All photos by Atma

The team is in the middle of a strategy meeting when I reach Atma’s suburban Mumbai office. I spend the time looking at photos on the wall – kids smiling into the camera alongside volunteers from across the world. From the open window, I hear trains pulling in and out of Khar railway station.

Not long after, I’m met by Mary Ellen Matsui, Atma’s resource manager. A Canadian national she first joined Atma as a volunteer. Now as a part of the team, she helps other volunteers ease into their roles and handles the organization’s fund-raising division.

The Beginning

Atma (Sanskrit for ‘soul’) was set-up in Mumbai in 2007 by Lee Bolding and Adrienne Van Dok.

The two had first arrived in the country as volunteers themselves. During that year they realized that while there were a number of organizations doing inspirational work, many of them suffered from the same set of organizational hurdles. These, in turn, kept them from successfully (or smoothly) achieving its goals. Atma was formed to help organizations deal with such challenges.

While each NGO had a strong social vision in place, Atma helped strengthen it through workshops and programs addressing important functional issues like financial planning, charity accounting, effective fund raising strategies, and so on.

Partner NGOs and Volunteers

The pictures on the wall tell a part of the story, but I ask Mary Ellen to elaborate on the work Atma takes on with partner NGOs, and the role of volunteers with the organization.

Here’s how she puts it –

“Think of the NGO as the driver, driving to a particular destination (the goal). Atma is the navigator on that journey, and our volunteers are the road crew.”

ATMA partners with organizations involved in educational development projects that cater to disadvantaged children and young adults (these include programs for children with disabilities, night schools, mobile creches, and schools set up in slum areas).

These partnerships are time bound. Atma helps address the structural weaknesses and provides NGOs with the tools to handle them. These tools are provided through workshops and intensive training sessions, as well as consultancy and volunteer services. The ultimate goal is self-sufficiency.

“We have a standing joke that our actual vision is to put ourselves out of a job!” Mary Ellen tells me.

Volunteers interested in working with Atma and their partners go through an intensive selection process.

They are first required to send in their CVs and a motivation letter (see here). They are also required to make a three month commitment to the project.

Potential volunteers are also counseled on ground conditions. Mumbai isn’t the easiest city to live in, and they are made aware of this beforehand. When the volunteers arrive in the city, Atma helps them acclimatize to the local culture through an induction program. It also introduces volunteers to their specific projects and NGOs; each project is designed to utilize the individual volunteer’s core strength and talent in solving specific problems faced by the NGO.

You can read more about volunteer experiences here.

To Pitch In

If you’re interested in volunteering opportunities at Atma, check out their website for more details. You can also make a donation (here) or follow the organization on facebook.

Community Connection

For more information on volunteering opportunities in India, read Shreya Sanghani’s How to Find a Volunteer Opportunity in India.

BBC TV presenter Kate Humble came up with the idea for Stuff Your Rucksack while stuck in a small Saharan village, where she had been invited to make an appearance at a local school.

The kids asked her how many hours it would take to travel by camel to England. Wondering out loud how camels might cross the sea and whether they were allowed on ferries, a little arm went up: “What’s the sea?”

The teacher asked Kate if she had a world map. Humble was humbled. If you grow-up in a land-locked country with no access to maps, books or the Internet, how do you learn about the ocean?

If only she’d known the school needed a map, she could easily have stuffed one in her rucksack and opened up the world to a bunch of kids. Thus, Stuff Your Rucksack was born.

The idea is simple.

Small charities (or travelers who know about them) use Stuff Your Rucksack’s website to post wish lists of things they need. You check the site to see if an organization at your destination has wishlisted any items, pack a few bits and pieces for them, and then drop off the items in person.

The website encourages travelers to provide feedback on the organizations they visit and to keep their eyes peeled for more organizations that need support.

“The beauty of it is that it gives equal value both ways,” says Humble. “The community benefits from something they actually really need and you get a local experience that you just can’t buy or get out of a guidebook”.

Marybeth Gallagher from an after school program in Namibia says, “The children have benefited greatly from this website. I cannot begin to tell you how much loot people have hauled from all parts of the globe to donate to our kids. They have also come to visit and to spread the word about our work. It’s a brilliant idea!”

The site is currently getting a revamp and is due for a re-launch in May. The hope is that it will become a vast crowd-sourced message board among travelers that extends to include more information about volunteer work.

Aware that many big projects need volunteers to commit to six months or more, Stuff Your Rucksack wants to hear from smaller organizations that would appreciate even just a few hours of help as travelers are passing through town.

To get an idea of the kinds of items travelers are stuffing in their rucksacks, here are some recent posts:

A doctor in Chiang Rai in Thailand needs Ibuprofen
A charity that helps street kids in Guatemala needs more sleeping bags
A school for deaf students in Kenya wants toys
An animal hospital in Sri Lanka needs dog collars
A school in Cambodia needs English teachers (minimum 1 week)
A hospital in Malawi wants cell phones
A school in Cuba would love some musical instruments
A university in Macedonia is desperate for copies of The Economist
A school in China needs balloons
An organization in South Africa wants your bra

And if you’re traveling across the Sahara, there’s a school out there in need of a map….

Visit Stuff Your Rucksack for more information and join them on Facebook.

Community Connection:

Matador has lots of resources for backpackers; just check out our Backpack Travel Focus Page!

Photo: Francisco Collazo

Global Fund For Women (GFW) is a non-profit grant making foundation that supports women’s groups around the globe. GFW believes the world will be a more just, peaceful, and sustainable place when women are given the opportunity to claim their rights as equal participants in the private as well as the public sphere.

GFW works towards providing economic security, ending violence against women, encouraging education, safeguarding health, and fostering leadership.

Founded in 1987 by Anne Firth Murray, Frances Kissling, and Laura Lederer, GFW started as an initiative which recognized the lack of resources for women – something that would be instrumental in empowering women the world over.

23 years later, Kavita N. Ramdas, President and CEO of the Global Fund For Women, and her team continue to support organizations in 170 countries, including China, Serbia, South Africa, India, Fiji, and Nigaragua.

The organization has an active Twitter account, posting updates about their outreach programs and grantee foundations. GFW encourages volunteers to raise funds in a variety of ways. For instance, you could host a party and talk about GFW’s work and how they help bring about positive social change.

Global Fund for Women offers grants to organizations based outside the U.S. It does not grant money to individuals or to organizations which do not have any women at or near the helm. Organizations approaching GFW need to be managed by women and for women. GFW is not supported by any national or international governments, but by individual donors.

Visit their donor page for more information.

You can also watch a PBS video of Kavita Ramdas talking about Global Fund For Women.

Community Connection:

Looking for other ways to fund your NGO or non-profit? Read How to Fund Your Start-up Org for more ideas!

Photo by The U.S. Army

There is a saying about how well-behaved women seldom make history.

Though women don’t have to be criminals to make the news, many would probably agree they do have to do extraordinarily outstanding things to receive the attention and kudos they deserve.

For example, we usually think about men when it comes to playing sports like football, baseball, soccer, and hockey.

Still, we’re starting to hear more about women making sports history: Mia Hamm in soccer, the Williams sisters in tennis, and, more recently, American mogul skier Hannah Kearney.

But even if women aren’t winning gold medals or climbing the world’s highest mountains, that doesn’t make them any less worthy of the attention and support they deserve for taking a risk and trying something new.

With that in mind, Vanessa Pierce and Lynsey Dyer co-founded SheJumps, a non-profit organization that supports women who want to take the “jump” and do something courageous. This may mean putting on a pair of skis for the first time or working up the courage to travel solo.

The jump may be different for each girl or woman, but SheJumps feels that every one of them deserves the support she needs to follow through on her goals while feeling part of a larger movement of women that are achieving great things in ordinary ways.

In a culture where cut-throat competition dominates, it was important to the founders of SheJumps simply to empower.

Explains Dyer:

“We really felt like we needed to create a community where not only were women supported but where women could come together to show that they were part of a whole. We also wanted to acknowledge what women were doing that was so incredible on a daily basis.”

The organization is 100% volunteer based and still relatively new, but it’s already got an active Twitter account, which it’s using to highlight stories about women in the 2010 Olympics, such as the participation of Marjan Kahlor, Iran’s first female Winter Olympian.

Photo by iwona_kellie

SheJumps’ website is fairly dominated with sporting news, but don’t be mistaken about its purpose. Dyer says that while athletics is one area where women are empowered to try something new and personally gratifying, it is certainly not the only kind of jump that the organization supports.

“Our vision is to represent anything that involves taking a risk. That may be a physical risk or on a philosophical basis. We want women to take a risk to better themselves, whether that’s getting out of a bad relationship or following your passion. We want to represent things that society doesn’t necessarily applaud,” Dyer says.

The organization has many initiatives. It hopes to organize programs that encourage women to get outdoors and try new sports, collect gear and lend it to women interested in pursuing outdoor adventure. It also intends to develop awareness about women’s athletics, promote and encourage responsible outdoor education, and offer an online forum for women interested in taking part in outdoor activities.

In addition to all that, though, SheJumps is collecting stories and working to build a community of women who can support each other whatever their goals and dreams may be. Thinking about selling everything you own to take a road trip to who-knows-where? SheJumps hopes the organization’s community will be able to give up a couch for you to sleep on wherever you might stop. Interested in taking up snowboarding? Somewhere in the SheJumps community could be a woman who wants to help you learn.

SheJumps is also building a collection of resources for women who hope to become more active outdoors. Among the highlights are a page showcasing “jumpers” (inspiring women who serve as role models to other women) and a list of events for aspiring or active women athletes.

For those ready to take the jump, SheJumps offers a grant program that matches women with the gear they need to get started in exchange for three blog posts about their experience.

Community Connection:

Women who have taken their own jump are encouraged to share their stories by emailing Dyer at lynsey (at) shejumps (dot) com. The organization is also looking for sponsorships and is interested in getting in contact with women who would like to help the organization grow.

Imagine waking up everyday only to be brutally beaten and raped.

For most of us that idea is a nightmare, but that was reality for a young Somaly Mam. Growing up in extreme poverty in a village in Cambodia then sold into sexual slavery at the age of 12, she saw her friends murdered and very young girls abused. After several years, Mam was lucky enough to escape. Her tenacious spirit and undying will led her to commit the rest of her life towards rescuing and rehabilitating other survivors.

Several years later on the other side of the world, Jared Greenberg and Nicholas Lummp were two college roommates fed up with the lack of action about an illegal industry that was only less profitable than narcotics and weapons. Greenberg and Lummp decided to raise $1 million towards this cause, but had no idea how they were going to do it. They went to the one place that information about virtually anything can be found – the media – and found out about Somaly Mam.   Somehow the email from Greenberg and Lummp was not only read by Mam, but answered by her as well, and within days they were on a plane traveling to Cambodia.

In Cambodia, Greenberg and Lummp met with Mam, toured the shelters she had created, and met some of the survivors. Inspired by a woman Greenberg calls an “incredible leader”, “passionate”, and “positive”, and with Somaly Mam’s vision of creating an organization in the U.S., the Somaly Mam Foundation was born.

By the fall of 2007, the Somaly Mam Foundation was having a launch at the U.N. What started as two college kids and a human trafficking survivor was turning into a non-profit that was really going to make a difference. People and organizations began to back the foundation, and it became obvious that this whole thing was getting too big for Greenberg, Lummp, and Mam to handle alone.

Enter the current executive director, William Livermore, in Spring 2008. Formerly of Lexus Nexus with a specific interest in building legal systems in developing countries, Livermore brought in a corporate skills set that would take the foundation to the next level.

Programs

When Livermore became involved, his priority was to develop a purpose and focus, which became counseling and empowering survivors to get the skills needed for reintegration into society once they have been rescued from slavery. The Somaly Mam Foundation does this through rescue and recovery, education, and reintegration programs.

The rescue and recovery program gets women and young children out of sexual slavery and into one of AFESIP’s (the organization Mam founded in Cambodia before the Somaly Mam Foundation) safe houses, which provide food, shelter, and medical care. The Somaly Mam Foundation (SMF) then focuses on educating the women. Livermore believes that creating an educated community with sustainable employment will make a significant dent in the human trafficking industry.

Lastly is reintegration. Previously, SMF has previously taught the women skills such as sewing and hair styling, but Livermore has realized that for the long-term success of the organization, there needs to be a compromise between Western market needs and more traditional employment. The SMF is currently planning to launch a micro-financing program in early 2010 that will provide survivors with money to start their lives over and encourage financial independence.

The Somaly Mam Foundation also believes in the importance of creating hundreds, if not thousands, of role models for survivors to look up to through the Voices for Change Initiative. The Voices for Change Initiative empowers survivors who have gone through the recovery, education, and reintegration process to counsel newly rescued victims and be a stand for others’ recovery.

Getting Involved

Greenberg and Livermore agree that spreading awareness about the human trafficking industry is the biggest way for people to get involved. For obvious reasons and current restrictions, it is not possible for volunteers to travel to Cambodia and interact with survivors, so both Follow Somaly Mam on Twitter @SomalyMam or the foundation on Facebook.

Sign up at Somaly.org to get ideas for letters/emails to send to your friends, newspaper, and legislature. If you’re a blogger, write about it. Hold your own fundraising event.

