Ecoteer

Community Work at the Ecoteer House

On the 22^nd of February, the Ecoteer Team visited the Ecoteer House in the Perhentian Island! It was the first visit to the island for some of the Ecoteer staff. All of the Ecoteer’s staff have also officially joined the ‘Ecoteer Village People’ as they did the 3m plunge into the sea from the Village Jetty!

On the day of the arrival, the Pasir Hantu Perhentian Village was quite happening because there was a school documentary shooting at the local school. Ecoteer was there to witness how it went and Daniel had a short interview by the host of the documentary show as the village acknowledge Ecoteer’s effort in youth development in their village. Seh Ling, Ecoteer’s staff who is based on Perhentian Island was also involved in the preparation of the school children performance- Dikir Barat for the shooting of the documentary schow. Everyone enjoyed the Dikir Barat performance! Good job Seh Ling!

Ecoteer has put a lot of effort to teach English to the children as well as create environmental awareness in the village ever since we have opened the Ecoteer House in 2011. There is a weekly gotong royong throughout the village where by villagers go around the village to clean up the area to instill the sense of appreciation towards a cleaner environment.  The Ecoteer team has planned some competitions and programs in the village to promote environmental awareness among the villages.

The proposed idea would be to have a recycling competition among the school children whereby the individual with the most recyclable item will win a prize. This competition will be held throughout the year with the hope of the children to be able to understand the importance of a cleaner environment.

Ecoteer is also planning to have a composting program in the village. In late February 2012, a Bio-mate machine will be arriving on the island. It is a machine which accelerates the decomposition process of organic waste to produce compost. The program will first start with the participation of a few family, the local school as well as selected restaurants. If the program goes well, we hope to extend the program throughout the whole village by end of the year

Besides that, Ecoteer House has a mini project coming up! It is to build a garden from an abandoned fountain in the local school.

Volunteers who would like to be a part of this community work or join the fun in the Ecoteer house, please visit Perhentian Island Community & Conservation Project – Ecoteer House or email explore@ecoteer.com.

Interview With Malati

Malati is one of the key staff members of an organization in India which helps alleviate poverty, provide orphan and old age care, relief and rehabilitation to anyone. This is one of the organization that provides volunteering opportunities in India. To know more about Malati’s projects, visit Primary School in Shillong, Primary and Girls High School in Uma Nivas and Jaipur Orphanage, India.

1 Could you describe briefly what is your organization is about and the main focus of your projects?

Our organization is a small NGO trying address some of the problems faced by the rural poor in India. So far, our efforts have mainly focused on education – improving both educational facilities and the quality of education offered in rural and poor suburban areas as well as creating support systems for orphans and other disadvantaged children.We provide support to schools and orphanages in the following ways:

* infrastructure: by installing electrical and water connections and toilet facilities, repairing leaking roofs, and constructing additional classrooms in overcrowded schools.

* by helping to arrange basic teaching materials such as blackboards, desks, chairs, and textbooks.

* by running a volunteer programme to recruit volunteers to tutor children, teach classes and to train teachers in orphanages and schools.

* by arranging sponsors for orphans and children whose impoverished families cannot afford school fees.

2. What aspect of your role you enjoy most with the organisation?

What I enjoy the most is to see a real improvement in the conditions of the project we helped or in the quality of health of the child who is now getting better food or an education its parents couldn’t afford… to see that we have really been able to make a difference. Sometimes with a small intervention, you can even save a life. It’s just wonderful!

3. What is the level of support from the community towards your organization and projects?

Generally we work through the schools themselves, so that the credit for the development of the school goes to the school itself, which also helps the school to develop further. Of course the schools are happy with us for helping them.

4. What is the most emotional event you have seen from your projects?

I think for me the most emotional event was something that happened around 15 years ago before our NGO really got going. I found a very ragged young woman walking listlessly along the little lane near our centre in Kolkata with a badly malnourished baby in her arms and dragging a two year old along, also looking thin and pitifully weak. The baby had boils all over its head. All of them were filthy dirty. On enquiry I found that they were living in a broken down shack nearby. The husband had abandoned them some time earlier, and they were on the edge of starvation. Seeing their pathetic condition I made arrangements for them to eat at our centre twice a day. We also gave them some better clothes. To feed them cost us only Rs. 200 (around US $ 4) a month. They ate with us for around 9 months and the health of the whole family improved dramatically. After 9 months the husband came back and took them all away. Probably he didn’t know that we had saved their lives. What impressed me the most about this was how little it cost to have such a huge impact.

