There's no denying it, these bloggers are bound to make you jealous. Whether it's their guts, their energy or their tan you admire, overseas volunteers have got plenty to share with you about their remarkable work in fascinating countries. Read on to find out what you could be missing.

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Monday Nov 02, 2009

First post from India

I have been in India for nearly three weeks now and it really has just flown by in a whirlwind of travelling, strange food and even stranger people! We flew from Heathrow on the 13th October in the evening, arriving at Delhi at about lunchtime India time = a bit of jet lag! From there we all piled on the oldest rustiest least ever MOT'd bus around (well maybe not quite) with 44 suitcases piled upon the roof and set of on what turned out to be a seven hour sweaty cramped bus journey to Jaipur.

Once we arrived in Jaipur it was late and we literally went straight to our host families, which was where we were to stay for the next three nights with three other volunteers. Even by this time friendships were forming and our stays with our host families really reinforced such friendships. I was fortunate enough to stay with quite a wealthy Indian family. They had two children, both whom had got degrees and moved away from home; one to New York and one to Delhi. The father was a doctor and he owned his own practice and the mother was a housewife - a housewife with a cleaner may I add! They had both lived in Manchester for about three years I think it was about ten years ago and therefore spoke good English and were very aware of the differences in culture we were experiencing. They do prep you for a bit of culture shock but I was genuinely upset and intrigued by what I had seen already, one day into the trip. Obviously as a bus load of English people we were continually approached by beggars; in particularly mothers with children. The one time which stands out in my mind is when we had briefly stopped at a toll station and a mother came running over to our open windows with her naked, skeleton-like baby in her arms and an empty bottle, screaming and shouting "please, money, milk PLEASE". We had been told that all beggars are not genuine cases, there is a lot of almost gang culture (begging for money for milk then taking back to families for other things) and it was best that we did not initiate eye contact or give any money to these beggars. My heart was aching inside having this woman and baby reaching up to my window to grab me and me having to look away. I wondered at that point what I had let myself in for.

Within the coming days around Jaipur and staying with the host family I did become ever-so-slightly hardened to such things. I think the thing that did it for me was when a friend of mine offered a young girl, aged about four of five a packet of crisps when she was begging for food. The young beggar frowned and said NAHI (no) and said "money". She was turning down the food, insisting on money. That made me realize that actually there is a lot more behind the front of these children; their lives are much more complex that what we appear to see on the street and by us handing over money we are not actually helping their lives as we think we are doing.

While we were in Jaipur we watched a Bollywood movie, went shopping for traditional clothing at the market, celebrated Divali with our host families and visited Amber Fort for an elephant ride/tour. After three days in boiling hot Jaipur we said goodbye to our families and got on a sleeper train; which was an experience in itself. Locals must have had a right laugh at us all trying to lug suitcases and rucksacks onto a narrow small train and find our seats. We blocked up aisles and got ourselves in a right pickle! Eventually sorted we settled down for an evening of cramped fun on our bunk beds of three, all paranoid about the mice and cockroaches spotted just about everywhere on the train! After a very long journey, a total of 14 hours we got off the train at about 6am and half-asleep got onto another bus for a lovely bumpy journey up into the Himalayan Mountains! Some amazing views, wildlife and some mind-blowingly-annoying snoring were seen/heard over the next few hours while we crept up and up as the roads got narrower and narrower and we all began to go "argh!" and "eekkk" louder and louder. The bus driver, obviously used to driving like a centimeter away from a cliff edge found us all very amusing! At last we arrived at our house in Bandla, Palampur! We all sleepily got off the bus and sat down to our first meal together in what was going to be home for the next nine or so weeks!

I will skip the boring-normal-settling in period and get onto some juicy stuff!
A few days after arriving at our house we chose and visited our new work areas. I was working at Rajnali which was about a (gradual) forty-five minute walk up the mountain in front of the house. I was based in the school with four fellow volunteers and two more were going to be working in the Day Care Center. Me and two other volunteers were going to be teaching Grade One in the morning and then we all joined together to do community work and construction in the afternoon. All was hunky dory, apart from legs which were going to go on strike and my tummy which felt like it had been cut off from the world! (I'm officially not a fan of traditional Indian food - only of our takeaways at home which are just completely different in every possible way!)

Our first day of work soon came upon us and we set off on the lovely walk to Rajnali village to meet our class. We had eleven in our class aged between three and six and as we soon learnt a wide range of abilities. Some children were writing and reading english words and doing addition and subtraction whilst others were unable to write or recognise numbers one to ten or A-Z. So to say we have a challange on our hands is an understatement right now! But hey, thats what I'm here for - a big fat challenge and I've sure got that!!
More to follow . . .

Posted by Ashley ( 2:27 PM )
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Saturday Sep 26, 2009

A New Stranger!

Hey There!

My name is Ashley; I am 19 years old and a brand spanking new Platform 2 volunteer!

Platform2 is a fully-funded programme ran by the Department for International Development (DFID), Christian Aid and BUNAC. Together they give young people, like me and (maybe) you aged 18-25 years old the opportunity to volunteer in developing countries and to really make a difference.

I "stumbled" across the scheme whilst researching independent GAP years and realizing that even the shortest and cheapest of opportunities were way our of my financial leave and beyond my level of traveling expertise; the vaccines, visa's and insurance all just dazed me!)

