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Project Hawaii Inc.: Supporting Hawaii’s Homeless Population

Project Hawaii Inc.Project Hawaii Inc. is a volunteer-driven nonprofit that supports Hawaiian children and youths suffering from homelessness. Focusing on the three islands that make up Hawaii, it operates multiple programs to help feed, rehome and care for the 23,000 homeless children in the state. 

Homelessness In Hawaii

Hawaii’s number of homeless people jumped by more than 12% in 2023, with the state having the third-highest rate of homeless youth staying in unsheltered locations. Connie Mitchell, the executive director for the Institute of Human Services, said to Hawaii News Now, “Chronic homelessness is driven a lot by the fact people can live unsheltered here, number one, I think the other one is that we have a combination of very high rents here and a job market that doesn’t necessarily pay a living wage.” 

The minimum wage in Hawaii is $10.20 an hour. However, the wage needed for the average two-bedroom apartment is $25.88 per hour, more than double what most local Hawaiians earn. Combined with environmental factors like the recent Maui fires, more Hawaiian locals sleep on the streets. Indeed, the Maui fires in August of 2023 destroyed nearly 3000 structures and contributed to the already high homeless population. Project Hawaii Inc. relies on public donations and sponsorships to run its programs, which are all rooted in Hawaiian culture and aim to deliver the simple pleasures that homeless people often lack. 

Missions

Project Hawaii Inc. runs multiple programs for all children of all ages centering around the core values it holds: Aloha (providing love, compassion and respect to every child), Kuleana (embracing the responsibility to empower and uplift homeless children), ‘Ohana (creating a supporting community), Imua (the commitment to moving forward and improving), Malama (stewardship and care for the community) and Lokahi (the unity and cooperation involved in bringing people together).

Project Hawaii’s programs are holistically designed to impact every aspect that homeless children need help with. With projects ranging from providing essential needs like shelter and food, encouraging the children to participate in sports and helping mothers bond with their children. 

Furthermore, the College Dormitory Rehab Project is a block of six rooms that can house up to 13 female college students. It provides centers that can teach skills like cooking, gardening and yoga, helping them build sustainable skills for their future. This project aims to help students who have experienced homelessness further their opportunities by supporting them through college. 

On top of that, the Healthy Hearts project encourages homeless children to engage in team sports like football, soccer, baseball and many more. The project started due to the lack of athletic shoes for homeless kids, excluding them from physical education and recess. Providing these shoes and encouraging the children to participate in sports can ensure a healthier lifestyle during their most critical developing years.

Finally, the Mommy and Me program focuses on the mothers impacted by homelessness in Hawaii, helping equip them with nurturing skills that help them connect and aid their baby’s development. The project helps assist struggling mothers and also aims to decrease the delays unsheltered babies often grow up with, helping their speech and motor skills develop for when they enter education. 

Summary

Project Hawaii Inc. empowers Hawaii’s homeless children and youth through culturally rooted programs that address immediate needs and foster long-term growth. Driven by volunteers and donor support, the organization creates meaningful change and brighter futures for the state’s most vulnerable populations.

– Caitlin Mulholland

Caitlin is based in Lymington, UK and focuses on Technology and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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How Start2FinishUTM is Making a Difference

Start2FinishUTMChild poverty is a pressing issue in Canada, with more than one million children living in conditions that put them at risk of lifelong adverse effects. In 2021, Canada ranked 19th out of 39 countries in terms of child well-being, with poverty rates worsening over the years. The consequences of this poverty are profound, affecting children’s physical health, mental well-being and academic success. For many, the lack of adequate resources, nutrition and educational support makes it incredibly challenging to break out of the cycle of poverty. Education, a key pathway to a better future, is often compromised for these children, leading to long-term disadvantages that can last a lifetime.

Start2Finish is a Canadian charity committed to breaking this cycle of child poverty by offering continuous educational support to at-risk children. Its mission is clear: to empower children from low-income families to succeed in school and life by nurturing their minds, bodies and social health. Through programs like the Running and Reading Clubs and Backpack Program, Start2Finish provides children with the tools they need to thrive academically and socially in their school environment.

