Library on wheels brings joy in Vietnam
Helping Needing Children
Press Releases and News
Special Edition of OUTPOST Magazine
January/February 2009
p. 68 “Global Travel Guide Top 123”
#89 Romania
Helping Needy Children
Founded at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania by 13th-century Teutonic Knights. Brasov is one of Romania’s largest and most historic cities. The old town is well-preserved, featuring medieval architecture and cobblestone streets.
Though a recent addition to the European Union, Romania is still recovering from the cruel legacy of former communist head of state Nicolae Ceauşescu. Globe Aware works with local organizations in the villages around Brasov to fight poverty and injustice. Volunteers build homes, improve community centers and work with needy children, particularly in Roma communities. Leisure activities include visits to Brasoc’s historic center, and to medieval fortresses and churches around Transylvania.
GLOBE AWARE [globeaware.org]
PHONE: 877-588-4562
LENGTH/DEPARTS: 1 week with the opportunity to renew up to 3; at least once monthly
ACCOMODATION: Dorm rooms in new community center
PRICE: $1,390 US, plus airfare
The Giveback Solution
Press Releases and News
The Give-Back Solution
April 2009
(New release!)
By: Susan Skog
“Dine to Make a Difference”
You’re invited to Dine to make a Difference May 2 with The Give-Back Solution.
Create a Better World with Your Time, Talents and Travel.
The Give-Back Solution: http://www.susanskog.com
WAYS TO BE A CHANGE AGENT
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WHETHER YOU’VE 20 MINUTES OR AN ENTIRE YEAR.
Work and Play
Press Releases and News
Latina Magazine
February 2009
(Page 87)
By: Dorkys Ramos
“Work and Play”
RAKE IN THOSE EXTRA KARMA POINTS BY VACATIONING AROUND THE WORLD AND LENDING A HAND, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR INTERESTS.
WE’D ALL Love to take time off to help the poor and feed the hungry a la Shakira, but wouldn’t that mean parting with valuable vacation days? Not necessarily! It is possible to combine a fun trip-downtime and sightseeing included-with helping out a cause you feel passionate about. Read on to sample the best of both worlds.
Village People
Sign up for Globe Aware’s trip to the Carara Rainforest Reserve in Costa Rica and you will assist the villagers in making community improvements that will help them reach their goal of generating tourism. Your task will depend on the villagers’ needs, what the group can feasibly manage to do, and weather conditions. Past volunteers have built pedestrian bridges, cabanas, recycling stations, as well as signs and oil lamps for nearby roads.
OFF THE CLOCK: Nature lovers will enjoy hiking, horseback riding, and bird watching, while foodies can make cheese, process sugarcane, and taste coffee. But if you’d much rather relax during your free time, grab a hammock and swing to your heart’s content.
$1290 for one week accommodations, including all meals, airport pick-up and drop-off, on-site travel and medical insurance; http://www.globeaware.org .
Teachers prepare for trip to Ghana
Volunteer Vacation Primer
By: Manya Chylinski
No longer on the fringes of travel, voluntourism has attracted increasing numbers of travelers looking to learn new skills, meet people, and give back to the global community. In a recent Travelocity poll, 38 percent of repondents said they planned to volunteer while on vacation; thats up from just 6 percent in 2006. “People tell me that a vacation with us is the most meaningful experience of their lives,” says David Minich of Habitat for Humanity. Here’s how to plan one.
THE EXPERIENCE:
Go with your interests when deciding to work with people, animals, or the environment. Most programs don’t require you to have any special skills. Despite the short-term naure of these trips, you may complete a significant task, such as building adobe stoves in an Amazon village. “We’re not solving the world’s problems,” says Globe Aware’s Kimberly Haley-Coleman. “But volunteers do make a difference.”
Ebony Escapes! Vacation with a purpose
A Global Partnership Pulls Together to Serve Ghanaian Youth
Big changes are coming to the small village of Kpedze Todze in Ghana thanks to an incredible partnership between a dynamic group of volunteers in Canada, a nonprofit, international volunteer organization in the U.S., and a humanitarian aid organization in Ghana.
Jamie Piekarz, of Toronto, is a Globe Aware volunteer and communications executive in Canada. She, along with some co-workers spearheaded a special initiative to build a school in Ghana. They aspired to leave a bigger mark in rural Ghana than their one week volunteer program could provide. The solution? Raise enough money to build an entire school.
Says Piekarz, “We didn’t think too much about the fundraising, other than the fact that we had to do it. Kids need a school. It was that simple and that need alone, gave us all the energy and drive that was necessary for the task at hand. We gave ourselves 6 weeks to (raise the money) fundraise and it just seemed natural that with our energy, time, resources, and ideas, we could raise enough money for a much needed school.”
The idea gained momentum and kept growing bigger and better. Soon, in addition to raising all the funds needed, Piekarz was able to enlist the help of architectural students from a University in Toronto to assist with designs for the building, and eventually build it.
The school, which is being built during the month of May, will serve over 30 kids from Kpedze Todze and surrounding communities. With the commencement and completion the new school building there is expected to be an increase in enrollment due to the fact that the school will be more safe and convenient. Additionally, the new structure is expected to promote effective teaching and learning, increase morale for the students, and provide immediate access to better education through the use of chalkboards, desks, and materials.
On the topic of how efforts of volunteers like Piekarz can impact communities around the world, Richard Yinkah, Globe Aware’s Ghana Coordinator states “We must accept our roles as global citizens and work in union to achieve a brighter tomorrow. Working with Globe Aware, we have been able to help many communities that are in dire need here in the Volta region of Ghana.”
Kimberly Haley-Coleman, Founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware says, “Thanks in part to global citizens like Jamie Piekarz and her co-workers, the Globe Aware family of volunteers, Ryerson University students and leadership like Richard Yinkah and Disaster Volunteers in Ghana, class will soon be in session for the children of Kpedze Todze”.
About Globe Aware (R)
Globe Aware(R) is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit charity that mobilizes short term volunteer programs around the world. These adventures in service focus on promoting cultural awareness and sustainability and are often compared to a mini “peace corps” experience. All volunteers are accompanied by a bilingual volunteer coordinator to assist the volunteer throughout their program. The program fee and the airfare to get there are fully tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Globe Aware is a member of International Volunteer Programs Association, Volunteers for Prosperity, the Building Bridges Coalition, was recommended for United Nations Consultative Status for Social and Economic Council, and administers the President’s Volunteer Service Awards. Additionally, Globe Aware offsets its carbon emissions with Carbonfund.org, the country’s leading carbon offset organization. Our carbon footprint is estimated at less than 70 tons annually, and we have chosen to support carbon-reducing projects in renewable energy to offset the CO2 that is produced in running our offices worldwide, from powering our offices to the transportation used to get to and from our work sites. This commitment places Globe Aware as an environmental leader in the volunteer abroad community and demonstrates proactive steps being taken in the fight against global climate change.
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If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Globe Aware’s founder and Executive Director, Kimberly Haley-Coleman, please call Catherine McMillan at 214/824-4562 or e-mail Catherine@globeaware.org.