I applied, writing a bit about why I thought I would be a deserving and suitable candidate for the programme and was delighted to shortly after be called for interview. After a very thorough interview in Leeds, and a unnervingly long wait I was offered a place on the trip departing 13th October 09 to India and I was over the moon! Wow, I thought to myself, this is actually happening. It's actually happening to me and excitedly shared the news with family and friends whilst awaiting further information as to the finer details of what I would be doing. Sure enough, following my news of acceptance I was overloaded with a constant stream of project information, vaccine checklists, insurance forms, health screening questionnaires, health clearances, visa applications, kits lists etc. I knew then that I was going to be well looked after and that the guys at Platform2 well and truly knew what they were doing!

I learnt that I was to be traveling from Heathrow on the evening of the 13th October 2009 to Delhi with up to forty seven fellow volunteers aged between 18 and 25 from the UK. Lots of people in the same boat as me, phew I thought to myself! Following the flight, a nice long coach journey to Jaipur was in order where we were going to stay for three nights with a home stay/local family. Those three days are our time for in country orientation, to buy our local conservative dress and experience some amazing cultural experiences.

We would then have another, equally as lovely and equally as long journey this time by train with sleep compartments to near our destination. As a final leg of a killer journey, a three to four hour coach journey would take us right up into the mountains to reach Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, North India – our final destination! Yay!

Living in a volunteer house in dorms of four I am going to have the luxury of western style flushing toilets and running water, even if it is only cold! This makes me laugh. When I tell my friends this, their reaction is URGH, cold water! Then telling them there is no bath/shower, just a bucket and scoop to accompany the cold water the gasps of disgust and "HOW much are you getting paid for this" more often than not follow!! My reaction being "nothing, it's just going to be THE most amazing experience and I am just relieved that the toilets are in fact westernized, not squats" usually fazes them quiet!

Anyway, ten km over the river is Kandi (that's going to be a long morning dip) in which five villages make a population of approximately four to five thousand people. Many of these belonging to the Gaddi tribe and over eighty percent living below the poverty line, this is where we, as Platform 2 volunteers are going to reach out to.

How I hear you ask? Through many forms I answer. Mainly through the education system (schools, preschools), pregnant woman, tutoring, street work, computer courses, woman empowerment sessions, sports and coaching and local manual labour. As Kandi is a very child-care based project I was soooooo chuffed with my placement!

So time flies, and here I am sat here with exactly three weeks until I fly from Heathrow to Delhi. With the last of my injections on Thursday and my VISA application opening tomorrow I am physically ready to go almost but I am still finding it hard to believe it is actually me who is going! ME?! Going to India for ten weeks volunteering! ME?! Washing with a bucket and scoop – what about exfoliation and moisturizing?! ME?! Needing a backpack for day trips – I wonder if a new shoulder bag from accessorize will count?! ME?! Swallowing those massssiivvveee Malaria tablets?!

This is going to be the biggest, most amazing and life changing experience of my life and I plan to keep you guys updated every step of the way (or at least as often as India's dial up will let me!).

Stay tuned (or maybe that should be dialed up)!

Posted by Ashley ( 3:59 PM )
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Monday Sep 21, 2009

Religion

In the taxi journey on the way to Tamale where I lived, it was written on the rear windscreen, ‘Remember God’.  The shop names in Tamale, were faith based praise more often than not for example, ‘Christ the lord clothes’. Religious practices are public and affect every aspect of life. You constantly see people praying with their heads to the ground, the mosques it Tamale are as common as Starbucks and McDonalds are in England.  The way of communicating is always linked to God, ‘how are you, Thank God good’ .Tamale is 70% Muslim, 30% Christian, the different religions communities I was told co-exist really peacefully.

Christian missionaries’ impact from colonisation until today can be felt in Ghana. The NGO I worked in was founded by a female Christian missionary from America.  The director of the NGO was born in a small poor rural village and a male missionary picked him out of all the children who didn’t go to school, to get an education and changed his life completely.

We visited a Muslim rural community and the people told us the village had resisted education when an American volunteer came and wanted to build a school. They didn’t want a school, as they linked schools with Christian missionaries and did not want to convert.  Religion is in Ghana’s history and present and is intertwined with many of the issues of development. Power, wealth, education and religion are often inseparable.

Traditional beliefs are often still held at the same time someone is Christian or Muslim beliefs which I found really interesting.  Witchcraft here is a common belief, many believe a woman giving her opinion three time shows she is a witch. I definitely know a lot of witches if this is the case! It was interesting to me to see the different ways Christianity and Islam were practiced here compared to what I’m used to in England. It makes you realise how religious tradition is greatly affected by culture.

Visiting ‘Paga Crocodile Park’ , the guide explained the crocodiles are friends with the villagers so don’t eat people. We saw and touched them, which apparently is a compliment as they only come out the water for honest, God fearing people. The guide was told me how they didn’t come out for a group of Ghanaian politician.

The majority of the Ghanaians I met were very religious people. One of my NGO workers fasts every Wednesday to ask God to improve his fortune. I wonder how the individual benefits from faith in a place where there is so little you can count on. Religion is  a key part of life and to be honest I was a bit jealous, I wish I could have the complete faith so many had. I was envious of their worldview in some ways.

Religion and community are extremely interlinked. The church or mosque is the central part of the community. The religious leaders often lead the community in every sense in their public and personal life with a great deal of power over the individuals in the community. The religious groups are the only real groups that can fundraise in Ghana. Religious leaders have so much power over their community even in the poorest of communities they can gather funds. It’s quite scary to me, the power many community leaders hold. My friend who went to church was shocked by the religious leaders openly sating I want to retire in wealth, give me your money and everyone like robots just gave it.

