Local craftsmen in Ghana have been trained by Bamboo Bikes Limited to manufacture quality bicycles with bamboo frames. Photo courtesy of the SYTO

In rural areas of Ghana, the Student and Youth Travel Organization (SYTO) works to arrange volunteering trips, internships, homestays and cultural exchanges for foreign visitors. To reach and get around the most remote and underserved villages of rural Ghana, these visitors need transportation on which they can rely; however, they often find that there is nothing suitable in their village destinations.

Meanwhile, in Kumasi, Ghana, one operation, called Bamboo Bikes Limited, has blossomed from its small-scale experimental beginnings into a large-scale producer of just what SYTO volunteers need: bikes made out of bamboo. SYTO is therefore a proud supporter of Bamboo Bikes Limited and uses this local producer to supply what it needs for volunteers headed places that are all but inaccessible by public transport.

Bamboo Beginnings

Bamboo Bikes Limited came about as part of the Millennium Cities Initiative of Columbia University. First, the Bamboo Bike Project at the Earth Institute of Columbia University assembled a team of engineers to design a prototype and then provided technical training to local people in Ghana. The idea was to create a light, strong, affordable bicycle constructed entirely of local material and able to be assembled using local labour.

At the Bamboo Bikes Limited headquarters in Kumasi, Ghana, four finished bamboo bikes are ready for shipping. Photo courtesy of the SYTO

Now, two years later, Bamboo Bikes Limited is operational and growing. During a two-week training program earlier this year, it began the production of 750 bikes for a test run. Its ultimate goal is to put 20,000 bikes per year on the road, which would go a long way toward meeting the transportation needs of Ghana’s rural communities.

Benefits of Bamboo

Bamboo bikes are beneficial in a number of ways. First, the primary material used is biodegradable, which is easier on the environment than other materials used in building bikes. Second, the bikes are manufactured locally by trained community craftsmen, thereby creating employment for the local people. The bikes are most useful in rural areas, where vehicular transport is not common and roads are poor, especially during the raining seasons.

French volunteer Magali Comte grins as she rolls up to her host family’s house on her project site in the Walewale area of Ghaana via bamboo bike. Photo courtesy of the SYTO

Local people find many uses for bamboo bicycles. Students travel to school with them; merchants carry goods to the market; farmers transport agricultural produce to and from their land; and health workers deliver much-needed medical supplies to and from clinics.

Volunteers’ Experiences

At SYTO, foreign volunteers are trying these bamboo-framed bicycles out for themselves, excited by how unique and comfortable they are.

As Doug Switzer, a volunteer from Ireland, observes: “I ride my bamboo bike to work every day and to town to buy stuff I need. I enjoy riding it because it’s smooth and well built. This bike is great. It’s useful to me and my colleagues, who also enjoy it because I see a number of them riding their bikes to work.”

A few volunteers from Canada World Youth/SYTO discuss issues with locals on their bamboo bikes in Paga, Ghana. Photo courtesy of the SYTO

That said, the bamboo bikes still need some mechanical fine-tuning. The pedals, for example, are not the most durable and usually the first part to have problems.

Volunteer Sarina Thiel from Germany points out another kind of complication. “The bikes are good, but the only problem is that they attract unnecessary attention from the community every time I am using it because the bikes are so unique!”

SYTO and Bamboo Bikes Limited look forward to the day when this sustainable form of transport is less of a head-turning novelty item and more of a norm.

If you would like to arrange a volunteer experience or internship in Ghana, get in contact with SYTO Ghana. Also stay tuned for bamboo bike tours through M&J Travel and Tours, the whl.travel local connection in Northern Ghana.

By Leanne Haigh, Project Development Manager at Acacia Africa

Voluntourism has generated a new wave in travel, the growing feel good factor creating opportunities for the everyday traveller and not just the career minded charity worker. But the question remains, can you make a difference when you’re a short-term tourist? The debate appears to be ongoing, however, it’s not essential to be on a three-month sabbatical or longer stint if you want to give something back to the country you are visiting.

The African continent is a good place to start, adventurers in search of the Big Five also helping out on more practical projects.

Building and painting local schools in Uganda is valuable input. Of course, you might be visiting the project for just one day, but you’re still a much needed pair of hands, and non-profit projects with little in the way of budgets will welcome that kind of practical assistance with open arms.

Your first step into the world of vouluntourism – On an overlanding tour you’ll have the opportunity to visit seven or eight countries in Africa, and along the way there are usually various community and conservation based programmes on offer. Whether you decide to participate in an ethical project or simply gain some understanding from the local scheme on a guided tour, you’ll bring back some relevant insight that might help you decide on a more focused voluntour next time you visit. Remember, even on a two-week experience it’s a real commitment, and it’s important to invest your time in something you believe in, making prior hands on knowledge invaluable.

