This is toughest question of them all for any traveller with the world at their feet. I was talking to a student the other day who was planning her travels for the summer. She had applied for a variety of places to work thinking that just a few would reply. Confusingly, all of them replied with fantastic offers. Countries to choice from included Korea, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain and Russia. Oh the agony of choice. [...]
I frequently find myself at the end of a touching documentary or a heart-rendering news piece telling myself that there must be something that I can do to help the situation. So I turn to the place with all the answers – the internet.
The empty google box stares at me, expectantly. What do I want to know? Why not try “How can I help the world” – just 469 million results appear. Seems there is no shortage of answers to that question. Where do I start? I browse through the first page and discover that volunteering seems a good place to begin the journey. A paid ad takes me to a site called the “GVN Foundation” a non governmental organisation based in New Zealand. The site enthuses me with great ideas about volunteering. My enthusiasm is short lived. To join one of the projects I first have to pay $350 which is transferable to the project and if I am (and they, I guess) accepted as a volunteer. My presence in South Africa on a conservation project for 8-weeks comes in at $1947.
$1947 + flights, visa (if required), travel insurance and personal spending money. It strikes me that helping the world is an expensive intention. My search continues. I encounter website after website offering life-changing volunteer opportunities. Projects are offered by NGO’s, charities, not-for-profit and outright businesses but regardless of their registered status they all charge you money to participate.
Interestingly when you compare two organisations, one set-up as a not-for-profit (Voluntary Projects Overseas) and another established to make a profit (Projects Abroad) all things being equal you can crudely work out the profit that the latter makes. Two examples:
Teaching in Bolivia – VPO = £1500 for 3 months – PA = £1845 for 3 months (£345 profit)
Let’s take another example
Teaching in South Africa – VPO = £1900 for 3 months – PA = £2595 for 3 months (£695 profit)
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not against paying to do voluntary work or people making profits. I have a Masters in Business Administration for goodness sake. My question is why is that?
Web 2.0! Don’t you just love the way that computer types love adding numbers after names. Imagine…when you are born you are called Trevor, wait sorry, Trevor 1.0, then you go to primary school and you become Trevor 1.1, you graduate from high school and become known as Trevor 2.0 – you get the idea. I took a Gap Year in 1993 and I have recently looked at what the Gap Year industry is offering and I have to say that I was disappointed. While the rest of the world has been revolutionising; Gap Year organisations seem to be stuck on version 1.0… [...]
When he was just 14 years old, Malawian inventor William Kamkwamba built his family an electricity-generating windmill from spare parts, working from rough plans he found in a library book.
This is a very inspirational talk, his creative mind and driven personality are an example of what we believe here in Gawana. Enjoy it
They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the eyes are the windows to the soul. So imagine the power of pictures of womens’ eyes the size of the roof on a house. With one image, in an instant, we get one thousand words about the soul of the stranger from another part of the world. The images are so large that they can be seen from space. Windows to the soul for aliens? I don’t think so, windows to the soul for the rest us, perhaps, to get a fleeting insight into the lives of others that share this planet.
British/South African, working on being an honorary Mexican. Lover of great conversation, delicious food & drink and all things TED. Philosophy equation - Only planet with life on it in known universe + most intelligent species on said planet = must travel to see it!
© Gawana. Say something clever here. Or not. You decide.
