t always work out.
For six weeks, at the same time every week, we tried to get the connection going until, almost magically, it all worked out and, finally, the little seven and eight year olds got a chance to share their experiences and life stories with youngsters in St. Louis. They took such joy out of sharing their names, favourite colours, food, or animals with the children in America.
I would have given up, but one of the more experienced volunteers taught me the importance of quiet determination. Week after week, she tried to get the connection up and running. The joy on the faces of the children was infectious when we finally got it going. It made the long wait worthwhile.
Some of the classes contained up to 60 children and most of our volunteers were assigned to work with four or five children who were identified as needing a little extra help each day. It was remarkable to watch how the bonds grew between the youngsters and the volunteers, who were mainly from Europe and North America.
In Nicaraguan schools, there is very little competition between the students. The brightest two or three answer for everyone and it does not take long for the weaker pupils to be left behind. Volunteers are required to have intermediate Spanish and to give a two month commitment to working with La Esperanza.
The volunteers gave the children, many from large or single parent families, the personal attention they craved and the parents provided unbelievable welcome when we visited their houses for afternoon homework clubs. They might have had very little, but they were generous to a fault at times.
For the children, the ‘ayudantes’ were wonderful role models. They work in their local primary schools every day, liaising with the teachers, assisting the foreign volunteers and, most importantly of all, showing the children that there is no limit to what they may achieve.
They brought home the true value of education, something I had always taken for granted, to me. To see how these 20-year olds only wanted to become teachers, to help the children in their own deprived neighbourhoods, and also to see the light of recognition in the children’s eyes when they learned something new.
I could not get over how much fun there was in the La Esperanza office and how much hope these impoverished youngsters had for the future. Hardly any children from their communities had ever attended University before. Their optimism seemed to be in marked contrast to the despair back in Ireland whenever I checked the news from home during the IMF ‘bailout’ in November. That even made headlines in Central America!
It was humbling to note how much pleasure the staff took from a simple meal out in Tip-Top, the Nicaraguan equivalent of Supermac’s, in my last week. For these young people, eating out is a rare luxury they might get to enjoy just once a year.
Living in the city for three months was a great way of improving my Spanish, as I was even able to take private lessons for US $3 per hour.
It was also a great way of making friends with people from all over the world, including Germany, Spain, France, the USA, and the UK. There always seemed to be a party on in one of the four volunteer houses and there was an incredible range of ages among my colleagues, from fresh-faced 18-year olds starting out in life to retired teachers in their 60s who brought huge expertise to the schools.
We socialised together on La Calzada, the city’s beautiful pedestrianised street, and organised trips away at weekends. In late November, there were a lot of emotional farewells at the end of the Nicaraguan school year.
Living in Nicaragua taught me that there is great joy in helping others and that the poorest people on the planet deserve to have some hope. The locals reminded me of the importance of community and friendship, the extended family, taking my time, and how to have fun with very little. Lessons to be treasured in these troubled times.

Nicaragua Volunteer Work October 8, 2010

Economically ruined by a civil war, which went on for several decades, Nicaragua is presently one of the poorest countries of Latin America.

Because of limited employment opportunities and inadequate infrastructure such as roads, water, and electricity, the incomes and productivity of poor rural people remain at low levels. Poverty is largely a rural problem in Nicaragua, although there are pockets of poverty in the capital of Managua and in other urban areas. You will have an opportunity to do education work in the villages near Granada. You can also try yourself as a hiking guide for an organization whose profits go to charity.

Teaching English

You will need at least basic knowledge of Spanish to teach English to grades 3-6.   Minimum commitment is one month if your knowledge of Spanish is advanced or you have teaching experience, or two months if your knowledge of Spanish is basic.

Primary School Tutor

As a tutor, you will help teach reading, writing, and arithmetic to grades 1-2. Minimum commitment is one month if your knowledge of Spanish is advanced or you have teaching experience, or two months if your knowledge of Spanish is basic.

Kindergarten Assistant

You will help teach pre-school children. You will also be able to help with arts and crafts or provide sports instruction. No teaching experience is necessary, just an honest desire to help out in this impoverished country.  A two-month commitment is usually required, but you can volunteer just one month if you have exceptional Spanish language skills.

For above mentioned roles to volunteer please write to paulineinnica@yahoo.com or go to http://www.la-esperanza-granada.org/

Hiking guide

Located in Leon, this opportunity is very unique because you will serve an organization whose profits go directly to educational projects for street kids and orphans. You will have an opportunity to visit those projects as well. You main responsibility will be to take tourists on a hike and make meals for them. You will have to be in good physical health, have basic knowledge of Spanish, and first aid. One month is minimum, but two months are preferred, as you will have to go on several hikes as part of your training before leading a hike yourself. To volunteer as a hiking guide please write to Conor at leon@quetzaltrekkers.com or go to http://quetzaltrekkers.com/

Guatemala Volunteer Project (Part Two) September 21, 2010

I visited Safe Passage (Camino Seguro) in May 2010. It is a non-profit organization working in Guatemala City to bring hope, education, and opportunity to the children and families living in extreme poverty around the City’s garbage dump. “Our program includes approximately 550 children, ranging in age from 1 to 21 years, coming from nearly 300 families in the surrounding neighborhoods”.

