We are delighted to report that we have a volunteer currently on placement at Hazyview in South Africa. Having feared that we would be unable to place anyone at all during the pandemic and with no idea when long-haul international travel will start up again, we were delighted when Richard approached us to say that he was actually in South Africa and could we create a placement for him. As the Digital Learning Centres run by our partners Good Work…
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…
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…
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,…
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). …
Caro and Sue were volunteering at Treak Community Centre as the coronavirus pandemic started to develop. School closures meant their placements were cut a little short, but this did not impact on their enjoyment of their time in Cambodia or the value of the work they did there.
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. …
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;…
‘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…
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….