Aid to Nepal

The after match to the devastating earth quake in Nepal is going to go on for a long time. It is crucial that we do what we can to show our support - simple steps such as signing petitions and giving small donations can make all the difference. Why not start by signing this petition to stop taxes on tents sent to Nepal? Thousands of people are currently living in tents as their houses have been destroyed and this simple action could help them a great deal.


https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-46-import-duty-on-tents-in-nepal?source=facebook-share-button&time=1433323922ea

Volunteer East is working in partnership with Volunteer Nepal. This NGO is recruiting volunteers for construction work in order to rebuild homes and business buildings for the local people in and around Kathmandu. If you are interested in volunteering for the project, please contact us at tiija.rinta@gmail.com for further details.

Trendy African Bags for sale - all profits go to charity

We now have an online shop open selling African bags - they have been handmade in rural Uganda and all profits go back to the local community and to support their work:


https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/TrendyAfricanBags

Computers Up and Running at Uganda Project Site

Our Ugandan parter project enjoyed having four volunteers from the UK over for five weeks. The volunteers were of great help for teachers, management staff and the children.

In addition to all the great work that they carried out, they also contributed to the project by purchasing a generator. This is a massive improvement for the project, as now they will be able to charge their mobile phones on site and use computers that have been sitting in their storage for a long time due to lack of power.

Needless to say, all at the project site are feeling grateful. To see recent photos from the project site, please see the manager's facebook page below:  


https://www.facebook.com/emmanuel.nakhokho?fref=ts

Children's Clothes Needed for Zimbabwe

A lady based in East London is heading over to Zimbabwe to do some voluntary work, as well as to adopt a baby girl. She is collecting donations of baby and children's clothes to take with her for orphaned children over there.  If you have any clothes that you would like to donate to her, she can be contacted at elishajoy1@gmail.com. Any donations are much appreciated! 

New Volunteering Opportunities in Bangladesh

Volunteer East is pleased to have been contacted by a Bangladeshi NGO who are hoping to build a long-lasting partnership. The local NGO based in Dhaka works with women and children from underprivileged backgrounds, in particular with the marginalized Hindi community.

The Bangladeshi NGO welcomes volunteers free of charge at their base in Dhaka, comfortable accommodation with a host family provided. They are also keen fundraisers and have regular sponsors for students who would not otherwise be able to afford to go to school.

If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering in Bangladesh, please contact Tiija at tiija.rinta@gmail.com

Girls' Education Project in Uganda

Our partnership organisation in Uganda has started up an education programme specifically aimed at educating girls in the rural parts of Uganda. The organisation has linked up with another local charity called the Girl Children and they have developed a programme that aims to provide girls with vocational skills that they can then utilise in bringing in income for themselves and their families.

The programme teaches girls different vocational skills, including:

1. Weaving Table Clothes
2. Making Paper Beads
3. Tailoring
4. Computer Lessons
5. Growing Vegetables which can earn them Income to Buy Girl Basic Needs.

These activities included students  several local school, including from Bulucheke SSS,
Bukalasi SSS, Nalwanza High School, and all local primary schools, reaching hundreds of girls.

The new programme is excellent and gets our full support!

Inspiring and Informative Travel & Volunteer Blog

Volunteer East would like to share with you an inspiring and informative travel & volunteer blog written by one of your dedicated volunteers and fellow travellers. Thidarat has volunteered in many different countries, on different continents, and is a keen traveller. On this blog, she shares her experiences and offers advice on how to make one's trips go smoother!

http://travelgoingson.blogspot.co.uk/

New Opportunities in Nepal

When the Director of Volunteer East, Tiija, was in Nepal some years ago, she had a pleasure to become friends with a young Nepalese man called Saroj. At the time, Saroj was working for an NGO that Tiija did some work for.

Now Saroj is a founder of and works for a different  NGO called PVN-Nepal. They have a range of projects across Nepal, including rural development and working with kids in orphanages. They welcome volunteers year round and ensure that their stay is most pleasant. For more information, please take a look at their website:

http://www.pvnnepal.org/
  

Inspiration from Mother Ann to help in Uganda

A lovely lady that Volunteer East has been fortunately enough to meet and get to know is Mother Ann who has been helping orphans in Uganda for many years. Ann is retired and lives in the UK, spending her time fundraising for those in need in East Africa and travelling over there herself to help whenever she has a chance.

Here is a lovely blog post on Ann - hopefully this can inspire others to help out too:

http://boddhitara.com/you-can-do-it/

Poetry Book written by the Director - all profits from sales go directly to Volunteer East

The Director of Volunteer East has recently written and published her first book of poetry. The poems were written during her travels in East Africa and the Far East whilst searching her soul and discovering her purpose on this earth.