More specific voluntour itineraries will enable you to gain a deeper understanding of the project’s aims and build closer relationships with your fellow travellers and members of the local community who also help to make it happen.

Where to Head?

Zanzibar is often seen as a sun sea and sand destination, but it’s now home to an exciting educational project. Illiteracy affects over 40% of the Spice Island’s population, then again you don’t need to have a teaching qualification to get involved. The activities range from assisting with the education of with primary school classes to adult education, and you will also have the opportunity to be involved in recycling and tree planting programmes; the scheme endeavouring to engineer a more well-rounded approach to the needs of the community, whether its education or conservation.

With the Big Five being central to almost any itinerary in Africa there’s the option to combine game viewing and volunteering on many tours. Undoubtedly, the wildlife is still the main draw for anyone choosing to travel on the continent so organisations involved in the protection of endangered animals are becoming part and parcel of the whole voluntour industry. And, what better place to start than the Masai Mara, host of the annual migration. Volunteers coming on board from July to October will certainly be assured of a little more excitement, and a two-way ethical scheme, there is the opportunity to learn from the Masai tribe, ethical travellers assisting on conflict management programmes and helping to improve educational facilities in the area.

Your Checklist to Voluntouring

* If you’re not sure how to make the best of your skills, look out for one day voluntour experiences within a tour, you’ll gain much needed insight when it comes to taking a longer commitment

* There are plenty of voluntour experiences out there, but quiz the company you are booking with. If the travel advisor is able to give you a detailed description of what’s on offer, it will speak volumes about their involvement

* Check out the options in Africa, as you may well be able to combine a voluntour holiday with some additional sight seeing and game viewing

* Ask about the ratio of local and tourist involvement. In general, voluntour projects that show a strong concern for local labour are rated more highly when it comes to their values and ethics

For more information on Acacia Africa, contact: 020 7706 4700 or info@acacia-africa.com

Photos by Acacia Africa

By Shelley Seale

At the age of 14, Ponheary Ly died and came back to life.

At least, that’s how she describes it. The year was 1977, and the Khmer Rouge was on its deadly rampage in Cambodia. After seeing her father killed, along with 13 other family members, Ly was on the run and in hiding when some soldiers accused her of stealing food. They marched her deep into the woods and forced her to dig her own grave.

“The ground was very hard,” Ly recalls. “I only got a few inches down, and then I don’t remember what happened.” The next thing she was aware of was waking up in the shallow pit, covered with dirt. “I must have fallen unconscious, I must have stopped breathing. The soldiers thought I died, and they buried me.”

This was only one of many horrors that Ly survived during the brutal period in her country’s history. After she reunited with her mother and six remaining siblings, the family was forced to start over. Education became her answer.

Today, three decades after the fall of the Khmer Rouge its legacy remains: over 30 percent of Cambodia’s population is under age 14 and uneducated. Nearly all of these post genocidal-era children work or beg in the streets rather than attend school. Without proper education this cycle of poverty cannot be broken and the suffering merely gets passed from generation to generation.

That’s something that Ponheary Ly wants to end – with the help of an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit called Windows of Wonder Institute, or WOWi.

When Cambodia opened to tourism in the early 1990s, Ly became a tour guide. But neither she, nor her visitors, could ignore Cambodia’s impoverished children; not when they saw them every day at the Angkor Wat temples, working and begging. That’s when Ly began using her tips to sponsor a child to go to school. That child turned into a few, and then dozens as her tourist clients gave extra donations as well.

Today, the Ponheary Ly Foundation (PLF) enables over 2,000 children to attend school. I met Ly last year when I visited Cambodia, and she told me her story. I also met some of the children her foundation helps, and was amazed by the work being done under the force of a few people – and humbled by how great the needs are.

Kim Smith, co-founder of WOWi, also traveled to Cambodia a few years ago and heard Dr. Beat Richner speak, a physician who founded five hospitals to provide free healthcare to Cambodian children. The experience got Smith to thinking about how he and his WOWi foundation could help.

“Given my depth of experience in digital media, why not start a digital media program in Siem Reap?” Smith asked himself. “And why not model it in part on the Artisans d’Angkor workshops that train youths in traditional Cambodian crafts that are then sold to the over two million tourists who visit Angkor Wat each year?”

Smith knew that if he could train Cambodian youths in digital media production and management, while at the same time supporting humanitarian activities such as those Ponheary Ly and Dr. Richner were involved with, he could have a program with a huge potential impact. Soon after, Smith met Keith Hajovsky, a travel consultant and tour guide specializing in Southeast Asia.