SMF recently partnered with the Body Shop and a portion of the sales of every Soft Hands, Kind Heart Hand Cream will benefit the fight against human trafficking. Mam has also written a book about her experiences called The Road of Lost Innocence.

But don’t think that human trafficking only happens “somewhere in Asia” – it happens right under our noses. There have been cases of human trafficking reported in all 50 states in America, and despite the fact that having sex with a minor is illegal is every state, there are still a few that don’t have human trafficking laws.

To get involved with organizations fighting human trafficking within the United States, check out the Polaris Project or Children of the Night.

Community Connection:

Learn more about human trafficking in 10 Shocking Facts About Global Slavery in 2008, or about the sex tourism industry in Asia in The Shameful Truth About Sex Tourism.

Photos courtesy of author

We were a Be the Cause volunteer group visiting Casa de Paz, an orphanage just outside of Ensenada, Mexico. During the impromptu welcome tour, the director, Jonatán Lopez Sánchez, had quietly noticed young Jesus drinking from a plastic soda bottle. Later, he let us in on the significance of the moment:

“About two weeks ago I gave Jesus a soda after I returned from the market.“ Jonatán explained how he had forgotten about giving the soda-present until this particular afternoon. Tears building in his (and our) eyes while continuing, “Little things like this show me how much these children value and care for their home here. This is one of the reasons why my wife and I have been at Casa de Paz for the past eight years.”

Jonatán previously worked with a bank and owned his house in Veracruz. But he and his wife were not satisfied with this lifestyle, and felt a calling to give more. They decided to take a two year hiatus at Casa de Paz in Ensenada. It is apparent that this hiatus has turned into a lifelong project for the couple.

After this group-tear session, meeting other employees, and spending time with children, we had found another family, just as we had with the Door of Faith Orphanage (DOFO). At DOFO we had seen an amazingly organized operation that contested the dreary picture normally associated with an orphanage. But while Casa de Paz is well constructed and planned, it’s not the polished environment achieved by the Door of Faith Orphanage.

What it lacks in polish, however, it makes up with its structure, vision, and character:

Structure

Casa de Paz houses 48 children between the ages of four and 18. Like other orphanages, Casa de Paz has a casa de niños (boys’ house) and a casa de niñas (girls’ house). But there is also a casa verde (green house) housing special needs children. They require 24-hour care and attention, provided by a rotating staff, including a psychiatrist.

When the special needs children arrived at Casa de Paz, they were not accustomed to sleeping on beds or eating on tables. They promptly destroyed all the beds in the house and tore apart the living room tables. Over time, and with love and care, Casa de Paz was able to show the children a better way to live. Not only do they sleep on their beds now, but the orphanage focuses on giving them contact with the other children. They all eat dinner together. They spend free time on the playground with each other. They are being taught they are not different.

Vision

Self-Sufficiency:
Currently, Casa de Paz operates via private donations. The Mexican government also provided a greenhouse built next to existing farmland. The orphanage now grows onions, citric fruit, spinach, pumpkin, watermelon and more. It’s also beginning to raise goats. Casa de Paz ultimately plans to sell the extra fruit, vegetables, and goats to become completely self-sufficient. They will also be teaching their children how to manage and operate the farmlands.

An Infants’ Home:
A newly-built home is ready to accept infants, but funds for operation are lacking. Due to the constant care needed for this age group, Jonatán has estimated it will cost the orphanage $300-$400 dollars a month to hire an adequate staff.

Jonatán explained the need for urgency. In Mexico, many orphaned infants are kept in shelters managed by “D.I.F.” (Mexico’s National System of Family Development). He had the chance to visit one of these establishments and painted a picture of 35 babies incessantly crying in a small room with minimal supervision. Casa de Paz pushed to finish the building; now, they seek funding to make this care a reality.

Plans for Kids’ Futures:
Jonatán was asked about the rule requiring that kids 18 years old and over need to be enrolled in school to stay at orphanages. His answer revealed the Casa de Paz spirit:

“After they turn 18, we would like them to attend more school. If the child does not want to attend more school, but lets us know their productive plan for the future, they are more than welcome to stay with us.”

Character

Jonatán and his wife Marisol sit on an outside bench contentedly watching the kids play on the basketball court and run on the mini track. Oscar, the chef and father figure for the boys’ home, concocts one of the spiciest, tasty hot sauces of the Americas while his larger than life presence fills a room with his kindness.

Maria and Laura, two children at Casa de Paz, poke fun at a visiting gringo who speaks Spanish with a strange Uruguayan accent. The children’s bus is about to leave for Sunday morning Mass on the other side of town. Eddy, one of the oldest children at Casa de Paz, jumps out of the bus and gives one of the volunteers a warm hug, saying, “See you when you come back.”

For More Information:

If you would like to organize a visit, Casa de Paz can be contacted at jona_losa@hotmail.com or via telephone (646) 155-21-66.

Donations can be sent directly to their U.S.A. address:

P.O. Box 4113, Chula Vista, CA 91909

Community Connection:

Plan on documenting the lives of kids during your travels? Check out these tips for approaching children appropriately from Lola Akinmade’s “How to Photograph Children During Your Travels.”

All photos by David Ranc

But the actions of a few can change the world. Two people who firmly believe in the power of “just doing it” are 25 year old Sebastian Lindstrom and 29 year old Evan Fowler, who teamed up to create the What Took You So Long Foundation.

The movement aims to help grassroots NGOs by giving them publicity and access to a global network of unskilled and skilled volunteers. The WTYSL Foundation also wants to inspire young people by example, beginning with a 14,200 kilometre trip from Marrakesh to Johannesburg, which kicked off yesterday.

In the spirit of true international cooperation, Lindstrom and Fowler are traveling with five young colleagues, all 25 or under, from Japan, the USA, and Hong Kong. They will be using public transport and visiting 20 small NGOs en route.

An experienced documentary film maker, Fowler has his own media company and will be filming the journey. There will be updates on the website, blog, and Twitter as well as the team’s photos and journals, where the group will document the efforts of people who make a huge difference in the lives of locals but who are unknown outside their own small circles.

“I met an amazing Dutch guy… when I took a group of Hong Kong students to Ghana recently,” says Fowler. “He is virtually a one-man band, living and working in a tribal community on the border with Burkina Faso. He has set up a small charity to help kids who’ve been abandoned because their parents died of HIV/AIDS. I asked him if he had applied for any funding and he told me the paperwork would take up too much time which could be spent with the people he needs to help. And they probably wouldn’t give him funding anyway. It’s people like Eric that we want to tell the international community about.”

Lindstrom, a former Swedish Special Forces soldier, has already set up one NGO, the Light for Children in Ghana, which he founded in 2005 after a three-month stint as a volunteer in the country. Light for Children recruits young volunteers from all over the world to help disadvantaged children in Ghana’s Ashanti region.

One such volunteer is young British lawyer Rhianydd Griffith who ended up getting in touch with Lindstrom and helping in an Ashanti orphanage after Googling “volunteer Ghana.” At 24, she was older than some of the other students, but the experience changed her life. “A lot of young people lack confidence,” she says. “But doing something like this shows you that you really can make a difference.” Volunteering has had a big impact on Griffith, who now works for a corporate social responsibility law firm in London. “I’d tell anyone thinking about taking a gap year to combine travel and volunteering,” she adds.

Lindstrom and Fowler met while studying at Hong Kong University. They hit it off immediately, discovering a mutual interest in environmental and social issues. They both wanted to mobilise Hong Kong students and show them what could be achieved by a group of motivated and determined individuals.

Inspired by actor Ewan McGregor, Lindstrom and Fowler first discussed a motorbike trip through Africa to help small NGOs but decided against the plan. “It wasn’t very environmentally sound,” says Lindstrom. Fowler agrees. “And we wanted to interact with the locals, to live with them and learn their stories. That’s easier to do using public transport than on motorbikes. And it’s cheaper.”

The 10 week trip is the first one for the WTYSL Foundation, but both men hope it is the start of things to come. “We want to encourage other young people to do this,” says Fowler. “To show them an alternative way of traveling. And if a group wants to do something similar in India or South America we are there to give advice and help.”

“We are going to share positive, hopeful stories,” adds Lindstrom. “We are not going to dwell on the stereotyped clichés of misery and hopelessness, because Africa isn’t like that. It’s full of positive, enthusiastic individuals who are striving to achieve their hopes and dreams. We can learn from them as much as they can from us.”

Lawyer and volunteer Griffith has the last word. “Sebastian is totally inspirational. He taught me you’re never too young; you just need to be brave. And I’ve learned that what you do and what your team does, even on a small scale, really can change the world.”

To follow WTYSL’s journey, visit the organization’s website.

Community Connection:

WTYSL isn’t the only group currently journeying across Africa to collect hopeful, positive stories. Read about sisters Chioma and Oluchi Ogwuegbu and their “Celebrate Africa” trip.

Photos courtesy of Journeys Within Our Communities

See a problem – solve a problem. It’s a good mantra to live by, and if you can travel with that mindset, even better.

Andrea and Brandon Ross certainly have taken that issue to heart, doing a world of good in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar. The couple runs Journeys Within Tour Company and Journeys Within B&B. Wanting to give back to the Cambodian community in which they were working, they initially started small, collecting donations from guests. The projects grew and, luckily, so did the support. They were able to incorporate Journeys Within Our Community and received their 501(c)3 tax-exempt status in 2005.

“JWOC seeks to create and support projects that reduce poverty levels and increase educational and economic opportunities throughout Southeast Asia,” explains Andrea Ross, JWOC Founder and Executive Director. “Our projects provide training and assistance in the areas of health, education and economic development. As we see new problems develop, we focus resources and attention to solve those problems.”

JWOC’s programs range from a scholarship program in which 70 students from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are currently attending university, plus donating volunteer hours back to their communities. They run three free schools in Cambodia and Laos that are open six days a week and there are more than 300 wells providing clean water to villagers in the Siem Reap area. Microloans have also been given out to more than 200 local people living below the poverty line.

“By working at the local level and focusing on basic needs such as clean water, education, health, emergency relief and other community based issues, JWOC helps to develop projects that start small, but with outside support, gain momentum and change lives,” says Andrea.

Hurricane Nargis hit Myanmar hard in 2007. JWOC quickly went to work, and the organization was able to get into the country to aid stranded villages, often when bigger aid organizations were still struggling for permission. Past guests and donors were a huge part of this effort, and the organization eventually raised more than $30,000 in emergency relief.

“Our managing director was soon on his way to a small village that had been devastated with much needed supplies of rice and oil. We were able to continue supporting this community until major relief supplies started arriving,” says Andrea. “At the same time he visited Mingalar Parahita Orphanage on the outskirts of Yangon. It had been severely damaged and had experienced an influx of children orphaned by the storm. …[W]e were able to provide food and oil until their traditional supplies were re-established many months later.”

If any blessing came out of this tragedy, it was that JWOC continued working with this orphanage, and they are currently sponsoring 16 students at university.

It’s easy to get involved with JWOC, and the organization offers a unique way of seeing your donation at work.

“We believe strongly in active philanthropy. This is the idea of giving to a project before a trip so you can then see the results of your donation during your travels,” explains Andrea. “We have guests donate water wells and then visit the community benefiting from clean water; we have guests donate to our language schools and they then get to participate in a class and meet the students. I think this idea of being a part of the community and integrating giving back in any tour is a really fantastic way to make a tour… much more meaningful.”

If you’d like to do some hands on work, JWOC accepts volunteers on a case by case basis. Volunteers must pay their own way, and need to be self-starters and able to work independently on projects assigned by their directors. Duties may include teaching an English class, working on hygiene projects, or helping with the microloan program.

Judy and Gerry Laird from Fair Oaks, California read about Journeys Within Tour Company in their local paper and knew immediately this was an area of the world where they wanted to visit and volunteer. Among other activities, they helped out in JWOC’s school for younger children, as well as spent a day in four different classes at their school in Laos. The couple was thrilled with their experience.

“We were fortunate to participate in a JWOC finance class for young people where they collected loan payments from small local vendors,” Judy says. “ We rode in a tuk-tuk behind four teens on motor scooters! This was an inside look at the hard working local vendors and the well-trained young people.”

Judy has lots of encouragement for potential volunteers.

“Do it! Brandon and Andrea will find a project for travelers of all ages, experiences, and abilities. They are involved in many activities for the community and will find a match for everyone,” she says. “Volunteering for JWOC gave us a small opportunity to be of service to the world. We are better people and travelers because of this thrilling experience!”

Final thoughts from Andrea?

“Ultimately we want to empower the community to help itself and to educate a new generation with the idea of community action. We like to see how travel can have a positive impact on communities and that development, if done right, can be a good thing.”

All photos courtesy of Peace Action West.

There are a lot of words Westerners associate with Iran, but citizen diplomacy is probably not among them. Your typical news report on anything dealing with Iran might mention nuclear ambitions, sanctions, or Ahmadinejad’s latest display of rhetoric.

But these phrases have little connection to the experiences of Rebecca Griffin, who recently returned from Iran, where she carried messages of peace from American citizens. Griffin is political director of Peace Action West, and I sat down with her to hear about her experiences first hand.