The Start2Finish Journey

Start2Finish was founded in 2000 with a vision to eliminate the impact of child poverty in Canada. Since its inception, the organization has made a significant impact across the country, serving thousands of children each year. With a network of 700 volunteers in 70 communities, Start2Finish offers 120 sessions each week

The Running and Reading Clubs, one of Start2Finish’s flagship programs, are after-school initiatives that combine physical activity with literacy education. These clubs operate in more than 50 communities across Canada, providing children with a safe and supportive environment where they can improve their reading skills, build confidence and develop a love for physical activity.

The Backpack Program, another cornerstone of Start2Finish’s efforts, provides children in Canada with key school supplies at the beginning of the academic year. This initiative ensures that children from low-income families have the resources they need to start the school year on the right foot. Together, these programs are designed to address the multiple dimensions of poverty that affect children’s ability to succeed in school and life.

Between 2022 and 2023, Start2Finish distributed 12,000 books to children, worked alongside 37 organizations and accomplished much more. Start2Finish also provides several other initiatives, including the Brainworx program, the Junior Coach program and many more.

Start2FinishUTM: Expanding the Reach

In February 2024, a group of dedicated students at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) recognized the importance of Start2Finish’s work and decided to bring its mission closer to home. Led by co-presidents Kathy Dang and Karl Aquino, Start2FinishUTM was established as a student group with the goal of expanding the reach and impact of Start2Finish through volunteer recruitment and community engagement.

The idea for Start2FinishUTM was born during UTM’s Alternative Reading Week, a program that connects students with community organizations for experiential learning opportunities. Dang and Aquino, both passionate about giving back to the community, were inspired by Start2Finish’s mission and saw a chance to make a difference. “We really love their work and we really appreciate what they do as a nonprofit organization. So we, Start2FinishUTM, we’re basically helping them expand their volunteer outreach initiatives to help the organization,” Aquino explained.

One of the challenges facing Start2Finish in recent years has been a decline in volunteer numbers, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the organization’s long-time volunteers did not return, creating a gap that needed to be filled. Start2FinishUTM aims to address this challenge by recruiting new volunteers from the UTM student body and the broader Mississauga community.

Building a Strong Volunteer Network

To achieve its goals, Start2FinishUTM has outlined a comprehensive plan for volunteer recruitment and community engagement. The group plans to host interactive workshops, information sessions and charity events throughout the academic year. “We’re planning on tabling in September at the Clubs Fair, where we can outreach to first-year and second-year students and also during Orientation Week,” Dang shared. These events will provide students with the opportunity to learn more about Start2Finish and how they can get involved.

In addition to these outreach efforts, Start2FinishUTM is also exploring fundraising initiatives to support Start2Finish’s programs directly. “We’re in the middle of brainstorming so many different ideas that we could do as fundraising events,” Aquino said. The group hopes that these efforts will not only provide financial support to Start2Finish but also raise awareness about the issue of child poverty in the community.

A Personal Motivation

For both Dang and Aquino, their involvement with Start2FinishUTM is deeply personal. Dang, who is studying Digital Enterprise Management and Linguistics and Aquino, who is pursuing a degree in Comparative Physiology and Biology for Health Science, both have a strong desire to give back to their community. “It’s very close to my heart because I love children,” Aquino said. Coming from an Asian family where academics is one of the biggest things, providing these services for children might be small, but for me, very important,” he added.

Dang echoed this sentiment, sharing her own connection to the cause. “Our mission is to break the cycle of child poverty by providing ongoing educational support to at-risk children. My main motivation was to assist in this cause, supporting and helping children that may be struggling just as I may have once experienced in my personal life as well. And that personal connection really hits straight home to my heart,” said Dang.

Looking Ahead

As Start2FinishUTM moves forward, the group is focused on building a strong community of volunteers and supporters who share its passion for education and social change. “We’re just starting and we’re a very fresh and new student group. Hopefully in the next few years, more students will know about it and our impact on the community will snowball from there,” Aquino said.

Start2Finish UTM is more than just a student group; it is a movement dedicated to breaking the cycle of child poverty through education and empowerment. By partnering with Start2Finish, the students at UTM are not only contributing to a vital cause but also building a legacy of service and social responsibility that will inspire future generations.

