Enjoy your visit on this site - hope you decide to volunteer for us or to help us in other ways!

Thursday 20 December 2012

New Tourist Visa Rules in India making Volunteering Easier


Tourists and volunteers visiting India and hoping to pop over the border to Nepal or any other neighbouring country no longer need to wait two months to re-enter the country. After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in November 2008, India tightened its visa rules to stop people with multiple re-entry visas from leaving India and returning soon after. The aim behind this rule was to better police the movement of people in and out of India, primarily due to the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people. The preparations for the attacks, carried out by 10 Pakistani gunmen, were made by David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American businessman.
Ordinary tourists and volunteers with multiple-entry visas were also affected by this new rule. Initially, the rules were only supposed to apply to tourists with 5- or 10-year multiple reentry visas, but tourists with three- or six-months visas found it increasingly hard to re-enter the country. 
Over the past four years, concerns have been raised from the tourist industry as to the fall of number of tourists in the country. This led the Government to reconsider its strict visa policies and we are pleased to hear that it will be much easier for us all to go to India from now on!
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/12/04/india-eases-tourist-visa-rules/

Tuesday 18 December 2012

Seasonal Greetings from Nepal

Our partnership school, the Vajrayana School in Kathmandu, sends their Seasonal Greetings and Best Wishes to all of us here in Europe who have somehow helped them over the past years! 

See the beautiful photos below and please keep in mind that they welcome volunteers all year around, without placement fees naturally.... Volunteers can teach English to Tibetan refugee kids, Buddhist Monks and adults in exile from Tibet now resident in Kathmandu.  

For more information, please see their website below or get in touch with Tiija at tiija.rinta@gmail.com

http://www.vajrayanaschool.org.np/







Friday 14 December 2012

Change of Management Team at Ugandan Placement Site

The volunteers who have been to our Ugandan partnership placement site might like to know that there has been some changes to the core management team. The previous key manager, Emmanuel Norman Nakhokho, has left the project and her younger sister, Joy Nakhokho, is now primarily running the project with the help of her parents.

Emmanuel did a great job for the project over the years, with differences of opinion leading to his departure. Joy will no doubt carry on with the great work - she holds a degree in social development and has many years of experience from working in the field.

At the same time, a long-standing Dutch funder and partner for the project has been forced to cease funding activities to the project. As we all know, many European countries have been hit by recession and so obtaining funding from European countries has become increasingly hard. Therefore, the funder feels that they need to focus on helping their country fellows in Europe for now and, hopefully in the future, they can go back into assisting those in developing countries.

Many grateful thanks go out to the Dutch funder for all the efforts and developments provided by them over the past years! We wish you all the best in the future!

Monday 10 December 2012

Blog of Partnership Organization in Nepal

To keep up to date with what is going on at our partnership organization in Nepal, you can regularly check their blogspot. This is the link to their blog that is updated regularly:

http://blognamasteong.wordpress.com/

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Suitable Times for the Year for Placements

Volunteer East often gets asked about the suitable times of the year for heading out to volunteering placement sites. In terms of suitability for work being carried out at different placements, any time of the year is fine. There is always work for volunteers to get their hands on, only that the tasks at hand may vary depending on when you head over.

At the placement in Uganda, the school is shut for a month from late November till the beginning of January as the children go on their summer holidays (yes, they are on the Equator and so celebrate Christmas when it is summer!) and for about 3 weeks in August for a rainy season break. However, even during the holiday times, there are other tasks to be done, such as looking after the orphans who always live at the school. During school terms time, you can get more involved with teaching the running of the school. In terms of weather, the dry season is from October till March and then a rainier season is from June till August. But any time of the year is lovely and warm, with degrees reaching 25.

At the placement sites in Nepal and India, any time of the year is perfectly fine for volunteering. At the Nepali orphanages, the children are always there and in need of help. Also, the Indian partnership organization runs throughout the year and always welcomes volunteers. The monsoon season starts roughly in July and can carry on till October. Otherwise, the weather is dry and ideal for travelling.

In Pakistan, the seasons are the same as in Nepal and India, with the monsoon hitting the country during the summer months. Since the majority of people are Muslim, there is no long Christmas break, but things are quiet around Eid and also during Ramadan people tend to work shorter hours. At the placement sites, they welcome volunteers any time, as there is always something to do and volunteers can still do work even if all the staff are not present at all times.