Religion was also a big part of my trip, ‘Tzedek’, the charity I went with is a Jewish organisation, which is motivated by Jewish values to do social action. The group was made up of sixteen British Jews and we discussed how Jewish texts and values give us an obligation to try to combat social injustice.It was interesting how people often only associated Jews with the biblical tribe ,as in Tamale everyone has a tribe, it amused us how people would say 'oh yes you are the hebrew tribe',

Religion , as I experienced it in Tamale, a force for positive social change and in my view, a force for oppressive social conservatism. Religion was liberating and subjugating to the individual. The really interesting question is what religion is and what is culture? How do you separate the two?

Posted by Lucille ( 1:53 PM )
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Friday Sep 18, 2009

Change is in the air

Tamale, where I lived in Ghana is apparently the fastest growing city in West Africa. In Tamale change and development is in the air like the mosquitoes. The issues of politics and development are apparent everywhere. You get into a taxi and invariably the program on the radio will the talking about development, often about really specific policy issues, people obviously care as this stiff really impacts them. It felt so different to the average British apathy to politics. The charity signs fill the edges of the streets. Advertising obviously echoes the psyche of the target audience, in Tamale the advertising is about development. The soap powder promises to be 'the one for development!' as if their clothes magic you out of poverty. The books I noticed were all comically rubbish get rich quick schemes because of course thinking positively will get you out of poverty.
 
The traditional ways are being questioned, the change of economics brining the change of culture. Technology is impacting cultural change.The phone companies are having a full out war for the Ghanian mobile monolopy. Vodaphone has just done a huge campaign, every street covered with Vodaphone red. People even have vodaphone T-shirts.Like a tribe or a football club the companies fight it out with their colours like war paint.  The same technology exists but can be used in very different ways. Apparently it is custom not to call someone who has a senior status from you, is its sign of dis-respect. The customs is still to physically visit someone who you deem as important not ring them. It was interesting to see how the same technology can bee appropriated so differently by another culture.  Internet cafes are common with face book and porn being their main uses, maybe some things are cross cultural!

I loved the little unobvious changes. Mud huts are still common but even those are changing. I was in a village and someone showed me their hut with not just mud but now cement!!!!! is being mixed in with the mud . To be honest don’t find cement that radical but then I realised maybe  him this was revolutionary to them. The traditional mud hut for hundred of years the same, now changing.

There is a mixture of shopping here, most clothes are hand made, and you buy material and take it to a seamstress. There are some western style clothes with jeans etc. I wonder in five years what people will be wearing.

Ghanaian music was three main categories, Religious music with Allah and Jesus being a main focus. There is always a spiritual message and lots of praising. The Ghanaian ‘R and B’ music had lots of praising too, with ‘big booty girls as the main object of worship. Thirdly my favourite cheesy pop was very popular, west life and Backstreet boys are big. On our way to safari the forty year old driver with a long beard played spice girls again and again to our delight. I’m pleased to say I still know every word of their first album.

Marriage is a really interesting issue for me with when looking at change and their gender roles. It used to be very much the girl had no choice in marriage, but a village woman told me things are changing. A guy asks a girl to marry first, they go on a lot of dates and if she likes him after a year of dating they marry. Apparently this is ‘because of human rights and things’. The traditional marriage gift used to be a special traditional drink but for some reason this has changed to Schnapps, why Schnapps I have no idea but it’s presented to the boy’s family. Same drink we drink in England very different context and way of using it. Has advertising of Schnapps reached even the village psyche?

Change is happening, but I would love to understand the relationship between economic development and cultural change. People were telling me about the fast pace of change and the New Ghana some liked it, some didn’t. What in ten years will Ghana look like?  Is Ghana driving the change or is it outside companies?

Is this the Ghanian dream or the American dream? Most importantly, is it the Ghanaians that are benefiting, or the multi-national companies?

Posted by Lucille ( 10:58 AM )
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Friday Sep 04, 2009

Making a difference?

Telling people I was volunteering in Ghana, I would cringe inwardly. People would inevitably react in one of two ways, both of which made me uncomfortable:  ‘You’re a naive idiot who thinks they can change the world in two months’ or ‘aren’t you fantastic, a wonderful person, so giving’. Neither is true.

The question is why did I go to Ghana? Obviously, I went for a number of reasons, but I certainly didn’t go to Ghana because solely because I wanted to make a difference. If the only reason I was going was to help others then I could have spent the summer in England volunteering and donated the flight money to Ghana.

I’m not saying for a second that I didn’t want to help, but it would be delusional to pretend like it was my only motive. My motives were to learn about development, another culture and have an experience of a different way of living. I wanted to explore the world and have a challenge. As a career in the long run I want to work in NGOs [Non Governmental Organisations] and development so this summer was an experience for learning about the NGO world.

The story I hear from friends again and again is they went to a developing country to make a difference. The reality was they came back frustrated, disappointed and questioning why they went.

The charity I went with ‘Tzedek’ told us again and again making a difference is for when you come home .The time in Ghana is to learn. Ten months volunteering with the charity in England is part of the program.  The charity is almost entirely volunteer run, so they want you to stay involved for a lifetime ideally.

Making a difference in a foreign country isn’t simple; who is some twenty-year-old volunteer to know how to help people they have just met, from a different culture.  The advice we were told on our orientation is, try not to do any harm. The question when volunteering is always, what happens when you leave? Is this action sustainable? Someone gave me some useful advice for volunteering, never presume you know the problem and never presume you know the solution.

Teaching skills to people who do a job is always better that doing things yourself, for example teach the school’s teachers to improve. Rather than working on documents, teach the NGO workers computer skills. Little things make a difference; my proudest moment was with the introduction the magical to do list. A concept my co-workers loved and put proudly on the wall, smiling broadly as they crossed things off. It took me two months to see it might be useful. The problem is that by the time you have settled in and worked out how to help, you leave. Any changes you do make also might not last, I have no idea whether they are still making to do lists, but realism tells me probably not!

