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 Aug 30, 2010

Less than a week :)

I'm BUZZING for ghana in 5 days time :D I can't believe how quickly it has come about...I'd independently organised a trip to volunteer in South Africa for the summer or 2010 but had to cancel it due to unseen costs, so when the opportunity to go to Ghana arose I wasted no time in filling in the application. Being a first year student at Exeter, I was still very muchfinding my feet at uni and didn't think I had much of a shot of getting into the International Project team, but went along to the interview thinking I'd get some experience and apply again next year. Fortunately for me, I received the email a couple of days later saying I'd been successful and I was ECSTATIC! The fundraising period has been stressful at times but a brilliant way for the 10 of us going to Ghana to get to know one another. Everyone has put in so much effort and you know you're travelling with people who feel what we're doing is important. It's also a great excuse to put on crazy events and get local people interested in a good cause. I've loved it and am so pleased with how well we have done as a group. Now, with jabs completed and equipment bought, I can't wait to get out there and experience a culture so different to my own, meet wonderful people and get involved with the kids, all with a group of students that a year ago were strangers to me and now have become really good friends.

 

Ruth.

Posted by Community Action International ( 12:00 AM )
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Tuesday Aug 24, 2010

'Our Free South Africa 1994'

“They are my friends”

The man stood in front of me was a middle aged man with a peaceful attitude, he said that he lived his life with a belief in reconciliation, he was inspired by Gandhi who said that he wanted to seek reconciliation and friendship with each of his opponents. It was kind of appropriate to refer to a man who had spent many years in South Africa and became inspired to fight for equality after suffering the discriminations of Indians and Black South African’s in the country during his time there.

The friends he spoke of were guards, on an island off the coast of South Africa, the guards who isolated political activists who were brave and passionate about freeing their country from the racial segregation of apartheid.

To listen to a man who had no grudges against people who had been a part of taking away his basic human rights and isolating him because of his beliefs was really admirable.

Robben Island was an ‘attraction’ I was never enthusiastic about visiting during my time in South Africa, more because of ignorance I think, I never knew its significance – I had little knowledge in terms of the country’s history, not even understanding the term Apartheid. I visited the Island with other volunteers during my final week and having been there it became the day that meant the most to me of my time in the country.  Driving around the island listening to a speaker who had a great knowledge of the Island’s history I found myself scribbling dates and names down to allow me to research more when I got home, he asked for the different countries, which we came from and linked each of our origins to the island that made you understand its importance in history.

Looking into Nelson Mandela’s cell was an experience I won’t forget but I honestly valued the speakers insights a lot more, I vaguely remember an episode of ANTM when two models argue over who gets to open the cell during a visit to South Africa and I think they missed the most importance insight into the island.

I could never begin to understand what the prisoners went through but the visit made me respect South Africa as a free country, I bought a t-shirt on my final day stating: 'Our Free South Africa 1994' and I knew I had learnt something great during my trip and I appreciate that a lot.

Posted by Natalie ( 6:04 PM )
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Friday Aug 20, 2010

From London Hospital to Haiti Hospital

I am a physiotherapist working in a London Hospital with patients who have suffered neurological problems (brain and spinal cord injuries). I have now embarked on a trip to Haiti to use my specialist skills to treat some of the many patients that suffered injuries from the January earthquake.  I will initially be working with the charity 'Haiti Hospital Appeal' who set up a spinal injury ward at their hospital following this earthquake.  I envisage my main role will be around training the Haitian staff in caring and providing rehabilitation to the patients, and exploring the long-term options for the patients.

I am planning to be away for 7 months, and have taken a career break from work.  I hope to work with Haiti Hosptial Appeal for at least the first 3 months, but my work after that is yet to be decided!

I have wanted to volunteer overseas ever since I went to Ghana after I first qualified as a physiotherapist in 2006.  I worked in Ghana for two months as a volunteer physio through a structured program with a UK based charity.