Griffin with an Iranian woman who asked, “Weren’t you scared to come here because of the media?”

In a climate where 35% of Americans named Iran as the number one threat to America, citizen diplomacy might be far from many people’s minds. Rebecca Griffin thinks that just means pundits and fear-mongering media are doing their job well. She believes that is even more reason to engage in diplomacy.

Griffin’s organization, Peace Action West, recently launched a campaign called Citizen Diplomat, which put out an appeal:

“Politicians and pundits in both the United States and Iran build support for an approach to the world based on force and aggression by dehumanizing the ‘enemy’ and exploiting people’s worst fears. But regular people like you and me can take their power away by putting a human face on the US and Iran and showing that ordinary people in both countries support each other and want to build a strong, respectful and peaceful relationship. By demonstrating that Americans and Iranians are more alike than we are different. Share your personal hopes for peace with Iran in a recorded message, and I will make sure Iranians see them. It is much harder to advocate for sanctions when you know a child who will go hungry, or bombings when you know families who could be killed. Thank you for sharing your positive hopes and vision for friendship with Iran.”

That appeal went viral online and Americans from all parts of the country sent in written statements and recorded audio and video of themselves addressing Iranians with messages of peace and good will.

”The responses were very positive and encouraging on all sides,” Griffin said.

Griffin gave CDs of the various messages to people and groups she met in Iran. She found Iranians she met to be very welcoming. For some, she was the first American they had ever met in person.

Griffin interviews Ashkan using a Flip camera.

Griffin said she was motivated because “there is a new window of opportunity” and a new mood in the country. Add to that new media technologies that make it easier to communicate globally.

Her goals were to show Iranians that the average American wants peace, to show both Americans and Iranians another side of each other, and to mobilize citizens to pressure politicians to back away from confrontation and engage in diplomacy.

While in Iran, Rebecca met with American Studies students at Tehran University and with members of a group called Miles for Peace, a group of Iranian citizens who bicycled through Europe carrying their own brand of citizen diplomacy.

Griffin with members of Miles for Peace

They traveled for 70 days through 18 cities and met with European mayors and citizens. Griffin noted that both she and members of Miles For Peace found it uplifting that ordinary citizens of both nations were educating and advocating for peace and mutual respect.

I asked her about President Obama, who just returned from his own tour of the region. “Obama’s speech is significant,” Griffin says, “especially when [compared] with any previous administration.”

Obama highlighted diplomacy without preconditions and a new path forward, as well as Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy, while warning about a nuclear arms race in the region.

Griffin said that it is a step in the right direction with regard to healing relationships with Muslim countries. “But,” she continues, “the people of the region want to see action, not only talk. They are waiting to see.”

There is a lot of mistrust between the two nations. Iranians remember our activities in the region, as Griffin was continuously reminded. For example, while many Americans are probably unaware of the CIA’s (and the British) role in the 1953 coup that overthrew elected Prime Minister Mosaddeq, this information is part of standard history lessons for Iranians.

School girls in Iran.

Iranians also remember the United States’ role in the Iran-Iraq war, a bloody 8-year conflict that injured over a million people and is not far from the minds of even young people, who were just children at the time. The United States played each country off one another, but heavily aided Iraq’s Saddam Hussein, giving him the green light to attack over Iran’s border. The United States not only gave billions of dollars in aid, but also intelligence, weapons, chemicals, technology, agricultural credits, and special forces training.

“All of this still feels very present to them,” Griffin told me.

She also told me a story of a taxi-cab driver who told her group he wants peaceful relations with the United States, and even wants different political leadership. But he added that he would pick up a gun to defend his country, who he called “mother,” if threatened or attacked by the United States.

Griffin said this belies the claim that if we just pressure Iran enough through sanctions, its citizens will turn against its government. The United States has often used the strategy of sanctions as punishment against countries, from Cuba to Iraq, in an attempt to make conditions worse for both the government and the people until—so the theory goes—the people will rise up to force a change of regime or change of behavior on the part of its political leaders.

The path to trust and a healthier relationship between the United States and Iran is an uphill one. There are many obstacles to normalizing relations with Iran. Alongside Ahmadinejad’s and Supreme Leader Khameini’s provocative statements and the fact that U.S. bases, troops, and naval warships are surrounding Iran, Congress is sending the wrong message, sometimes at odds with Obama’s.

At the same time, Obama is making diplomatic gestures and trying to change the tone, Congress is talking about harsher sanctions and drafting bills to punish companies that sell to Iran, actions Griffin sees as counter-productive. Peace Action West and its members are pressuring their representatives to support diplomacy and take advantage of an opportunity to move away from confrontation.

When I asked her how she responds to those who would say she should leave diplomacy to the diplomats, Griffin says, “Of course there has to be high-level diplomacy. But speaking as citizens is a lot less loaded of an interaction. When you speak person-to-person,” she notes, “you realize how similar you are.”

It may not be the solution, but it is part of the solution.

Whatever Obama’s administration does with regard to Iran, Griffin stressed the need to get past the one-sided narrow version of each other that each country has, mostly gained through the mainstream media and the government. Especially in the age of blogging, alternative media, and global travel, Griffin counsels citizens of both nations to “learn more about each other and to facilitate communication.”

If only the pundits and politicians would get out of the way.

To find out more about Rebecca Griffin’s trip and how to get involved, visit Peace Action West’s Citizen Diplomacy.

Community Connection:

To learn more about current Iranian politics, read about the ways in which women in the region are influencing political and social space.

Photo: British MP George Galloway speaks to the media as he arrives in Gaza. ISM Palestine Feature photo: gloucester2gaza

That is George Galloway’s goal–to organize a 500 vehicle convoy with as many people to deliver $10 million dollars in aid and medical supplies for the people of Gaza through the Egyptian border.

Ambitious? Yes. Realistic? Absolutely.

George Galloway, controversial member of the UK Parliament and founder of the Viva Palestina campaign, is on a whirlwind tour of major U.S. cities to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza.

Viva Palestina: A Lifeline from the United States to Gaza, is the second round of a remarkable feat that Galloway and hundreds of concerned global citizens pulled off this spring.

Photo: ISM Palestine

Starting from Britain, volunteers drove a mile-long convoy of over 100 vehicles through Belgium, France, and Spain, ferried across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco, then drove westward across the North African desert. A month later, and over 9,000 miles traveled across nine countries, Viva Palestina arrived in Gaza with 12 ambulances, a fire engine, buses, a boat, and hundreds of trucks full of medicine, food, blankets, clothes, tools, and gifts for children.

This is the material from which epic movies are made.

George Galloway is a leftist MP, elected several times in the British Parliament. The outspoken Galloway is no stranger to taking positions contrary to prevailing political winds. He opposed the Iraq sanctions in the 1990s and campaigned to prevent the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He is optimistic and determined about his new campaign. “There’s a new atmosphere in the US over Palestine,” he says; “the phenomenal response to this tour demonstrates that.”

At a speaking event hosted by MECA (Middle Eastern Children’s Alliance) in Berkeley, California on May 20, Galloway told the audience about the stumbling blocks along the way, including the arrest of nine volunteers detained under British Anti-Terrorism laws even before the caravan got underway.

Photo: Viva Palestina convoy arrives in Gaza. ISM Palestine

Crossing the borders of North African nations was no simple task either. Galloway was struck by how little support there was–even among Arab governments–for the people in Gaza. Egypt– partly because the U.S. gives it billions of dollars in military aid every year– was not very enthusiastic about the trip. But it was through their border at Rafah that the convoy finally reached Gaza.

Libya was the one Arab country that genuinely supported the effort, giving the campaign free fuel and accommodations. The border between Libya and Algeria was opened for the first time in 15 years, allowing the caravan to go through. Galloway told the audience that Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi asked him how many vehicles they had in the convoy.

Galloway answered, “110.”

Gaddafi responded, “Now you have 220.”

In contrast to their political leaders, the citizens of each country displayed solidarity. Galloway described how people went miles out of their way to bring the convoy supplies to carry to the people of Gaza.

Since Hamas (Islamic Resistance Movement) took control of Gaza in 2007, it has been subject to an international blockade, Israeli restrictions, and a ban on exports, causing a humanitarian crisis for the 1.5 million people who live on that isolated strip of land 25 miles long and six miles wide.

Despite a cease-fire in June 2008, Israel did little to reduce its military blockade. In the context of worsening conditions, the cease-fire began to seriously unravel on November 4, when Israel made an incursion into Gaza and killed six Palestinians, followed by an air strike, calling it a preemptive measure to remove a threat. Hamas fired rockets into Israeli territory. On December 27, 2008, Israel began aerial bombardment on Gaza in response, followed by a ground invasion.

It was the intensification of collective punishment for the people of Gaza. As Karen Koning AbuZayd of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees reported in January, “Gaza is on the threshold of becoming the first territory to be intentionally reduced to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge, acquiescence and– some would say–encouragement of the international community.”

Organizations ranging from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and UNICEF to the International Committee of the Red Cross have expressed alarm over the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the blockaded Gaza Strip. Tony Blair said in March that Israel must lift the blockade immediately. “I don’t think anybody can come here and not be appalled by what is happening,” Blair declared.

George Galloway and hundreds of others certainly were appalled and are doing something about it. The U.S. convoy is set to depart on July 4, U.S. Independence Day. Co-leading the U.S. campaign is Ron Kovic, long-time peace activist, Vietnam War veteran, and star of the Oliver Stone film, “Born on the Fourth of July,” in which he was portrayed by Tom Cruise. After that, the next convoy is set to depart October 4, traveling via Europe and Asia (about 3,500 miles over 18 days).

The plan: volunteers will fly to Egypt, buy the vehicles and medical supplies in Cairo, and then head for the Egyptian border with Gaza. If things go as planned, the people of Gaza will receive much needed humanitarian aid and international solidarity from the people of the United States.

Talk about travel with a purpose.

For more background information on the situation, visit GazaSiege or ElectronicIntifada. For more information about the humanitarian convoy, visit Viva Palestina.

Photo: Dominic DeGrazier

Run-down. A cold atmosphere. Dirty. Desperate.

Apart from being a bit preoccupied with the swine flu, these were my images of a Mexican orphanage before visiting the Door of Faith Orphanage (DOFO) in Baja California, Mexico. Arriving with a group organized by the all volunteer-run network, Be the Cause, we were 10 individuals ready to help a needy establishment full of less-fortunate children.

But the weekend would be giving us a surprise.

Our first insight to this orphanage’s character began immediately after entering its gates. In between brightly colored modern buildings resides a brilliantly built basketball court surrounded by swings, slides and more playground fun. Run-down? My previously-held thoughts had quickly begun to be challenged.

Kristy, an American volunteer living at the orphanage, guided our group through the buildings and layout of the site. We learned that the orphanage currently houses 105 children ranging from ages of four months to 23 years old. Each dormitory sleeps no more than 15 children, and has a mother and/or father figure living within each building (whom the kids call “Mom” and “Dad”). The rooms and common areas feel like a kid-hotel with their bright walls, drawings, and comfortable-looking beds and couches. My “cold atmosphere” vision happily expired.

Another of the colorful buildings we passed had 30 or so articles of clothing hung up outside. “That is our laundry facility. We have just recently hired a lady to wash the kids’ clothes– about 80 loads a day.” After walking through a litter-free playground area, a few spotless mini-kid hotels, and now learning that a person was employed on site to do nothing more than wash clothes, the dirty thought had become entirely extinct.

At this point, I was confused. Here was a barber shop, a medical facility, an aerobics class, a full dining hall and kitchen, a new nursery being built, and more. “What have we come to help here?” went my selfish, silent thoughts. Kristy then explained that in Mexico, it’s costly and takes a tremendous amount of time to adopt children, especially if they are with siblings. Most of the kids remain at DOFO until they’re 18 years old.

This orphanage is not a conduit for foster parents-to-be to meet their future children. This is a home, a family.

Administrator DJ Schuetze described DOFO’s purpose:

1. Family: With the small dorms housing children and parent figures, the aim of DOFO is to provide a family environment, to raise these children knowing that they are loved and provided for.

2. Education: DOFO believes it’s important for children to attend school outside of the orphanage. This way, the children can learn from another social setting and gain invaluable educational knowledge to hopefully guide them for further studies.

3. Service: Once a month a charity service is performed, with the children reaching out to others who are in need.

Beyond learning about the solid structure of DOFO and its purpose, the children who live here are extremely welcoming and made the trip worth the time.

“Do you have any gum?” I was asked by five year old Juan. Despite my, “No, sorry,” he promptly grabbed my hand and lead me to the swings to enjoy a few minutes of horsing around. The kids value contact with people who come to them to spend a day, or longer, together. A few of the volunteers confirmed the children have memorable connections with visitors who they remember for years. The word “desperate” had faded now as well.

Photo: Dominic DeGrazier

DOFO requires a healthy amount of funding to operate for its 105 little citizens and their community. 70% of DOFO’s funding actually comes from individuals sending in small donations.

If you’re in Baja California and would be interested in donating time or money to DOFO, contact the organization through its website.

And no one in the group experienced any flu-like symptoms, in case you were wondering.