“Keith put the project on a firm footing by facilitating a partnership between WOWi and the Ponheary Ly Foundation,” Smith explains. “The key to the WOWi/PLF partnership is PLF’s new computer lab, and students eager to learn computer-related skills and digital media.”

Smith and Hajovsky began putting together their project, and set up a fundraising program through Crowdrise. The collaboration with donors that they created is so new and unique that it’s been trademarked. Investors of $25 or more into the project will receive what’s called MYtiles, virtual tiles that the donors can fill in with content of their choosing – photos, a graphic, or company logo that can also link to any internet site they wish. Your MYtile can also be created by a graphic designer, or a PLF student.

“This last option will actually directly provide these students with an opportunity to strengthen their technical and creative skills, something that will help them get a better job later on in life and break the cycle of poverty,” Hajovsky says.

All of the MYtiles are then displayed on WOWi’s virtual LIFEwall. The donations will cover the costs to send a group of American university students and digital media industry professionals to Siem Reap, where the team will spend two weeks training PLF students in digital media creation and technology, leaving behind a working digital studio. And they have one of the world’s most awe-inspiring subjects with which to work: the majestic temples of Angkor Wat.

“Ever since I was a little kid looking through National Geographic magazines, I’d always wanted to see the temples of Angkor,” Hajovsky said. “They seemed so exotic to me in all those pictures, but when I actually saw them in person for the first time they were even larger and more magnificent than I had ever imagined—they really blew me away.”

The two week team training will mark the start of an ongoing program that will eventually produce a self-sustaining, sophiticated digital media training school. Through the sharing of these two cultures – the horrific and beautiful aspects alike—the WOWi project is poised to accomplish something amazing: a total reversal of what the Khmer Rouge stood for. “It represents a true step towards returning Cambodia to its ancient glory, now through open exposure to the rest of the world and education rather than through isolation and brutal suppression,” says Duane Conder, WOWi’s Director of Communications.

For his part, Smith hopes this project will become a platform that can be used anywhere in the world to support humanitarian activities. “The internet has an ability to open up windows of contact worldwide,” he says. “WOWi is about forming communities through these ‘windows of wonder.’ Perhaps ultimately, a world community can be formed.”

WOWi will be leading a volunteer trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia on February 4-18, 2012. If you are interested in being a part of this experience in digital training for Cambodian students and visiting Angkor Wat, please visit www.wowi-austin.org, or submit an application online.

By Cynthia Ord

Volunteering abroad, also known as voluntourism, is on fire. More and more, all kinds of people are looking for travel experiences where they can serve the under-served, globally. Who can disagree with such noble intentions? In fact, voluntourism is often hailed as one of the most constructive forms of tourism out there.

Voluntourism Economics

Like anything new and fast-growing, voluntourism can go awry. Opportunistic travel companies commercialize what should be kept in the non-profit sector, charging voluntourists a hefty premium. NGOs use voluntourists as a fundraising mechanism, taking more advantage of their willingness to pay than their willingness to work. As voluntourism gains scale in certain destinations, it can even affect local labor markets in ways the voluntourists never imagine. Rightly so, skeptics have started blowing whistles and calling for best practices.

The economics of voluntourism is a hot issue in the larger debate about voluntourism’s impacts. Where are voluntourist dollars going? How much stays with the coordinating organization, and how much enters the local economy in a meaningful way? If you’re thinking about volunteer travel, these are the kinds of questions that are worth asking. If you’re an organization that is coordinating volunteer tourists, these are the kind of questions that are important to answer. Transparency is key.

Volunteering with Sustainable Bolivia in Cochabamba

Sustainable Bolivia is a registered non-profit organization in Cochabamba, Bolivia’s third-largest city. Here, it partners with 28 local non-profit organizations to coordinate volunteer and internship opportunities for international students and professionals. The organizations span a number of fields of development: public health, the environment, education, human rights, and social services.

Volunteers choose which organization they would like to get involved with, depending on their experiences, educational background, and interests. With its diverse network of local non-profit organizations, Sustainable Bolivia is in a good position to match volunteer skills and resources with the places in and around Cochabamba that could use them the most.

Engineers who want to work on appropriate technology solutions find a good match with Energetica, which works on alternative energy sources in the rural communities of Bolivia. Doctors and health care professionals have a number of choices for applying their skills, like Atendi where they can work with kids with disabilities, or Centro de Salud Cerro Verde if their interest is in reproductive health. For creative types and performers, Sustainable Bolivia has an artist residency program and a partner organizations like Performing Life, which provides underprivileged youth with workshops to develop juggling and other circus show skills.