At the end of the day it is difficult to know what’s changing another person for the better and even more difficult to actually implement the changes in a sustainable way. Positive change takes time and thought and is difficult to do in two months, not impossible but unlikely.  The only thing for certain that can be meaningfully changed is yourself, in the hope you will be able to give in the long run and in my view that’s a worthwhile and legitimate reason to volunteer abroad.

Posted by Lucille ( 2:28 PM )
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Wednesday Aug 26, 2009

Haiku for the end

Is this Sapitwa?
Hand in hand we seized each step
To descend alone

*Sapitwa is the name of the highest peak of Mulanje Mountain, the mountain which overlooked our Malawian host community. It is the third highest mountain in Africa, and strikes a powerful pose over the pancake-flat landscape of southern Malawi. Its name means "unreachable".

I wrote this little haiku this morning. I’d forgotten to leave time for my contributiont to the last ever GX newsletter, but knew I had something to say after our 6 months of volunteering together. And this little poem came out, making me a little sad actually.

I was really looking forward to being home again - there’s so much I’ve missed, and it’ll be lovely to be back with people from home, and walking the dog through the lovely woods and moors surrounding my village.

But let’s not kid ourselves - leaving is a truely sad thing. As a team of 18 very different young people, we have always cared for each other passionately, and really have spent 6 months pulling each other through swamp and sunshine. I really love my host home too, but now it’s time to go, not really to come back. I’m loving my placement too, and I’ll miss spending my week days with my wonderfully fun and sweet supervisor. And, I will miss my counterpart very dearly. We’ve had a strong six months together.

There’s so much to enjoy still, that no one really feels like moping about looking glum all day. The sun has been hovering over Norfolk for nearly our whole stint here. We have trips, celebrations and meals out every day until we leave. We’re surrounded by people we love! And we’ve achieved and grown so much, and have so many happy memories.

I think the end of the program is hardest for the Malawians. A lot of them joined the program from homes where, materially-speaking, they had nothing. And that is where they are going back to. There’s no use pretending otherwise.

Those of us who are more privelidged can see GX as a springboard to a really fullfilling future brim-full of opportunities. I’ve always chased my dreams - even the most ridiculous ones - because for me it is true that “The dreamers of the day are dangerous people, for they dream their dreams with open eyes, and make them come true” (T.E Lawrence).

But when you’re trapped in a poor rural village, one of 7, 8, 9 children of poor parents, in one of the worlds poorest countries, sometimes dreams can only be that- dreams. I hate that. But reality is both wonderful and harsh, and mundane. "Thunder and rainbows from the same sky". Never give up hope and optimism, because they will always carry a person far. But only so far. A person's means can't be disregarded.

I do believe that everyone can go home after GX and live fulfilling lives. We can be healthy in body and mind if we want (to be a bit Buddhist about it!). But it’s hard to be satisfied with a simpler life, with narrow boundaries, after you’ve seen and learnt so much. You want to go far,  make a difference, use the talents you now know you have.

I hope really hard that the wonderful, talented, much-loved Malawians I've been with are able to fulfill their bright potentials. How realistic is it they they will all have that chance? I can't say.

Posted by Sally ( 8:59 AM )
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Tuesday Aug 11, 2009

Changing norms

It seems strange to me that it took just three weeks of living away from home for my new surroundings to become 'the norm'. The children shouting 'silly minger' (meaning white person) and the goats and cows who casually roam the streets while the cars politely wait for them. The women carrying loads on their heads ranging from water to kitchen tables.

Every day I work from 8am to 5pm at an NGO The Centre for the initiative against human trafficking (CIAHT) .My work with CIAHT involves visiting rural villages and speaking to victims of trafficking. Yesterday a women with wrinkled skin and brightly patterned clothes told me about her child who ran away because of lack of food. These stories are now as normal to me as the women carrying portable shops on their head.

It's not an uncommon story, trafficking is a massive problem here.  Children run away from home or are taken by traffickers promising a better life than their poverty stricken villages. They arrive in the richer areas of Ghana to become virtual slaves and prostitution often becomes their new existence.

Extreme poverty here is a normal part of life. These stories no longer shock me like they did at first. I, like most others saw poverty through the lens of Oxfam adverts and political statistics. I find it very different seeing the daily details of poverty and meeting real three dimensional people.

While I confront the symptoms of poverty on a daily basis, I am also starting to wonder whether the reactions of the people I meet show a part of the problem. When any Westerner walks down the streets of Tamale the attention they receive is of a celebrity.White skin is so different that some children cry in fear. Sometimes it feels like when people look at you all they see is money.Your status here as a Western person makes you feel a bizarre sense of power.

I treated the reactions of the Ghanian people I met at first as comical. The marriage proposals for the girls have become a daily occurance. It all seemed like such a pantomime,such an illusion. The reality is that I have the money and therefore the power to change these peoples lives. I feel the way we relate to each other as individuals has  parallels with the way our countries relate to each other in terms of power. Power in the world is not equally distributed. I'm starting to see the power and therefore responsibility I have in my living room or in the streets of Tamale its just here its real and measurable.

CIAHT works to prevent trafficking and rehabilitate victims. After a few days of working with CIAHT I was writing a document and needed clarification on the amount of time CIATH provides to victims in terms of counseling . I asked my boss  and the reply was CIAHT provided one hour .He explained there are no facilities for counseling in Tamale and there are no government services at all to  rehabilitate women. I asked my boss if money was the issue could we not train volunteer councilors.This led to my boss researching and the creation of a new organization was suddenly on the agenda!