Photo: Laurie Tighe

Intrepid travelers for whom no corner of earth is considered off limits often discover much more than they bargained for when visiting new locations. Social problems ranging from poverty to hunger to homelessness rear their ugly heads in many spots around the world.

Sharing experiences via blog postings to friends and family is one way of informing people within our own sphere of influence about some of the day-to-day tragedies of our global neighbors.

Collective Lens is another.

“Collective Lens: Photography for Social Change aims to raise awareness of important issues around the world through photographs provided by the general public,” says director Bryan Tighe. He and his wife, Laurie, founded Collective Lens as a news and educational resource.

“Laurie and I have always been interested in photography as well as social issues and volunteering,” Bryan shares. “We wanted to do something to bring attention to the many important issues that we felt were overlooked by the mainstream media in America. Naturally, being so involved with photography led us to try to find ways that we could get compelling photos in front of viewers, and we also felt it was very important to involve people from around the world.”

Collective Lens recently received its 501(c)3 non-profit status in the United States, so they’re hoping for major growth in 2009. The Tighes are also spending a good part of the year delving into parts of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia to show how people in other parts of the world live and how ordinary people can do something to change their circumstances.

People looking for an easy way to volunteer while traveling will find Collective Lens an excellent organization to partner with.

“The easiest way to get involved would be to submit some photos,” says Bryan. “Other than that, we’re always looking for writers to post articles on a variety of topics…. We’re also looking for people to help with online marketing, as well as someone who would be interested in being an editor/coordinator/recruiter of the articles and blog.”

Shehzad Noorani, a freelance documentary photographer, was recruited by Bryan thanks to her work on Flickr.

Photo: Kathy Adams

“There are thousands of sites that help photographers sell their work, but only a handful that understand why concerned social documentary photographers take pictures in the first place,” Shehzad says. “Collective Lens is amongst the best that bring concerned documentary photographers under one roof and help them reach an audience that cares and wants more out of photography.”

Shehzad recommends working with Collective Lens because it exposes volunteers to meaningful photos and photographers, while bringing people face-to-face around issues that really matter.

Bryan says they have many goals, but realize a new organization also faces many challenges.

“In the short term, we would like to become an online magazine that showcases various issues around the world with regular written articles and associated photography, perhaps on an assignment basis in addition to the user submitted photos that we have now,” he explains. “We also would like to become a source for people to get information about specific nonprofits, NGOs, and charities around the world. We are partially doing this on the site now, where organizations can create a profile for themselves. This area is currently somewhat limited and we’d like to expand it greatly.”

Travel, experience, share. Reveal the world through your photos and words by contributing to Collective Lens.

Community Connection:

If you want to improve your photography skills in order to document your travels, check out this recent podcast by Matador contributor and travel photographer, Ryan Libre.

On May 12, 2008, a devastating earthquake in China’s Sichuan province claimed almost 70,000 lives and injured countless others. Youth from all over China quickly took action to help in the recovery effort, including volunteers from the national student environmental movement, the “Green Long March.”

“The Sichuan earthquake only lasted about a minute but the rebuilding process will take five, ten years or even more,” says volunteer Wang Wei from Sichuan University. “Our generation and the next must continue this rebuilding work.”

In July 2008, Green Long March volunteers from 10 universities traveled to six earthquake-affected communities in rural Sichuan. Recovery work included teaching environmental education classes in tent schools and temporary youth centers, delivering donated supplies, and participating in key rebuilding projects.

“We hoped to help with reconstruction efforts by promoting and educating people about green building and offering our hands to strengthen the villagers’ efforts,” explains Kuili, the Green Long March Sichuan volunteer coordinator.

In the fall of 2008, Green Long March volunteers gathered substantial donations for books, school supplies and winter clothing from local businesses and aid organizations; including thermal underwear for primary school students and over 23,000 books on environmental topics for “Green Bookshelves.”

“Life must start again from the beginning. If environmental awareness can be raised now, then the rebuilding process will be influenced by conservation awareness, and communities will develop more sustainably,” says Kuili.

The Green Long March Sichuan Project is currently supporting approximately 3,000 villagers and has impacted an estimated 1 million people. In 2009, the projects will focus on economic recovery and “sustainable livelihoods,” including coordinating more effective sales channels and marketing for local organic produce and textile products.

For more background on Green Long March, please visit: www.futuregenerations.org.cn

Lots of travelers are interested in spending part or all of their travels with their sleeves rolled up, but many aren’t sure how to scope out opportunities and select a project.

Photo: Alex Kehr

This weekend, while hosting a discussion on Facebook about travel writing and voluntourism for the Voluntary Traveler Book Project, I was asked by one participant:

“I am interested (some time in the near future) heading overseas and volunteering. What would be your tips in researching/finding international volunteer positions (i.e. credible organisations, experience etc.)?”

If you have the same question, three useful online resources can help you identify organizations around the world that are actively seeking volunteers:

1. Matador Travel:

Matador’s community blog has more than 364 organizational members in locations around the world. Enjoy cycling? See how biking is incorporated into voluntourism by checking out The Otesha Project’s profile. Want to go off-grid? Check out the Mirror Foundation’s profile.

You can search for organizations by name, area of focus, or location. Be sure to review how fully the organization has filled out its profile and whether contact information is provided. If you’re interested in the organization, reach out to the listed contact and ask if you can speak with a current or former volunteer.

2. Idealist:

Since 1995, Idealist has been the Internet’s go-to spot for information about jobs and internships in the non-profit field, and the recent addition of the International Volunteerism Resource Center makes Idealist THE definitive online reference for voluntourism as well.

Jose Kevo

The IVRC provides fact sheets on topics you may not even have considered yet: the ethics of voluntourism, the costs associated with volunteering abroad, and “in country dos, don’ts, and probably shouldn’ts.” Perhaps most useful is the IVRC’s list of questions to ask the organizations with which you’re considering sharing your efforts.

3. Voluntourism

Voluntourism.org blends the Matador and Idealist models, listing organizations seeking volunteers as well as providing tips for prospective voluntourists.

The best feature of Voluntourism, though, is its webcast/podcast series, The VolunTourist, which is broadcast weekly. The VolunTourist features interviews with organizational leaders, helping you learn more about the organizations listed on the site. At present, more than 70 podcasts are archived on the site.

Community Connection:

Have you been a voluntourist? What resources did you use to choose an organization? What questions would you ask before seeking another voluntourism opportunity? Share your comments below.

It was my first night in Rio de Janeiro. From the balcony of a friend’s apartment, I could see the brightly lit Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain. But then I noticed some sparsely shining lights on a nearby hill.

“What’s that?” I asked my Brazilian friend. “That is one of the many favelas of Rio. It’s a very dangerous place; make sure to stay away from there.”

Many of these “illegal” barrios in Rio sit atop the city’s best real estate, enjoying views from their high locations alongside the mountains. The favelas are surrounded by a beautiful peak on one side and an upper class neighborhood on the other. Favelas exhibit a typical scene in Brazil, one of extremes: the rich living next to the poor, yet largely unaware of them.

The warnings from locals were fairly alarming. Some advised me never to enter a favela, while others said to visit only with a trusted tour or friend. My Brazilian host said he would never enter a favela.

Would favela life be like the movie “City of God”? Who lived there? Were wars constantly being fought between police and drug lords? Would I be in danger of being robbed? How does one see a favela without exploiting a group of people living in a poorer environment? The questions continued.

I found the aptly named Favela Tour, run by Marcelo Armstrong for the past 17 years. He assured me we’d be safe visiting the two favelas on the itinerary (Rocinha, the largest favela in the country, and Vila Canoas).

And just as importantly, he explained that the tour does not exploit the favelas, but helps them through:

• 1. Funding a community school for children in Vila Canoas, Para Ti, with a percentage of the tour’s revenue.
• 2. Bringing in tourist dollars to buy local arts and crafts.
• 3. Promoting awareness of life within favelas.

Para Ti was founded by an Italian family who had migrated to Rio de Janeiro. When the family members saw the slums around their affluent neighborhood of Sao Conrado, they decided to help. The Favela Tour donations (roughly 25% of the tour’s price) now help keep the school in operation, as well as promoting local artisans.

Overall, the Favela Tour’s mission is to help Brazilian society (along with the world) understand these communities. As Armstrong noted, “It [Favela Tours] changes the general idea that favelas are simply no-go areas dominated by criminals only, and opens a new perspective [about] Rio society.”

Our guide, Isabell, was quick to explain that the residents of the favelas are the waiters, the maids, and other honest working people of Rio. According to Isabell, only 0.5% of the population is involved in the drug trade and wars. Yet entire communities have received a bad name, a condition they don’t deserve.

But the tour did not gloss over real dangers. Shootings do occur sporadically. Most times, the shots are fired by police trying to find drug lords with a shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality. These drug lords run the majority of favelas.

However, they do so with laws keeping the societies in tight order. For example, if you steal from someone, your arm will be broken or your hand will be shot. These are very effective measures; hence, robbery and theft are not prominent in the favelas.

Armstrong feels that the favelas have become more integrated into Brazilian society over the past 17 years, though more work needs to be done.

Regarding attitudes about favela dwellers, Armstrong said, “People in Rio [should] start to see that ignoring favelas is not the solution. The answer is to promote more citizenship through actions of…integration made through music, culture, sports and social initiatives.”

Roughly 20% of Rio’s population calls one of the city’s 750 favelas home. This is no small part of the society; as such, it is important to include favelas and their residents in the city’s social agenda. Marcelo Armstrong’s Favela Tour seems to be on the right track to bring about this change for a better Brazilian future.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Favela tours, slum tours, and disaster tours are controversial forms of so-called “dark tourism” and have raised passionate conversation here on Matador. Do you agree with the conclusions Dominic reached after his visit to a Rio favela? Contribute to the conversation below.

It wasn’t long ago that some of these boys had never seen a kite or felt the warmth of a loving adult. But at Nepal Orphans Home (NOH), founder Michael Hess created an environment where 121 children thrive, attending school and karate classes and taking weekend jaunts to the park.

Nepal Orphans’ Home and sister program, Volunteer Nepal, is the fruit of Hess’ labor of love. In March 2005, the carpenter found a disheveled house where children lived in squalor. The well refused to work, the toilet didn’t function, and the family who ran the “orphanage” had abandoned its charge.

“When I was brought to the orphanage in such disrepair…I immediately felt humbled…” Hess writes. “It was easy to improve upon their situation; it simply took money and time for wounds to heal.”

Months later, Hess acquired a building in the city, brought his 12 kids home, and began going by “Papa.”

He looks the part. His eyes gleam, cradled in pockets of wrinkles. When he takes off his baseball cap, fine, silvery hair sweeps across his head.

I notice he wears the same outfit for the third time that week. It reminds me of the rumor I heard that Hess turned down a donated refrigerator for himself because the children didn’t have one of their own.

From dawn to dusk, the founder works steadily fielding volunteer applications, tending to scraped knees, sewing rogue buttons.

The children, he says, “bring me joy, purpose and hope for a better tomorrow.”

In three years NOH has soared beyond expectations. The organization boasts three buildings in Kathmandu and a fourth in the Lahami area, each running at capacity.

In 2008, NOH began work with Social Action Welfare Nepal, whose goal is to end the Kamlari [child labor] system in Nepal’s Dang region. The child labor practice dates back to the 1960s, when parents had little choice but to sell their daughters into labor.

This indentured servitude still happens today. So a third Papa’s House, “Lawajuni,” rescues, houses, and educates these former Cinderellas.

“Knowing how many more [Kamlaris] we haven’t saved is always on my mind,” comments Hess. “Finding the funds to continue to house and educate those girls will be a formidable challenge.”

Volunteers

Hess estimates that 50% of NOH’s 2008 operating costs were generated by volunteer fees. Endorsed by Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea website, the non profit’s volunteer program has taken flight, quadrupling in the last year.

Thanks to Papa, children and volunteers remain equally happy. After several days of language lessons and sightseeing around Kathmandu, volunteers are free to spend their days as they see fit.

One might rise with the children to braid the girls’ hair before school, or teach English to recent arrivals when their tutor doesn’t come. The work could be as simple as what Veronica Acuna provided: a hand to hold on the playground.

Outside of Kathmandu, the organization will plug you into the pulse of Nepal. For example, volunteers Sandra Krasa and Martin Cassar trekked into what Hess describes as “a lost little village in the shadow of the magnificent and foreboding Himalayas.” The American and the Englishman were the first farangs (white people) the village had ever seen.

My experiences also ventured far off the beaten path, trekking with one of Hess’s girls to her village. This wasn’t Apple Pie Trail or Everest Base Camp—I did not spot another farang the whole time I walked, or once I arrived in the village, Gumda, 13 hours after setting out. Mules, loaded-down Nepalese and my 16 year old guide were my only companions.

At home with Binu, I experienced life just as she did. I slept in a short, mattress-less bed. Ate in a smoky, darkened room. Cut tinva with her mother in the fields. Mornings graced me with clear views of snowy Everest.

There were no houses built or turtles released—it wasn’t traditional volunteering. But one could say that I gave my time and money to immerse myself in another culture. To notice that Nepali village girls’ nose rings sat lower than the one I used to have. To convince a Didi that I admired her walnut color as much as she admired my peach.