The Mini Grant Program at Sustainable Bolivia

In 2009, the administration of Sustainable Bolivia started thinking about how they could make volunteer impacts more transparent. They realized that volunteers were the ones who were working directly in the field, in close contact with local partner organizations. The volunteers could see firsthand the most pressing needs on site at their projects.

In February of that year, the innovative new mini grant system was introduced. It’s a system where volunteers can decide exactly how their money is used in the community, and Sustainable Bolivia has one more way to measure and report contribution its to parter organizations. How does it work? For each month that a volunteer works with Sustainable Bolivia, $75 goes toward a mini grant. So, a volunteer that stays for three months has $225 to use toward their volunteer project in the way they think is most appropriate.

In order to apply their mini grants, volunteers are required to fill out an application explaining their project plans and budget. Then, once it has been approved, the volunteer is also required to submit receipts. This process allows for an organization-level reporting system on how volunteer money is being spent.

In keeping with the transparency that Sustainable Bolivia values, it publishes all mini grant activity on its website. On this fascinating page, viewers can see what each volunteer has done with each local partner organization. You can see a short description of the project, the application form, and the receipts showing where the money was spent. More than an ingenious system that ensures transparency about volunteer funds, it’s an elegant composite portrait of the kinds of activities that volunteers can do at Sustainable Bolivia and what the organization is about.

Screen shot of mini grant reporting on the Sustainable Bolivia website

Blogging and Hula Hoops

I applied to spend time at Sustainable Bolivia through their artist residency program, asking if online content creation counts as a form of art. They were happy to accept me as their resident writer. Once I arrived, I had a meeting with Michelle, the national director, about the best way to use my volunteer time. Their website blog had become a little neglected, she said. I loved the idea of helping bring it back to life. By the end of my three month stay, I had five new posts published on the blog.

As my time there passed, I was looking for ways to apply my own mini grant funding. The mini grant program inspired me to close my laptop and get involved on the ground level. My first week there, I had seen a show put on by Performing Life, amazed by the talent of its kids in juggling, diabalos, and unicycles. Since I’m a circus hobbyist myself, I was especially impressed by 13-year-old Scarlet and her fire poi spinning skills. I wanted to learn from her. I noticed that the organization could use some hula hoops to make its circus equipment more complete, and I started planning a project for my mini grant resources.

With my mini grant money, I went to the massive La Cancha local market and bought everything needed to make high-quality, performance-level hula hoops. I found PVC tubing, connectors, duct tape, electrical tape, and even some shiny decorative tape to finish the hoops with color and flair. My mini grant funding went a long way in Bolivia. By the end of my time there, I had made 15 new hula hoops, which were a big hit with the Performance Life kids.

Hula Hooping with Performing Life members

All the materials for hula hoop construction had only cost about $75. There was still more mini grant funding left. I wanted to donate it directly to Performing Life, but Michelle explained to me that it rolls over to the next volunteer working with Performing Life. In this way, they can keep things totally transparent and visible about how the funding is spent. It gave me another idea – maybe I’ll go back and be that next volunteer myself.

To apply for an internship or volunteer opportunity at Sustainable Bolivia, get in contact through the Sustainable Bolivia website.

Cynthia Ord, TIES Travel Ambassador

Cyntia Ord is a native of Denver, Colorado, USA. She has completed a Masters in Tourism and Environmental Economics Program at the Universidad de las Islas Baleares in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. She works with WHL Group and teaches an online course through Village Earth on Tourism and Development. After three months in Bolivia, she is now based in Argentina.

Best Volunteering Organisation, Responsible Tourism Award 2011

This year’s Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards, announced on World Responsible Tourism Day (November 9, 2011) in London, UK, recognized Global Vision International (GVI) as the world’s “Best Volunteering Organisation” for 2011.

The Responsible Tourism Award committee noted, “GVI impressed the judges with the scale of their impacts on the ground. Placing 3,500 volunteers each year in 40 countries, GVI teaches over 10,000 people each year on six continents. And for GVI the proof of their work is in the performance of their students – in Guatemala their students were in the top 5% nationally examined in 2011 – proving that well-placed skilled volunteers can have genuine impacts. Their charitable trust already estimates £400,000 will be raised for their projects this year alone.”

Ground-Up Approach to Volunteer Travel

Global Vision International (GVI) runs responsible volunteering programs in over 40 countries around the world, and is one of the largest and most respected volunteer abroad organisations in the world – with over 22,000 supporters on their Facebook community (GVI on Facebook). Guided by a unique commitment to volunteers and partners, GVI run almost all of their own operations. This unique ground up approach to volunteer travel allows GVI to run sustainable long-term projects that volunteers can join and contribute on for short periods of time, from two weeks to two years.