Hanley Denning, originally from Boston, went to Guatemala in August of 1997 to learn Spanish. “Upon arriving in Guatemala, Hanley began volunteering with children and adults living in small towns near Antigua, Guatemala. One year extended into two and just as Hanley was preparing to return to the United States in 1999, a good friend named Regina Palacios urged her, as a favor, to accompany her on a visit to the slums adjacent to the Guatemala City garbage dump. That visit changed Hanley’s life – and the lives of thousands in Guatemala and around the world.

Ever since graduating from Bowdoin College in 1992, Hanley had worked tirelessly on behalf of at-risk children. The reality facing children at the Guatemala City garbage dump was unlike anything she had ever seen. She knew she had to do something.

The very same week Hanley visited the dump, she sold her computer and her car and, using some money she had in savings, opened the doors of Safe Passage by enrolling 40 of Guatemala’s poorest children in school. These children couldn’t afford the books, school supplies, and enrollment fees required by the public school. This initial group received tutoring, a healthy snack, and the care and attention they so desperately needed. Another 70 children participated in a drop-in program when they weren’t working in the dump.

Over the next eight years, Hanley’s original program grew. The educational reinforcement program found a new home in a safe and beautiful building further removed from the garbage dump, and an early childhood center and adult literacy program were established, thanks to the commitment and ambition of staff, community members, volunteers, and international supporters. On January 18, 2007, Hanley was killed in a tragic automobile accident in Guatemala. However, through her many admirers and dedicated Safe Passage staff and volunteers, her vision continues today, stronger than ever”.

Hanley’s story reminds us of the power of one person’s vision to make a difference. The children in Safe Passage’s care remind us that there is much to hope for.

Safe Passage is currently accepting applications for the Volunteer Program Coordinator and Adult Literacy and Empowerment Coordinator positions in Guatemala. Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply at http://safepassage.org/volunteer. You can also visit the Program when you are in Guatemala.

Join thousands of Safe Passage supporters for an international series of races for friendship, hope, and solidarity.

       Registration details for the Boston Esperanza 5K are below:

The Boston Friends of Safe Passage aim to “Race and Raise” $15,000, providing 30 scholarships for Safe Passage students to continue and complete their high school education. “Meet” one of these students by clicking here.

When: Saturday, September 25th
            8:15 AM Timed Race
            8:30 AM Fun Run and Walk

Where: Fresh Pond in Cambridge, MA (map)

Cost:
$10 for 18 & Under
$20 for all others
Registrants will receive an Esperanza 5K T-shirt (while supplies last).

Register online or Donate online 
Even if you’re out of town or over-booked on 9/25: You can still join the global Safe Passage community by running in the first-ever VIRTUAL 5K! Learn more here or register.

Two Weeks in Central America May 28, 2010

I had to go to Central America and visit potential projects I want to promote on www.ChebVolunteer.org. I planned to arrive in Guatemala and leave out of Costa Rica. On Tuesday, May 13 I was picked up at the Guatemala City airport and got a ride to my home stay in Antigua. In the next five days I visited four projects in or near Guatemala City and met people who do organic farming, build houses for poor indigenous people, teach kids from low-income families, orphans and many other volunteering activities.

Next country to visit was Honduras. After 6 hour bus ride I made it to a tiny town close to Guatemala border – Copan Ruins. The following day I visited two programs and learned how they help locals to be healthy, educated and employed. I didn’t feel safe while traveling alone. On the bus to Nicaragua I watched Taken and that made me feel uneasy about being a woman traveler with no knowledge of Spanish. Nicaragua and Honduras are number 2 and 3 poorest countries in the Americas only after Haiti. I truly believed that nothing bad can happen to me since I’m on a mission to help the locals and promote volunteering. I was too gullible and didn’t exercise vigilance.  In Managua I was kidnapped and robbed in a taxi. I was happy to be alive and have my passport but lost my computer, cash and other valuables. As I learned later half the country lives below poverty level and on less than 2 dollars a day. When they see a foreigner all they think is money and filthy rich. The robbers had no idea that the computer they stole from me was the most expensive thing I own, as I don’t own a car or real estate or even a TV. I told the robbers, one of whom was a woman, that I’m a volunteer who came to help their country, they seemed not to care. I know for sure that their deeds will haunt them and one day the robbers will get caught because of everything they’ve done to people who only wanted to help improve their lives and their future.

After I recovered emotionally from what happened, I visited several more organizations both in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. I met more volunteers and heard their stories: saving turtles, launching micro-finance programs, educating those who want to be educated.

I decided to continue what I’m doing no matter how much I went through or how much I lost as I still believe that there are people who need and appreciate our help in spite of the fact that there are others who do not care about volunteering and loose their humanity.