Hess suggests that people seeking volunteer work should bring “compassion, the ability to observe and listen to others, openness to learning from the people of Nepal, and a willingness to live in the same environment, in the same manner as the people they are serving. They should bring a desire to commit and follow through with the commitment.”

Volunteers or not, civil unrest and deplorable conditions for Nepali children may never completely end. It is encouraging, though, to know that one man and many volunteers inch toward a new country. For now, like the boys on the rooftop, Hess and crew will cut down one kite at a time.

More information on Volunteer Nepal

More information on Nepal Orphans Home

Find out more about kamlaris in Nepal (YouTube video)

Community Connection:

Inspired by Michael Hess’s project? Read Roll Your Own Peace Corps for more on making the most of your overseas volunteer experience.

So what is the Carrot Project?

It’s a website that helps people figure out which business are doing the best things for the world, and it encourages people to support those businesses by buying stuff from them as opposed to their less socially and environmentally responsible competitors.

How’d you get this idea?

I wanted to consume purposefully. I wanted to know what businesses were like, which ones did nice things, and which ones did only greedy things. I looked online to try to find out, but it’s a mess out there – disputed info, disagreements, bad info, info only from companies, info from only angry over-the-top haters.

I figured if I wanted something that helped me compare brands on their relative social and environmental responsibility, then there were probably some other people that’d want it, too.

Plus, I was working on a boat, taking tourists to a reef 100 kilometers east of the outer barrier, and I was on a 2 to 6 AM watch with an old hippie/candle entrepreneur. He told me that he’d use the tool, so I was like, “Sweet, I found my market segment.”

Photo by Burns!

What year was this?

Late 2004.

What were you doing over there?

I was a deckhand on Big Mama [his uncle's tourist boat], scrubbing bathrooms and teaching snorkeling.

When did the idea of the Carrot Project become a real possibility?

The idea started to be a possibility in early 2007. At that point, I’d been in China for a couple years already. A friend of mine told me about a fellowship. Friends of his were looking to pay someone to spend two years studying and writing about social enterprises throughout the world, and he asked if I was interested. Of course, I was. So I went to meet him for dinner to talk about it, and he started interviewing me, which I did not expect.

Eventually, he asked what my “long term orientation” was. I told him I was excited about the idea of harnessing the greed in capitalism to do good, sustainable business. I wanted to see businesses make more money as they made the world a better place. He asked if I had any business ideas of my own. I told him about what I was calling, at the time, choice.com. He asked me why I wasn’t doing it.

I said that I was young and inexperienced and pretty much knew nothing about anything. He said, “So what?” and then told me he had decided not to help me get the fellowship, but instead to help me start the business.

Photo by Rafael Mejia Is Alive

What were you doing at the time?

I was working for a start-up in online language learning in Beijing.

Is Beijing a good place for a young social entrepreneur to be?

I don’t have much to compare it to, but yeah. There are lots of smart, young, adventurous people there to talk ideas with, and people are from all over, so the connections are super diverse. And the fact that BJ is the philanthropic capital of a huge developing country means that it attracts some solid non-profity people, too, who are, in my opinion, essential to social enterprise.

So when do you expect to turn a profit?

Not for a while. The focus now is to deliver something valuable to our users – valuable brand comparisons that are trustworthy, humble, and as accurate as possible. Once we have that, then we can focus on making money. But we’ll be scraping for a while, no question.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Learn more about The Carrot Project by visiting the company’s profile. Learn more about being a thoughtful, engaged consumer here.

Imagine children learning to ‘read’ by looking at letters and words written on a chalkboard – if they have the luxury of attending school at all.

Imagine having to teach a child how to ‘work’ a book – how to turn the pages, one by one, to reveal the rest of the story, the next picture.

The place is rural Laos, where most of the seven million Laotians live. Villages are often remote, accessible by long and grueling bus-rides over rough dirt tracks, and then only during the dry season. Some are accessible only by slow river-boat, loaded to the gunwales with people and cargo. Many are accessible only on foot.

Life in these villages is virtually unchanged from what it was 50 or even 100 years ago. And it is a life without books.

Now imagine an organization dedicated to bringing books to the people of Laos, and in particular to the children in these small, remote villages. An organization that employs enthusiastic young Laotians as writers and artists, and publishes colourful books that make it fun and easy for Lao people to learn to read.

The organization is Big Brother Mouse. It was founded by Sasha Alyson – an American originally from Boston — and it is now owned by Khamla Panyasouk, a Laotian who works with Sasha to keep the presses running.

Big Brother Mouse started in March 2006 with the publication of five books. By the time we visited their outlets in Vientienne and Luang Prabang in November 2008, Big Brother Mouse had published almost 60 books.

The books are mostly in Lao, although some are in Lao and Hmong, and some are in Lao and English. Some are translations of old favourites like Aesop’s Fables, Dr. Dolittle, and The Wizard of Oz.

Big Brother Mouse has also published books on the kinds of subjects children love – dinosaurs, animals of Laos, Africa and Australia, and the wonders of the world. But most of the books are distinctly Lao: The Proverbs of Laos, New Improved Buffalo!, The Monk and the Trees, and A Very Good Day.

Big Brother Mouse has also started to publish some pocket-sized books that it hopes will be cheap enough, at around 50 cents each, that villagers will be able to buy them.

In addition to books for kids, Big Brother Mouse has published books in Lao for more experienced readers, such as Sherlock Holmes and The Diary of Anne Frank. And it has published some books on important subjects such as tooth decay, and how to look after a baby. It is currently working on a book about women’s health, including health in pregnancy.

The primary objective of Big Brother Mouse is to publish books. But its secondary objective is just as important: to experiment with different ideas for getting books out to rural and remote communities.

They have had considerable success with book parties. These are usually held in local schools. Big Brother Mouse staffers take enough books to the village to ensure that every child will be able to leave with a book of his or her choice.

The teacher is given a ’swap box’ so that the kids can trade books with one another, giving them all a chance to read more. When Big Brother Mouse staffers have gone back to these schools they have found that the boxes, and the books, are still in use.

Another method Big Brother Mouse uses to distribute books is a system of junior librarians. Junior librarians may be young or old – what matters is that they love books and are willing to take responsibility for them. Their house becomes a library, where community members can go to borrow a book. The junior librarians are given 20 to 30 books to start.

From time to time Big Brother Mouse sponsors get-togethers for the junior librarians so they can talk about how they are doing and discuss any problems. For many, attending these get-togethers may be the first time they have been out of their communities. It represents both a way of rewarding and encouraging their participation in the project, and a tremendous opportunity for learning and community development.

When we visited Big Brother Mouse we met Siphone, a young writer. He remembers when he saw his first book, as a child in his village, and the impact that it had on him. He knows, first-hand, how a book can change a child’s life. He refers to Sasha and Khamla as his ‘big brothers’ – men who have helped him along his path – and his love for and admiration of them is clearly evident.

Big Brother Mouse is funded almost entirely by donations. It receives no money from the Laotian government. It does sell a few books to Laotians, and some tourists buy books to give to schools or to children they meet on their travels.

If you would like to find out more about Big Brother Mouse or make a donation, visit BigBrotherMouse.com

Better yet, make your next trip a trip to Laos, and visit Big Brother Mouse in Vientienne and Luang Prabang. Laos is a wonderful country to visit: an interesting culture, historic cities, unspoiled natural landscapes, friendly people and fabulous food. Buy some books and take them to a village, give them to children you meet.

Whether you go to Laos in person, or just visit the Big Brother Mouse website, you can give Laotian children the chance of a better future; you can give them books.

Community Connection

Headed to Laos? Matador Trips has several guides to the country’s hidden gems, including this article: A Unique Journey into the Heart of Northern Laos.

Feature photo by Julien Harneis

I sat down with Pam Mandel of Nerd’s Eye View to discuss her latest venture, Passports With a Purpose.

Pam Mandel of Nerd’s Eye View
Photo above by WGBH

She, along with three other Seattle-based travel bloggers – Beth Whitman of Wanderlust and Lipstick, Michelle Duffy of Wandermom, and Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby founded the nonprofit as a way for travel bloggers to raise donations for Heifer Project International, an organization dedicated to ending poverty and world hunger worldwide.

So, what was the inspiration for this? Was a sort of syncretism between you guys or more of a bolt out of the blue?

The four of us get together for coffee on a semi regular basis. We talk about blogging and travel, of course, and what we’re using our blogs to do. We all have somewhat different goals, but we all live and breathe travel. As you might imagine, we have a lot to talk about.

How did the idea of a travel-blogger fundraiser come into being?

Debbie mentioned she’d seen something similar done in the food blogger’s community – they raised over $90,000! We started talking about our respective networks and our potential reach. It took us a while to pick a cause – we wanted something global and something that would make a difference in the poverty we’ve all seen while traveling – and we were all excited about Heifer.

Once we’d decided what cause we were going to support, the next steps were easy. Companies we’ve worked with before wanted to give once they heard what we were doing, and the bloggers we contacted could relate to our cause.

Picking up household kits in Kibati camp.
Photo above by Julien Harneis

Was there a particular experience you had on your travels, or, if you can speak for them, the other founders that narrowed the decision down to help end world hunger and poverty?

It’s not really fair for me to speak for the others as our travel experiences have all been different. Though I do know we’ve all seen things that made our hearts break in one or a million ways.

For me, it was my travels to Cambodia earlier this year – I had to take a deep breath and pull myself together so many times and once in Phnom Penh, my husband had to take me by the hand and sit me down on a bench while I fell utterly apart from the desperation of Cambodian history.

I wanted so many times to give, but we were repeatedly faced the decision of how to do it right, how to decide where our money would make the biggest difference.

What made Heifer your final choice?

We liked Heifer because the program isn’t just a bandage; it’s a path out of poverty. Forgive the “give a man a fish” cliché, but Heifer does a great job of teaching people to fish.

We were noodling with a lot of different causes and for a while, we’d considered raising money for four different organizations, but we all had the same immediate reaction to Heifer International: “Let’s do THAT!”

Picking up household kits in Kibati campCommunal erection of a market.
Photo above by Julien Harneis

So, from what I understand, each participating blogger hosts a raffle of some nifty travel-related prize that the readers buy into at $10 a ticket through Firsgiving – and then a raffle committee will pick a winner for each site? How are you guys organizing the fundraiser?

That pretty much sums it up. We’re organizing at we go along, mostly – we haven’t done this before so almost every day we have something new to figure out.

Here’s how it’s gone so far. Once we decided we were going to go ahead and had picked our cause, we each contacted people we know who are doing travel blogging to ask for their help. This could be one (or all!) of three things – provide a raffle prize, promote the raffle, or buy raffle tickets – make a donation, really.

Between the four of us, we have an amazing amount of contacts. The travel bloggers we know are generous and social – the support has been amazing – and we’ve had some really generous sponsors give us wonderful prizes. Once a blogger or sponsor has committed their prize, we add them to the list.

Kibumba, a displaced persons camp about forty minutes north of Goma, close to the border with Rwanda.
Photo above by Julien Harneis

When the raffle sales start, you’ll go to our Firstgiving page and make a $10 donation – or more, as long as it’s in $10 increments. As part of the checkout process, you’ll specify what prize you want to be in the raffle for.

We add your name to the list for that raffle prize and then, after Christmas, the four founders will get together to draw the winners. (There may or may not be champagne.)

For the duration of the raffle, we’re also asking bloggers to help drive raffle donations by posting our widget. Firstgiving handles all the money – they issue receipts for the donation and get the proceeds to Heifer International. We get the pleasure of notifying winners and giving stuff away.

Do you guys have plans to keep Passports With a Purpose going? Can we look forward to more fundraisers in the future?

I hope so. We snagged “Passportswithpurpose.com.” And some of the bloggers who feel like they’re too small to pitch in or don’t have the reach have already asked if they can join us next year. (You’re not too small. You should see my stats before you say you’re too small to me!)

But we’d like to get through this one successfully before we decide what’s next. We are absolutely asking ourselves and each other “What’s next!?” but first, we have some fundraising to do.

Workers in a warehouse create kits containing blankets, tarpaulins, sleeping mats, cooking sets and soap.
Photo above by Julien Harneis

Want to learn more or enter your own travel blog? Click here
or here.

Community Connection

The Matador Team has put together a super secret prize pack for the Passports With a Purpose raffle! Make sure to buy your ticket before the Dec. 30 deadline and you could be the winner of some awesome travel goodness.

Madeira, Portugal. World class surf break, before construction of a seawall. Photos courtesy of Will Henry

At any given spot along the coast, various factors–wind direction, swell, tide level, and underwater features–all determine how a wave will break.

But out of the almost infinite number of waves around the world, rarely do these factors combine in such a way as to produce a wave of true quality for surfing. And as with every other ecosystem, these factors exist in an easily-corrupted balance.

Photo by Will Henry.

Case Study: Jardim do Mar

In 2001, the existence of a beautiful wave, Jardim do Mar, a classic right point in Madeira, Portugal was threatened by a proposed government project to construct a marina.

American surfer Will Henry and friends knew that if if the marina were built, this special wave would be lost forever. In the process of organizing a fight against the project, they formed the Save the Waves Coalition .

Through a combination of alliances with local surfers, organizations, and politicians, their fight was successful. The new marina was moved to a different location.

