Hi, Ross-
I've been in the process of lining up an interview with someone at Kiva (www.kiva.org), which is a microlending organization. As far as I know, they don't have volunteer opportunities at present, but they are very invested in travel, which is my angle on the story. Are you interested in this piece? I can explain in more detail off-forum, if you'd like.
Peace,
Julie
Hi Ross,
I work with an NGO called EDUC in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. We are partnering with artists from FUNARTE to do a variety of workshops in March and welcome any volunteers who want to assist in the Zona Norte with a variety of workshops including, murals, theatre, the creation of an animated film, music, circus arts, photography and more. The projects are community youth projects aimed at providing alternatives to for at risk, underpriveleged youth.
Anyone interested can contact me at 84-91019553 or 84-32365195. It's a great opportunity for anyone interested in working in Brazil. Portuguese is recommended, but not required, and there are opportunities for language classes for a small fee. Accomodations are with families.
All the best,
Jenn
Jenn--
This sounds amazing...so cool. I want to come down! I'll post this in the next Traverse for "cool opportunity", but would you want to write an article about it for Matador? Sounds amazing and I'd love to publish a piece on the resulting project.
Ross
In 2006 I traveled to Swaziland to work on the Mkhaya Game Reserve, a private park dedicated to the conservation of viable white and black rhino populations. As far as volunteering opportunities go it is very affordable. Emphasis on the practical aspects of wildlife management, very hands on and intimate. I set up a web site for the book I'm trying to get published "Wrangling Rhinos: No Spurs Required"
www.wranglingrhinos.com. Check it out if you think a short piece in Matador would be appropriate.
Cheers,
Chrysser
It's a long story, but it has to do with a great free volunteer experience...
Once, after a mountaineering trip in Chile's norther ice field, I was refused entry to Brasil and I had to bounce back to Chile using all my cash. I landed in Santiago with about $400 bucks and my non-refundable flight out of Rio wasn't for another 4 months. I was screwed and I went hungry for a week trying to figure out the passport problems and the logistics of four months in South America without money. Thats where this volunteering experience came in. I was connected through a friend to a transitioning sheep ranch in Patagonia where I did conservation work for food and lodging, and it ended up being the ideal compliment to the mountaineering experiences Patagonia has to offer. For about four months I lived a little bit like one of the last cowboys at the end of the earth and it felt like going back in time. During that whole time I think I spent about $35 bucks. I don't want to spill all the beans, but just picture a bearded mountaineer fresh off the ice field suddenly on a gaucho ranch, but wearing a wet suit and riding a horse around the Patagonian steppe with a rag tag crew of Chileans, a Brasilian, a German, and two Americans. A little bit like a Wes Anderson film, if you ask me.
Anywho, if you are interested let me know what kind of spin the article should have and I'll check with the park to see if they want this kind of publicity or not. (They might be shy of getting waves of volunteers.) Even if they don't, I love to tell the story so I could write it more as a travelogue or something as opposed to a volunteer connection if you want.
Hit me up for stories anyway. It's kind of my thing.
- JB
Are you still looking for articles? I can give you one about working abroad on organic farms - a really affordable way to live like a local and give back. I did this for about three summers in a row.
Joined: 08-08-06
Hey guys!
We're about to launch an editorial blog all about the very best options people have to Volunteer Abroad. We want to focus on places that are either affordable or free, and programs/organizations that enrich the volunteer's experience with things like an education in language or conservation.
I'm also interested in general "volunteer news" -- the latest and greatest in the world of volunteering abroad. Please contact me with any ideas. These should be less than 500 words and ideal if you have photos to go with them. I can pay $25/article.
If you don't have an article, but heard about a cool place/org/trend, please leave a thread!
Thanks and keep rocking, Matadorians!