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New Winter and Spring Projects
New winter and spring service projects have been announced in several countries including Japan, South Korea, France, Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, and Morocco.
Please see the Volunteers For Peace 'Open Projects Directory' for more information.
Medium Term Projects
Lower Nine in New Orleans: 1 to 3 months
Lower Nine is dedicated to training residents and volunteers in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the numerous skills necessary to bring this century-old historic neighborhood back to life in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. These skills run the gamut from basic to advanced house construction and rebuilding, but also include community gardening projects, emotional and social support services, social outreach and community development. We offer our services to all people, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, physical abilities, religious beliefs or economic status.
Work: Experienced carpenters, roofers, plumbers, painters and other tradesmen needed for rebuilding homes in the flood-damaged Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. Unskilled volunteers will be trained by skilled staff. All aspects of home rebuilding will be addressed, from roofing to finish carpentry. 5-day week of full work days.
Leisure Activities: Volunteers will have ample opportunity to partake of the abundant cultural offerings of the most unique city in America.
Accommodation: Housing is in very cozy dormitory style bunkrooms
Language: English
Location: New Orleans, LA, 2 miles east of the French Quarter.
Terminal: Louis Armstrong International Airport; Amtrak and Bus station downtown.
Special requirements: Lowernine application and PHONE/EMAIL INTERVIEW required. No smoking in the house. No drugs allowed. Vegetarian meals available.
Extra Fee: $300 US Dollars
VOLUNTEER VOICES:
Child Sight Foundation in Bangladesh
By: Ferhana Yeasmin
Participating in Child Sight Foundation’s (CSF) First International Volunteer Camp on childhood disability in Bangladesh has been one of the most satisfying experiences that I have had. This project concentrated on brining awareness about childhood blindness. Most of the project’s work was done in a district called Sirajganj. We have also had some events relating to the project in Dhaka city.
Child Sight Foundation is a Nongovernmental Organization that has been serving the families of families of blind children in the district of Sirajganj for about 5 years. Through its educational, rehabilitation and advocacy program, CSF’s goal is to achieve an all-inclusive society for these children. It has helped give a new meaning to life to so many blind children.
Through the volunteer camp, we tried to figure out how much impact CSF have had in the lives of these children. This was achieved through home visits and speaking to the children and their families as well as their neighbors. In addition, we have visited the all-inclusive classroom and clubs, and the influential leaders of their communities, including educational officers, district chairman and school teachers.
Towards the end of the camp, the volunteers came back to Dhaka city and we had a press conference where we expressed our experience to the media and encouraged them to write more regarding childhood disability in order to bring awareness to the general public. The camp was concluded with World Sight Day where the media was more intensely involved. This event included guests from other NGO’s, reporters and ministers.
Personally, I am so glad I went to Bangladesh and participated on this project. It has essentially enlightening. There were two other volunteers, Natalie from Australia and Sohel from Bangladesh. Natalie has been in Bangladesh for one year and she was the coordinator and organizer of the project. She was truly a pleasant individual to work with. We all accepted the challenges which included warm weather, water with high level of iron and very small option with food. In addition to the activities of the camp, we had several occasions of sight-seeing. The people we worked with in the field were really welcoming and loved to have us around. I went to this project with a very low expectation and therefore the overall project exceeded my expectation from all ends.
Partners of the Americas Conference in Washington D.C.
Jane Skakel, VFP U.S. Program Coordinator, attended the Partner of the Americas Conference for two days in November in Washington, D.C. meeting many volunteer sending partners and educational service learning administrators as well as Latin American project hosts.
Partners of the Americas, the International Volunteering Project at Brookings, and the Building Bridges Coalition convened more than 250 people and 160 different organizations at the conference. For additional information please visit the Partners of the Americas Website.
Celebrate International Volunteer Day on December 5th!
International Volunteer Day is an international observance designated by the United Nations since 1985. The declared aim of this activity is to thank the volunteers for their efforts and increase public awareness on their contribution to society. The day is celebrated in majority countries of the world.
The International Volunteer Day is marked by many non-governmental organizations, including the Red Cross, scouts and many others.
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Volunteers For Peace
1034 Tiffany Rd.
Belmont VT 05730
(802)259-2922
www.vfp.org
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