CONTINUED JUST THE FACTS |
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| Who Would Like to Volunteer for a Vacation? | |
<< back << homeGlobal Volunteers also works on projects here in the United States, in states such as Florida, Arizona, Hawaii and more. According to their website, Global Volunteers is not “simply an alternative to a standard vacation, but an opportunity to use your skills and interests in an unconventional setting to benefit others in a community that has requested your help.” Mark knew that he wanted to work with kids and help build something, and his trip to Ecuador was able to provide him with both opportunities. “It was an amazing experience. I filled 75 pages in my journal writing about the experience. The work I did ranged from excavating rocks at the new day care center to playing with, teaching, and caring for 50 one- to five-year-old children.” Groups like Global Volunteers provide a variety of projects from which people can choose. With everything from tutoring and teaching communities about pre-natal and dental care to constructing buildings and homes, building bridges and installing water systems, you are bound to find something that fits your individual interests. Zahara Heckscher has found many volunteer trips that have sparked her interests. So many, in fact, that she has co-written a book on the topic titled, “How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas.” A writer and nonprofit consultant from Washington, D.C., Heckscher also lectures on college campuses across the country educating people about international volunteerism. Heckscher first became involved with volunteer travel as a way to learn more about the developing world. “I wanted to see parts of the world that were both in and out of the public eye and lend my support to peoples' efforts in developing their communities. I wanted to travel, but not as a tourist, rather to learn about other cultures in a more profound way." Her learning experiences have taken her to across continents to places including Mexico, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. On a trip to Nicaragua, she helped build a septic tank for a community health clinic and lived with a family of teachers from whom she learned Nicaraguan Spanish. Last year on her honeymoon, Heckscher helped a small ecotourism company market its community-based tours on its website, www.ecoculture-zanzibar.org. She lived with a family in Zanzibar who taught her Kiswahili. In Zambia, Heckscher planted fruit trees and participated in educational theater dealing with health issues. She took bike excursions to visit with local farmers, learn native Chibemba songs and experience the local wildlife and culture. “Volunteering has given me the chance to lend my skills to some great projects run by local social entrepreneurs. I have learned about international development, met wonderful people, have grown spiritually and been inspired by what I have seen and where I have been.” Are you ready to be inspired? Do you think that experiencing a volunteer vacation may be right for you? Below are some basics to get you started. Decide Is a volunteer program right for you? Ask yourself, do you want to share your interests and skills with others? Can you work with a team and take guidance from leaders in your program? Are you excited to learn about what new cultures can teach you? Most programs do not require volunteers to have any special skills or language abilities, but they are looking for people interested in making a difference to help those in need. Research Look into different volunteer travel organizations online, through organizations such as the Peace Corps, in travel magazines or through a trusted travel professional. With so many organizations to choose from and all offering programs both in and out of the United States, you are bound to find one that meets your needs. Zahara Heckscher recommends checking the searchable database at www.volunteerinternational.org. Some other interesting organizations include Amizade International the American Hiking Association, which offers vacations specific to trails; Wilderness Volunteers, an organization created to serve America’s wild lands; and Passport in Time, a volunteer archaeology and historical program through the USDA Forest Service. Ask if you can speak to or trade e-mails with someone who has already taken a volunteer vacation to get input from those who have experienced it first hand. Commit Decide how long you can volunteer your time and where you would like to go. Discussing these issues with a professional from the volunteer organization is the key to enjoying the time you are able to spend in your host location. Most programs range from one to four weeks, but you’ll want to check with your specific organization for details. Although you’ll be spending most of your time focusing on a specific project, you will want to find out how much free time you will be given to get out and explore on your own. Most programs have specific schedules to ensure projects are completed, but many offer free time on evenings and weekends. Cost Be sure you clearly understand the costs associated with your volunteer experience. Get the specific costs of the program, airfare and other expenses. Several programs offer discounts, and, in many cases, expenses, including airfare, are tax-deductible for US taxpayers. With careful planning and research, you can make your next vacation one that will teach you not only about another culture’s way of life but also more about yourself. You are bound to return home enlightened by your experience and excited about your next volunteer adventure. Perhaps you will return as Mark did, excited to share his story and looking forward to his next volunteer experience. He said, “I would highly recommend volunteer vacation programs to just about anyone; they’re a wonderful way to see a country from an indigenous point of view. People say what a wonderful thing I did and how impressed they are with me for doing it, but the fact is I met great people and had a great time.” Tracy B. McGinnis, freelance writer and creator of www.caffeinatedpen.com, has been published with dozens of national, regional and online magazines on a variety of topics, most recently including Women's Health and Fitness, iParenting, VegNews and Transitions Abroad among others. |
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Nov.-Dec.