GVI volunteers fill a critical void in the fields of environmental research, conservation, education and community development. International partners include the South African National Parks Board, Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, Jane Goodall Institute, Rainforest Concern and Kenyan Wildlife Service. From 2007, 70% of all volunteer contributions received were spent directly in the field.

Originally founded in the UK, GVI also maintains head offices in Australia and the United States. GVI volunteers range in age from 18 to 70+, and come from all over the world. GVI also runs programs for 15-17 year olds through GVI Foundations.

Learn more about GVI:

GVI in the UK
+44 (0) 1727 250 250
3rd Floor | The Senate
Exeter, UK

GVI in the USA
+1 888 653 6028
66 Long Wharf
Boston, MA, USA

GVI in Australia
+61 1300 795 013
530 Little Collins St.
Melbourne, Australia

Sembrando Vida – Planting Life

Fundacion Chacras de Buenos Aires works with local community members who are vulnerable to various social circumstances and are in need of support in areas such as social reintegration, psychiatric assistance, protection against rural isolation and gender discrimination. Working with volunteers, Chacras de Buenos Aires runs a program called “Sembrando Vida,” (“Planting Life”) to support Psicoasistencial Hospital Josá Tiburcio BORDA in Buenos Aires.

This program’s model is based on collective efforts, where everyone is involved and participates in the work that’s needed to support and offer mental assistance to patients recovering from their treatment. Volunteers have the opportunity to work together with medical practitioners and neighbors, as well as other volunteers.

In addition to assisting with the administrative tasks at the hospital, volunteers also work on the on-site organic permaculture garden, and participate in activities such as building the foundation for a play oven, preparing meals and baking bread.

Villa San Luis, Pueblo Natural

Chacras de Buenos Aires also offers a volunteer opportunity in Villa San Luis, which is 30km from the Obelisk of Buenos Aires. The objective of this project is to create a model in social integration and sustainable development in Argentina. Working with the communities, the project encourages an original way of managing resources and a highly replicable strategy of managing agricultural and livestock family productions. Chacras de Buenos Aires also organizes workshops on bio construction, organic agriculture and handicrafts in Villa San Luis, allowing everybody to share know-how and learn ecological techniques.

Chacras de Buenos Aires is currently in the process of helping to building the community’s first fair-trade shop and renovating a community hall, where the community members will be able to transform raw material, exhibit their products and sell local crafts. Help is needed to complete these tasks. Those interested in a volunteer opportunity with Chacras de Buenos Aires can contact: info@chacrasbue.com.ar or 4307-7342 for more information.

Comments by Past Volunteers

“During the month I was working on the project Planting Life in the garden of Borda, I learned the basics of organic farming and the care of a garden… The pace of work allowed me to relax [and make friends] with the patients and talk with them, sharing. With the effort and help of all of us we made home-made breads baked with organic vegetables from the garden… What makes this project [special] is the interaction with the patients and other people involved in giving life to the hospital (cultural centre, artists, radio Colifata) [, which] gives a human note to this work. I have no doubt of the therapeutic function of the garden, and also of the positive effects it causes in the voluntary work!” – Clara, from Barcelona

“Everyone should do a volunteer work in the garden of Borda, to learn from the earth and plants, but above all, to face an unfamiliar environment, with all the stereotypes you have about psychiatric hospitals, and at the end realize that the people who live in the hospital teach a lot to the volunteers, without knowing it!” – Barbara, from France

By Lisa Andersen and Robert Wake-Walker

Voluntario Global is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the development of local grassroots community projects in Latin America. It has 17 projects currently running in Buenos Aires as well as Jujuy, Bariloche, Misiones, and Villagrande in Bolivia. This article covers ideas, challenges and opportunities related to Voluntario Global’s work, based on conversations with three partners and supporters of this important cause – Sylvia, representing a local school that works with Voluntario Global’s educational programs, Valeria, Voluntario Global co-founder, and Kara, a current volunteer working in health programs.

Sylvia Ruarte, By Your Side, Voluntario Global Partner

In Pablo Nogués, about an hour train ride from Buenos Aires, Silvia Ruarte runs By Your Side, a small after-hours English school. She bases her work on the idea of quality education for everyone. That means that the school has very few resources at its disposal, as Silvia makes a point of charging the lowest possible tuition fee. It is not easy to run a school at such low cost, but Silvia seems to have what it takes: lots of energy, insight and compassion. And this seems to be where her motivation stems from.

“This is where I can make a difference”

Silvia grew up with the privilege of quality education, and when she realized that not everyone has this privileged background, she knew she had to change that. Even if the change looks small on a national scale, in the lives of the families, the opportunity is life changing. Silvia employs volunteers from all over the world (recruited through Voluntario Global).