For more information on the opportunities for volunteering in each country, please contact Tiija at tiija.rinta@gmail.com   

Tuesday 4 December 2012

New Placement Sites in Thailand

Volunteer East has recently linked with a couple of organizations in Thailand.

The first one is called the New Life Foundation, which is an international recovery community in Norther Thailand. People from all over the world travel to this community when they need a tranquil place for recovering from addiction problems, depression, stress, burn out and the like. The aim of the foundation is to foster inner growth and to enable people to see the meaning of life. This is done through daily practices of meditation and yoga, group discussions, work in the nature and other purifying practices. They are always looking for volunteers to come and help run the community. Tasks range from gardening to teaching yoga. Placement fees are low and your help is much valued. Accommodation is in beautiful and comfortable single rooms.  

The second one is Friends for Asia. This organization offers a range of volunteering opportunities across Thailand, ranging from working on an elephant camp to writing for a magazine. There is many opportunities to work with children, as well as Buddhist monks. Placement fees are low and accommodation is in comfortable guest houses.  

For more specific information on each organization, please see their websites below. If you are interested in volunteering for either place, you can get in touch with the directly, or you can contact Tiija at tiija.rinta@gmail.com


The website of Friends for Asia:
http://www.volunteerthailand.org/

The website of Newlife Foundation:
http://www.newlifefoundationthailand.org/

Travel Vaccines during Placements

Before volunteers head over to their placements abroad, they need to take precautions as to the vaccinations and preventative medication that needs to be taken in preparation to their time abroad. Volunteer East always reminds volunteers of this and guides them to the right sources of information.

The first port of call should be your GP or nurse. They can advice you on the current recommendations in respective countries and make needed arrangements for you to have all vaccines and medications done in time. For generic information, the website called Netdoctor is useful (www.netdoctors.co.uk).

If you are travelling to Africa, a must is to have a yellow fever vaccination. It is a legal requirement and you may be refused to fly back to Europe if you have not had one done. The vaccine lasts in your blood stream for 10 years and will protect you against the disease during this time. Another must is anti-malaria tablets. These should be taken before the trip, during it and for some weeks afterwards. They will help you not to catch malaria, which is common in all the placement site countries.

There is no point in taking risks - you may think that it is unlikely that you will catch an illness when on your placement. However, you never know - you are in a new environment with new bacteria and viruses lurking around, with wild life just on your door step, so it is better to be careful than sorry!

For more information on yellow fever:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel/diseases/yellowfever.htm

For more information on malaria:

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel/diseases/malaria_disease.htm

Monday 3 December 2012

Volunteer Planet - free and low cost volunteering opportunities

Volunteer Planet is a website that advertises free and low-cost volunteering placements across the globe. They have links with several NGOs, ranging from schools to construction work, in placement sites on every single continent. All you need to do is to use their effective search engine found on their website and start looking for a placement for yourself!

Here is their excellent website:

http://www.volunteer-planet.com/

Linking with Migrant Mum project

Volunteer East has had the pleasure to be a part of a Migrant Mum project in London. The project portrays migrant mums/ mums-to-be living in London through text and photos. They also advertise the organizations involved in the project and so now their website has a beautiful link and information about Volunteer East. The Migrant Mum project also intends to turn itself into a book, and other sources, which will be great publicity for Volunteer East.

For more information on the project, please see:

http://migrantmumlondon.tumblr.com/Links

Saturday 1 December 2012

National newspapers in placement countries

Volunteer East often gets asked which newspapers or online news headlines volunteers can follow in respective countries in order to stay up to date with what is going on in the placement country as well as in the wider world.

Below you can find links to the national newspapers of each placement country - they update their newsfeed regularly and can be counted on for a less-biased view on what is going on in their countries:

* Nepal = http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/nepalnewsmain.php

* India = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

* Pakistan = http://www.nation.com.pk/

* Uganda = http://www.newvision.co.ug/

Friday 30 November 2012

Applying for Visas

When volunteers decide to go on their placements abroad, they need to apply for a visa to enter the country of destination. The procedure is fairly simply for all of the countries that Volunteer East has links with.