– Jennifer Lee

Jennifer is based in Toronto, ON, Canada and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Voluntary Service Overseas Helps People in Developing Nations

Voluntary Service OverseasWhile many organizations work with people in developing nations experiencing poverty and other hardships, Voluntary Service Overseas works in a way that makes them stand out from the crowd. This is because it helps people in developing nations not by merely providing aid but by working closely with people living in poverty and members of marginalized groups to determine what is preventing them from being able to meet their needs and breaking down these barriers.

Three-Point Strategy

Voluntary Service Overseas supports people in developing nations in three key ways. First, with the help of local and international volunteers, the organization collaborates with communities to design programs that identify specific needs. This approach allows volunteers to build strong relationships with community members.

The second step focuses on helping locals develop the skills and knowledge needed to improve their lives. As a result of learning new skills, community members often become volunteers themselves and carry on the organization’s work long after they have left, which is the program’s final step.

Rwanda and Bangladesh

Voluntary Service Overseas helps people in developing nations across the globe. In Bangladesh, the organization provides education for Rohingya refugees ages 3 to 5, teaching them the basics of literacy and numeracy to give them a strong start on the path to education. Older children also benefit from the program through 12 learning centers that offer education and a much-needed respite from the challenges of living in a refugee camp. The program has been tremendously successful, reaching more than 6,600 refugee children ages 3 to 14.

Voluntary Service Overseas also supports marginalized groups in Rwanda, focusing on Deaf young people. Volunteers provide lessons in Rwandan sign language and Deaf culture to 200 local health care professionals, enabling them to offer vital sexual and reproductive health information to 250 Deaf young people. As sexual and reproductive health information becomes more accessible, the overall health of both hearing and Deaf communities improves. Health care professionals also benefit from the program by better understanding how to communicate with and treat Deaf patients. This reduces miscommunication and language barriers, enhancing the quality of care they provide to members of the Deaf community.

Cambodia

Cambodia is another country where Voluntary Service Overseas helps people in need. Through its GREEN program, the organization helps protect the fishing industry in the region’s Tonle Sap Lake from adverse weather, deforestation, domestic and industrial sewage and other factors affecting water quality and the habitat of native fish. This is achieved by educating locals on more environmentally friendly ways of living through theater and outreach from local volunteers.

The organization also works in collaboration with local businesses by helping them establish alternative waste management strategies that have less of an impact on the lake’s cleanliness. Local schools and families are also educated on these strategies, allowing the future generation to continue protecting the environment when they enter the world of work. This program has had a positive impact on the ecosystem of Cambodia, with 70% of families adopting more environmentally friendly ways of living and 50 green businesses headed by women and young people being established.

Closing Remarks

Voluntary Service Overseas helps people in developing nations through various initiatives. The organization provides education for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, teaches Rwandan health care workers how to assist Deaf young people with sexual and reproductive health and educates Cambodian individuals and businesses on environmentally friendly practices and waste management. These strategies significantly improve the lives of people in developing nations.

– Sue-Joyce Headon

Sue-Joyce is based in Liverpool, UK and focuses on Good News and Celebs for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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WeCare: Italian NGO Influencing a Young Generation to Volunteer

WeCareStopping to recognize humanitarian efforts can highlight how, despite ongoing poverty, positive progress is being made. One such example is WeCare, a nonprofit organization based in Italy. It focuses on volunteering projects in South America and Africa, supporting children, families and communities facing extreme poverty.

The nongovernmental organization (NGO) crafts trips that are brilliantly organized, fun, heartwarming and extremely beneficial to the local areas it operates in. When not operating abroad, WeCare continues organizing various charity endeavors, working mainly in Rome and Milan to provide food packs and mental health support to up to 200 families in need.

Ongoing Projects

WeCare currently operates in Ecuador, Rwanda, Cameroon, Argentina and Peru. In each of these countries, the volunteering projects are based in remote destinations with low quality of life and where help is most needed. Groups range from 30 to 80 volunteers and focus largely on building schools, houses and recreational centers for children and families.

For example, its recurring project in Rwanda takes place in Kibaya, one of the most impoverished rural districts of the country. Volunteers work on supporting the only school in the area and improving its infrastructure, facilities and canteen. The projects are very successful and often dozens of houses, playgrounds and classrooms can be built in only a few weeks.

