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100th Team to Ecuador Celebrates a Decade of Service
One of the most satisfying events in a long-term relationship with a host community is when we can celebrate significant milestones. One such occasion is coming up in Ecuador early next year. If you are considering serving with us in Quito in 2007, please consider joining new and experienced volunteers on our 100th team to Quito, Ecuador from January 20- February 3. Since our partnership began in 1996, over 900 volunteers have contributed their love and hard work into work projects with our Ecuadorian hosts. Our legion of former volunteers have witnessed dramatic changes first-hand, including significant expansion of childcare facilities and educational resources made possible through Global Volunteers program funding. While the 100th team will engage in standard work projects, we'll also pause to reflect upon the accomplishments of the last decade and examine ways to expand our continued development projects with hosts and consultants. Ecuador Country Manager Mari Miranda will lead the team, which will be based at Camp Hope. Volunteers will serve in both Quito and Calderon. This is a very special time to celebrate our commitment to peace and friendship in Ecuador. Please contact us for additional information on how you can share your skills on this team! Learn more about future teams to Ecador here. |
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New Law Improves Protections for India's Children
While India's economic conditions advance, it's widely accepted that the financial stability of most households still largely depends upon the work that the youngest family members do inside their homes or for outside wages. However, a new child labor law instituted this week forbids children under 14 from working as domestic help or in restaurants. Child rights activists hail the legislation as a victory for India's youth while admitting that much must be done to relieve poor families' dependence on their children's earnings. The Child Labor Act of 1986 already bans children from working in factories, mines, and other dangerous positions, but often isn't stringently enforced. India still has the largest population of child laborers in the world. The World Bank estimates that 44 million Indian children are in the daily workforce. Now, employers who continue to put young children to work are subject to up to two years in prison and a fine over $400. Without additional educational resources for children, however, political leaders worry that the cycle of poverty leading families to rely on child labor will continue. Global Volunteers' hosts provide educational and social programs for youth development. Learn how you can contribute to this effort.
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Your Service Program Fee Helps Fund Long-Term Projects
Do you know how great a difference your Global Volunteers' service program fee makes? Unlike many "volunteer vacations" organizations, Global Volunteers' service programs center on genuine human and economic development in our host communities. Together with indigenous partner organizations, we create work plans that optimize the volunteer's efforts, and make direct financial contributions on each team to support the on-going work we assist. We're committed to working in true partnership with our hosts. That means we strive to provide the optimal number of volunteers to each community each year, and to help finance large, and long-term host community projects that would likely be impossible without outside assistance. In addition to providing project funds through the service program fees that each volunteer contributes, we raise funding for special projects such as water wells, playground equipment, a "school" bus, industrial washers and dryers, baby clothing and toys and much, much more. You can feel secure that your service program fees and donations are well-spent and very greatly appreciated!
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"Peaceful Travel" Statement Offers Guidance to All
As an original member of the International Institute for Peace Through Tourism, a UN accredited NGO founded in 1986 to advance international peace, Global Volunteers proudly promotes IIPT's copyrighted "Credo of the Peaceful Traveler," reprinted here with permission:
Grateful for the opportunity to travel and experience the world and because peace begins with the individual, I affirm my personal responsibility and commitment to:
- Journey with an open mind and gentle heart
- Accept with grace and gratitude the diversity I encounter
- Revere and protect the natural environment which sustains all life
- Appreciate all cultures I discover Respect and thank my host for their welcome
- Offer my hand in friendship to everyone I meet Support travel services that share these views and act upon them and,
- By my spirit, words, and actions, encourage others to travel the world in peace.
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Cook Islands' Aitukaki Hosts Current "Survivor" Show
The secluded palm-fringed beaches of Aitutaki, one of 15 islands in the South Pacific nation of The Cook Islands is the newest setting for the "Survivor" reality series. A short 45-minute flight from Global Volunteers' host island of Rarotonga, Aitutaki is often described as the "Jewel of the South Pacific" because of it's spectacular lagoon. Survivor contestants camp and attend "tribal council" on private property on an unpopulated area of the the island, according to local residents. While surroundings can appear wild and threatening on television, the reality is far from that. Aitutaki is the second-most populated island of the Cook Islands, and is a virtual horn of plenty with tropical fruits and flowers growing wild. The large main island sits in the northern half of a triangular lagoon, which stretches seven miles on each leg. Small islets (motus) spread mostly to the east and south. Low hills dominate the interior, with Mt. Maungapu reaching a height of 408 ft (124 m). Oral traditions speak of three leaders in early Aitutaki history. The great Polynesian chief tain Ru reached Aitutaki about 900 AD, with his four wives, four brothers, and twenty tamaine tapa-iru (royal virgins). Many years later his grandson, Taruia, became the ariki (chief) of the island. And now...American "Survivors!"
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How Will You Make a Difference on October 28?
On this year's Make a Difference Day, co-sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, some 100 Global Volunteers will unite in community service in Brazil, China, the Cook Islands, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Romania, and Tanzania. If you are not one of these team members, we encourage you to join the movement in your own community. When everyone gives a little, the effort accomplishes a lot.
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"We're links in a long chain of those who have come before
and will follow to help improve the lives of people around the world."
~ Bud Philbrook, Global Volunteers co-founder and president
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YOUR SUGGESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT TO US
Do you have specific topics you'd like to see in a future issue: Send us your ideas. Since 1984, we've worked alongside local people in every corner of the globe -- laying a foundation for peace through mutual international understanding. In mobilizing thousands of short-term volunteers, we've learned valuable lessons about honoring local customs, methods and perspectives. We hope to share what we've learned with you.
Please e-mail us: linkeditor@globalvolunteers.org
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