Working in Ghana certainly exposed to me the challenges you are faced with when working in a developing country.  However, I am expecting the work and environment in Haiti to be a lot tougher: being one of the poorest countries in the world, it is open to a lot of violence and corruption, and it is still very much in shock from the earthquake this hit in January.

In preparation for my trip, I have been fundraising, with the aim of raising £10,000 to kit out the spinal unit with rehabilitation equipment.  My fundraising events included organising a salsa night; 'Cycle to Haiti' sports event, and a couple of 'swishing' (clothes-swapping) parties. Friends and family have also got involved : they have helped fundraise through a sponsored walk; holding a quiz night; and selling homemade cakes, cards and jewellery. So far I have raised over £9,000, but I am hoping this will reach the £10,000 target by the time I leave: I will keep you posted!

Here is my Just Giving page and the website for the charity: http://www.justgiving.com/Hannah-Steadman and http://haitihospitalappeal.org/.

 

Posted by Hannah ( 3:48 PM )
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Sunday Aug 15, 2010

3 weeks to go...

So we finally found out how much we have fundraised as a group since Feburary 2010... and we made it! We exceeded our target by over 700 pounds! This comes as a great relief and is a testament to the hard work the team has put in since the begining of the year. I am so greatful to given the opportunity by Community Action to work within a team of volunteers - meeting like-minded people all striving towards one shared goal is fantastic and I cannot wait to travel to Ghana with a group that started out as volunteers, and have quickly become fantastic friends

 

Katie (Project Co-leader)

 

 

Posted by Community Action International ( 6:39 PM )
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Tuesday Aug 10, 2010

A surreal memory of an oak tree

Half way through the trip I went along the Garden Route,  which is the the stretch of land along the South Eastern coast of South Africa. I went with four other volunteers with the company Marula Travel.

The first day was a lot of travelling, but this was my favourite day of the tour, because it was like travelling through a lot of different countries, the views were amazing and the sights I saw through the window of the minibus had to be one of my favourite parts of the whole trip. We stopped off at a farm during the day, where we went on a ride along the lake, it was a deserted area, and the boat was more like a raft. The man and his dog manning the boat, they served us food, homemade pumpkin pie, homemade chicken pie...basically more food than even I could manage...I am known for my large appetite. We rode along with our legs lying in the water. It was a lot of fun.

On the first night we had reached Mossel Bay, and stayed in a backpackers. We got a cheap meal nearby and played in a kids playground at the back of a restaurant, until the actual children showed up and we had to leave!  

The next day driving along some road – I have no clue where, it was a bit surreal because we were looking for an oak tree – or a tree that looked like an oak tree. The reason  was because it was the place where we would find a track down to a rock pool. The track was pretty nonexistent, and consisted of lots of rocks and scrapes along the way, but the rock pool was amazing, in the middle of nowhere swimming among murky moss (and I really don’t know what else) was a lot of fun!

We then visited a reserve where we went on a quad bike safari, the safari itself wasn’t too impressive because we had been on a previous safari which was one of the best around and this one was limited in its funds and land, the owner was so enthusiastic for visitors and the accommodations were beautiful but he had little custom and was struggling with his dream, which was really hard to see. It had so much potential but lack of advertising and money was really frustrating for him. A few weeks later our guide found out that he had sold up and it was under new management.

The weekend was capped off going and watching Izzy one of the volunteers, doing the world highest bungee jump, I wanted to...I really did...hmmm, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, but later that afternoon I did do a skydive, I text my mum about ten minutes before the jump telling her and then went up in a plane and jumped out. I have a serious phobia of roller coasters, which all my friends have given me a lot of stick over now I’ve jumped out of a plane. I was rewarded for being so brave by breaking my hand on the landing which then cost me 1500R to fix, basically £150 I didn’t have. But it’s a story to tell!

Posted by Natalie ( 6:33 PM )
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