This adds to the children’s understanding of geography – it becomes relevant and thus interesting to them to know something about other countries and regions of the world. It helps them realize the differences in the world, and sometimes the meaning of these differences. To Silvia, the most significant help for the school is the volunteers. Without them, the budget would not be sustainable, and the children would miss out on a lot of interesting and important lessons.

“Volunteers gain new insights, thoughts and ideas.”

Further, Silvia recognizes and highly appreciates the lessons the volunteers learn, what they gain and what they take home with them: new insights, thoughts and ideas. This aspect of cultural exchange is as important as the main objectives of the volunteer program, which is to help the children in her school. To Silvia, what keeps responsible tourism many projects going is the prospect of giving and receiving on equal terms.

>> Learn more about Voluntario Global’s volunteer project at By Your Side “Teaching English to Children and Teenagers” or contact Silvia at silviaruarte30[at]yahoo.com.ar / +54 (0)2320 414630.

Valeria Gracia, Co-Founder, Voluntario Global

Argentina is an interesting destination for volunteer travelers, as with many places around the world. Voluntary work is a fantastic way to get to know the community. Each and every country has its own culture, which makes each volunteering experience unique. For example, a volunteer worker in Bolivia would be exposed to the history of the indigenous culture. In Buenos Aires, a volunteer gets to connect with highly topical subjects and current affairs such as poverty in modern society and education and health issues.

About seven years ago, Valeria founded Voluntario Global, with the goals of helping improve the lives of local people. In addition to immersing yourself in the local culture, Valeria says, “a volunteer must strive to create a better society to live in.” While the volunteer tourism sector continues to grow in Argentina, Valeria has seen more growth in Buenos Aires (“everyone arriving in Argentina has to come through BA”) than in the rest of Argentina, where the needs may be greater.

“Tourists are seeking volunteer opportunities as part of their responsible tourism experiences”

So who are these volunteers – voluntourists – who visit and work in Argentina with Voluntario Global? Valeria says that these are not professional workers (e.g. medical professionals assigned to work on certain areas), but these are tourists who want to explore different cultures, and are seeking volunteer opportunities as part of their responsible tourism experiences. One of the primary reasons for these volunteer travelers to participate in the Voluntario Global program is to learn another language, to learn it by speaking it and by immersing yourself in the local culture and way of life.

Just as Silvia, Valeria believes in the learning process of volunteering, and places great importance on interaction with the local communities.

Kara Howard, Long-Term Volunteer, Voluntario Global

As a long-term volunteer at Voluntario Global, Kara is working at Centro de Atención Primaria (Basic Health Care Center), and is involved in various areas of the organization: shadowing a pediatrician working with children with respiratory illnesses; learning about what treatments they have and how she helps them; learning about the government programs that have been set up to assist patients (e.g. free medication); shadowing a healthcare worker; helping with a Pap awareness campaign in the neighborhood; participating in a local health fair and other events. “There are so many areas that I can involve myself in,” says Kara, “and that makes it a rewarding experience.”

Asked about prevalent health issues in the area, Kara says, “In the area there is a lot of pollution. There is a lot of heavy industry; including a large garbage dump and coupled with poor housing and a severe lack of running water we find that there are lots of respiratory illnesses and skin rashes. These cases are particularly common among children as they are less physically developed. Also there is a big issue with diabetes as it is cheaper and more convenient to buy junk food if a household is working 16 hours a day. Finally, there are issues with teen pregnancies and sexual health in the area.”

“Free is not enough, you need to make healthcare relevant to them.”

Coming from the United States, where healthcare is expensive, Kara had thought that having free access to healthcare would mean everyone would use it. However, it soon became clear that free health services alone were not enough. For example with the Pap smear, it’s free for everyone and prevents cervical cancer as the test can identify any symptoms. Why, then, wouldn’t any woman want this test? The fact is that most women have never really understood the reasons for the test, and therefore never been checked. The important point is even if it is free, you need to make healthcare relevant to them if the locals were to take care of their health and take advantage of medical services available to them.

When she first came to Argentina, Kara did not have a medical background; she came from a marketing background in the United States. She however chose to pursue a career where she could “have a more direct impact on people’s lives,” and has decided to become a nurse practitioner. When Kara returns to the US next year she will be starting her school work to further pursue this career path. Part of the reason she chose to volunteer with Voluntario Global is “getting a feel for what [this profession] will involve.” She says that her 5-month long volunteer experience at the center, is giving her great learning opportunities on a personal level (“more so than expected”), not just professionally.

