Volunteer Global

Originally published on Volunteer Global in March 2010. Blog post and images are courtesy of Carleton Cole, who documented two volunteer teachers' work in a Buddhist monastery with RCDP Volunteer Nepal. You can view RCDP-Nepal's website here, and its Facebook page here. Thank you, Carleton!

Welcome to the jungle

In the words of Guns ‘N’ Roses, “Welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun and games.” The rock song perfectly fits the typically overly jovial atmosphere in a recent English-language class for Tibetan Buddhist monks, who were initially unruly until their generally laidback but professional 23-year-old teacher, Chuck Donovan, applied attention-capturing learning devices.

“As a person with formal teacher training, it’s been a good and challenging experience, trying to differentiate instruction to match the needs and levels of comprehension for the various students,” says Donovan, who hails from the Northeastern US state of Massachusetts. “It’s very different from the Hollywood scene that I had expected. I had this expectation that the monks would be very reverent. With the absence of older monks, the monastery feels more like a summer camp, than a monastery.”

His classes take place in a classroom on the windy, majestically hill-crowning Neyndo Tashi Chuling Monastery in the countryside village of Banjyang, a pleasant 30-minute amble from Pharping town, about 20 kilometers south of the Nepali capital of Kathmandu, in the lush Kathmandu Valley. On the roof and from the classrooms, there are grand views of the valley and backdrop hills. Fog occasionally appears and even wafts straight into the high-up classroom. The volunteer project is run by the Kathmandu-based Rural Community Development Program-Nepal. More information on RCDP programs can be learned at www.rcdpnepal.org. Volunteer programs run from a few weeks to a few months.

In the classroom

Donovan comes armed with an assortment of carrots and sticks and doesn’t hesitate to apply them with equal measure. He informs the monks that if they each give him three sentences each about the jungle, they will be rewarded by being asked to give three more sentences on something closer to their hearts than nature.

“Raise your hand if you play Grand Theft Auto,” he asks. Only two or three shyly extend their arms. He asks again more determinately and this time all of the crimson-color robed monks—who range in age from nine to 15—raise their hands. While catching up on email in Banjyang’s lone Internet center, he regularly spots young novice monks crouching around many of the three terminals there, avidly getting kicks on the computer game’s Vice City version.

But back to the jungle. Gradually, monk after energetic monk, calm descends on the classroom like manna from above, even though they are not ready for sentence construction. With the now quieted group, Donovan asks for the simpler task of just providing the names of animals that live in the jungle. The group replies with parrots, tigers, lions and monkeys (and, misguidedly, rabbits and zebras). After a few rough spots, like applying green and black to describe the color of an elephant, the monks successfully grace the animals with descriptions. Making the rounds to check, monk by monk, if the lesson has been learned, Donovan comes to a slow learner and gently brings him up to pace. Then the class returns to a somewhat freefalling atmosphere, and Donovan wields his corralling tactics, mildly admonishing one monk who has just returned to class after a too-long session in the bathroom, “I know you’re playing around in there,” and scolds another one: “

Why are you out of your seat?”

"There's a kind of energy..."

In another setting, though, Donovan is full of praise for the monks, who get up at 4am or 5am every day to get the day wonderfully started with chanting. “I’ve enjoyed listening to their chanting and prayers,” says the teacher of the sonorous, soothing sounds that fascinatingly are made by the same people—boys will be boys—who create a boisterous raucous much of the rest of the time before they turn in early for the night. “To see them chanting, banging their drums, and blowing their horns is very interesting. There’s a kind of energy which envelops the monastery when they’re praying. It’s a good time to reflect. Nepal is a place that’ so encompassed with religion—Buddhism and Hinduism—that it’s hard not to feel it. Whether it is on a smaller scale in the monastery, or visiting towns with many monasteries, this is a country engulfed in religion.”

“I like the simplicity of monastery life. It gives me more than ample time for spiritual reflection and hiking up to area monasteries. I was raised as a Roman Catholic, and while I identify with its basic principles, it leaves no room for interpretation.” A buddy of Donovan’s gave him a book on Buddhism—8 Steps to Enlightenment, Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World, by Lama Surya Das. It stayed on his bookshelf for a couple of years until he was going through a low point and looked to Buddhism for solace.

“I found it to be a guiding philosophy, not a list of do’s and don’ts. It was a good counterbalance. I identified with it. It was a breath of fresh air. Between my visits to various Tibetan gompas [monasteries] in Pharping, and just from my Buddhist readings, I think I’ve had a lot of spiritual growth.”

An ear-to-ear smile fills the face of happy young Karma Youten, a young monk in Donovan’s class who says that he loves both his English

and Tibetan classes.