However, out of the prolonged media campaign and protesting that ensued, the resulting “victory” would be something Henry later called bittersweet.

“One of our first big mistakes was taking a very American approach,” he says. “Making so much noise embarrassed some of the politicians, and any future hope of negotiating with the government was destroyed.”

After moving the marina, the government still came back later and hastily constructed a seawall [see photo below, left], severely limiting the days and conditions when the wave is ridable, and making it extremely dangerous to surf.

Since this first campaign, the coalition has learned “to avoid words like success and victory,” and to remember that a wave–even once saved–may always be threatened again.

Madeira, after seawall. Note limited wave.

The coalition documented the story of Jardim do Mar in their film Lost Jewel of the Atlantic. A few Madeira locals tried to prevent the film from being shown, threatening lawsuits and even bodily harm. It was eventually shown however, drawing sold-out crowds in the first two weekends.

La Herradura

Over the years, Save the Waves has learned to adapt. They now operate around the world, protecting waves on the coasts of almost every continent. Among their key missions are creating local “surfonomics”reports demonstrating the inherent economic value of an undisturbed surf spot for its local economy.

For example, four years ago in Lima, Peru, a developer wanted to build a marina to enhance the land value near a large housing development. This marina would have destroyed a classic wave called La Herradura.

Instead of protesting in person, Save the Waves wrote letters to the executives of the company, contending that a world-class wave may be more financially beneficial than a marina, citing how exceptional surf spots cause local real estate value to increase dramatically in the US.

The CEO eventually promised that the wave would never be harmed, however, as is usually the case, the wave is being threatened again.

Challenges

Save the Waves faces many challenges. One of the most sensitive is dealing with corrupt foreign governments. The projects which threaten waves are oftentimes born out of illegal back-room deals.

This makes the coalition’s challenge doubly difficult. For obvious reasons, politicians involved in the deals do not want to cooperate, nor do private companies wish to implicated.

Secondly, although the internet optimized communication, Save the Waves staff is spread thin. Projects are started only when local people and surfers who know about the organization reach out for help.

Finally, funding has been the coalition’s single biggest challenge. Regarding the minimal support they’ve received from most large surf companies, Henry’s frustration is evident: “Here we are, protecting the future of their market, and we’re barely surviving. We could be doing so much more.”

Photo by Will Henry.

The main reason for limited support is that most large surf apparel and accessories companies are publicly traded. Shareholders are the top priority and want to see their stock price go up, making it difficult for CEOs to donate money to non-profit organizations.

Even so, Henry is quick to thank the companies Save the Waves has received support from: Patagonia, Clif Bar, Newman’s Own, The Surfer’s Path, Quiksilver, Billabong, and Volcom.

Upcoming Documentary

Save the Waves is currently producing their third film, All Points South, a documentary about pulp mill pollution in Chile. The film demonstrates how consumption of products here in the US can causes environmental degradation in distant lands.

‘All Points South’ Trailer – a new documentary by Save the Waves Coalition from Philip Kao on Vimeo.

Along with battling the polluters themselves, it is important for Save the Waves to educate and influence the consumer market. All Points South features some of the world’s best surfers, and will be released summer 2009.

The people of Save the Waves are world citizens, committed to making a difference by protecting the environment and preserving waves (and healthy marine ecosystems) not just for surfers, but everyone.

Community Connection

Visit www.SaveTheWaves.org for more information and to see how you can help.

Feature photo by aka Kath. Photo above by aka Kath.

Organization Overview

Let’s be blunt: There are many families living in the garbage dump in Guatemala City, eating and selling people’s trash. It’s not surprising, then, that these children do not go to school.

Enter Safe Passage, whose motto is: “to create opportunities and foster dignity through the power of education.” Since 1999 Safe Passage has been working with poor, at-risk children of families working in the Guatemala City garbage dump.

The organization believes the key to overcoming poverty is education and health, and currently has 550 children enrolled in school. With help from a staff of teachers, directors and volunteers, Safe Passage is changing the lives of children born into very harsh circumstances.

Photo by AIDG.

Opportunity Overview

Volunteers are needed to work directly with children in Guatemala City at the Safe Passage school and in Antigua in the organization’s offices. Starting in January 2009, Safe Passage will be recruiting a Volunteer Coordinator Assistant and a Classroom Teaching Assistant. They are also looking to fill a number of other volunteer positions immediately, such as English teachers, infant care givers, and curriculum developers.

Most volunteer positions are from a month to a year long. People who want to volunteer but don’t have much time should not hesitate to contact Safe Passage.

If a trip to Guatemala is not in the cards, then sponsoring a student may be the way to go. For $50.00 a month sponsors can help a student buy shoes, a uniform for school and other basics.

Sponsoring a child is an effective way to contribute at Safe Passage. Most people who sponsor a student do so for many years, thought the minimum commitment is one year.

Photo by mayaguatemalteca.

Ideal Volunteer Profile

Age and gender is not important for Safe Passage Volunteers. Some Spanish is a must because the kids don’t speak English and neither do many of the teachers. Depending on the volunteer position, different skills may be required.

People who want to volunteer but have basic Spanish and limited experience should not hesitate to contact Safe Passage; everyone can help!

Bonus Points for Safe Passage

Working at Safe Passage is a chance to volunteer with an inspirational team of people while helping Guatemalan children. Some perks to volunteering in Guatemala include the fantastic weather, the fascinating Maya culture and the opportunity to travel on the weekends to exotic places like Chichi, Rio Dulce, and Tikal.

Some long-term volunteers receive a housing stipend, but this is unusual and most volunteers should be prepared to finance their own experience.

Photo by mayaguatemalteca.

Details

All the how-to’s are on the web at: http://safepassage.org/. It’s also possible to sign up for the Safe Passage newsletter on line to receive monthly updates.

An inspirational story

I met Hanley Denning a few times when I lived in Antigua, Guatemala. She was a positive, friendly woman who never stopped working for her cause. I’d often see her out jogging near my house and we’d wave at one another.

Hanley was the founder of Safe Passage and a real inspiration for many volunteers and children, and it was because of her vision that Safe Passage thrived. She was killed in 2007 in a car accident in Guatemala City while traveling from one project site to another.

The Hanley Denning Fund was set up in her memory and has raised more than $3,000,000 in memorial gifts for Safe Passage. She is missed but her dream lives on.

community connection

Interested in learning more about Guatemala? Check out matador’s Guatemala page for a comprehensive listing of organizations, travelers, local experts, blogs, and more.

Photo by Thinkpanama.

So how do you narrow down your options and choose the best volunteer diving program for you?

First and foremost, do your research. It is important to know what you want out of the volunteer experience (i.e. location, accommodations, number of weeks/months, etc.) so you can decide if an organization offers what you looking for.

Here are some of the top volunteering organizations around the world that host opportunities designed for divers and those who are looking to become divers.

As one of the world’s top ranked volunteering organizations, GVI offers experienced and non-experienced divers the opportunity to participate in crucial coral reef, fish, turtle and shark monitoring projects located in some of the most pristine diving locations.

You can spend 5 weeks to several months living in tropical locations, experiencing local culture, making new friends, and diving 8-10 times a week in places most of us only dream of seeing.

Who they are

Global Vision International (GVI) was formed in 1998 to provide support and services to international charities, non-profits and governmental agencies, through volunteering opportunities and direct funding. GVI is a non-political, non-religious organization, which through its alliance with over 150 project partners in over 30 countries, provides opportunities for volunteers to fill a critical void in the fields of environmental research, conservation, education and community development.

To date, GVI has established 11 biological field stations in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Patagonia, Seychelles, Kenya and South Africa to work with local and international partners on conservation research and education.

What they offer divers

GVI has several Marine Conservation Expeditions that are located in some of the most amazing diving destinations in the world. http://www.gvi.co.uk/volunteer-options/expeditions/marine. Volunteers with have guidance, support, and training from a highly professional and energetic staff who not only strive to make GVI an amazing organization, but who also strive to make your experience as a volunteer unforgettable.

With two locations in Mexico along the Caribbean coast, GVI offers both the opportunity to learn how to dive (if you are not already certified) earning an internationally recognized diving qualification and the chance to contribute towards crucial coral reef research. For new divers, you can gain certification through Rescue Diver on a 5 week expedition or up to Divemaster during a 10 week expedition in Pez Maya.

Diving in Mexico. Photo Courtesy of GVI

All divers are given the opportunity to gain a PADI Specialty Certification in Underwater photography, which takes place in the incredibly breathtaking cenotes of Tulum. At the end of the expedition divers will also have their PADI Specialty Certification in Coral Reef Research.

The Pez Maya base is located on a remote beach on the southern shores of the Yucatan Peninsula, and speaking from personal experience it offers the opportunity of a lifetime for both diving and volunteering.

If you are currently a certified diver you can test your skills and join either a 5 or 10 week expedition further south on the peninsula at Punta Gruesa and participate in coral and fish monitoring programs. Both of these expeditions focus on researching the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, which is the second largest barrier reef in the world.

GVI also offers a Marine Conservation program in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. GVI has been invited by the Seychelles government and local NGOs to assist their priority biological study and conservation programmers, including coral reef research, invertebrate surveys, whale shark migration observations, plankton sampling, turtle nesting research and water turtle surveys.

It may sound complicated, but on all GVI expeditions, volunteers are given complete training in scientific methods and continued lessons in species identification and conservation concepts.

GVI’s Marine Conservation programs allow you the chance to gain experience teaching English as a foreign language (by gaining a TEFL certification) to the local community, and to assist with the continued development of an environmental education and awareness program. With plenty of free time, you can explore ancient Mayan ruins, take a long-weekend in a neighboring country, and participate in local festivals.

To get a first-hand account of what past volunteers (myself included) have to say about GVI’s programs, check out some of their stories and video blogs such as this one:

Over the last 20 years, Frontier has established itself as a top-notch, highly professional non-profit volunteer organization. This is one of very few organizations that will provide volunteers the opportunity to gain professional level certifications in Tropical Habitat Conservation and Management, PADI dive training, and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) all in one trip. Dive the seas of the Mediterranean to the waters of Fiji and be part of a vital conservation effort.

Who they are

Frontier was established in 1989 as a non-profit conservation and development non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem integrity and building sustainable livelihoods for marginalized communities in the world’s poorest countries.

As one of the top-ranked and most accomplished volunteer organizations in the world Frontier’s commitment to conservation research, education and global awareness has helped to establish numerous marine parks, protected areas, and community-based organizations in more than 50 countries.

What they offer divers

Frontier has several projects located in Greece, Madagascar, Fiji, and Tanzania that are great for divers looking to contribute to conservation research. The Underwater Research Project in Greece runs weekly from May to September, and like all Frontier projects, the type of volunteer work you will be doing depends on the time of year you participate. This project involves diving and snorkeling in the local marine area – locating, marking and measuring the marine life under investigation.

Specific species being investigated vary from year to year but previous studies have included the Pinna (the largest mollusk in the world), local non-dangerous shark populations and sea horses. New projects are constantly being developed and new ideas are always welcome. The Underwater Research Project is ideal for those who may have specific ideas for research that they wish to pursue.

The Madagascar project is a great option for those who are looking to experience a variety of activities aside from diving. This trip is broken down into 3 phases: Day 1-15 involves teaching at a local village school which is extremely under-resourced. You will help to design and implement curriculum, correct work, and initiate extracurricular activities for the kids. Day 16-26 is a 10-day trek through the remote environment, sampling and surveying vegetation, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles.

Lastly, the Day 27-41 brings you Frontier’s marine camp, where non-divers will complete their PADI Open Water course. Already certified divers will participate in underwater surveys, collecting data about local species.

The Marine Research and Conservation Program in Fiji allows volunteers to gain a UCAS transferable, internationally recognized BTEC Advanced Diploma (10 weeks or longer) or Advanced Certificate (4 weeks or longer) in Tropical Habitat Conservation.

Tanzanian coast. Photo: Giorgio

Frontier-Fiji will train non-divers up to PADI Advanced Open Water at no additional cost, and current divers will have the opportunity to advance up to PADI Divemaster at discounted rates. You will learn the research skills needed to aid in underwater surveys, where you will see an extraordinary array of marine life including turtles, manta rays, dolphins, and hundreds of fish species.

Tanzania’s coast is home to some of the most spectacular diving in the world. The crystal clear waters host a wealth of marine habitats and wildlife, making this a perfect location to learn to scuba dive and explore this pristine and magical underwater world.

Volunteers chart extensive areas of undamaged coral, record healthy populations of fish, note turtle behavior, sight marine mammals, and learn to recognize a huge diversity of intertidal animals.

Please note that not every Frontier diving project offers the same things, such as dive training and food. So it is essential to research each project carefully to know what is and is not included, and during what time of the year each project is available. Also, Frontier has a more selective application process than some other organizations, so read up on the qualifications they are looking for and decide if Frontier is right for you.

Coral Cay Conservation allows divers to volunteer on marine conservation projects in the Philippines and Tobago. Both projects get the volunteer involved in crucial coral and fish monitoring, with opportunities to monitor turtles and other marine life.

Divers and non-divers can advance in their diving certifications up to Divemaster. CCC welcomes volunteers of at least 16 years of age, and allows opportunities to join as a staff researcher or specialist.