The websites of the Embassies of the respective countries provide detailed information on the procedure and what documents you need for a full application. A letter of invitation from the hosting NGO abroad is always provided by Volunteer East, making the process easier for the volunteer.

Below you can find links with information on the visa application procedure in all the partnership countries:

1. Nepal = http://www.nepembassy.org.uk/visa.php

2. India = http://in.vfsglobal.co.uk/

3. Pakistan = http://phclondon.org/HC/visa.htm

4. Uganda = http://uganda.embassyhomepage.com/ugandan_visa_information_uganda_visa_service_cheap_flights_uganda_hotels_kampala_travel_insurance_uganda_embassy_london.htm

Thursday 29 November 2012

Travel Insurance during Your Placements

When volunteers head over to their placements abroad, it is vital that they have a travel insurance in place. The last thing that one would want is to be stranded in a foreign hospital with humongous bills to pay! Also, insurance protects you when you luggage is lost or your flight in cancelled for no apparent reason.

When you travel abroad from the UK, a reliable and affordable insurance that Volunteer East recommends is Cheaper Travel Insurance. We have had some good experiences with using this insurance and also it really doesn't break your bank!

http://cheaper.travelinsurance.co.uk/

Tuesday 27 November 2012

Pen & Paper Campaign in Africa

Often it is difficult for visitors to know what are the most effective ways to help in developing countries. Giving out donation money without knowing what the money will be used for can lead to financial dependence on donations and does not educate or encourage locals to generate their own livelihood.

'Pen and Paper' NGO was set up to address this dilemma. The NGO asks tourist to take stationery in their luggage when they travel to Africa and leave this at their hotel reception. A local volunteer from the NGO will then come and collect the stationery and distribute it schools. This way tourists can easily and cheaply help locals, yet instead of financing activities that are not transparent, they are helping local schools who often lack basic materials and resources for learning.

If you are planning a trip to Africa, why not link with the NGO and help them by taking some stationery over? For their contact details and more specific information on the project, please see:

http://openthegate.org.uk/gambia/pen-paper-campaign/

African Christmas Market in London

Volunteer East has previously held stalls at an African cafe called Open Gate in Dalston, East London. Now the Open Gate cafe has turned into a cultural organization hosting events concerned with Africa. They have held several concerts, film nights, exhibitions... Open Gate has successfully linked with other organizations in East London to keep their costs low and to spread awareness of Africa to a wider community.

In December, Open Gate will be hosting an African Christmas market in Dalston. Volunteer East is planning to hold a stall there, selling African jewellery and holding a cake sale. All the proceeds will go to our partnership school in Uganda and assist the school to hold a Christmas party for the children.

If you are in London then, why not come along, learn more about African and also help to fundraise for valuable causes?

For more information on the event, see the link below:

http://openthegate.org.uk/events/event/christmas-african-market2012/

Monday 26 November 2012

Cheap Flights to Placement Sites

Although all the placements found through Volunteer East are free, our volunteers need to pay or fundraise for their own flights. Hopefully, in the future, the NGO will have enough finances to be able to subsidize volunteers' trips, but for now, we can give you advice on ways to find affordable flights. In fact, Volunteer East often gets asked about the best ways to find affordable flights.

Volunteer East is very grateful for all volunteers wanting to go abroad and so hopes that everyone will find an affordable deal. Two excellent sites for finding cheap (well, at least affordable) flights are provided below - hopefully they will be of assistance when planning your trip!  

http://www.southalltravel.co.uk/

http://www.skyscanner.net/

Charity shops - raising funds for those in need

Volunteer East often receives inquiries on volunteering opportunities in London. It is always great to hear from people  eager to help, even when they cannot travel to far-away countries themselves.

One of the best ways to assist those in need is through fundraising activities. You can host your own fundraisers, such as cake sales or tea parties, which have always proven successes. For example, we did a bake sale last year and raised nearly £400 just from selling cake!

