Jorge Fernandez, a 24 year old from Mexico spent 8 weeks volunteering in GVN's India Children's Program.  Volunteers in this program have the opportunity to work with street children and children from slums in daycare centres and schools which have been purposely set-up to help alleviate poverty. There are opportunities to teach English, provide care and basic education for children.





Jorge wrote a very moving final journal piece about his experience volunteering in India, excerpts of which we're proud to share with you today:



"The first of my conclusions is that if you are either a person eager to see and learn about the world and the people living in it or one of those idealists who believes the world can be changed for the better, then you should definitely consider volunteering in India.

And so you might ask: Why India?  Well this might just be my very own, tremendously biased opinion, but I can hardly think of a country in which you will find such impressive cultural vastness, mad/fun craziness, overwhelming contrasts, functional chaos and unbelievable diversity, cultural clash, all in the same place. “India is a land you learn to love as much as you hate sometimes” as my friend Tamara says, is the best way of defining it I heard, and it’s absolutely true, so why not experience such a country?

Secondly, and most important: WHY volunteering? Well…

My most definite answer would be a very Indian “Why not?”. Why not go on about a trip aimed to cultivating our minds and hearts in ways different to what the regular, tourist trips do? Why not help people anywhere in the world? After all, we are all human beings, trying to achieve the happiness and peace we’re all entitled to have. I know for me this is what India taught me and I can’t be any more grateful for finding a home in Jai Jawan Colony 129, a family in my fellow volunteers and a bunch of great, wise teachers in the people I got to come across during my 12 revealing weeks in which, in exchange for a piece of my heart left at Jaipur, I took so much more that will define me and my future.
 

Every single day was an adventure because we let ourselves enjoy and work with every moment as it came, even the ugly ones. It’s a good reminder of how we can improve our regular, daily lives.

So… Why not?"



If you'd like to find out more about volunteering in India, or to apply online visit http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/india/

The northern hemisphere summer months are among our busiest at Global Volunteer Network.  In this blog post we’re taking a look at the top 7 reasons so many people spend their precious summer months volunteering abroad, and what they really gain from it!



1) Spend your summer doing something meaningful – it will look great on your resume/CV and shows a commitment to social change and willingness to work hard.



2) Give yourself a well-deserved break from the classroom. Volunteer in an exotic location and experience the world whilst gaining experience you won’t get in your classroom!





3) Gain career direction or clarification; gain experience working in your field of interest; or try out new areas of interest to see if you want to pursue them further.



4) Get ahead of other recent graduates in the job market and make yourself stand out from other applicants.



5) If you’re studying, chances are you’ve got the time.  When you eventually enter the workforce you’ll be restricted to much shorter periods of annual leave.  With flexible placements from 1 week up to 3 months there’s no better time for you to volunteer abroad.







6) Step out of your comfort zone and discover what you’re capable of! You might be surprised!



7) Meet people from around the world and build on your communication and relationship making skills, your cultural understanding and best of all....make new friends!



As you can see, spending your summer volunteering abroad offers so much more than your average summer vacation.  Make your summer count by spending 1 to 12 weeks exploring a new country and culture, whilst at the same time sharing your time, talents, and passion with communities in developing countries who really need you.



It’s not too late to get involved this summer 2011!  If you’d like to learn more about summer programs available to you, or to apply online visit www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/programs/

Every now and then we come across funny, interesting and inspiring journal entries written by our volunteers, which provide a really unique personal insight into their volunteer experience.



Recently we've been enjoying the journal of Heather Padilla, a 27 year old from the USA, who is volunteering for the month of May in our Rwanda Literacy Program.  Below we're sharing with you some of Heather's pearls of wisdom, her highlights, funny anecdotes and experiences teaching in a school in Rwanda.





"After a bit of a rough start (i.e. luggage full of everything for the month being sent to another city, potential blow-out of laptop, adjusting to the city/life in general), things have finally started to settle down and I’ve found myself able to take a deep breath and relax a bit.

The first week in a new place is always eventful and a bit energy-sapping as you are thrust into a new way of life in unfamiliar terrain and this has been no exception.

“African Time” – even though I had mentally prepared for it, it’s been a bit of a challenge going from a rigorous, packed “5 minutes early is on time” schedule to a “no rush – we’ll get there when we get there” mindset.

I got a chance to see the school where I’ll start teaching tomorrow, there are two shifts (students come from 7-11:40 and 12:40-5)...the school is EXTREMELY poor (no running water or electricity) and the students walk there from all over and crowd into rooms of sometimes 50 or 60 students at a time, some of the students don’t even have shoes…however, evidently they are still really good at soccer…the director’s assistant was very proud of how hard the students try and showed us all the medals they had received from games.

It was decided that I would teach P3 (third grade) English. I’m not sure if I’ll be moving around to other grades as the weeks go by or not but for now I enjoy the age group. The students are really funny. The first day they seemed really shy and quiet (well, apart from the breaks where they would just surround me and stare until one brave soul decided to talk to me, consequently opening the door for the rest of them to shake hands or hug me as they giggled).