It’s inspiring to see how so much change and improvement can be brought to a community, especially in relation to the well-being of children. This can be seen through WeCare’s large Instagram platform, where it regularly shares videos of the progress made, testifying to the incredible help it carries out.

Influencing a Younger Generation

An important part of WeCare’s identity is that volunteers undergo a team-building experience connected to a religious and spiritual reflection of themselves, learning how to give and become better people as a whole. What is most incredible about this initiative is its impact on younger volunteers. WeCare welcomes volunteers above 40 years old, but it mainly works with teenagers and young adults.

It challenges volunteers, forcing them to cooperate and forge a team bond outside their comfort zones. The result is that these teenagers witness a journey that not only supports vulnerable communities in need but creates long-lasting change by forging them into supportive, reflective and kind human beings.

Impact

WeCare has become a reference point for many families and individuals in countries and regions where it operates. Since its inception, the organization has supported more than 1,350 families. It has also welcomed more than 700 volunteers, giving people the opportunity to contribute to the global fight against poverty and make a meaningful difference in vulnerable communities in Africa and South America.

– Grace Sammartini

Grace is based in Rome, Italy and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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5 Ways Young People Are Making a Difference in Global Poverty

Young People Are Making a Difference

Young people make a difference in global poverty in many creative and innovative ways. 

Advocacy and Awareness

One way that young people make a difference is through advocacy, as seen in grassroots movements such as Why Hunger. This organization works with young people at the local level to change their food systems. It has connected 932,000 people to nutritious food and services.

Another way they advocate is by raising awareness, often by using social media. For example, Joshua Heart’s Foundation, started when he was just 4 years old, has raised more than $1 million to help end hunger worldwide. This highlights how young people use their tools to effect change in the world.

Entrepreneurship and Innovation

A second way that young people can positively impact global poverty is through entrepreneurship and innovation. This is exemplified by social enterprises such as the Solar Sisters, which enable young women seeking work to become entrepreneurs and create sustainable energy alternatives. This innovation helps provide technological solutions to global poverty issues. The Solar Sisters and other entrepreneurs develop technological solutions that address existing problems with power in the world, offering new ways to combat poverty.

Volunteering

Young people also make a difference through both local and international volunteering. The New York Times found that one initiative in New York managed to serve up to 1,000 people in a food bank, highlighting the impact of young volunteers. It also found that the young people involved wanted to make a change and felt good about it. This demonstrates how they are making a difference now and see the benefits of volunteering, which encourages them to continue supporting the goals of ending world hunger and addressing global poverty.

Education

A penultimate way for young people to make a difference is through education, which can be seen in both educational initiatives and skills training. For example, SEED, a British organization, has significantly impacted global poverty goals through education, with young people leading the charge. SEED aims to enhance young people’s learning to help eradicate global hunger and address global poverty. One study found that SEED improved access to water, sanitation, hygiene and education for more than 400 students at Sainte Luce Primary School. This demonstrates how educational initiatives can significantly influence global poverty outcomes.

Leadership and Governance

Finally, young people can make a difference through leadership and governance. This is most evident through youth representation in groups and at government meetings, such as the Global Food Summit, which led to discussions surrounding policy. Young people put pressure on decision-makers and push the conversation forward. Additionally, governance can involve them in policy development that directly affects those suffering from global poverty. This direct involvement has a positive impact on laws that benefit those in need.

Young people have a significant impact on addressing global poverty. In many different ways, they are one way forward in tackling global poverty and similar issues. They benefit both these goals and provide new and innovative ways of solving problems.

– Rosie Miller

Rosie is based in Edinburgh, Scotland and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

Volunteers for GIVE Are Making a Difference

GIVE VolunteersWhile traveling abroad is a favorite pastime of college students for the views, food and fun, GIVE Volunteers works to engage travelers for a different reason. This service organization gives young people the opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of five international destinations where they offer programs. On these trips, volunteers work alongside community members on conservation, restoration and education projects. The Borgen Project spoke to one former volunteer and chapter president, Logan Falk, about her eye-opening experience in Thailand and Laos.

GIVE Programs

GIVE Volunteers offers a diverse array of programs in North America, Tanzania, Thailand and Laos. Program itineraries vary by country, but overall the organization focuses on combining cultural immersion, tourism and service. The trips are an alternative to traditional study abroad programs, emphasizing hands-on service projects instead of classroom education. 