However, if you are looking for something more structured, charity shops are an excellent way to give your time to a good cause. They are always looking for volunteers to give some of their free time to running the shops. If you are keen to help by dedicating a couple of hours of your time to a charity shop, you can browse for shops in your neighbourhood in the website provided below:

http://www.charityretail.org.uk/

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Beautiful Nepali Kids

Look at these beautiful smiling Nepali children! 
They are the residents of the two orphanages in Nepal (one in Kathmandu and one in Chitwan) that Volunteer East supports. 
These orphanages are managed by a Spanish NGO and they are always in the look out for volunteers, donations and goods. 
To find out more on how you could help them, please see their website - you can also get in touch with their Manager or with Tiija at tiija.rinta@gmail.com

http://www.namasteong.org/




Tuesday 20 November 2012

Tree Planting in Our Partnership Project Area in Uganda


Deforestation has caused landslides, floods and other natural disasters to occur close to our partnership project in the district of Bududa in Uganda. This is one of the main causes for there to be hundreds of orphans in the area, with these children having lost both of their parents in such disasters. 

The British Red Cross has responded to the call from the Ugandan politicians to prevent such disasters by planting trees in the Mount Elgon region. So far, 50 000 tree seedlings have been provided by the Red Cross. In this region, most families depend on their land for survival, which in turn puts pressure on natural resources. Over time, this can lead to natural disasters either killing or injuring people and destroying their land and livelihood.  

Karen Peachey, British Red Cross representative in east Africa, said: “Such disasters are only going to become a greater threat due to a rapidly growing population, continuing environmental degradation and climate change, which is predicted to increase both the dry spells and intense rains. The programme, which is supported by the British Red Cross, will help communities be better prepared, saving both lives and livelihoods.”

This is an excellent development in the region and must welcomed by the locals. As Samson Matsambwa, the Assistant Chief Administrative Officer of the Bududa District, put it: “The Red Cross is our first and best partner; they are the first to respond to disasters and the last to leave.”

For the full article, please see link below:

http://www.redcross.org.uk/About-us/News/2012/November/Ugandan-communities-plant-trees-to-avert-disaster

Monday 19 November 2012

Photos from Our Partnership Project in South India

A keen volunteer spent several weeks at our partnership project in South India this summer.

Here, you can see his beautiful photos from the project area - hopefully they will make you interested to learn more about our partnership project over there:

http://www.kolam.ch/leed/eingang-english.htm




Friday 16 November 2012

New Beds for Orphan Girls in Uganda

In September, Volunteer East received a generous donation of £500. The money was donated to our partnership organisation in Uganda and spent on purchasing beds for the new orphan girls living at the school. Up until then, the girls had been sleeping on mattresses on the floor, with up to six girls sharing one mattress! 

Thanks to the donation money, the quality of life has improved significantly for the girls. They can now have a proper rest every night, there is less illnesses spreading around and the girls feel like they have their own small private space in the new dormitory halls where their bedrooms are located. 






Peas Education Organisation working across Africa

In many African countries, attending primary school is common. For example, in Uganda, 93% of the population go to primary school. However, across the continent, 
20 million children are missing out on secondary education. Over half of these are girls.

The Peas (Promoting Equality in African Schools) Smartaid School Organisation, based in the UK, aims to change this by developing a network of quality, sustainable secondary schools and catalysing systemic change across the continent. So far, they have managed to build hundreds of secondary schools and to educate thousands of children who would have otherwise never had access to education.

To find out more about their amazing work and to how to get involved, head to:

http://www.peas.org.uk/
 

Tuesday 13 November 2012

Director's New Personal Website


Dear Readers, I have a new personal website that brings you up to date information on all my ventures. The website has sections for my educational, music, charity and writing work.

This blog and other sites that I write to are linked to it so that everyone can happily see what is going on in my world!

The web address is:www.tiijarinta.com

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Dress a Girl Around the World

Earlier this year, Volunteer East came across a UK-based charity called Dress a Girl Around the World. The charity makes dresses out of pillowcases for girls and shorts for boys in developing countries. It is a great initiative, as this way all of us who cannot travel to other countries can still help from the comfort of our own homes! 

Over the past three years, the charity has made nearly 3 000 dresses and 2 000 pairs of shorts that have been sent to partnership charities in different African countries, such as Ghana and Uganda, and to India. The charity links with reliable local partners and always sends the clothes over with someone travelling to the respective countries from the UK. This way everyone knows that their hard work is really going to those places that it is intended to go to, and also the dress-makers can then see lovely photos of gorgeous children wearing their dresses in different parts of the world! 