2004
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| Briefs |
| Just the Facts |
| Volunteer Vacations |
| Destinations |
| Bambu House |
| Sanliurfa, Turkey |
| Romanian Train Ride |
| Lingua Franca |
| Study French at Sorbonne |
| A Traveler's Life |
| A Rambling Man |
| Health |
| Dental Emergencies |
| English Spoken Here |
| Sex Lives of Cannibals, Chapter One |
| When in Home |
| Wanderlust in Small Doses |
| Links |
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Starting Your Own Program Can’t find a packaged volunteer trip that tempts you but still want to help somehow? If the program you’re looking for isn’t set in place, why not create it? That’s what Gregg Butensky, a kind-hearted San Francisco resident, did. Following a sad event, he chose to open a library in the Philippines. Can you tell us about your project? In 1993, following the death of Cecille, my girlfriend at the time, I traveled to the Philippines for the first time. Cecille was born in the Philippines—on the island of Panay. When she was four years old, she emigrated to California with her family. As a child, Cecille contracted kidney disease and as a young adult, she lost her kidneys. She fought hard and maintained an incredible spirit over the subsequent years of dialysis. Eventually, a transplant operation gave her a new lease on life. For more than five years after receiving the transplant, she lived a full and normal life, but ultimately her body rejected the new kidney. In 1992, at the age of 29, she passed away. Cecille was an incredibly generous and caring individual who, despite her illness, consistently placed the well-being of others first. She often talked of returning to the Philippines to live for some time in order to get in touch with her roots and to help bring opportunity to her compatriots. Following Cecille's death, I decided to explore the Philippines on my own. I spent six months there on that first visit. How did you get started? During my initial visit, before I had the idea for the library, I was moved by the warmth of the people and saddened by the lack of opportunities. In sharp contrast with my own upbringing, I noticed an almost complete absence of books and saw no evidence of a culture of reading. This struck me especially because one of Cecille's great passions had been books and reading. I saw this as a fundamental problem but it was only after I returned home that it occurred to me I might be able to do something to help. I imagine it must be difficult to keep the project going in the Philippines while you're in the US. How do you do that? Thanks to the generosity of family and friends and to the good work of the director in the Philippines, it's not difficult to keep it going. But it is difficult to make progress—grow the collection, add programs, make improvements, etc.; for that I have to visit periodically—which is fine by me and actually was part of the motivation to do this, I wanted an excuse to go back! How does one start a project like yours? "Just do it." Okay, maybe it's not quite that simple but I was surprised to learn just how easy it can be. I was finding it difficult to get things going from 7,000 miles away. But once I managed to get over there it was just a matter of talking to the right people—in my case, the mayor and others in the local government. It was also important to find a capable person to spearhead things over there. Back then, they didn't have e-mail and telephones were few and far between. More recently though I'm able to correspond regularly with folks, mostly via e-mail. Is there anything you'd like to add? I think what's missing from some volunteer programs is the ongoing involvement. Again, my motivation to undertake this project was to some degree selfish. I was looking for a way to stay engaged with the people and the place— for myself. That perspective has allowed me to stay involved for seven years now. Next month I head back for my sixth visit, and I'm thrilled about that. It's also important to me to know that when I ask people to support the project with a cash donation that 100% of their contribution is going directly to the library. The organization in the United States operates with virtually no overhead costs and I pay for all my travel costs myself. For more information on Gregg Butensky and the Cecille Gonzales Gomez Library and to make donations, visit www.madnomad.com/library —Helene Goupil |