Most volunteers are recruited on college campuses. GIVE often exists as a student-led club on U.S. campuses, offering students the opportunity to volunteer locally in their university towns while fundraising for their potential trips abroad. Some of the trips focus on conservation and restoration efforts, while others place volunteers in impoverished communities to assist with construction, farming and education. 

The Borgen Project spoke with a GIVE member who participated in one of these poverty-focused programs in Thailand and Laos. Falk was an executive member of James Madison University’s GIVE chapter in Virginia. On her 5-week trip through Thailand and Laos in the summer of 2022, she worked in local schools teaching English, assisted craftsmen and women and used her “tourist dollar to support local businesses.” For the people living in these areas, such efforts can make a world of difference.

Poverty in Thailand

According to a 2022 report by Thailand’s primary economic agency, The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), approximately 8.1 million Thai people live in poverty. Many of these individuals are children. Of the overall population, the poverty rate among children was 9.9% in 2021. UNICEF reports that this is a lasting effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which raised food and energy costs. Inflation hit its highest rate in 14 years at 7.66% in June of 2022. Households with children were especially impacted, forcing many students out of school.

The effects of poverty forced more than 280,000 children to drop out of school in 2021, the NESDC reports. According to the UNICEF Representative for Thailand, Kyungsun Kim, reversing these effects is imperative to the country’s lasting recovery. In a 2022 UNICEF press release, she emphasized the need for building human capital in Thailand. With the population “rapidly aging,” ensuring children receive protection and the means to grow into active members of society is of the utmost importance. 

Poverty in Laos

The issue of poverty is similarly prevalent in Laos. About 23% of the overall population lives below the poverty line, surviving on less than $1.25 per day. Considering that more than 30% of the population is under the age of 14, children suffer significant impacts.

Laos is primarily an agricultural country, with 80% of families working in agriculture. However, the rural areas that house them are prone to food insecurity as a result of extreme floods and droughts. Estimates suggest that 33% of children under the age of 5 face stunted growth due to malnutrition. Of every 22 Laotian children, one dies before they reach their 5th birthday. This is seven times the U.S. infant mortality rate. 

For those that do survive, an estimated 28% are forced into child labor to support their families. GIVE Volunteers makes it its mission to get these children back in school and support them with life-changing education.  

Expanding Perspectives

On her trip, Falk worked one-on-one with children from rural communities in Thailand and Laos, engaging them in activities and teaching them English. She told The Borgen Project that her time volunteering was full of “authentic experiences” in a program that was “constantly creating open learning environments.” Rather than going in with a specific agenda, Falk liked that the trip let volunteers get involved by “asking where [they] can help rather than taking the lead.”

This collaborative approach aligns with Falk’s idea of being a global citizen, one of her biggest takeaways from the program. For her, global citizenship is a reminder “that we all share the same home, so no matter where we are, there are ways for us to be giving back and supporting one another.” On her trip, she learned that the key to being a global citizen and an “ethical and sustainable volunteer” is “supporting the community that is welcoming us with no intention to ‘fix’ it. We went in to learn without judgment.”

After learning from, bonding with and seeing the struggles of people in Thailand and Laos, Falk left GIVE Volunteers with an inspiring realization: “There are so many large and small, intentional social, political, environmental, and economic actions we can take to make a difference on this planet that never ceases to amaze me… We can use our voices, our art, our activism, our knowledge, our money, and our VOTE to support communities within and outside of just our own.”

– Rachel Rebecca Smith
Photo: Unsplash

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Operation Christmas Child Visits Madagascar 

Operation Christmas ChildFor most of the world, Christmas comes once a year. A day full of red bows and snow glistening in the December sun. Not so for Samaritan’s Purse, a nonprofit headquartered in North Carolina. For them, Christmas is not merely a holiday, but a lifestyle. Operation Christmas Child began as a mom and pop project in the United Kingdom. It quickly grew into a worldwide phenomenon under the umbrella of Samaritan’s Purse. Over 150 countries annually take part in the program. Every year volunteers fill shoeboxes with toys, basic care items and a message of hope for the eager hands of boys and girls living in underdeveloped countries.