To link up with this amazing charity, please see their blog and facebook page below - and do get in touch with them if you have a little bit of time and sewing skill to spare!

http://sewscrumptious.blogspot.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/DressagirlaroundtheWorldUK       

Wednesday 31 October 2012

Volunteers Needed for Our Partnership Project in Pakistan

Our partnership project in Pakistan is in need of volunteers. The political instability in Pakistan has made it harder to recruit volunteers for the project site. Yet, they would certainly appreciate any help.

The partnership project is a youth organization providing educational programmes for the local youth, with the vision of empowering the youth to seek employment in the future and to develop into fulfilled individuals. Volunteers can get involved in organizing educational activities for the youth, teaching, administrative tasks, fundraising, or any other useful activity that they and the host organization can think of.  

The project is located in Murree, in the Punjab region, not far from Islamabad. The area itself is safe and has not had any security threats for a very long time. Historically, the area has suffered from high youth unemployment, which is the reason for the project to have been initiated.

Volunteers do not need to pay towards any placement fees. They will lodge with a host family and also be treated to a couple of nights in a hotel by the host organization. All they need to pay for is their flight and insurance costs. During their stay in Murree, volunteers will also have a chance to visit other branches of the organization. All of such trips and airport pick up will take place in secure cars provided by the host organization. The organization welcomes volunteers at any time of the year, for any length of stay.

For more information on this opportunity, please contact: tiija.rinta@gmail.com.

For more information on Murree, please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murree

Saturday 6 October 2012

Fellow Organisation in Palestine

I had the pleasure to meet an old friend recently when she popped over to London for a few days. She works for the UN in Palestine, in the Gaza district, and does some amazing work over there with organisations serving children who are physically or mentally disabled. 

In Palestine, there is still much stigma around issues to do with disability. Such children are often hidden away by their parents and so one would not see them on the street or have much contact with such children. In some cases, the treatment of disabled kids is disgusting. For example, there was a case when such kids were tied to a tree with ropes for days on end. 

My friend gave me a present from one organisation that she works with called Atfaluna. They do valuable work with disabled kids in the Gaza district. One aspect of their work is to have the kids and adults they work with do handicrafts and then sell them online and otherwise for fundraising purposes. The little handbag that I got is stunning traditional Arabic embroidery and a very special gift to anyone. 

Have a look at the organisation's website and see if you can support them by ordering any of their goods - as in many parts of the world now, the organistions in Gaza are also struggling financially and would appreciate any help!   

www.atfaluna.net

Monday 24 September 2012

Scenic Update from Uganda 3

This year the school did very well at the national music competition. They came 6th in the region and enjoyed a 3-day camp in MBale town as part of the competition. 

A new IT project with 2 laptops is now taking place at the school. Both students and teachers are learning valuable IT skills. 

Scenic Update from Uganda 2


The new library building also has a hall that is now used for studying, teaching and events. 

A near-by school paid a surprise visit and brought shoes for all Year 5 and 6 students. 

Scenic Photo Update from Uganda 1

Here is a photo update from our partnership project from Uganda - enjoy the photos that take you on a journey of fab development during 2012:  



Solar lights that provide light during the dark hours and make the 12-hour day last longer. Now they are used by the project managers as well as the children to do work and study at might. 

New books in the library - the new library building is growing fast with new books and resources.

Tuesday 4 September 2012

New Beds for Ugandan Orphans

Volunteer East received a generous donation of £500 from a private trust fund this August. It was agreed with the donor that the money would be spent on the Ugandan partnership project. 

In July, I discussed the donation with the project team in Uganda and we agreed that the money would be spend on new beds for orphans. The project now houses a number of new orphans due to landslides that keep taking place in the region and that keep leaving many children without parents and in need of a shelter to live under. Therefore, the project now has boarding facilities for orphans so that these children can receive an education and a brighter future. 

However, up until now, these orphans have had to live in crammed conditions, with many of them sharing a mattress as a bed. As a result, it has been easy for all kinds of illnesses and germs to spread and make the living conditions less than ideal. This is why new bunk beds are going to be purchased this week with the donation money. This way, the children will each have their own bed and more personal space. This is likely to result in less illness and better educational outcomes for the children. 