Lisa's class

Many of the even younger monks—ranging from about five to 10—are in the classes of volunteer teacher Lisa Kolde. A recent one started with her reading and showing pictures from the book “The Monkey and the Crocodile”, in which she vividly described how the jungle dweller outfoxed the reptile one step at a time.

While most kids are getting into the story, Kolde, who hails from northern Germany, has to gently remind them to be quiet a couple of times. The monks are fairly well-disciplined—as long as the teacher can catch possible disturbances early and nip them in the bud. “I really like the monks, but the language differences are difficult,” she says.

“I had heard about volunteering and it sounded interesting to me,” says Kolde. “I went to university for a while but kept coming back to the idea of volunteering. I’m majoring in physics and see many parallels between physics and Buddhism. I like how Buddhism is very logical. Karma is like physics—actions result in other actions.”

The contemplative German thoroughly enjoyed a one-week spiritual retreat in Kopan Monastery, 

which is east of Kathmandu, with its many daily hours of instruction on Buddhism, plus time for meditation practice. “Meditation is difficult,” she says. “I thought it would be easier. I tried to think of nothing and focus on my breath. But I really felt better afterwards. I was more aware of everything around me.”

“I can live like this with cold showers and dhal baat (Nepali lentil soup) twice a day because I know it’s temporary for me.”

“I think this has been a very good experience for me. It is part of my growing up,” says the 20-year-old. “I had never lived away from my parents for so long. I learned how to be independent. My spiritual growth has been great as well. I have great new ideas on how to learn every day.”

Teaching Buddhist monks in Nepal is an adventurous odyssey. The challenge lies in informing the monks, lest they want to leave the monastery someday, that in addition to their eventual mastery of Buddhist spirituality, their knowledge of English will be exceptionally useful for what lies beyond.

Recent articles noted upcoming travel trends for 2012—among them being the rise of athletic voluntourism. This, to me, is an incredibly interesting type of travel, and one that I’d actually love to do sometime this year.

So What Is Athletic Voluntourism?

You know those run/walks you can participate in for a cause? They were a staple of my high school community service career—seemingly every month I participated in a walk for HIV/AIDS research, or a run for breast cancer awareness. I loved it; not only did it get my friends and family involved in a great initiative, but it also promoted good health and provided a fantastic way for us to get out of the classroom, or out of the house, and do something different and worthwhile.

Athletic voluntourism is kind of like that, but with a catch: you’ll travel to a new location, whether it’s in your country or abroad, to participate in an athletic event to raise awareness of and funding for a particular charity or nonprofit.

If charity runs aren’t quite your thing, you can also take part in a cycling race, a swim, a tournament, or really any other athletic feat to get people excited about your cause of choice.

Where Can We Go?

Everywhere! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

The New York City Marathon

You’re almost definitely familiar with this one—when you’re accepted to run with a participating charity, you’re guaranteed entry to the 2012 New York City Marathon. Team for Kids, the NYRR Champion’s Circle, and Fred’s Team – Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center all are participating Gold Charities this year, with Silver, Bronze, and Community Charities to be announced this spring.

Learn more about running for charity in the New York City Marathon here!

World Bicycle Relief

World Bicycle Relief’s mission is to provide “access to independence and livelihood through The Power of Bicycles” within underserved communities. To accomplish this, they work with manufacturers to improve bicycle design; enhance distribution by local suppliers; partner with NGOs, CBOs, and governments to further the cause; train local mechanics to repair and maintain bicycles; and by tracking progress and impact of their undertakings.

You can help World Bicycle Relief by fundraising for their projects—for example, Africa Rides 2012 invites you to build your own bike, then ride for nine days across rural Zambia alongside local healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and students.

You also can design your own fundraising project, like Adam and Christy Coppola, who are spending one year riding across all 50 U.S. states to raise awareness and funds for World Bicycle Relief.

Learn more and get involved here!

Kilimanjaro Charity Climb

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is absolutely on my bucket list—and I’m starting to think it might be a good trip to take this year! At 5,896m, it’s the tallest mountain in Africa, yet is accessible by climbers with little to no prior experience. Treks generally take up to one week, and travelers should have a physical checkup before embarking.

You can choose from a great number of charities to sponsor on your own climb; from the Alzheimer’s Society, to the Breast Cancer Campaign, to Venture Expeditions, and more.

Read more about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro for charity here!

So, what are you waiting for?

For today’s Travel Buddy Interview, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rodger Harrison, President and Founder of Paramedics for Children.

Based in Honduras, Paramedics for Children provides volunteer opportunities ranging from school supply missions, to disaster relief, to medical clinic assistance, to a Children’s Health and Identification program.