5. From volunteers feedback, what are the interesting aspects of the projects? What can they learn when they volunteer in your projects?

I think with every volunteer it is different. Many go through an initial culture clash as they are plunged into the chaotic, hyper intense atmosphere in India where everything seems to be falling apart but somehow keeps moving forward in an ever changing kaleidoscope. They are deeply touched by the joie de vivre of people who have nothing, the warm hospitality, and the love and genuine care they receive from our project directors and children.

One volunteer in Jaipur commented about how serious the children were with their studies..”Most of these children have really good marks – they study every day at home, and the little ones get the help of the older ones. They really help each other, it’s very beautiful to see how united they are.”

Most volunteers say it has given them a much deeper understanding about life in India, and some went further and expressed that volunteering had helped them to establish a deep connection to the people and wished to return again and again.
“There were so many opportunities to give to the children, and to receive their love and affection. I consider everyone living in the orphanage to be members of my family now, and I will make every effort I can to return to visit them.” Brianna, Jaipur

When two volunteers left Shillong last year after a two month stay, the whole orphanage cried. The project director was still tearful when I spoke to her on the phone a couple of days later.  So you can understand that something much deeper happened there. And in India, once the people have taken you into their hearts, they never forget you and will ask after you even years later.

6. What type of volunteers are suitable for your projects?

We have welcomed volunteers of all ages and types. However it is expected for volunteers to respect the culture of India which is quite conservative to avoid any conflicts with the local community.

7. What are the organization future plans?

Right now, we are happy to continue as we are doing, helping the projects to develop and providing as good a service to the kids as we can with the help of the volunteers, sponsors and general donations. At this moment, together with local people, I am engaged in putting together a progressive, child friendly kindergarten curriculum with a training programme for use in Bangladesh where there are currently no kindergartens in the villages and no education at all for poor kids till age 5. I hope this curriculum will gradually be used in the schools we support in India too, replacing the more traditional models that tend to stress the kids as they are not always age appropriate.

Lastly, I would like to say to volunteers that travel is, in my opinion, one of the greatest educations. To be able to share the lives of people from very different backgrounds by volunteering at a project and getting to know the people at the most basic level of their daily lives, sharing their struggles and joys, gives a far deeper insight into the local culture and personal satisfaction than just visiting the country as a tourist. I see volunteering as a way of building bridges and understanding between peoples from all corners of the world.

Many volunteers return home saying volunteering has completely changed their lives! I think it did mine, and maybe that’s why I am still here, year after year, sharing in the joys and sorrows of those who are otherwise forgotten, helping solve problems where I can, and doing whatever I can to make a difference. One person cannot do a lot alone, it is true, but if many of us work together, collectively we can bring genuine change where it is most needed, at the grassroots level. Won’t you join me for a while?

With warm greetings to all,
Malati

To know more about Malati’s projects, visit Primary School in Shillong, Primary and Girls High School in Uma Nivas and Jaipur Orphanage, India.

A memory from Venezuela

This was written by Eva an ex-volunteer who had participated in a community and conservation volunteering project based in Venezuela.

The 4 weeks I have spent at the project site have been a fantastic experience! I’m back in Denmark now, back to my “normal life”, my nice apartment and comforts, my busy social life… But thinking at the time at the foundation I can’t help smiling! It has been a journey for me.

I had one entire month vacation and I was looking for inspiration on how to spend it: I wanted to do something different, see something new and possibly give a meaning to that experience, so there I found the best project, just browsing the net: the website, the information, the places shown in the pictures: they all looked good, professional, well organized, so after some investigation I thought, why not? And I sent my application. So here I come! First time in South America and first time as volunteer!

When I arrived in Santa Elena (after an incredibly long trip) I was wondering where I was and trying to grasp what that was all about. The place was really beautiful, the nature and the landscape were breath-taking. The project site is really an amazing place for personal development: you can make what you want out of it! There are different options on the way you can contribute and my experience in the teaching and tutoring programs was really rewarding. Working with the kids had been good fun and I loved it when they expressed words of appreciation to our work and the fact that they enjoyed learning English and eager to try new things out. And when meeting them on the streets in Santa Elena and hearing “Hola Profe!!” I must admit that made me feel good!

The cooperative living part was the least easy for me, used to total freedom and independence, the life together in a shared space sometime was pushing my limits a bit. But the people I’ve met have definitely left a trace in me: Sarah, we arrived the same day and we bonded a lot and had great time together. Yunior, fantastic friend, my staying would not have been the same without him. We were the early birds of the project and it was nice starting the day chatting with you in the kitchen while preparing breakfast. And we had really good time playing pool and enjoying a Polar Ice. Kelvis, short but sweet, would have been fun if you could stick around a bit longer. Ruben, todo bello, the man full of resources.