Volunteers from around the world spend the months leading up to Christmas filling boxes to the brim. Schools, churches, community organizations and individuals all work to bring a glimmer of light to poverty-stricken countries. Last year, Samaritan’s Purse was able to collect 10.5 million shoeboxes to give to the world’s poor.

Operation Christmas Child in Madagascar

One country in particular that reaps from Operation Christmas Child’s generosity is Madagascar. Madagascar is an African island nearly 800 miles from the shoreline of Mozambique. It is home to exotic species, the deciduous baobab trees and unfortunately, overwhelming statistical poverty. According to The World Bank, 70.7% of the population lived below the poverty line in 2012. Three factors that play a role in the rise of poverty in Madagascar are political crises, climate shocks and a sharp increase in global food prices.

With all the compounding factors that exacerbate poverty, Madagascar is a perfect destination for Operation Christmas Child to focus its energy.

Students in Madagascar

It was the summer of 2017. Mary Patton Murphy, a rising high school junior, packed her bags for her first trip across the world. Murphy is one of around thirty students that was able to be a part of the competitive week-long student vision trip with Samaritan’s Purse in 2017.

For years, Murphy had packed shoeboxes in the months leading to Christmas and dropped them off during National Collection Week. One year, a child that received one of her boxes sent Murphy a letter thanking her. This personal experience made her fall deeply in love with the organization. Murphy’s trip to Madagascar allowed her to see the ins and outs of the organization.

“It is such a well-run process,” says Murphy, “[the organization] truly maximize[s] their resources.” Murphy witnessed this first-hand during her time spent in Madagascar. Volunteers visited two distribution centers a day where each shoebox is diligently cared for and searched to ensure the safety of the delivery.

Murphy illustrated the process, noting that it “is a long one.” She expounded adding that “the shoeboxes travel to a local collection center. Then they are consolidated into carton boxes and sent to a processing center to make sure there isn’t anything harmful in any of the shoeboxes like toothpaste because the kids will try to eat it. They might add to a box if it is low on supplies or toys. Then the shoeboxes are shipped across the world. Some of these kids have never received a present before.”

Wrapping Up

Volunteers of all ages are the driving forcing behind this operation from beginning to end. They all advocate to make a difference in the lives of impoverished children across the globe. For individuals who would like to advocate on behalf of these children, they should visit this website.

The leaves fade from various shades of red and yellow and the morning air turns crisp and cool. The collection of shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child will soon be underway. Make an early start to the season of giving with a mere shoebox, a few toys and a heart for the world’s poor.

– Chatham Kennedy
Photo: Flickr

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Volunteering and its Effects on Empathy

Volunteering
A common reason for conflict, whether cultural, racial or economic is lack of empathy. The solution to this problem may be simpler than previously believed. An article on psychology website Spring suggests that empathy can increase with as little as two positive experiences with a group.

To collect their research, scientists paired Swiss people with people of Balkan descent. The Swiss-Balkan relationship has historically been tense due to anxiety about immigrants in Switzerland. In the experiment, Swiss participants expected to receive a painful electric shock but were rescued by people with traditional Balkan names.

The Swiss participants then received brain scans while observing other people being shocked. If earlier in the experiment a Balkan person had helped the Swiss person in question, the Swiss participant’s brain would demonstrate a similar empathetic response toward both Balkan and Swiss victims. If, however, the Swiss person had not had that positive encounter with a Balkan participant, he or she exhibited lower levels of empathy toward Balkan victims than towards Swiss victims.

According to this study’s researchers, “Our findings show that empathy with an out-group member can be learned and generalizes to other out-group individuals.”

How can these findings be applied globally? Simply put, they may indicate that volunteering can increase empathy. Not only can volunteering help reduce some of the immediate symptoms of global poverty; it can also decrease inter-group tension.

Bridging the gap preventing different groups from interacting with each other is an important step in reducing conflict. Volunteerism does just that by putting human relationships first. It places members of different communities that may never have had positive inter-community encounters in close proximity to each other. Positive volunteering experiences can lead to increased empathy and decreased conflict between them.