Volunteers must be 18 or older, or at least 12 if accompanied by an adult—background experience is not necessarily required, and individuals, couples, and groups can apply for programs that fit their skills and interests, as well as the needs of Paramedics for Children. Participants are invited to stay at Hacienda la Esperanza, the organization’s headquarters, and all volunteer projects run for one to two weeks—from Sunday to Sunday.

On to the interview!

Volunteer Global: What kinds of placements do you have?

Rodger Harrison: We have several types of missions, such as our school supply missions to 2000 Mayan Chorti children in 25 schools in the surrounding countryside.

We also offer various other types of missions such as interning in our medical clinic, and the light for life project, which involves putting water filled bottles in the ceilings of people who do not have electric lighting so that their houses will have light to see by.

VG: How do volunteers apply for placement?

RH: All they have to do is just write to us and tell us about their skills, and we will suggest a project that they may be interested in. Since we are a small organization our process is pretty user friendly.

How the volunteer benefits? I could not begin to tell you. I can only say that if they come with an open heart, what they will take back with them will be in direct proportion to what they brought in their hearts when they arrived.

VG: If you have program fees, what do they cover?

RH: There is no charge to go on the missions—we only charge for the rooms, meals and food.

We have our own infrastructure that happens to be a very popular B&B onsite. All revenues on room rentals and meals are donated to PFC by the owner, so 100% of all funds go towards the PFC programs. [Hacienda la Esperanza] is a 4-star quality B&B and the prices are equal to any other hotel like it in the area. On average, the cost is about $398 per person per week based on a double occupancy and includes breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday, plus all transportation, supplies, translators, guides, trainers etc.

Some of our volunteers compare us to a working dude ranch, where guests mingle with volunteers that participate on our projects if they choose. Hacienda La Esperanza is located on the same property as our medical clinic—for research and comments from volunteers as well as guests go to www.Tripadvisor.com.

VG: How do you prepare your volunteers for their projects?

RH: Once we know about the volunteer, we send them the required information they need to participate in the program of their choice. Usually the first day we have a demonstration of the project that we are doing and then assign to each volunteer a specific duty.

We guide them on transportation tips, as well as arrange for them to get to our location. All transportation costs to Honduras are the expense of the volunteer, but we are always there to give them tips and help with everything.

VG: How do you ensure your programs are beneficial for you, the community, and the volunteers?

RH: We are dedicated to raising the hopes of the poor, so anything we do to help them is beneficial to us. Our only purpose is to serve the poor of Honduras and Guatemala, and help build bridges to better understanding to make the community a better place.

VG: Do you keep in touch with your volunteers after they finish service?

RH: Yes, we encourage them to return and to join our mail list, and perhaps become involved as super supporters. We have many volunteers who have been with us for many years—some as far back as 1997 when we first founded this charity.

VG: What's your favorite part of working with Paramedics for Children?

RH: No doubt for me it is working hands on in the field, meeting the volunteers. We are small charity with little structure, low overhead, and very few rules, and nobody gets a salary.

Not a day goes by that I do not thank God for the incredible honor of allowing me to demonstrate His love rather then dictating it. Helping others and helping volunteers to discover the joy of their own potential makes me the happiest man on this earth.

You can learn more about and connect with Paramedics for Children at www.paramedicsforchildren.org, or on Facebook and Twitter. You can view their profile on Volunteer Global here as well!

Images courtesy of Paramedics for Children.

Today's article is brought to you by Robin Van Auken. As a historical archaeologist, Robin specializes in promoting history, archaeology and preservation. She works with museums and non-profit organizations, colleges and universities, public and private schools, and avocational archaeology groups.

Not many people consider working while on vacation, but doctors do it when they travel beyond borders, and carpenters do it when they build new habitats. They join inexperienced, yet interested and empathetic, people who want more than sightseeing from a vacation. People who want to get their hands dirty. Someday, I would like to take a vacation and come home with memories other than a day tour to a landmark, or a visit to a museum.

A Different Kind of Vacation

I would like get my hands dirty. I would like to unearth those landmarks, excavate the treasures that end up in the museums. I would like to go on an archaeological vacation.

Even though I teach American Archaeology at a local college, I would like to experience an Old World Archaeological dig as a student, under someone else’s supervision. I’d like to go someplace completely different, somewhere exotic. Some place where my efforts are needed. A vacation that teaches me something new, and is a service to humanity.

Although there’s a lot of public interest in archaeological sites, there’s not a lot of money for excavation and preservation. One way museums and universities offset the expense of research is to team up with volunteer vacation groups. Without their help, many important archaeological sites wouldn’t get dug.

A Win-Win Situation

It’s a win-win situation. As “Stewards of the Past,” we conserve the stories of people long gone, and pretend we’re Indiana Jones.