Once we got to know each other better it was really good fun to spend time and have a laugh together. Andrea, it was great meeting you. And very encouraging to see that being a volunteer and working with NGO’s can be a truly professional experience, requiring the right background and motivation that can be closer to the world I know, and it is not only for idealists and visionary people that are trying to save the world before trying to save themselves. I think that the experience of being there and working with Manfred in the NGO management of the project will be brilliant for you and your future career.

Manfred, you are the men! I hope that your ambition of being dispensable at the project site will finally work (a bit at least) so that you will be able to take your well deserved vacation! I hope that the other volunteers will have the chance, as I did, to get to know you better and hear some of your stories. Your passion and dedication to the organisation cause are absolutely admirable and this world needs quite a few of your kind! I’ve been really impressed and inspired by your stories: your life and experiences, working with street children in Caracas, moving to Santa Elena, starting everything again from scratch… I hope you’ll have the chance to travel back to Germany with your gorgeous daughter, and give your mum the pleasure to meet her only grandchild. Manfred, take care, and thanks again for the experience!! A big hug to everybody!

Cheers Eva

Want to know more about this community and conservation project in Venezuela? Find out more at Ecoteer Volunteer Venezuela.

Interested to browse volunteering projects in other parts of the world? Try Volunteer in Malaysia!

Help out in a Uganda Primary School

Moses is a teacher from the a primary school in Bujagali Falls Uganda, is a very dedicated teacher. Besides teaching the kids, he is very much involved in many things related to the community development around the school. Uganda as many people know, is a poor country with high cases of AIDS. Many of the kids who attend the school where Moses taught, are orphans as their parents were victim to AIDS. With that, many of the kids have little or no money at all.

Thus Moses with another 15 teachers form a volunteering project to provide for the children and community needs. Most of the children need books, stationary, uniforms but these are generally quite expensive so most of the children drop out from school not soon after they have joined. However this does not deter the teachers to make a difference.

Moses and his team of teachers form projects to help make their school and community environment a better one. The projects were successful with the help from local and foreign volunteers as well as donations.

Children could not concentrate in class because they have no breakfast and lunch, so porridge are provided to help with the children concentration. Now the school have a new kitchen thanks to the volunteers and more porridge can be prepared to fill up more tummies to make these children feel more energetic! The children now also have a room called ‘Library’. However more books of reading age 7-15 are needed to fill the shelves of the Library. But it is a good progress looking back from how the school started just from a few shacks.

Volunteers who had participated in this projects are touched by the dedication of Moses and his team of teachers put in to the projects. The ex-volunteers donated some money and with that Moses has recently put electricity, running water, showers and flush toilets in the volunteer accommodation so that the volunteers could have the benefit of this.

Currently in this project, donations are needed to provide the children with teaching and learning resources, three new classrooms, science equipment and raw materials to conduct basic experiments, cupboards and shelving, metal doors and shutters and second hand digital camera used as teaching resources.

Besides that, the girls are in need of sanitary pads because it is too expensive for the poor communities. Without sanitary pads, it becomes very unsanitary and disallow the girls to go out from their home during during their periods. Most of the time, the girls would be using water from the puddles to clean themselves because they have no access to nearby clean water sources. Thus sanitary pads would help them and reduce the unhygienic conditions.

Volunteers are welcome to join Moses and his team to help out in the projects to make the school and the community surroundings a better place to live in. More stories about this project at Success of Volunteers in Uganda.

Find out more about this project at Teach/ Help a variety of task to help develop a poor Uganda primary school.

Here is a video on the children singing the Busoga tribe national anthem before their school starts.

Want to find for other humanitarian volunteering projects? Find out more at Ecoteer – Humanitarian Projects.

Ecoteer article in The Star newspaper!

The Star newspaper is one of the main daily newspaper read in Malaysia and today on the 17th of January 2012, an article on Ecoteer was published! Of course quite an amount of effort was put in to have this article published in a quite glorious manner.

Our two full paged article appeared in the Star 2 section paged 2 and 3 of this newspaper and hopefully it looks attractive and would inspire local and foreign tourist to opt for a low environmental impact holiday. The article included an introduction on how Ecoteer was found by Daniel Quilter, followed by the concept of Ecoteer and how this concept of volunteering while holidaying is quite foreign to Malaysian tourist.

