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Author: Dianne Ashman

News from our local partners – supporting their communities during the pandemic

News from our local partners – supporting their communities during the pandemic

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Article written by Dianne During the last few months we have been working closely with all our local partners as they have found ways to support their communities in these unprecedented times. Here is my update on the work they have been doing. The Gambia Our local partner in The Gambia, Adama Bah, has co-written an article to highlight the serious impact the coronavirus pandemic on tourism in Africa and what some countries are doing to combat it.  You can…

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Volunteering remotely during lockdown – a new way to volunteer

Volunteering remotely during lockdown – a new way to volunteer

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As the coronavirus pandemic took hold everything changed – all around the world businesses, schools and individuals turned to online communication.  Could we do the same for international volunteering? As international travel ground to a halt and all the projects we support around the world were forced to close their doors, we began to think long and hard about whether and how we could continue to offer support to our local partners during the pandemic.  people and places volunteer support…

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so disappointed to have to postpone

so disappointed to have to postpone

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Flights booked, introduction to the local team completed, placement outlines finalised, not long to go……..this was the situation for a number of volunteers when restrictions started to be put in place as the coronavirus pandemic rapidly escalated.  In countries around the world school and businesses started to close down as did hotels and guesthouses, borders started to close and airlines started to cancel flights.  For the safety of all concerned, volunteers and local people, it started to look increasingly unlikely,…

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how to volunteer with your granddaughter!

how to volunteer with your granddaughter!

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This was a first for us!  Yvonne, our longest standing volunteer, announced that she would be doing her final placement this year …. and she wondered if her granddaughter Ellie could volunteer alongside her!  It seemed particularly appropriate that Yvonne’s granddaughter should accompany her on her final placement – Yvonne is ‘Grandma’ not only to Ellie but also to so many people at the projects where she has volunteered over the years (see this article about Yvonne written in 2018). …

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a trip with a difference-to Morocco as the virus breaks

a trip with a difference-to Morocco as the virus breaks

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From our programme and placement coordinator Dianne How quickly things change!  Just 6 weeks ago my friend Wendy and I set out to volunteer in Morocco – the first time I’ve persuaded a friend to come with me to volunteer – thank you Wendy!  We were going to Asni to work with our local partners, Education for All, at the girls’ boarding houses which enable girls from the Berber tribes in the High Atlas Mountains to access secondary school education. …

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‘Fantastic students, so keen to learn, EfA Morocco’

‘Fantastic students, so keen to learn, EfA Morocco’

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This from recent volunteer Wendy On Monday, we had a meeting with all the wonderful House Mothers at Dar Asni 1. Latifa, lead House Mother and in charge of Dar Asni 1, took us on a helpful orientation tour in order to locate Dar Asni 2 and 3, the bank, post office, pharmacy, good food shop and souk.  In the afternoon, Khadija, House Mother of Dar Asni 3, introduced me to all her staff: Deputy House Mother, Khaoula; Housekeeper, Khadija;…

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volunteer stories from Morocco

volunteer stories from Morocco

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‘We want to give girls the chance of a college education in Morocco because we believe that if you educate a girl you educate the next generation as well’.  This is the motivation for Education for All who, by building boarding houses for girls from the High Atlas Mountains, have enabled more than 300 girls to access education beyond primary school level. In October two ‘people and places’ volunteers, Tina and Linda, went to Morocco to volunteer alongside the house-mothers…

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my five steps towards being responsible and ethical

my five steps towards being responsible and ethical

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by ‘Luci’ Gardner-O’Brien -people and places’ Young Professional Advisor 1. Be interested I was ten years old when I read Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman – a dystopian love story which turns racial dynamics upside down. Whilst reading the first chapter, I realised that the main character was a dark skinned girl. I remember going red in the face, I had pictured her white like me – this is the first time I was aware of my white privilege….

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people and places present at largest responsible travel show – and UN make an important declaration

people and places present at largest responsible travel show – and UN make an important declaration

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Written by Luci Gardner-O’Brien -people and places Young Professional Advisor On 18th December 2019, for the first time ever, all 193 member states of the United Nations have formally recognised that orphanages do not protect children, that they are in fact harmful and have called for them to be eliminated. This comes weeks after the WTM Responsible Tourism panel – “Child Protection – What Is Better Than Orphanages?” – that we were so proud to be a part of. The…

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