They have progressively become more talkative though (mostly when their Rwandese teachers are out of the room). There are five questions that they ALL ask me: 1) “How are you?” 2) “What is your name? 3) “Where do you live?” 4) “How old are you?” and my favorite 5) “What is your mother/father’s name?” Some of them are becoming more familiar with me and have decided to try and school me in English. As I walk around the room monitoring the class as they copy notes from the board (which takes forever, by the way, but is essential since they don’t have worksheets or workbooks) I will hear [Student]:“Teacher, teacher! What is this?” (holds up a pen) [Me]: “It’s a pen.” [Student w/ HUGE smile and congratulating eyes]: “YES!! Very good!” They then continue to ask me everything they can think of (paper, eyes, ears, nose, hands, etc.) and seem very surprised each time when I know the answers.  Speaking of answers, these students LOVE to try and participate when they know the answer. We studied how to tell time this week and I was a bit blown away the first time I drew a clock on the board and asked them what time it was. The class of 50 or so students was filled with raised hands...

As far as school goes, all I can say is I’m ready to challenge anyone to Pictionary or Charades as soon as I get back home. There are no worksheets or workbooks…just my acting and chalkboard drawing ability. I’m sure it’s quite entertaining to watch me dramatically act out various jobs or places in the community (the lessons this past week).

I was told that my first name is hard to pronounce so it might be easier to go by Padilla instead. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it at first but then decided that it sounded pretty sporty (going by last names and all) and might be kinda fun. Apparently Padilla is just as hard to say. All the students and teachers called me “PED-rah” after the first day so I made an executive decision to go back to Heather. It doesn’t really make a huge difference though because the students call me “Teacher” anyway. Well, that or “Natalie”…the name of their last teacher!"



Volunteers in the Rwanda Program have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of under-privileged children and adults by assisting processes to help eradicate poverty, reduce HIV infections, provide education and help communities through capacity building programs.



For more information about this program, or to apply online visit: http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/rwanda/

This week we'd like to introduce you to the wonderful, inspiring and unbelievably motivated Caitie Goddard of the GVN Foundation.  Caitie is going to tell you about an exciting adventure she's signed herself up for in April 2011 and why she's so passionate about taking on this challenge.



"I LOVE to travel and hope to do much more of it! I’ve been fortunate to visit and live in some amazing places including Madrid, Spain Bulenga, Uganda and Wellington, New Zealand and have found that more than the actual places, it is the people I meet that make the experience so worthwhile!

That certainly holds true in one of my favorite countries I’ve been, Vietnam. In May of 2010, I had the opportunity to spend some time in Vietnam where I had the “difficult” job of visiting several orphanages and schools where I got to play and spend time with beautiful children. My employer, the GVN Foundation supports these children by fundraising to provide nutritional programs, medical care and salaries for physical therapists who work with the severely disabled children.

One of my tasks while I was there was also to prepare for the first-ever GVN Cycling Challenge; cycling over 500 km (310 miles!) to raise funds for these gorgeous children. Why 500 km? If you’ve ever been to Vietnam or know someone who has, odds are you’ve fallen in love with the people, food and beauty of the country. I couldn’t agree more and that’s why this cycling adventure needs to be… a challenge! No one wants to donate to your time spent in a loungechair on the beach and we want them to know we are serious about fundraising! We’ll still get the beach (and a cocktail…or four!) but that comes after a tough and sweaty challenge to do something perhaps out of your comfort zone for a great cause. (And if it’s not out of yours, rest assured this will certainly be something out of mine!) We ask all participants to raise USD$2,000 (excluding cycling trip costs) that goes directly to the non-profit GVN Foundation to support the projects in Vietnam. Even for those where money is not an obstacle, it means so much more to go through the effort of fundraising and making people aware of what you’re doing!

Participants will challenge themselves to complete the journey in the April heat going from Ho Chi Minh City to Hoi An. Cycling past scenery that will make you wonder why anyone would consider driving, stops will be made to visit the orphanages we are fundraising to assist and include a lunch with the kids and staff at the projects!  The trip in Vietnam holds the same purpose as the treks; to tackle and accomplish a difficult physical challenge but most importantly, make a huge impact on the lives of the community GVN works with.  The money raised by participants will go towards:

- Education and meal programs for several orphanages
- Vietnamese teacher salaries to reduce class sizes and allow for better English lessons
- An emergency medical fund so when children have an accident or fall sick, they do not have to wait for treatment
- New medical equipment for children with disabilities, including wheelchairs and physiotherapy supplies to help those who need daily treatment

I will never forget the smiles on the kids’ faces and I know that through this bike trip we can significantly change their lives. The children are either orphans or come from families too poor to support them. Many of the children in the surrounding area live in unsafe conditions, sometimes without adequate food, education, or even clean water.  With this trip, we will be changing the lives of over 100 Vietnamese children, giving them a chance to receive adequate nourishment and a proper education to go forward and lead the next generation towards a better life.

Global Volunteer Network has successfully organized trips to climb Mt. Everest, (Nepal) Mt. Kilimanjaro, (Kenya) and Machu Picchu (Peru) to challenge the participants and provide an incredible once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see exactly what the funds are able to do by visiting the projects immediately following the trek. This will be the FIRST time we have a cycling challenge and I am thrilled to be leading it!

We currently have a few more spots and it would be great to get some further support from traveling enthusiasts. You don’t have to be a professional rider, we will always have an air-conditioned support vehicle nearby should you need a break or want to trade in some H20 on a bike for some famous Vietnamese coffee in comfort!"



If you have a taste for adventure, Caitie would love for any of our readers to consider this challenge and add it to your list of accomplishments for 2011!



For more information on the Vietnam Cycle Challenge or to apply online please visit our website: http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/vietnam/cycle/