Who they are

Coral Cay are award winning specialists in coral reef and tropical forest conservation and have been organizing conservation projects since 1986. This organization has aided in the establishment of several marine protected areas, and was instrumental in having the Belize Barrier Reef declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

What they offer divers

Divers can join CCC projects as a volunteer, researcher or specialist for 4 to 20 weeks and work hands-on out in the field in the Philippines or Tobago on Marine Conservation projects.

CCC has worked in partnership with the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation Inc (PRRCFI) and local communities to survey and safeguard reef and rainforest areas since 1995.

Project locations have included Palawan, Danjugan Island, Luzon and Negros. Currently, volunteers on the Philippines project are based at the Napantao Dive Resort, overlooking Sogod Bay. Here, divers will find some of the best diving in the Philippines, with plenty of coral, fish and macro-fauna (whale sharks) species.

Whale Shark. Photo by Noodlefish.

As a volunteer you will be participating in 8-10 survey dives each week, Monday-Friday. Weekends are reserved for “fun” dives and time to explore the area and take in the local culture.

CCC Tobago offers divers a great chance to survey a fragile reef ecosystem in the Caribbean Sea. After the 2005 mass bleaching event in the Caribbean, these fragile ecosystems are now under attack from a variety of coral diseases and anthropogenic impacts, all of which are threatening the very existence of coral reefs in Tobago.

It is essential to collect scientifically sound data on coastal habitats in order to develop effective management plans for the island’s marine resources. As a volunteer you’ll be diving on the Caribbean side of the island of Tobago, collecting data used in these monitoring studies. If you are there between March and August you can join in on Leatherback and Hawksbill turtle surveys, monitoring the number of nests laid on the beach right outside your door.

Both project locations allow for non-divers to gain their PADI Advanced Open Water certification one week prior to the official start of the project session. CCC also allows you to further your certifications depending on how long you decide to stay on as a volunteer.

For those divers who also have backgrounds in marine or conservation science, you can join CCC as a researcher or a specialist and help lead the expedition. This is a great opportunity to further your career experience in the conservation field.

Blue Ventures offers a unique opportunity to assist scientists in data collection in one of the most biodiverse areas of the world, Madagascar. Volunteers will dive sites that no one else has ever dived during “reconnaissance” dives, and will encounter an unbelievable variety of marine species, all while receiving a high level of professional dive and scientific training.

Who they are

Blue Ventures is a marine conservation organization dedicated to conservation, education and sustainable development in tropical coastal communities. In 2006 they were “Highly Commended” in the Best Volunteering Organization category by the Responsible Travel Tourism Awards. Blue Ventures has one main marine conservation project located in Madagascar and is open to qualified and non-qualified divers, with expeditions lasting 6 weeks.

What they offer divers

Madagascar is the 4th largest island in the world. Off the coast divers will find the 4th largest coral reef in the world, the Grand Récif de Tuléar. Blue Ventures, in partnership with local and international scientists, conducts research throughout this amazing habitat to aid in national conservation and management efforts. One of the most unique aspects of a Blue Ventures expedition is that volunteers live and work directly alongside these scientists.

Seeing humpback whales, spinner dolphins, endangered marine turtles and over 500 species of tropical fish and corals is part of the daily dive routine during the project. Varying from shallow forereef channels to deeper sea-fan forests, the sites that are visited are nothing short of stunning. As an added bonus, when conducting “reconnaissance” dives, there is a very good chance that you will be the first person ever to dive at that site in this exceptionally remote part of the Indian Ocean.

Let’s Compare:

Remember, this is just a simple overview of the top volunteer organizations available to divers and there’s much more information for you to know. All of the organizations highlighted here have great websites and resources to answer all your questions, including testimonies from past volunteers, resource links, and contact information. Global Vision International also has a fantastic guide to choosing a volunteer organization.

Volunteering can have a positive impact on the environment, the people you meet, and most of all on your own life. Why not take an opportunity to dive the world and help the world at the same time?

Feature photo by Programa No Gubernamental de Protección a Defenso. Photo above by KyleEJohnson.

Organizational Overview

Being a delegate with Witness for Peace is one of the most unique and interesting travel experiences available to the passionate, social justice minded traveler. Witness for Peace hosts groups of American delegates interested in creating peace, justice and sustainable economies in the Americas by learning about and working to change U.S. policies and corporate practices that contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America.

Specifically, “Witness for Peace concentrates on issues such as peace in Colombia, fair trade, labor rights and international debt relief.” (http://witnessforpeace.org/article.php?id=75). The organization is committed to non-violence and dedicates pre-trip training sessions to the principles of non-violent and grassroots organizing.

Volunteers who participate in a nine-day or two-week delegation learn about policy advocacy, international peacemaking, conflict mediation, cross-cultural sensitivity, diplomacy, and foreign policy, while also gaining an insider’s look at a country in a way that wouldn’t be possible on one’s own. If you want an intimate look at daily life in Latin America and are ready to challenge your understanding of the world, a WfP trip is definitely for you!

Personal Experiences: Volunteering with Witness for Peace in Colombia

As a Witness for Peace delegate to Colombia I had the opportunity to see the effects of US drug war policy on Colombia first-hand. Witness for Peace (WfP) delegations to Colombia are the riskiest of the organization’s trips as the country is in the midst of a 40 year old civil war and traffics most of the world’s cocaine.

Though a WfP delegation is not for the cautious traveler, these trips are neither reckless nor ill-conceived. While there is an inherent danger of traveling in the region, all precautions are taken to ensure a safe return.

Feature photo by Programa No Gubernamental de Protección a Defenso.

The background on Colombia:

Through Plan Colombia, the US funds the destruction of crops and coca fields on the Colombian-Ecuadorian border zone of Putumayo, a sparsely populated region of the Amazon. In the drive to eradicate coca crops (the raw material for cocaine), however, the US gives billions of dollars in aid to a Colombian military rife with corruption and boasting one of the worst records of human rights abuses in the world.

During my two weeks in Colombia I got an intimate look at the results of these policies on everyday Colombians.

WfP believes that the truth can best be reached by hearing all sides of the story, so throughout our trip we met with people with many different vantage points on the politics of Colombia and the US war on drugs. These included human rights activists, clergy working for social justice, military officials, farmers growing coca and farmers growing food, US Department of State officials, and community leaders.

Our bus was boarded by right-wing paramilitary troops, we saw oil pipelines recently bombed by the left-wing guerrillas, and visited coca farms and processing sites which turn raw leaves into coca paste, soon to be cocaine.

We also documented the destruction of food crops and the sicknesses caused by the coca eradications, which we presented to the US State Department officials during our meeting with them. All in all we got a very well rounded, in depth portrait of the country in a short time, and with many moments I will remember for the rest of my life.

Rarely while traveling have I gotten such a complete picture of what daily life is for someone so different from myself than that of farmers living in Putumayo, Colombia. Walking through their farms and seeing their crops, coca fields, and the military presence, I gained a greater understanding of the daily pain and sacrifice that life in a war zone can require.

When I think of the trip, brief moments of struggle and strength flash through my mind: a 65 year-old woman digging into the mud to pull out a WfP delegate’s shoe that had been sucked off his foot and into her muddy field; a farmer crying as he spoke of the fish dying off when his pond and fields were fumigated for the fourth time, destroying his livelihood yet again.

I will carry these stories and these lives with me forever, along with the beautiful ways Colombians cope with their hardship through warmth and kindness and sharing generously with others.

Photo by adman_as.

The Trip: Logistics

Every delegation is accompanied by two WfP staff members, Americans who live in the country and act as translators throughout the trip. There are 12-14 delegates, including two trip leaders who organized the trip from the US and are particularly expert in the topic of your delegation.

Once you pay for your international flight and delegate fee (around $1000), everything is arranged for you – all meals, hotels, and in-country transportation, as well as trainings and scheduling.

You are well informed of health and safety precautions and background material on the country before you leave. There is also a full day of training at the start of your trip which addresses cultural awareness, the principles of consensus process and non-violence, as well as the historic and current political reality of the country you’re visiting.

Back Home: The Lasting Lessons of WfP

In addition to providing an amazing travel experience, WfP helps give travelers the tools they need to create change at home. At the end of the trip you learn how to use what you have seen and learned to influence change in US foreign policy.

With your fellow delegates, you develop talking points to discuss with your elected officials, receive helpful advice about writing letters to editors of newspapers and other publications, and are assured of ongoing support from your contacts at WfP. This program and the training I received helped me to become someone who meets with and contacts my elected officials about the issues that are important to me, in Latin America and beyond.

Check them out on the web at: witnesforpeace.org

For more information email: witness@witnessforpeace.org

Above: Favela da Rocinha, the largest slum in Rio de Janeiro and all of South America. Photo by kevin.j. Feature photo by CARF, of Roney, a street child who was murdered in Jan 2006.

What: Casa do Caminho is an orphanage located near Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. It seeks to take orphans out of the violent, drug riddle neighborhoods of Rio and educate them in a healthy, rural setting.

How: Organic farming practices, Information Technology, and social assistance are among the many projects where Caminho needs help.

Who is eligible to volunteer: Anyone over 21, with basic Portuguese language skills need only provide a 6-month commitment and a plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro to begin this adventure.

Amazon Rainforest

Casa Do Caminho is located in the rainforest outside of the village of Xerem, some 30 miles outside Rio de Janeiro.

It’s a different world than the drugs, violence and crime that most of them faced in the city.

The campus includes three separate dorms for children, teenage boys, and teenage girls, and is a safe and nurturing environment for these young people, many of whom who have undergone physical and sexual abuse and often lack basic social skills.

Staff and volunteers feed, clothe, supervise and educate the children in a variety of ways, as well as maintaining the facility.

This provides a unique opportunity for volunteers, giving them the chance to experience firsthand the true flavors of Brazilian culture.

Strong leadership

Casa do Caminho has been in operation for over 20 years. During this time, the orphanage has helped a variety of children and worked on many projects.

In 2006, the orphanage hired Dutch national Bart Bijen to be the new director of the organization.

Volunteers often get discouraged with poorly-run programs. Outright corruption exists throughout many South American NGOs.

Photo by natecull

Bart has taken on the challenge of making the orphanage economically viable and more accessible to volunteers. Within his first few months, he made the difficult decision to fire over 50% of the paid staff.

But such leadership decisions are paving the way for a bright new future for the children and volunteers.

A Day in the Life…

As Bart says of volunteers, “We select hard and expect them to come and work. They have a chance to really do something.”

Volunteers start with the children at 6 a.m. when they have to be ready for breakfast and school. The children are educated in half-day shifts, giving them time to participate in other activities as well as doing chores.

Educators at the orphanage reinforce the learning the children receive at school. Volunteers will also work on one of the orphanages other projects, including the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) project and the organic farm.

In the evenings, children are tasked with chores and hygiene. Once they cleaned up themselves and the facility, there evenings are free to play, watch television, or engage in activities set up by volunteers.

How You Can Help?

All volunteers are welcome. Casa do Caminho is engaged in the difficult task of building a team of idealists—people who want to work towards the betterment of the children.

Interaction with the children and other locals is constant, regardless of the specialty for which you have volunteered. A good grasp of Portuguese fundamentals is a must. Casa do Caminho can often secure immersion courses in nearby Rio De Janeiro for a reasonable cost.

Volunteers must be willing to commit six months to Caminho. There are multiple reasons for this, not the least of which is the relatively time and energy it takes to get a volunteer up to speed.

Typically, the 6 months is arranged through a tourist visa which lasts for 3 months and can be renewed on while you’re there. Volunteer visas are trickier and, if not secured, can preclude one from getting a tourist visa.

Photo by anijdam

Since you are working with children, a basic criminal background check must be obtained. This may seem like a hassle, but bear in mind that there are a lot of less-than-professional organizations out there.

What does Casa Do Caminho offer its volunteers, apart from the warm feeling of helping?

Having secured a new vehicle, the organization offers free pickup and drop-off from the Rio airport.

Bart also semi-jokingly refers to “…a daily injection of rice and beans” that is given to volunteers, but food is provided.

Accommodations are also on the list of benefits, with the volunteers having their own shared building.

And as if food, lodging, and transportation wasn’t enough, volunteers are also offered a rare glimpse of Brazilian culture through Capoeira—a blend of martial arts and dance, particularly to the Rio de Janeiro region.

At the end of the day, volunteering is about a wholehearted desire to give back. These children have come from terrible situations and Casa do Caminho is their savior.

As they strive to provide more services and secure more funding, volunteers are put in a unique position to make a difference. Volunteering for Casa Do Caminho is a heavy commitment, but one that will pay back in a cultural and human experience that no money could ever buy.

community connection

Click here for a list of volunteer opportunities, or to find out more about the orphanage, visit Casa do Caminho.

Photo by kresta-king-cutcher

Kathryn MacLaughlin is the US Field HR Outreach/Recruitment Officer for Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres. She is based out of the New York office and has been with MSF since 2003.

Her assignments have taken her to China during the SARS outbreak, South Sudan, and Liberia. Her last postings were in Guinea-Bissea dealing with a cholera outbreak and Ethiopia for a measles vaccination campaign.