For more detailed information on the book, as well as the Director's author page, see links below. All profits from sales go directly into supporting the work of Volunteer East.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/tiija-rinta/momentary-trail/paperback/product-20952371.html

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

New Cafe and Headquarters at Ugandan partnership

Our partnership project in Uganda has new Headquarters as well as a cafe that generated ongoing steady income for the rural project. The cafe and office are located in Kampala. They serve delicious local delicassies and warmly welcome visitors. This new venture is sponsored by the long-standing Dutch sponsor Timedesk. A great addition to the project work in Uganda!

For more information, please contact Emmanuel Norman and see the link below:

http://timedeskcafe.tumblr.com/

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all of your friends & supporters! Do something lovely today - either just for yourself or with someone who you care about!

Namaste from Nepal

Nepali kids at Children's Park

A lovely group of volunteers took the kids from our Nepali partnership project to a Children's Park in Kathmandu the other day. This is a rare chance for a day outing for the kids and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves there. 

Great Study Success at Ugandan Placement Site

As many of you know, the school year in East Africa runs from January and November. Now our partnership site in Uganda has got the results for their end of year exams from November.
The children who completed their primary school in 2012 did very well: nearly half of them received a distinction, which means that they can attend excellent secondary schools and are also more likely to received sponsorship towards their school fees.

In rural Africa, the only way forward in life in order to get a proper job and to move on with one's life is to do well at school. The fact that the children did so well in their exams means that they are more likely to be able to support themselves and their families in the future and to move out of poverty.

Volunteer East sends their best wishes and congratulations to the students and the school staff for making this happen! 

Current Contact Details for Ugandan Partner

Some changes have yet again taken place in the Management Team of our Ugandan partner. The previous Manager, Emmanuel Norman Nakhokho, has re-joined the team after the rest of the team members were missing his input into running the project. Volunteer East is confident that this change will make the running of the project smooth and the project will flourish yet again.

The current contact details for the project are as follows:

- Emmanuel Norman Nakhokho (Manager) = Email: nakhokho@gmail.com; Phone = +256 790 848011

- Joy Nakhokho (Assistant Manager) = Email: nakhayenze@gmail.com; Phone = +256 706 567 388 

Improved Work with Domestic Violence in India

The gang rapes that have happened in India recently have shocked the whole world. Unfortunately, thousands  of women suffer from different forms of violence on a daily basis in India. Our partnership organisation in Chennai is doing what they can to assist such women. 

Below is a recent update from the NGO's Manager on how they face such issues: 

'We had to handle a difficult domestic violence issue and tried to counsel the family, drunken and  violent husband when things went out of hand. These family was having issues for very longtime and also was getting counseling for medical and family issues but again for last 3 days wife and younger child of 5 years couldn't take more...
We had to call women's helpline 1091 and Women Police Station, Adayar  044-24415732,044-23452586  the Tamilnadu police patrol responded within 10 minutes and was on site and took over the situation.
We hope things would become better in this step.. need to help the child's education and husband's treatment.'
Elijah Mathew Wood, the Director of the LeedIn Trust 

Youth Development Centre in Pakistan Looking for Volunteers

Our partnership organisation in Pakistan is looking for enthusiastic youth development workers for their Youth Development Centre in Murree, Pakistan. You would be in very secure hands, with your own hotel room, private transport and driver being provided to all volunteers. The voluntary role would involve educational work with the youth.

Please see their website for more detailed information:

http://www.peef.org.pk/YDC.asp

Recipes from South Asia

Following the popularity of the post on recipes from East Africa from last week, here is some recipes for those who are missing spicy South Asian  foods. Dalh, chapatti, roti and other delicassies from the Asian continent are pretty easy to prepare and make delicious alternatives to European-style cooking.

Enjoy the flavours and dream of South Asia as you do!

Spicy lentil dahl:
http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/soupschilistews/r/lentildahl.htm

Roti:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/roti_31237

Chapatti:
http://indianfood.about.com/od/breadrecipes/ig/How-to-Make-Chapatis/

Paneer:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/oct/25/mattar-paneer-cheese-peas-recipe

Spinach paneer:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paneerwithspinach_86756

Biriyani:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/biryani

Curry:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/vegetable_curry

Recipes from East Africa

So many times when volunteers come back from their placement sites, they comment on how they miss the food from the respective countries!
So, for those who are missing food from East Africa, Volunteer East has compiled a list of sites that hold the secrets to some yummy African food - Enjoy!

Excellent site for recipes from different East African countries:
http://eastafricanrecipes.com/

A mixture of recipes from the Congo, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia:
http://allrecipes.com/recipes/world-cuisine/africa/east-african/viewall.aspx?page=1


A recipe for the much-loved chapati that everyone seems to be missing!
http://www.kadirecipes.com/2012/05/12/east-african-chapati-recipe/