children

Empowering Young People With Aldeas de Paz

Aldeas de Paz

Image source: Jardinesdeacuario.blogspot.com

Aldeas de Paz is a Venezuelan NGO with a history of inspired service. In 1995 a German entrepreneur named Manfred Mönninghoff was volunteering on a humanitarian project in Merida, Venezuela. The project was focused on integrating street children and at risk youth into more stable environments via school, community projects, and foster families. It was a grassroots effort, as so many humanitarian projects are, and it inspired Mönninghoff to do more, to dedicate his life (and his life savings) to the service of children with an organization dedicated to their care. In 2001, he formed Fundación Aldeas de Paz, a volunteer-based NGO in Caracas. Today, that NGO is based in Santa Elena, a gold and diamonds mining town in the heart of the remote Canaima National Park, on the border with Brazil and Guyana. The location is isolated, beautiful, and culturally and ecologically important.

Generations Touring Company: A Focus on Family

Generations Touring Company in Costa Rica

Image source: Grace-lichtenstein.suite101.com

In a poll conducted by Condé Nast Traveler and MSNBC, 14% of Americans have taken a volunteer vacation, but 55% indicated they would like to participate. Of those who have gone on volunteer trips, 95% reported that they are likely to do it again. That’s quite a return! But I wonder about that 55%. Who are they? Are they busy working people or high school kids? Are they grandparents, afraid of the rigors of volunteering? As a voluntour organization, how can you motivate that 55% to take the plunge—to reach that decision-making moment when an ephemeral dream becomes a solid reality?

Take a Step Forward with Samaritan’s Feet

SF in Kingston, Jamaica with Staff Sgt. Alesia D. Goosic

Image source: Afribiz.net

I’ve never had to worry about shoes. I don’t think most people in the United States give it a second thought. We might wish we had fancier ones—Jimmy Choo’s or designer sneakers—but few Americans are walking around barefoot. For the poor among us, Salvation Army stores offer extremely cheap and lightly worn footwear. Donation boxes offer free footwear for those who can’t afford the Salvation Army. But in many places around the world finding cheap or free shoes just isn’t that easy.

Pajama Program: Keeping Kids Cozy!

Students from The Todd School in Westchester

Image source: Wressentials.com

At 38, Genevieve Piturro was married and successful, but she felt like something was missing. She never wanted to have children of her own, but she loved children and wanted to be around them. So she started volunteering at local shelters, reading to the kids before bedtime. She was surprised by their lack of a bedtime routine. For those of us lucky enough to grow up in a home with parents, bedtime was our chance to get cozy, to slow down from the day, and to feel loved. But these kids didn’t have that comfort. They didn’t even have pajamas!

Do It For the Kids

Family Adventure Vietnam

Image source: Vietnamholidays.cc

After writing yesterday’s article about the Lewis family, I’ve been thinking a lot about the impact volunteering can have on families with children. The typical family vacation, especially if said family happens to include a teenager, is often rife with stress. Maybe the kids don’t want to go, or they’re moody and difficult. Every car ride is punctuated by a hundred are-we-there-yets. The Chevy Chase-style Big Ben/Parliament rotary tour comes to mind. Family vacations are supposed to be quality-time adventures. They’re supposed to end with everyone feeling closer, happier, more unified and refreshed. The trouble is, most typical family vacations don’t end that way at all.