In an article by the New Zealand Red Cross, Warwick Armstrong, a volunteer driver for the Cross Town Shuttle wrote about the benefits of volunteering. The Cross Town Shuttle provides transportation for people in Christchurch who have no transportation means of their own. Armstrong said he enjoys the companionship his position provides.

“It’s good for your health!” he wrote. “It gives your empathy batteries a recharge”.

Volunteerism puts human relationships first and encourages personal interaction. It is a powerful tool for increasing empathy, and thus reducing tension, between groups.

– Jordan Little

Photo: Flickr

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Why Teaching Abroad is Mutually Beneficial

Teaching Abroad
Teaching abroad is an incredible opportunity to give back, and the experience can provide an individual with a multitude of unanticipated advantages. In addition to experiencing a different culture, teaching abroad can vastly improve one’s chances of finding a career in a variety of fields.

The majority of teaching abroad programs aim to teach English in impoverished regions around the world, so as to improve children’s education. Such skills/lessons are desperately needed because according to a reputable teaching abroad program, Sudan Volunteer Programme (SVP), numerous local teachers in these countries do not have the proper skill-sets to teach English, or the school does not have enough money to pay their teachers.

In such cases, volunteers are needed to help educate children and give them the proper skills and opportunities to attain a successful profession. This type of education proves tremendously impactful, as speaking English can significantly increase a child’s chance of professional success down the road.

According to the University of Toronto, teaching abroad can be equally advantageous for the teacher volunteer’s career opportunities. To teach abroad, the volunteer generally does not have to be a certified teacher or have any particular foreign language skills to serve for an organization. Many volunteers can be ‘hired’ with a bachelor’s degree in just about anything, an interest to learn about foreign cultures, a good attitude, a passion for education and seriousness about the job.

Having taught underprivileged children in a foreign country provides one with distinct cultural and teaching experience that can galvanize one’s career. Recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees who teach abroad are often hired full time into high standing positions that they may not have otherwise qualified for.

According to WorldTeach, an accredited teaching abroad program, numerous individuals go into academic careers, international development, educational or volunteer organizations, teachers, school administrators and in business and multi-national companies. Some have become leaders in the U.S. Congress, and one has even served as a U.S. Ambassador.

Though living in a foreign country for a summer or a year may seem daunting, the benefits that can come from the experience prove to be well worth any initial hesitation. From giving children a shot at a better future to becoming more culturally aware, teaching abroad is an incredible opportunity that will boost one’s personal growth and a chance at professional success.

– Bella Chaffey

Photo: Flickr

Social Entrepreneur Corps: Helping Vulnerable Families

Social Entrepreneur CorpsFounded by Greg Van Kirk, the Social Entrepreneur Corps (SEC) diagnoses needs and implements innovations that help marginalized, impoverished and vulnerable families build a better life for themselves.

The volunteers and employees of the SEC play an important role in creating impactful social innovation. They can “gain the knowledge, skills and experience necessary to become the high impact leaders and social entrepreneurs of the future.” In addition, the SEC has been “leading innovative and dynamic impact immersion programs for 10 years and over 1,000 participants have joined [their] diverse programs.”

The organization utilizes well-structured programs where participants are mentored by field leaders, who are experienced development professionals.

One of the SEC’s initiatives includes a needs and feasibility analysis, in which participants perform research through observations, surveys and informal conversations in order to analyze needs of impoverished communities.

Another is an innovative-design initiative, in which participants use their research to develop and give consultations to local community members on ways to improve their state of poverty.

As one SEC participant states, “from giving presentations in Spanish to local organizations to going on campaigns in rural regions, every activity gave me the chance and the courage to step out of my comfort zone and push my boundaries as far as I could.”

Communities in Latin America, for example, are reaping the benefits. The Jutiapa region in Guatemala had a successful village campaign which benefited women entrepreneurs in the region. In one day, participants “served over 150 people and helped the women to sell 69 pairs of glasses, 35 eye drops, 30 packets of vegetable seeds, 8 solar lamps/cell phone chargers and one water purification bucket.”

The female entrepreneurs earned nearly $240 in net profits, which is the equivalent of over two months’ wages for the average rural Guatemalan.

The Social Entrepreneur Corps has played an important role in breaking the cycle of poverty in Latin American countries. The organization’s efforts continue to inspire families and communities.

– Vanessa Awanyo