| |
|
|
|
|
| |
 1. Welcome to the Projects Abroad newsletter
Projects Abroad is the leading organiser of volunteer work placements, sending over 3500 volunteers away each year to 23 Third and Developing world countries.
The placements are ideal for students during gap years, summer breaks, deferred semesters or on completing studies. The placements are open to all ages, although the majority of volunteers are aged 17 – 25.
We are sending you this monthly newsletter to keep you informed of volunteers' work and in the hope that you might find the content of interest and inform your students of the opportunities we offer.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like further information or printed material on the projects we manage.
Best regards
Will Pashley
Director, Projects Abroad Australia & NZ
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
2. Nepal – a volunteer's story
Kate from Victoria worked at the Snowland School in Bishalnagar district of the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal earlier this year. Here she tells a little of her daily routine with the 159 lively kids who live and study at the school.
My days start at 7.30am with the chaos of breakfast for 159 hungry children. The usual greeting of "Good Morning Miss" is shouted at me fromevery direction the moment I step into the courtyard, and I am inevitably fed tea by the Didis before I am allowed to help with the cleaning up.
At 9.30 classes start and Matt, Roz and I tackle the fun - though sometimes frightening - challenge of entertaining our various classes in the volunteer room. The volunteer classes are one of the many projects that have been established at the school, and they serve as a break from the regular classes as well as a chance for the children to practice their English. The students are all eager to learn and play and are continually entertaining and teaching us as well. I think the Kindergarten class is solely responsible for my weekly exercise.
Apart from the volunteer classes, we have several other projects that we are currently organizing at the school. Having just finished painting the kitchen, we have started a vegetable and flower garden in an attempt to provide the kids with a bit of greenery in the playground as well as providing some extra food for the kitchen. None of us really claim to have even one green thumb, but fingers crossed it will turn out OK! We also plan to organize a sports day for the students and we will be hosting the Projects Abroad Sponsored Dirty Weekend at the school where we will aim to get all the volunteers together and paint the inside of the classrooms.
Nepal is an amazing country and it has offered me so many unbelievable opportunities. However, it is the people I have met and the children I have worked with so far that truly make up the incredible landscape of this place for me. The students of Snowland Ranag have made my placement incredibly interesting, rewarding and enjoyable so far and I can’t help but look forward to the next three months with them.
To find out more about our projects in Nepal, click here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
3. South Africa – conservation on the wild frontier
In South Africa we have been working hard to develop our conservation project, here our assistant manager Dave shares some of this first impressions.
Legodimo Nature Reserve. The name Legodimo comes from the local language of Tswana, it means paradise or God’s place.
This last month has been full of surprises and it seems that when anyone comes to visit here they are rarely disappointed. Before coming to Legodimo and Botswana I had spent nearly a year in reserves around South Africa. I loved every minute of it and thought that this was what Africa and living in the bush was all about.
However, there was always something about my time in South African reserves which didn’t quite feel right and I could never put my finger on it that is until I crossed into Botswana and first laid eyes on what I can only describe as the real, untamed wild.
South Africa is an amazing country but the problem there is they keep their animals behind fences, even the great Kruger National Park, which I have been to twice, has a fence around its borders and this was the problem, it made everything seem a little plastic and a little controlled. Botswana doesn’t fence anything and the animals are free to do as they please and go where ever they wish. Is this not how it was always supposed to be?
Legodimo, situated along the banks of the Limpopo River is a remarkable place. The great thing about it is you never know what each day will bring, what animals we are going to encounter and indeed what animals are going to visit us at camp. It began with the big guns – Elephants! They came to us and four straight days and nights they surrounded the camp busy eating, trumpeting and generally creating havoc as they love to do.
Lying in bed at night with an elephant rubbing his rear end on my front door was quite an experience and not one I shall forget in a hurry. They broke into Gerrit’s front garden and decided to use one of his precious young fever trees as a toilet. Fortunately the tree is fine and, I guess, well fertilized!