The article also included some background stories about the community & conservation program and turtle conservation project in the lovely tropical island of Perhentians as well as the English project located in the palm oil estates of Sukau, Sabah.

Read the original article in The Star Online: Ecoteer – Vacation with a difference

Want to know more about green traveling and responsible volunteering? Find out more at Ecoteer: Travel With A Cause or drop us an email to inquire more about our projects at contact@ecoteer.com.

Volunteer: Conservation of Amazon Community

The Ecuador Amazon rainforest is one of the Earth’s treasures, a highly biodiverse place and also the home to the Shiwiar people. The Shiwiar territory is one of the most pristine and isolated places in the Amazon forest and could only be reached by air transportation.

A hardcore nature lover could spend their whole day living in this jungle observing unique, wonderful or even weird creatures roaming around in the forest while enjoying the peace and serenity of this pristine undisturbed forest. Sadly the Ecuadorian government does not value the forest and indigenous people of the Amazon. Lands are being sold off to multinational companies for short term profits, destroying the fragile ecosystem and the negatively affecting the lives of the indigenous people.

With that, a natural instinct to protect ones home came to Pascual Kunchicuy from the Shiwiar tribe. An ecotourism project was set up to invite people to come and have a look at the Shiwiar people way of living. The money will then be used to purchase the forest land with the long term aim of protecting the forest.

Volunteers are welcome to experience their culture but at the same time volunteers would be helping out in tasks such as teaching English to the local tribes, construction, accountancy, floral and fauna studies, hosting tourist and many more.

Volunteers are also needed for the biodiversity research programme working in conjunction with local community projects. The expedition is a biodiversity research expedition working in conjunction with local community projects and research findings will help to more effectively manage and conserve this endangered habitat. Volunteers will be able to study rare and endangered species, hear the sounds of the Dusky Titi and Howler monkeys in the mornings while exploring the Amazon forest and learn a wide range of methods used in biodiversity research. It is the perfect project for nature lovers who are looking for green eco projects during their gap year, career break or just simply for the fun of it!

Interested and want to know more about this volunteer project? Find out more at Volunteer For The Conservation of Amazon Community.

This video shows what drives the Shiwiars to protect their forest and their future.

Welcome to Phil, Alex & Football!

At the start of October, RUDEC welcomed Ecoteer Volunteer Phil Gurney from the UK to the family. He will be initially volunteering until July 2012 and is open minded about joining as a long term volunteer. A Scouts Leader and Senior Mentor at ‘The Challenge’ (The largest provider of the British Government’s National Citizen Service), he is passionate about young people and helping them to unlock their potential as responsible, energised members of the community.

At the start of November, RUDEC also welcomed Alex Bradley from the UK. Alex will be volunteering until the end of January and brings with him a wealth of experience of working with, and supporting, the most deprived and disadvantaged families in the communities of the UK. During his time in Belo, Alex will be working with Phil to develop and launch a new development project which utilises the power of sport. Football4Action (F4A) aims to empower young people to be leaders of social change. By providing educational workshops which combine football with health/life skills F4A will help young people to develop their personal & social skills, give them a safe environment to express themselves and discuss important community issues, and lay the foundations for a legion of F4A Ambassadors (peer-educators) capable of spreading their message throughout the region. The project start date is January 2012 and Phil and Alex are hard at work laying the necessary foundations to make the project a success. Donations of footballing equipment are essential to make this project possible.

Any donations (financial or equipment) are greatly welcomed and will enable RUDEC to provide young people with rights that are not currently being adequately met: The ‘right to full opportunity for play, recreation & sport’ (principle 7, Declaration on the Rights of the Child) & ‘the right to a voice on matters that affect them and to havetheir views taken seriously’ (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child).

Volunteering with charities in Africa

For many, the blessing of good fortune can only be topped by the ability and opportunity to use that fortune to inspire hope in others in great need. Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and much of the rest of Africa are fraught with these meaningful pursuits, with hundreds of volunteering and charity work opportunities available. Volunteering is an enriching experience both for the volunteer as well as for those they benefit, and it also adds a greater element of authenticity to the travel experience. So take the leap and browse for cheap flights while considering the following promising opportunities for your volunteer experience.

Not unlike many of its African neighbours, an astounding number of Kenya’s children are left without parents because of HIV, AIDS, and malnourishment. With over 70 per cent of the population under 30 years of age, these detriments have compounded effects on children who must fend for themselves, raise their siblings, and go without education. As a volunteer, you will gladly be accepted into any of a number of programs to rebuild communities, educate and counsel children, apply immunisations, and clean up the environment. While all it takes is a little determination to participate, a briefing on the distinct cultural practices of the Masai Mara and Kenyans in general will go a long way.