Three weeks in and I have embarked on a massive research project on what currently exists to rehabilitate victims of trafficking and what we think the new organization should look like. A number of Tzedek volunteers are involved and its early days but its coming together. Its been amazing to meet and speak with numerous government officials and victims of trafficking as part of the project. I do not know where the new research project will lead  but it's exciting.

My whole experience with Tzedek has meant  my way of looking at power and responsibility has changed. Studying politics it was systems and theories, now I link the statistics to individuals. When I go back maybe my life wont be so normal,such a given.

Written by Lucy Newman and edited by Talia Chain.

Posted by Lucille ( 4:49 PM )
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Wednesday Aug 05, 2009

An interview with my host Dad in Kings Lynn

Clive stepped in to rescue Sally and Wanangwa from GX homelessness a couple of weeks ago, and they were lucky to find him! On the practical front, he has two spare rooms and was willing to host the only mixed-sex counterpart pair. But more importantly, he is an awesome, down-to-earth, kind guy who any volunteer would feel lucky to live with. His living room overlooks King’s Lynn’s beautiful park, so the pair have easy access to all the delights that King’s Lynn has to offer (!). A 45 year-old fireman and born-again Christian with four teenage sons not living at home, he may not match the typical profile of a GX host parent. Still, Clive has quickly become the favourite with Team 88. So let’s find out what Clive has to say about the “GX-perience” (sorry- *groans) after two weeks of hosting:

Welcome Clive! Can we start by finding out why you decided to be a host parent?

Well, I think my answer to that is one people might find interesting. I imagine most people host because of a wish to help out the volunteers, but it wasn’t like that for me. I was having a conversation about the program with Lindie at a church barbeque, and although my house has always been available when people in the church have needed rooms, I’ve never felt I wanted to offer it to them before. But as soon as Lindie talked about the students, I felt I had to give the spare rooms to them. To say it clearly, I thought it was a calling from God saying, “Open your house to these people”. I bet that’s different from the other answers you’ve had isn’t it?!

So what were your expectations or worries before hosting?

My only worry was obviously going from having the freedom of my own house to having other people there. I didn’t have any conceptions or worries about what you’d be like.

So you weren’t scared by the thought of having two unknown teenagers in your house?

Well, I’ve got the bonus of having four sons in their teens, so the idea of having two young people in my house didn’t phase me at all.

And what challenges have you faced so far?

“Challenges” is a strange word to use. I’d say more “adaptations”: adapting to thinking about people again in my own home environment; having to think more about food, like how to cater for the two of you. In terms of challenges, one is communicating to you both equally. Obviously when Wanangwa is here, it’s not so easy to talk to him.

What have you enjoyed about hosting so far?

At the moment it’s nice to have company and just talk to people about things I don’t usually get chance to talk about, like Wanangwa’s home and work, how the day’s been… And it’s been nice to be able to take you out to things like the judo we’ve started going to.

We’ve not been here long, but is there anything you’ve learnt yet from being a host parent?

I’ve learnt how to play some guitar chords! (Should I write that?!) Yeah, put it down! And I can say I’ve learnt something about Malawi, which I knew absolutely nothing about before.

Really? So, what did you know about Malawi before?

No, really nothing. I mean, I would have probably guessed it was in Africa. Another thing I’ve learnt, which is really just confirmation of what I’ve learnt before from interacting with lots of different people, is that we’re all the same, no matter what country you’re from. Meeting Wanangwa, for example- he’s not like a different being! He’s just a person like everyone else.

I think that’ll do. Thanks a lot Clive!

Thank you!

Posted by Sally ( 2:18 PM )
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Scandalous Youths Getting Rich from Voluntary Work

 

Here's a poem I wrote for our newsletter:

The press cry that, "Youths are all thugs,
Who scare grannies, form gangs and take drugs!"
If they opened their eyes,
To our lifestyles worldwide,
Would they see they're being taken for mugs?!

Would they recognise Global XChange?
A program no doubt they'd find strange!
"Youths who work overseas?
Then back home (if they squeeze
In the 18-25 age range)?!"

In both countries volunteers live,
With host parents willing to give,
Their hearts (and a room),
To young volunteers whom
The Sun warns you just CAN'T live with.

But our team, Team 88,
Will never give way to such hate.
We care for each other,
Like sisters and brothers,
And, frankly, I think we're all great!

So for six months we don't earn a penny,
But find we grow richer than many,
'Cos though work for yourself,
May bring masses of wealth,
You'll find your mind won't amass any.

 

Posted by Sally ( 2:11 PM )
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Tuesday Aug 04, 2009

In the office

I work a lot based in the CIAHT office. Its three small dark rooms in a construction site where unemployed men hang out all day. It has no internet and the stained moldy walls are filled with different social issue posters and newspaper clippings of the organizations great work. The employees come and go they are all really friendly. They have comic Ghanaian music videos playing in the background and employees taking naps on the floor is a normal occurrence.

My first task was to look at a  proposal for money from Finland, for a project to find and rehabilitate trafficked women. There was a lot of problems with it and although I was a bit nervous to speak so boldly. I explained it needed (in my opinion) re-writing a better structure and the English was awful. I was a bit unsure, who was I to come into their organisation and give advice? My logic was that If I couldn't understand things , the people in Finland wouldn't either.We re-wrote the whole thing in more detail.