Then it was the Leopards turn; they seemed to be everywhere and more than happy to show themselves to us. Leopards are notoriously secretive animals and well known for being on the hardest to see in the wild.
Not at Legodimo. In less than week we had seen leopards on six different occasions. Twice we were even more fortunate to see two leopards together. Not bad for shy secretive, elusive and very solitary animal.
Legodimo Nature Reserve really deserves it’s name. It is truly a piece of paradise.
For more details on this amazing place, click here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
4. Jamaica – new projects with a big impact
Volunteers In Jamaica – A message from our Jamaican Team
With only five months since Projects Abroad started in Jamaica, the impact made by volunteers has been overwhelming. Jamaica continues to get a flurry of enthusiastic, talented and hardworking volunteers who have helped in offering much needed assistance at their placements.
On behalf of all the placements we would like to thank the volunteers for taking the time to come to Manchester, Jamaica and for contributing to the growth and development of the parish. The rich cultural exchange has allowed us to gain a better appreciation for each other. We have had volunteers from Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Canada, Holland, the USA, UK and Ireland.
To the current volunteers, we are delighted to have you in Jamaica. If you have already signed up, we are eager to have you in Jamaica. If you are thinking of volunteering, we encourage you to come and immerse yourself in our culture. We look forward to providing support and quality serve to you. 'Justice, truth be ours forever. Jamaica Land we love'.
Bridgette B. Barrett (Country Director) &
Andrew Richards (Projects & Desk Officer)
To find out more about our work in Jamaica, click here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
5. Bolivia – life at an orphanage
Imogen recently spent two months at the Casa de la Alegria (House of the Happy) in Bolivia, here she talks briefly about the girls that live there;
Casa de la Alegría is situated about 45 minutes from Cochabamba in the beautiful countryside. The ride to work may be slightly longer than other volunteers experience for their placements but it is well worth it for the spectacular scenery. It enables you to see parts of Bolivia around Cochabamba that you would be unlikely to experience should you have a placement in the city centre. Casa de la Alegria currently contains 19 girls aged between 8 and 20 who live together in the orphanage and attend school in the nearby town. The girls are friendly and interested in your life back home, family and hobbies; they welcome you immediately. I have found that because they are older, they are perhaps not as open as younger children who crave so much attention. After spending a little more time with them, however, their friendship is rewarding as you get to know their interests (mainly Britney Spears!). I find it incredible how hard the children work. They cook all their meals with each girl being responsible on a diferent day and they take it in turns. They are amazing at cooking with limited means and far more skilful and rapid at chopping vegetables than me! Currently they are also working towards a craft fair where they make many craft items (such as crochet bags, decorated tablecloths, etc) and sell them at a profit to fund the orphanage.
The girls are just like normal teenagers, with interests, personalities (the occasional mood and argument obviously), and with a need for love and attention from people who care. I cannot recommend this project more highly and am sure future volunteers will make a huge difference to the lives of these girls.
Projects Abroad runs many such deserving placements in Bolivia, a country all our volunteers fall in love with. To find out more click here.
We will be running Information Evenings in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in November and early December.
These are an opportunity to meet the team and former volunteers and get more detailed information about the diverse range of deserving projects we manage and support.
Dates are yet to be finalised, please register your interest on our website here.
Events in Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and some regional areas will be arranged for early 2009, again please register your interest and we will inform you of dates within a couple of weeks.
We would be very grateful if you could circulate this information and would be happy to provide you with extra materials should you be happy to do so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
6. Information Evenings
We will be running Information Evenings in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide in November and early December.
These are an opportunity to meet the team and former volunteers and get more detailed information about the diverse range of deserving projects we manage and support.
Dates are yet to be finalised, please register your interest on our website here.
Events in Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and some regional areas will be arranged for early 2009, again please register your interest and we will inform you of dates within a couple of weeks.
We would be very grateful if you could circulate this information and would be happy to provide you with extra materials should you be happy to do so.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
October 2008