Photo by hdptcar

Kathryn has an adventurous spirit that has seen her backpacking through Chile and Argentina, working in Hong Kong and Honduras, and vacationing in Thailand and the Philippines. She considered MSF after working in the private environmental/civil engineering sector for about 8 years.

“The professional experience with water and sanitation, the hands-on knowledge of health conditions in developing countries, and the time in my life, made MSF a perfect fit,” she says, noting that MSF was also attractive because it is an independent humanitarian organization, with no religious or political affiliations with its work.

Not your typical day at the office

Kathryn recalls working with villages in South Sudan. The group had to expand a dirt airstrip and create several “roads.” But In order to bring in a truck and a drilling rig by plane they had worked for weeks with no mechanical help, all by hand, machetes and wheel barrows.

She figures “a car hadn’t been in the area for about ten years. It was the first truck some of the children had ever seen in their life!” When the plane arrived, it was welcomed by several thousand villagers, all of whom had turned out to see the truck and the drilling rig.”

Photo by sockeyed

Working with MSF?

MSF is strictly an emergency medical organization. All logistics and construction work are done to support emergency medical services. Jobs are on the medical side but there are non-medical positions available as well.

The most up-to-date information including job postings, recruiting process, and recommended readings can be found in the working with us section of the MSF website.

The best piece of advise from Kathryn’s perspective is to understand yourself: “You really have to know who you are both personally and professionally to do field work with MSF. As a field worker, you hit the ground running, usually in unstable and trying conditions; your focus has to be completely on the people you are serving.”

Kathryn notes that after each assignment with MSF you walk away with a new perspectives on the world. “China was interesting because of its deep cultural history and how it so starkly in contrast with ours (group vs. individual); Sudan was fascinating for its isolation and the strength of the people; and Liberia was intriguing because of the people’s true hope and determination to rebuild their country after war. I have learned humility, humility.”

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For more, please visit: Doctors Without Borders

photo by philipbouchard

Organization: Cinterandes

Opportunity: Medical volunteering across rural Ecuador.

Organization Overview: Started as a health clinic on wheels by Dr. Edgar Rodas, Ecuador’s former minister of health, Cinterandes has served more than 50,000 of Ecuador’s poorest citizens since its inception in 1995.

Rodas, who was frustrated by the country’s lack of health care for marginalized people, decided to fix the problem himself by taking free care to the people instead of waiting for the people to come to the city for preventive and acute care.

Opportunity Overview: Although Cinterandes’ scope of service has extended far beyond the original goal of providing health care to those who formerly had little or no access to medical services, health care remains its central focus.

While many of the staff members are medical or nursing school students from abroad who gain academic credit while volunteering with Cinterandes, the organization does accept volunteers with medical, nursing, or family health care experience to provide direct care to Cinterandes service recipients.

photo by magnusvk

Ideal Volunteer Profile:

-An individual who possesses a strong professional background in medicine, nursing, or family health care.

-Spanish-speaking.

Expectations of Volunteers:

Volunteers who are able to commit to a period of service from two to six months are given preference. Volunteers should be prepared to work in limited resource settings in rural communities.

Learn More About Cinterandes:

-See Cinterandes in action in this documentary.

-Visit Cinterandes website.

Details: If you are interested in being considered for a volunteer position with Cinterandes, please send an e-mail expressing your interest to Dr. Roads at erodas@az.pro.ec.

Be sure to include your resume or a summary of your professional experience. If your resume suggests that your experience could be useful, a Cinterandes staff member will contact you.

Feel Good Story:

Articles about Cinterandes’s unique model of service and surgical successes have been published in a number of respected international medical journals, including The Lancet, World Journal of Surgery, and Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Matador Community Connection

Visit Matador to meet other community members living and working in Ecuador.

photo by Julie Schwietert

Organization: Sonidos de la Tierra

Opportunity: Long-term volunteering with youth in Paraguay.

Organization Overview: Sonidos de la Tierra was founded in 2002 by internationally recognized master musician, composer, and orchestral conductor, Luis Szaran.

Szaran envisioned providing kids in underserved and poorly resourced communities with the opportunities to learn how to play musical instruments and, on a more philosophical level, rescue traditional Paraguayan culture and improve the sustainability of local communities by teaching kids skills that can pave the way to higher education and a professional career.

Opportunity Overview: Since its founding, Sonidos de la Tierra (“Sounds of the Earth”) has offered training in the musical arts to more than 8,000 kids in 120 communities in Paraguay through workshops, their “conservatory on wheels,” and the establishment of music schools.

Although Sonidos de la Tierra has been featured on the television program “Frontline/World,” the organization is relatively unknown in the United States and Canada, and Sonidos de la Tierra would like to build stronger relationships with U.S. and Canadian volunteers.

photo by tp

Ideal Volunteer Profile:

-An individual who possesses a strong professional background in the musical arts OR who can assist in any of the following areas: publicity, fundraising, and website development.

-At present, the organization is in particular need of string musicians and orchestral and choral directors.

-Spanish-speaking.

Expectations of Volunteers:

Volunteers are expected to commit to a period of service that is at least six months in length, but is ideally one year or longer. In addition, program assistant Nilda Ubeda indicates that volunteers are expected to be open-minded, able to give the best of themselves, and willing to live with “people with distinct cultural and social realities.”

Learn More About Sonidos de la Tierra:

-View the Frontline/World documentary.

-Visit Sonidos de la Tierra’s website.

Details: If you are interested in being considered for a volunteer position with Sonidos de la Tierra, please send an e-mail expressing your interest to sonidos@tierranuestra.org.py.

Be sure to include your resume or a summary of your professional musical experience or your web development/fundraising expertise. If your resume suggests that your experience could be useful, a Sonidos staff member will contact you.

Feel Good Story:

-To see how Sonidos de la Tierra has instilled a passion for music in its young students, check out this YouTube video.

-To read more about the inspirational Luis Szaran and Sonidos, read this profile on the Skoll Foundation’s website.

Matador Community Connection:

Visit Matador to learn about other organizations doing amazing work in Paraguay.

In an office set away from the large NGOs and government buildings of downtown Washington, D.C., a group of committed advocates are working to empower human rights activists around the world.

Since establishing itself as a charity in 2001, the Advocacy Project (AP) has been working for social justice and raising awareness on critical human rights issues. It first made its mark when it was hired to write the online newsletter for the NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC) at the Rome Conference in 1998. The newsletter, entitled On the Record provided critical coverage for activists around the world pressing for an international court of justice.

Ten years on, the Advocacy Project now works in partnership with over 45 networks and organizations on five continents.

Fellows for Peace

One of its most sought-after programs is its Advocacy Project Fellows for Peace. Graduate students interested in education, human rights and development are posted around the world to provide field support for grassroots organizations.

Last year, 30 Fellows from North American universities volunteered in over twenty countries as disparate as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Peru, Kenya, Israel, Palestine, Bosnia and Malaysia. Blogging for Peace, their online dispatches from remote regions around the world, has been picked up by media outlets across the US and internationally.

Former AP Peace Fellow Stephanie Salazar used her skills in finance, technology and marketing to work with an AP partner, eHomemakers, in Malaysia, After graduating from John Hopkins University with a MA in International Relations in Washington, DC, she was driven to use what she had learned to work in the public sector.

She brought advanced skills to AP partner eHomemakers which helps women outside Kuala Lumpur become economically independent through technology, training and small business initiatives.

“If not for the Advocacy Project,” says Stephanie,” I would not have been able to find such a worthwhile organization to work with. My time with eHomemakers gave me valuable experience in the development field, and I was able to develop a strong connection with them that continues to this day.”

Partnerships

From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., AP gives support to groups and media attention to issues often overlooked in the mainstream press.

It works to empower activists by providing information support (such as press releases and news bulletins), information dissemination (website postings and online petitions), trainings (ICT and peace-building), financial services (grant-writing and fundraising) and in-country support, including partnerships. Some of the dynamic groups AP works with includes:

- Pro-democracy and human rights groups in Nepal (Collective Campaign for Peace , Jagaran Media Center )

- Nigerian women and girls who are trafficked into prostitution into Italy (Women’s Consortium of Nigeria and TAMPEP )

- Youth in the slums of Rio de Janeiro who are vulnerable to drugs, gangs, violence and guns (Children Against Organized Armed Violence)

- The Indians of the Ecuadoran Amazon, who assets are threatened by foreign oil companies (Center for Social and Economic Rights)

- Afghan women rights (Afghan Women’s Network, Oruj Learning Center )

- Palestinian and Israeli peace groups seeking to build bridges between the two communities and protect the rights of Palestinians to self-determination (Alternative Information Center)

The impact of the Advocacy Project’s work has been indicative of its value to grassroots civil society groups around the world. Working on a small budget of less than $400,000 a year, the Advocacy Project has raised over $950,000 for partners since 2002.

Ultimately, what drives the Advocacy Project is its belief in the power of the people to transform themselves, their community, and their world. AP makes no distinctions of political, geographical or religious borders and makes every effort to take on organizations in need. It stands out in the field of social justice and human rights, not only for its commitment to its partners in the field, but in its determination to help the tens of thousands of people around the world whose voices go unheard.

AP’s message is clear: “These days it’s commonplace: we live in an information age. What perhaps we don’t see as clearly is the way that information can empower a newly emerging civil society. Launching a campaign, building partnerships, advocating for a cause, reaching an audience—all these have enormous capacity to make change happen.”

As the world is struggling to make sense of mass-scale atrocities, environmental damage and geo-economic inequalities, the Advocacy Project is using the power of information and technology to connect, inform, advocate and inspire people to affect change.

Operating on a minimal budget with a modest staff, the successes of AP are that much more noteworthy. The Advocacy Project was recently featured in the Washington Post for its coverage of land evictions in the UK, and has been at the frontlines for many groups involved in policy-making.

Fighting for social justice may appear to be a never-ending battle, but the Advocacy Project plans to stay in it for the long-haul. In the words of US anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.”

For more information on the Advocacy Project and its partners, go to: http://www.advocacynet.org/.

To find out about the Advocacy Project Fellows for Peace Program, go to: www.advocacynet.org/page/fellows

To make a donation to the Advocacy Project or its partners visit: here.

Opportunity Overview: Less well-known is Kiva’s year-old Fellows program, a natural extension of Kiva’s mission.

Organization: Kiva.org

Opportunity: Fellows Program

Organization Overview: The U.S. based microlending organization, Kiva, has generated major buzz, enthusiastically supported by President Clinton and featured in The New York Times Magazine and a documentary produced by Frontline/World, all of which have praised the organization for its novel approach to linking social entrepreneurs and lenders through the Internet. With a 99.9% loan repayment rate, Kiva is popular with both lenders and loan-seekers, and is positioned to continue attracting attention.

Opportunity Overview: Less well-known is Kiva’s year-old Fellows program, a natural extension of Kiva’s mission. Anyone over 21 can apply for the Fellows program, the purpose of which is to strengthen Kiva’s relationship with its microfinance institutions (MFIs) by placing skilled volunteers on the ground in communities where the work that’s being funded is performed. The Fellows are a vital link between Kiva staff, lenders, and loan recipients, sharing information among the stakeholders, increasing exposure and awareness, and providing technical support to loan recipients.

Ideal Volunteer Profile:

-21+ years of age (current volunteers range in age from 21-60)

-Proficient with photography and blogging

-Strong travel history, especially independent travel

-Language skills: Fluency in French, Spanish, and Asian languages are particularly needed for West Africa, Asia, and Latin America placements

Expectations of Volunteers:

Volunteers are matched to regions, organizations, and tasks based on their experiences, skills, and interests. All volunteers are expected to photograph members of the microfinance institution and post blog entries to Kiva’s site; the blogs are intended to chronicle the lives of the working poor and provide first-hand accounts of how microlending is impacting people’s lives. Volunteers also work in the microfinance institution’s office 2-3 days per week, providing assistance with a variety of tasks, which may include data entry, accounting, document creation, training, and other forms of technical support.

Bonus Points for the Fellows Program!

-Couples can apply.

-The volunteer positions are largely autonomous (no supervisor on site) while also highly collaborative (working closely with the members of the MFI).

-Beyond the required 10 week commitment, the terms of service are flexible. Some Fellows have been in the field for more than a year, and have rotated through more than one organization… or country!

Details: For full details about the Fellows Program and to download an application and instructions, please visit http://www.kiva.org/about/fellows-program/.

Feel Good Story:

Anushka Ratnayake, Fellows Program Manager, shared the following story:

“One of my favorite Fellows stories is about Liz Vilette from Houston who went to Azerbaijan. She was finishing her MBA and wanted to see what she’d heard about in theory in practice. She’s a former soldier and was really gung ho to try anything. We really wanted a fellow in Azerbaijan because it has a really strong microfinance industry and we were sending lots of funds there. Liz was incredibly resourceful. [Even before she left] Liz found out that Houston is a sister city with a city in Azerbaijan and she found an expat community in Houston and got them really excited about Kiva and helped them connect to people at home. They helped her find a homestay and she went to Azerbaijan for over three months and ended up working with three of our partners there. She trained staff and provided English language classes, which really added value to the MFI, and helped improve staff retention. She was making Kiva real to them.”