Photos of the new beds to follow soon. 

A huge thank you to the donor for choosing to support the project in Uganda! 

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Volunteers and Child Sponsors needed for Ugandan partnership project

I have just come back from our partnership project in Uganda. I spent a month there, sorting out a donation for their library (we bought many new useful books) and for the new buildings that now function as dormitories for orphans who board at the school (we are planning to buy new beds and mattresses for them). 
Also a friend of mine came there with me and spent a month doing IT training with the teachers and pupils. She had successfully obtained funding for bringing two laptop tablets, solar lights and chargers for the project. All in all, this is a great new development for the project!

The project is going from strength and to strength and developing all the time. However, they are in need of volunteers who could go and stay there for a couple of months. They primarily need volunteers to come and look after the orphans that now live at the school. There was a landslide in March in a nearby village and the school now looks after some of the kids who were left orphan because of it. 

Volunteers are needed for:
* Daily caring for the orphans (cooking, cleaning, helping with homework etc..) 
* General help at the school (cover teaching, after-school clubs, assisting teachers etc.). 

The school is also looking for sponsors for the needy children who come from homes that can't afford their school fees. If the school gets more individual sponsors, all the orphans can keep studying at the school for free and thus receive the much needed education for their future. 

If you are interested in sponsoring a child with as little as £25 per term (there are 3 terms in a school year), please get in touch. You would be changing a child's life and also supporting the school to run and keep serving orphan and needy children. 

Monday 25 June 2012

Summer 2012

Summer 2012 is full of happenings, including Euro'12 and the Olympics in Europe. But there is also much going on in our placements sites:

* A couple of new volunteers are heading out to our India partnership organisation where they are hoping to primarily work with the health unit as medical students.

* Our Ugandan partnership organisation has had a volunteer during June and myself and another volunteer are heading over next week for a month.

* In Nepal, the school has greatly benefitted from a long-term volunteer from Germany who trained their teachers there effectively and assisted in developing the organisation.

* Two generous donations for the Ugandan placement site will be handled during July and August.

* A clothes making business in partnership with a company in London has been kicked off and should materialise within the next couple of months. The designs for the clothes have been approved and a sample will be made next week.

.... And there is more to come! For now, I wish you all a pleasant summer and thank all the supporters for their on-going help and encouragement. 

Saturday 26 May 2012

Generous Donation to Bunabumali

A private family fund based in the UK has donated £500 to the Bunabumali project. The plan is for myself to explore and discuss with the project team in Uganda as to what this money could be used for when I am over there in July.
At the moment, strong candidates are mattresses for the children who sleep at the school and a solar panel. Anyone who has recently been to the project, please send me your ideas as well!
If the money is used wisely, there is a chance of more regular donations from this fund.

This is great news  -  the donation received earlier this year (£300) and this new donation will be of great benefit for the project! A big thank you to all the funders!  

Monday 14 May 2012

Clothes selling business

Volunteer East has been asked to collaborate on a clothes selling business. The clothes will be made for commercial use, with Volunteer East volunteering to do some stalls and then a part of the profits will go to our charity. This will be a great fundraiser and also great publicity for Volunteer East! 


Now I need to help them design some tops and skirts for women. Their men's section is done already. Any fashion tips and advice would be much appreciated, you fashion gurus out there!

Friday 11 May 2012

Book donation to Bunbumali partnership project

A company who wishes to remain anonymous has donated £300 to the Bunabumali project in Uganda. The money will be spent on buying new books for the school library.

Volunteer East team and the Bunabumali partners express their thanks to the donors!! 

Monday 16 April 2012

Children's books for Volunteer East

Volunteer East is getting more profits from the sales of two children's books. The text for the books is by me and the illustration is by a school girl. Now available on the publisher's site and soon also on Amazon and other major retail outlets!

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Tiija

Tuesday 27 March 2012

New developments

Dear Readers & Supporters,
just a note to say that Volunteer East is undergoing some changes- hence the silence on this site! But we'll be back soon with new ventures, including the publication of our first children's books and a new partner project in Thailand.