By Kim Houghton, Marketing Manager, African Impact

With the dark cloud of economic crisis hanging over many people’s heads, some are running for cover, some putting on their Wellies and dancing in the rain. And others… are heading for sunshine! More and more people are using the current economic climate – with the stock market crashing and interest rates fluctuating – as an opportunity. A time to travel, explore different parts of themselves and the globe whilst giving something back.

Volunteering offers an opportunity to see and experience a culture in a way that’s not possible through conventional travel. By visiting parts of the world not available as a normal holiday destination, you become immersed into a local community. No longer bystanders on the side of the road, volunteers, with dirty hands and broad smiles, are integrated into the local community in a way they would not have been before.

Having left England four years ago, disillusioned by empty promises that inextricably linked my happiness to success, I left for Africa. I had ticked all my boxes; been to a good school, got my degree, entered into the job market where I was assigned my number and promptly fell into step. I felt as though the social conditioning of who I must be and how I must behave held me a prisoner, shackled to conformity of my 9-5 working life. Surely there was more to life than this!

That is when I met Africa. We had been formally introduced before but it was only when I lived and breathed in her did she really find me.

As I started my new life in Africa, a blank page lay ahead of me. How grateful I am now to the daunting blank canvas that allowed me to fill my life with the colour of travelling, the striking splashes of paint which saw me teaching in the slums, or giving underprivileged kids the opportunity to meet the ocean and watch their beaming faces as they caught their first wave whilst standing on a surf board. Here in Africa, I was hiking through the mountains, meeting new cultures and learning about a completely new world to the one I had been shown.

I went to Africa with every intention of helping, but I did not realise I would be the greatest benefactor. Through volunteering I gained a great understanding of myself and how I related to the world, where my strengths lie and what was important to me. Whilst on the projects, I met people who had so little, yet were owners of the biggest smiles.

It is not my intention to diminish the situation or in any way glamorise the tragedy that many of these people face, but they held an acceptance of life which I did not know. With so little they had no choice but to depend on one another, and as a result, I felt welcomed by their sense of community, my walls of wealth were broken by the spirit of Ubuntu, which is a particular African worldview in which people can only find fulfillment through interacting with other people, and thus represents a spirit of kinship across both race and creed.

Never before had I become so engrained into another culture. Sure I had looked from the sidelines peering into people’s lives as I backpacked around the usual spots. But never before did I have the opportunity to live and work side by side people who lived such different lives to mine.

Four years on and still working in the voluntourism sector, I am grateful to help facilitate other people to have the kind of life changing experiences I encountered and would deeply encourage anyone who is thinking of doing so to take the opportunity whilst you can!

African Impact

African Impact is a voluntourism company that works towards establishing meaningful programs throughout Africa for a positive and measurable impact on local communities and conservation efforts in Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Ghana, Malawi, Swaziland, Madagasca, Zambia and Zimbabwe. African Impact aims to generate income to sustain and provide ongoing support and resources for community and conservation initiatives across Africa. Established in 2003, African Impact is the largest African-based facilitator of volunteer projects, and also offers small group adventure travel, tailor made travel for family, educational and corporate groups as well as community project travel

By Aaron Smith, Founder, GoVoluntouring

Thinking about Volunteering on your trip? Sure you’ve given it enough thought?

Many of us have volunteered during our travels before, and it seems that many more are considering it with every passing day. For good reason too. However, choosing which program to participate in, requires far more critical thought than choosing which all-inclusive in Mexico to drink at.

When one chooses to volunteer over the course of their holiday time, they are faced with important decisions. Some of these decisions are easier than others, but the RIGHT answers vary from person to person. I remember having a sommelier tell me ‘There is no such thing as a bad wine, so long as there is someone there that likes it’. I am not nearly naive enough to believe that this is the case for all volunteer projects. It is not. It should illustrate however, that there are inherent differences in ‘value proposition’ from person to person. And that is perfectly OK.

Some of us look for opportunities that balance more contemporary comforts within their experiences, while others look for more ‘iconically’ representative options, which can be hosted in more challenging and/or intimate environments. Either way, there are only two pillars of decision making, and they are based on how an organization’s philosophical and operational standards match with your personal needs and interests.

The first item, and in using critical thinking, must address what it is driving you towards traveling with this purpose. Is this to grow your skill set? To give back and address an issue? Is it to increase social awareness? To improve your resume (let’s be real here), or, is this simply a ‘good’ holiday alternative? Ask yourself this core question first. It will help steer your course.

Remember, there are no wrong answers, but there are certainly better choices.