I asked my boss a lot of questions about the project, so I could put the details into the proposal I felt he'd left out. He said they wanted to rescue 150 women from being trafficked ,many would have been forced into prostitution. The organisation then give them economic, medical and emotional rehabilitation. He said that they get one hour with a councilor for the emotional rehabilitation. I was in shock. Just imagine one hour ,then on your way, 'sorry about the ten years of prostitution and abuse but that's all we've got time for, have a nice life!'. I asked why so little and he replied it wasn't ideal but there are no counseling services in Tamale. I suggested they start mutual support with group therapy, or maybe train victims to volunteer as councilors. One of hand comment was turned the next day a step closer to reality as my boss found someone willing to facilitate the support group and do the training for free.

The idea then took shape as a friend suggested that a research project should be done about counseling in Tamale. I didn't know what this was but apparently its before an NGO makes a project of action an in depth study is don't to look at the current situation and what should be done. Talia (a friend on the program) and I are gong to work together on it. It will consist amongst other things of asking what are the counsellings provisions now? Interviewing women to see what they want and suggesting what could be in the future.

My organisation is confident funding can be secured and even wants to start a new organisation for victims of human trafficking! Its really overwhelming and exciting and two months suddenly doesn't seem like enough. Theres too much to be done.

Posted by Lucille ( 2:16 PM )
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Monday Aug 03, 2009

In the villages

After two weeks volunteering in Ghana I have been assigned a really interesting range of tasks by my NGO which is called CIAHT (Centre for initiative against human trafficking)

I have visited rural villages the NGO works with. Compared to urban Tamale (the main city in the north where we live) it's a different world. The villages are my cliche picture of Africa, mud huts and thatch triangle roofs.  When we arrive at a village we must greet the chief , sometimes bring a live animal as a gift.

CIAHT knows that a lot of children have been trafficked from the village so works to address the root of the problem, poverty.(see previous blog for what trafficking is). A  Shea butter farming schemes was set up to give the village a livelihood. We were in the village to see how the scheme was going.The results weren't good. Snakes biting them as they farmed it, the market was to far away to sell it the list ran on. It was my job after returning to the office to write up a report on the day, CIAHT will work with them to overcome the problems.
 
It makes you realize a development project is successful  because of the detail. An example we were told was the well meaning UN gave thousands of mosquito nets to Ghana.The problem was they were red, which in Ghana means death so no one would use them. We are all seeing the difficulty of translating well meaning intentions into successful results rather than often doing more damage.

The next day I went with an NGO from Holland and my NGO to another rural village. We were there to review a school feeding program . The community was taught farming skills,they then made food which was sold to the school for the lunches. The hungry children got lunch and the unemployed  parents got a job! I liked seeing how my NGO was working with bigger organization. My NGO based in Ghana, were working with the village community with money from Holland. It seemed like a good model.

The village reaction to me was a bit overwhelming. I made little children cry as they were so scared ,by this white person! Every pair of eyes fixed on my white skin I could feel them scanning my every detail. Children would brush my arm as if to see if the white came of on their hand, like a paint.

I also got some really uncomfortable questions. One older lady with colorful clothes and a baby wrapped on her thin back asked me why it was I was rich and they were poor? I didn't really have anything to say. Another women without malice or venom asked if I pitied them. I wasn't really sure if they wanted my pity or not,so I told the truth. Their economic situation did make me feel very sad for them. I was also  true i was in awe of their warmth, hospitality, constant jokes and laughter in spite of their poverty. I loved their colorful clothes and their community and deep spirituality. I realized after, it made have been a bit offensive. 'Sorry you're so poor you can't afford food and your children are in slavery  guys, but by the way, I love your dress!' I'm still thinking about it am not sure. They seemed so amazingly happy and free. I have no idea whether this is human natures response to suffering, I have no idea what they really feel before they go to bed at night but they seemed so happy. They seemed much happier that the average person in Britain. Maybe the whole rich in other ways thing is a true cliche.Maybe not maybe you can never  be truly happy in poverty. I have no idea.

On they way back from the village in the land rover, the brown dirt roads were like an awful roller coaster. All the Ghanaians in my NGO were quite chilled, fine ,relaxed. I closed my eyes in discomfort thinking of never again taking the miracle that is smooth tarmac for granted. A minute later to the amazement of my colleges, I was retching by the roadside, my breakfast decorating the road. Being in Ghana sometimes makes us all feel very weak, the Ghanaians seem so tough in comparison. From the village to the road, being in Ghana I have definitely left my comfort zone.

Posted by Lucille ( 8:57 AM )
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Friday Jul 31, 2009

From YMCA to jammy lodgings

Hello!

I'm sorry for not updating recently. I think it's symptomatic of being back in your own country that things seem less exciting and worth talking about, even when, on reflection, you've done and been through a lot.

After 2 weeks of uncertainty in Ealing YMCA, we finally moved to our host community in King's Lynn. Still, I was one of 8 volunteers who still had no host home! After a week or so about 30 minutes out of King'sLynn in a travel lodge with my counterpart but no bus service, "The House" was finally found!

And it was lovely: a large, old, terraced house near the centre of town, with an enourmous kitchen, light spacious rooms, a patio and barbeque area and my own huge, fluffy double bed! It means so much to have a permanent house, and I relished the freedom to cook and choose my own food after so many weeks of being catered for.

Still, it was a house, not a home. In addition,the novelty of house-training 5 messy boys wears off surprisingly quickly! So, I was extremely happy when about two weeks ago I learnt that I finally had a proper host home! I'm now living with a single dad and firefighter, who is -in my view- undoubtedly the best host parent . My counterpart and I are also a little jammy with the location, since we are again in a lovely terraced house overlooking the park, on the same road as the volunteer house I lived in previously. Unlike the other volunteers, who are trapped in their villages by terrible public transport, 10 minutes walk takes me to the town centre, and 15 minutes gets me to my work placement. The satisfaction I've felt from having a home and a "family" of sorts made me reflect onthe homeless people we lived with in the YMCA, and I was really glad when we were able to do some fundraising for the local omeless shelter last week.