One of the most culturally and historically rich countries in West Africa, Ghana’s inhabitants depend largely on agriculture for sustenance. Establishing a sound familial structure, then, is essential for farms to remain in operation and keep crop yields high. When the parents are no longer in the picture, volunteers are called on to help educate children on how to plant, water, and harvest crops so that they can reap a liveable profit and become self-sufficient.

Whether the assignment is in Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, or anywhere else, volunteers are empowered with an entire slew of rewarding benefits and the experience of a lifetime. Besides the assistance they bring to the community, volunteers in Africa help develop and support an advanced global perspective, creating a higher level of consciousness for the entire world. Volunteers are rewarded by the immense gratification from the work itself and the opportunity to serve as an agent of change both in Africa and on the home front. As volunteers will attest, all the rhetoric in the world couldn’t capture how it truly feels to save lives and inspire hope in others. As an added benefit, the cultural insight gained from a volunteering experience in Africa helps to understand and appreciate the reasons why people do what they do.

To be a part of this important transaction of resources and hope, search for flights to Africa, show up, and make a difference. The rest will return to you tenfold.

Search the Ecoteer.com website to find your perfect volunteering project in Africa.

Does voluntourism make a difference?

Alot of people ask the question ‘do volunteer projects make a REAL difference?’  This is a very difficult question to answer as it really depends on the project.  So the answer is YES and NO depending on the project so the question should be ‘Which volunteer projects make a positive difference?’

Below is an article from a blog I found which address’s this issue, listen to the radio talk show, it gives interesting listening.

I was recently on a radio show on CBC radio in Canada called “Q with Jian Ghomeshi” in a segment titled “Do gap year volunteer programs do more harm than good?”.
You can listen to it here if you’d like. I agree with the comment regarding animal and conservation projects (trail clean-ups etc) as being examples of volunteer programs which have the potential to add a lot of value. And I agree that it’s not black and white. My main point in speaking on this issue is that we need to consider our impact – collectively and individuals – when we engage in programs claiming social impact as a main purpose. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Comment by a reader

thats the problem that its not always black and white and there is so much disinformation competing with cautionary advice like yours that its hard to tell whats what.

unfortunately marketing which is designed to connect with a potential volunteer on an emotional level and claims something like “make an amazing difference on people more unfortunate than yourself” will always outshine cautionary advice for a gap year youngster who hasnt yet had enough life experience to become as cynical as us

the problem with animal conservation centers at least here in South America is that some trap animals and keep them like a zoo and claim they are rehabilitating them to bring lots of unsuspecting gringos and cash – but then again there are some great animal rescue centers out there as well where an high turnover of lots of short term volunteers make a difference

how do we get the message out about the good guys without resorting to the same wild marketing claims?   naming and shaming the bad guys?  trying to set a good example?  hope someone else can help answer !

So please before you go on a volunteering project ASK them many questions especially ‘HOW does your project make a positive impact’ and also ask for past volunteer emails.

Community development in India

Mitraniketan community, established in the year 1956 as a non-profit organization working for the development of children, youth, women and farmers. It is located in a 60 acre campus and is 25 km away from Trivandrum city, in South India. Education of tribal children through a Residential school is the core of Mitraniketan which imparts formal and non-formal education. Volunteers from abroad participate in these education programs along with local teachers in creative arts, craft education, sports, English in addition to conventional education.

Rural youth are empowered through life and livelihood skill development programmes in a Danish Folk High School model institution called People’s college. The work based learning helps the students to be more active part in the learning process and also gives opportunities for volunteers to work with them. Agriculture, pottery, sports, computer, carpentry and creative arts are some of the subjects in which Mitraniketan use volunteer service/skills.

The Farm Science Center (KVK) and Rural Technology Centre (RTC) of Mitraniketan cater the training needs of small farmers and artisans which concentrate on organic farming, mushroom cultivation, pottery and carpentry. The 600 member community also houses a floating population of volunteers who serve and use the facilities for learning by participating in the community activities like sports, yoga, music, technical skill training, health care activities and technology development.

Progress of society through the total development of individuals is the mission of the institution, for which local staff, part time workers, volunteers and visiting faculties strive together in a participatory manner.

Are you interested in volunteering with us? visit our Ecoteer page at Volunteer India

For other volunteer opportunities in India visit Volunteer in India with Ecoteer

For low cost volunteering in Asia go to volunteer in Asia