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

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/

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/

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/

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/

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

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

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/

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

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