I was lucky enough to be given the volunteer placement I really wanted. I'm now working in  Development Education Centre called NEAD, and it is really great work. Before the summer holidays began, we were going into schools to help with a program aimed improving community cohesion by increasing children's understanding of and enthusiasm for other countries. Each class studied one country, with someone from that country. They tried cooking and eating the food, learnt traditional dances, learnt about the geography and lifestyel... as much as could be squeezedin, but always in a fun way. And on the alst daythey shared what they'd learnt on a "One World Day" that was just magical. The children were loads of fun, and the teachers all seemed worthy of knighthoods, if not sainthood (lots of religious schools!!!); it almost made me want to be a primary teacher.

Now It's really interesting learning about all the different cultural items, as it gives a real insight into the coutnries we'reworking on. It is hard to focus all day, but I'm seeing this as a learning opportunity as my sister tells me there'll be a lot of that at university (yipee...). I think this job is another one I'd seriously consider for the future, as combining development and education is right up my street!

Other things we've been involved in include a weekend break/ mid-phase review at the seaside, an upcoming African night at an eco "hideaway", fundraising on the street for the local homeless shelter, planning fundraising for the Malawian volunteers to use for community projects back home, making steps for the Queen's Sandringham estate (I hope Her Majesty doesn't trip on them, they're not very even...), and enjoying the king's Lynn music festival (S Club 3, Beverly night, and Britain's Got Talent "nearlies"!!!), probably as well as all manner of thing's I've tragically forgotten.

And now, true "veggy returned to the UK" fashion, I'm off to eat my lentil and spinach soup. Thanks for reading.

 

Posted by Sally ( 10:05 AM )
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Tuesday Jul 28, 2009

New York and it's time to go home!

With the 21st of July came the time for me to leave Mexico, after a month of being there I was quite sad to be leaving the place, after having gotten so used to the seemingly nationwide friendly and laidback approach to life, I was really going to miss it! I was and still am sure that I will return there some day though, so I set my mind on the next couple of days, and seeing New York instead.

I had never been to the US before (other than on my journey out that is, and airports don't really count) so I was pretty excited at getting a look around the Big Apple for the first time. We only had one actual full day to spend in the city, but we crammed plenty in, buying tickets for those "hop-on hop-off" open top bus tours (around £40) like they have in London and other cities in the UK, which lasted for 48 hours so we were sorted for transport for the whole of our stay!

So firstly, we got on the bus and listened to the tourguide until we reached the stop for the Statten Island ferry, which is free and gives great views of the Statue of Liberty, although there's really not much to do actually on Statten Island, you can just get the free return back again! Then we walked over to the Liberty/Ellis Island ferry, as our bus tickets included free entry onto this ferry as well, and went over to get a closer look at Lady Liberty. Got to admit, she wasn't as big as I thought she would be, but still really impressive! Was a great sunny day when we were there so we stayed and wandered around the tiny island for a little bit just to enjoy the weather really. Unfortunately, you have to book about 3 months in advance to go up the statue now, as it's been so busy since they re-opened it for entry, but it's still great just to go over and see it up close anyway!

Then we got back on the bus tour (which are great by the way, although it largely depends on the guide) and then wandered around Central Park, as we were in a hotel that was only about 2 blocks away from the South end of the park. The park was maybe my favourite part of New York, completely man-made it's a real escape from the bustling city, and yet it's always busy as well, filled with people jogging and cycling and just generally relaxing as well. It just felt strange to see all this wildlife, in the middle of such a giant city, but it's obviously really appreciated by everyone who lives there, unlike loads of the parks in the UK.

Anyway, one bit of advice for anyone going to New York, go up the Empire State Building at night! We went at midnight (it's open until 2am) and firstly, the bright city lights are beautiful to see, but also and maybe more importantly, there was barely any queue! During the day we had seen the queue outside the Empire State Building stretching right around the block (bearing in mind there's miles of queues inside the building as well), yet at night we were able to walk almost straight up, with only a short queue near the lifts. Definitely a great experience (and Empire State entry was included in the bus tickets too).

The next day we decided to check out the uptown loop of the bus tour, which unfortunately wasn't altogether exciting so we got off and wandered around the Northern side of Central Park instead, before spending our last hour or so in the Central Park Zoo. It costs $10 for entry, and although it's pretty tiny, it is a nice place to visit with lots of animals to see including two Polar Bears and some proper show-off Sea Lions! Of course after working in a monkey sanctuary last summer, I always love seeing the monkeys, so I thought it was a great way to spend the last little while we had in the city. But with that, it was time to get to the airport and head home!

So after a 7 hour overnight flight, I eventually arrived home again. I loved every minute of Mexico and really enjoyed New York too (finding it much less busy, and much more friendly than movies portray it to be), but I have to admit I'm glad to be home again. 5 weeks away from my boyfriend has been really tough, and I'm not sure if I've ever grinned more than when I saw him waiting at the airport! He's been really supportive the whole time, and I guess knowing he was on the other end of a phone line really helped me anytime I felt things were tough at the Refugio in Puerto Vallarta. I guess voluntary work (especially abroad) is always a bit tough, and you need to be confident and a bit brave to go it alone, but it really does help when you have people at home who support you with it, whether they realise they're helping or not.