As the grassroots participant, you must find your own ‘perfect’ match, and it must be based on your own criteria, and your own behind-the-scenes research. If there is one thing I have learned in my 13 years in tourism, it is that travelers are amazing communicators, they hold back no punches, and they share their experiences openly. Be sure to include independent blogs in your homework. It adds much needed transparency.

The philosophical questions must align with your personal belief system. Don’t be afraid to speak to an organization and stress the ‘intangibles’ that are important to you. You may ask yourself, does this decision support my religious, faith or moral compass? Does this organization have the best interests of its local community, and stakeholders at heart?

If you are paying money, ask where the money goes; It’s often okay if there are margins, organizational growth through net income, can enact greater change and it creates true sustainability. Most importantly however, you need to answer what will become of your footprint, and what will you have supported, enabled, or empowered in the process?

The operational decisions must address health, wellness and organizational deliverables. You need to ask about contingency plans, proximity to medical centers, local crime rates, vaccination needs, travel restrictions, and cultural norms (such as dress, food, nightlife, and alcohol). Wearing bikini tops outside of the beach, for example, can in some places be both insulting and dangerous – that’s the real world folks. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just different.

You must also ask what you need to do before you leave home and what timeframe this needs to happen in (for example, some vaccinations need to be administered weeks/months in advance). What do I need to pack? What happens when you arrive at the airport, and what happens if there is an emergency? Who is my support network, where can I find them, and what is the crisis management plan?

Use these questions as starting points only, and make sure you address these two pillars of decision making separately. It is right to have expectations, and you need to use early questioning in forming them. And remember, if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it, and that in itself should be the most important decision you make.

Travel smart amigos!

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Projects in Kenya, Peru, Sri Lanka and Brazil have been announced as the winners of the first Travel2change idea challenge. Since its launch late April 2011, over 500 members joined the travel2change online community, and submitted around 60 innovative project proposals. The submitted ideas were evaluated based on creativity, effectiveness, impact, feasibility and sustainability. The four winning projects were awarded on July 17, 2011 by a jury of experts and will be realized in the coming months, thanks to the support of the travel partner Kuoni. Each winning project receives financial support as well as the help of volunteer travelers, who will collaborate with the local communities to bring the projects to life.

Travel2Change First Challenge Winners

SEP – Soccer, Education and Prevention (Oyugis, Kenya)
In Oyugis, Kenya, travel2change, together with the Society Empowerment Project (SEP), hosted a 4-day football event for around 300 children. Along with teaching life skills, teamwork and football skills, the travelers will train the children in proper hand washing techniques and the importance of basic hygiene. The production of soap from locally sourced materials will also be part of the program.

WAVES for Development (Lobitos, Peru)
This project aims to create life enriching experiences through education programs to develop healthy and empowered adults. The traveler will join local staff to teach local children water safety, beach management and environmental conservation among other events, and of course, surfing classes. Cultural exchange, through activities to increase healthy living and teaching skills for life, is another great benefit of the program.

Getting Kids Pumped for School (Horana, Sri Lanka)
The aim of the project is to connect a local school to its well so the children will have access to running water for drinking and sanitation, which will help improve the children’s health, thus reducing the risk of dengue and other communicable diseases. This will be achieved by installing pumps, water tanks and pipes, as well as expanding the depth of the well. The traveler will contribute to the project by assisting with installing pumps and water tanks.

AmazonArt at the Combu Education Centre (Combu Island, Brazil)
AmazonArt aims to employ music and the arts to inspire the children and local community. Its goal is to create awareness and understanding of the importance of protecting the rainforest, river and its local communities. Together with the staff of AmazonArt, travelers will assist with music and art classes and provide English lessons along with a cultural exchange to local children. Travelers will have a chance to improve the infrastructure of the school through basic construction projects and educate the children on the importance of safe drinking water and hygiene.

All travelers will provide frequent updates to give all community members the opportunity to monitor the realization of the projects.

Are You Ready to Travel2Change?

Travel2Change is now offering the chance for you to participate in the Sri Lanka project and the Peru project this fall (September – October). Travelers will be an active part in carrying out the activities to help successfully implement the goals of these projects. To learn more about the Travel2Change Join This Trip Contest and to apply, please go to review the contest details here: http://www.travel2change.org/blog/720

About Travel2Change

Travel2change is a non-profit organization connecting travelers, local communities and organizations to create change through purposeful travelling. An interactive website is the starting point for this collaborative effort and the hub for ideas as well as the exchange of experiences. Travel2change shall illustrate that tourism can make a difference in the lives of travelers and local communities alike. Leveraging this potential and creating projects that will have an impact and foster sustainable change in destinations is the goal of the organization. While Travel2change is rooted in Austria, the organization acts worldwide and seeks to make an impact globally.