Archaeology isn’t altruistic, providing basic needs services in third world nations, like doctors administering vaccines to indigent children and carpenters rebuilding homes destroyed by natural disasters.But, archaeology is important. It’s the quest for knowledge, a thirst we all share. We all want to know, “What is it? Who made it? Where was it found? Why does it matter?”

Everything we know about the material world and the people who live on it, beyond a few hundred years, we’ve learned from archaeology.

Why Consider Voluntourism?

Unlike college students enrolled in a field school and their instructors, volunteers on vacation can work at archaeology sites during the day, then skip the lectures.

I know, roughing it in the field is supposed to be part of the charm of an archaeology dig, but I’m a woman in my 50s. I’m not interested in pooping in a hole in the ground, sleeping on a cot, or eating dirt with my peanut butter sandwich. I want  dinner at a five-star restaurant, 800-count Egyptian cotton sheets, air conditioning, a private bathroom and wifi.

I want the selfish gratification of a vacation and the personal satisfaction of performing a good deed, and I can have both as a voluntourist.

So Where Do I Want To Go?

From an Iron Age hillfort in Scotland, to an ancient pottery mound in Italy, from prehistoric villages in Mexico, to underwater sites off the coast of Spain, opportunities are plentiful. There are dozens available, from small digs in parks or pastures, to large excavations at Roman ruins.

While perusing the Archaeological Institute of America website, I found an interesting project: a church site and graveyard survey in Ireland. There are a lot of interesting projects on the AIA’s Archaeological Fieldwork Opportunities Bulletin, and I like that I can sort them by geographic location.

Another resource is Earthwatch, although its expeditions aren’t limited to archaeology. This group offers paelontological digs as well as environmental projects working with elephants or dolphins.

I’ve also bookmarked Archeolink’s comprehensive website and plan to explore its numerous links to historic tours and volunteer opportunities.

Now how do I select only one?

Today's post is brought to you by Elaine Hirsch. Elaine is kind of a jack-of-all-interests, from education and history to medicine and videogames. This makes it difficult to choose just one life path, so she is currently working as a writer for various education-related sites and writing about all these things instead. She is currently a writer for an online PhD resource.

Volunteering offers multiple benefits both local communities and communities overseas. Finding the right opportunity, however, may be a challenge. The Corporation for National and Community Service offers tips on finding volunteer placements. Although some prominent NGOs such as Acumen Fund or the Gates Foundation prefer their fellows to hold a traditional or online MBA, there are many other options for less qualified, but equally-ambitious individuals. Volunteers may also find placements by contacting placement programs or by contacting their preferred non-governmental organization (NGO) directly. Both of these methods have advantages and disadvantages.

Volunteering Abroad Through Placement Programs

Placement programs allow volunteers to look through multiple placements at once. For people who are not quite sure which volunteering opportunity they would prefer, perusing multiple placements can lead to finding the perfect match. Reading through reviews of placements left by previous volunteers will help users to decide whether or not the opportunity is right for them.

Also, placement programs tend to save time by putting information at the user's fingertips. This allows volunteers to quickly contact people from multiple organizations about the placements that interest them most. Also, since volunteers save essential information about themselves in the placement program's database, they can avoid filling out multiple unique applications for different volunteer programs. 

The major disadvantage of using a placement program is that volunteers will typically pay a fee. The fee will vary widely depending on the organization. However, the ease of the process and the ability to vet placements justifies the expense in the eyes of many people.

Contacting a Local NGO Directly

Volunteers who contact their NGO directly will avoid paying the fees charged by placement programs. If a volunteer already has a strong interest in a particular organization or geographic location, then directly contacting the NGO will save money. However, bypassing the placement program puts the burden of doing research squarely on the volunteer. 

Some NGOs do not advertise opportunities through placement programs. If a volunteer wants to work for a particular NGO because the program would be meaningful to them, but the NGO does not recruit through placement organizations, then the volunteer will have no choice but to contact the NGO directly. Volunteers who contact the NGO should ask for the contact information of previous volunteers since they will not have online reviews to help them make an informed decision.

Working directly with the NGO may or may not be an organized process, depending on the quality of the administrative staff. Instead of submitting a quick online application, users may have to deal with the process of printing and mailing paper applications. Also, volunteers will not have the advantage of having a placement program guide them through the steps. Particularly for volunteers who have never been overseas, the support of a placement program can be invaluable.

People who are interested in free information about volunteering opportunities in the United States may visit the Corporation for National and Community Service. For those looking to go overseas, the Peace Corps offers multiple opportunities and benefits, including tuition reimbursement for some students. Volunteering gives anyone an opportunity to change another person's life for the better. However, the life that is changed the most may be their own.