So with that, I guess I'm finished! My time in Mexico will stay with me forever, and I really hope I will go back some day, especially to see the children at the Refugio. It's encouraged me to take up a proper Spanish course as well, so hopefully in future if I go back I will be able to speak to them properly. So until next time, adios! Fi.

Posted by Fiona ( 11:40 AM )
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3 little days in Cancun...

Ok, so that last blog was so long that I felt the need to have a whole day's rest...sorry for blabbering on for so long it's just that I love travelling around!

Right, so with Chichen Itza done with, we then took the long straight road back to Cancun, where we had booked to stay in a really nice hotel for the last 3 days of Mexico. We were staying in the Hotel Zone which is basically a tiny strip of an island joined by a road on either end to the real Cancun. It is completely tourist orientated with massive 5-star resorts along the whole 20km stretch of it which to me, was a bit daunting! A completely different experience than staying in my local Mexican apartment in Puerto Vallarta. I have to admit I'm not a fan of the Cancun hotel zone, which is designed to make you stay in your hotel really! There are restaurants and shopping plazas around, but not many in relation to the number of hotels and they are pretty spread out as well. Also, it is insanely expensive! So if you're on a budget, I'd say steer clear or head to Downtown Cancun instead, where prices will be cheaper.

I couldn't bear the thought of staying in the hotel for my few days in Cancun, so instead, I went scuba diving (the diving in the Caribbean was far better than on the Pacific Coast by the by - more varied largely thanks to a massive coral reef near to the coast) and also zip-wiring, again. The zip-wiring was a bit more timid this time as it was just between trees with the absence of the mountains they had in Puerto Vallarta, as the whole of the Yucatan Peninsula is extremely flat, but they make up for it by letting you do it upside-down (AMAZING FUN) or on your stomach like Superman! For our last day in Mexico, we had booked to go swimming with whale sharks (aka basking sharks) as a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it was incredible! 30 miles or so out into the ocean, and there was at least 50 of these massive things swimming about, totally oblivious to or just not bothered by our company. They only eat plankton so it's totally safe - although I'm sure their mouths are big enough they could quite easily have swallowed me - and you get to swim right up beside them as long as you don't touch them. I really would recommend going to something like that because it was so amazing to see these creatures and in their natural habitat unlike a lot of the swimming with dolphins tours they run now, although it definitely wasn't cheap at $190 each! Definitely a fantastic way to end Mexico though.

So anyway, although I wasn't so keen on the Hotel Zone in Cancun, I have to admit that the massive tourist trade definitely helps to make up for it, with no shortage of activities and outings to go on if, like me, you don't relish the idea of just lazing by the pool and never leaving your hotel when staying somewhere. With the caribbean sea and the second largest coral reef in the world right on your doorstep, it's a great place for scuba diving, snorkelling, or just any trips which involve a boat! There's also chances to take trips down to places like Tulum (Mayan ruins on the beach) or Cobá (another impressive ruins site) if you're into that, and nature reserves are nearby as well. So all in all, I did love Cancun as well, though if I ever return I'll definitely be staying in Downtown, for a more 'Mexican' experience, rather than the far-removed clinical world of the Hotel Zone, where you might not even realise you were in Mexico! Fi.

Posted by Fiona ( 11:00 AM )
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Adios ninos

Well today has been heart wrenching! My last day working in the refugio, and I am of course really sad to be leaving the kids. It is impossible to stop yourself from getting attached to them, so saying goodbye today was really hard, especially when with an eclectic mix of Spanish words, and miming an aeroplane they understood what I was trying to say, and their faces fell!

I will never forget my times at the refugio, or any of the children there, its hard to think that I might not be able to come back again - but who knows what the future holds! Though I was very careful not to make any promises. Especially as for the last few days, one of the youngest girls - Lucy - has taken to calling me Mama, no matter how many times I told her "no!", it simultaneously hurts and is comforting to think that they will most likely forget about me within a couple of weeks when it comes to situations like that! I know that I couldn’t help becoming attached, but I am still angry at myself for letting her become too attached as well, with a turbulent past already behind her at such a young age, she doesn’t need me to add to the confusion.

I have to admit that this placement has been really hard! We have received a lot of time off, but working 4-5 hour shifts in this heat has always been trying, and facing temper tantrums was always a bit daunting! Especially as some of the kids had conditions such as ADHD, and also just with the language barrier meaning that I often found it hard to figure out what was wrong in the first place, or to explain to a child why I was stopping them from doing something! Also the staff have not been altogether supportive or appreciative of any of the volunteers, which has been quite hurtful! Never mind the fact that they would often use the volunteers by making us do the tasks they didn’t want to do... one volunteer was even made to clean the bathrooms and unblock the toilets when they broke, staying 2 hours after her shift was meant to end! However, cheesy as it is I have to admit it is true, that anything I had to endure during my stay here has been totally made worth it, purely by the way the kids faces would light up and they would shout "Fiioooonaaa!" each day when they first saw me, and how they would come and cuddle me while watching tv before bedtime.

I will miss the kids so much, and I doubt they will be far from my thoughts for a long time, they have a good chance at life thanks to the refugio, which offers many of them the chance to attend private schools, and they are never short of food or toys there. Many of these children have come from terrible backgrounds so it is a great job that the refugio and those who work there do, and I am so glad to have been a part of it and contributed at least a little bit to their lives.

So now I am about to set off on the second part of my adventure, and travel east towards firstly Chichen Itza, and then Cancun before hitting New York on my way home...hopefully I will get a chance to update on that part of my trip soon, until then...Adios! Fi.

Posted by Fiona ( 10:39 AM )
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