Finding volunteer work

Several people have asked me how to find volunteer work while traveling. In selecting an organization, legitimacy is the first criterion, as not all are legitimate.

I worked in Nepal for NEIO. I had gotten to know the founder back in San Francisco and the focus was on quality (helping one school) and not quantity (becoming a big organization). NEIO is not without its share of shortcomings, but is at least legitimate.

In Cambodia, I joined CESHE by finding them on Workaway. The key utility of this site is the reviews. Many past volunteers positively reviewed CESHE over a long period of time. Sketchy organizations would not hold up to such scrutiny. (Well unless it’s all a premeditated scam.. When you start volunteering you could start getting cautious and almost paranoid, but that’s a rant for another day…)

Relying on social advice, you’ll be on a well-worn track, but at least you’ll have a degree of quality control. You’ll gain a constructive experience.

You may start discovering a lot of imperfections amidst the good work. With luck, you’ll learn to juggle them and move forward.

And a last point about what I got out of the experiences so far:
I’ve liked how I was in the position to push change as far as I wanted to take it. Compared to other enterprises that I’ve officially engaged in (startup company and graduate researcher), the intensity of independent learning and action was greater when volunteering. The weight of responsibility and failure was greater. The immediacy of lives affected by my actions was greater. And I won’t even mention the emotional toll. I was in positions to enforce positive change as I saw fit. It’s something that will indelibly shape my career decisions in the future.

Hope that helps!

School farewell

I taught various age groups in 2 different rural schools near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Each class had its own way of saying farewell. I’ll sure miss these guys!

Youngest class (4-11 year olds): energetic way 

We went out onto the field and played a violent version of tag. The students jumped all over us.

Middle class (11-16 year olds): symbolic way

The girls in the class made me a bracelet on my first day of teaching. On the final day they saw that it was still on my wrist and then tightened the strings, making sure it stayed there.

Older class (16-20 year olds): written way

This class has good command of the English language and thoughtfully gave me a photocard.

Teaching isn’t a walk in the park, but the rewards sure are great!

 

At school again

I’m at school again!

Ritsa and Him are posing behind my hammock, with fellow volunteer Sven dozing off in the background.

Girl sponsorship

Dear friends,

I’m happy to report that the girl sponsorship program is on! We will start funding these girls in July for their new school year.

We want to see creative and intelligent young women take the lead in Nepal. We’ve created a scholarship for deserving girls in the 10th grade interested in furthering their education in math and science but are unable to due to financial and social reasons. Our goal is to enable them to complete their higher secondary schooling (11th and 12th grade) and break out of their typical path to domestic life, which usually occurs at this age (15 years old).

The girls are from the Phalewas district, a beautiful rural community located west of Pokhara. The girls are performing well at school – their marks compare well with girls from major cities. We hope to continue giving them a quality education to enable them to compete nationally and even internationally.

Your scholarship will go directly to the school to provide for their education ($300 per year for 2 years) and you will be in touch with your student via email or Skype to help cheer them on.

Our team is spearheaded by the tireless and no nonsense Mr. Bhola Sharma who after 43 years of governmental service has returned to his birthplace to help develop schools in his district. He has worked with Room to Read and others to establish 170 libraries in the district. Rajeev was one of the early members of Room to Read and is a book publisher. We also have film director Hari who inspired the project. And finally, yours truly, who hasn’t felt more strongly about a project than this one. Together we have established the criteria for selection and will soon pair you up with one of the deserving girls.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a girl, please contact me at chenronald at gmail dot com or leave a comment. I will provide more details.

You’ll make a big difference in their lives.

Thanks for reading!
Ron

Interview with Ram

This goes way back to Nepal.

I did this interview with the intention of introducing the kids at Nurbuling school to a wider audience and to secure funding for the organization that I was volunteering with (NEIO). I wanted to edit the video (to cut out my antics) but I haven’t found a way to do it on my phone. I find the unedited version more charming anyway 🙂

Meet Ram. He’s a great kid, as you’ll see, and he’s a student leader.

Attending boarding school

I’ll admit, I’m not man enough.

The biggest uncertainty going into my boarding school stay: How am I going to take my dumps? Unfortunately, I’m not accustomed to squat style toilets. Add on top of that damage done by 78 students sharing 2 toilets. I held onto a faint hope that I could wing it. At least grin and bear it.

Here I’ll detail a typical day at school. My goal was to personally experience the daily lives of the students. Looking back to my 2 week stay, it really was comfortable and simple living. The kids there are all troopers who helped ease me into the new environment.

This was the room I shared with 3 teachers, the buffalo caretaker, and 4 students. Props to the kid that shared a bed with the buffalo man. Let’s just say handling 4 animals throughout the day isn’t like working the assembly line at a perfume factory.

I’ve never slept with the lights on, but this was their custom. Luckily, it was cold enough to require sleeping with a cap on that conveniently covered my eyes. Additionally, a teacher would blast the TV deep into the night, so I was also armed with earplugs. I slept with my sleeping bag but started getting bed bug bites a week in. I know you won’t believe me, but my sleep quality was very good! How often in your life do you get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and wake up naturally?

My top bunk mates were this motley crew: Binud, Dorje, and Bishal. Dorje is the one pictured and was studious as hell – he borrowed my headlamp to complete homework during power outages. How they can sleep piled on top of each other befuddles me.

In a typical school day, I would get out of the sleeping bag, put on a warm jacket, climb down, and go to forest for the number 2 ritual. The fact that the teachers also did not use the toilets conveniently gave me license to relieve myself outdoors. The game each morning was to select a new distant and unique place to deposit my load. I’d then catch the stunning sunrise with snow-capped mountains as the backdrop, and subsequently join a decidedly militaristic teacher for a brief trail run and exercise. This teacher was sadistically fond of kicks and punches.

After lifting our heart rates, we’d have tea, which is generously defined as “breakfast.” Lunch of lentils, rice, and curry (daal, bhaat, tarkari) was a mere hour later at 9am. Around this time, the kids would wash their feet, clean their dishes, wash their faces and brush their teeth in freezing water. Mad props.

Morning assembly would consist of the national anthem, trivia (“Where is Shakira from?”), and marching. Class starts at 10. I’d take this golden opportunity to enjoy some privacy, do some non-profit work, and write. After 4 class periods, we’d have “tiffin,” a British term for a midday snack break, then we’d finish the school day around 4 with an afternoon assembly.

Another round of tea ensued, and occasionally we played energetic games of soccer or cricket.

Dinner of – you guessed it! – daal, bhaat, and tarkari, with the added bonus of boiled buffalo milk, completed our dietary consumption of the day.

The students are on a strict schedule of study after dinner, and I found a niche in going room to room tutoring for a couple hours.

Upon reaching my bed, I’d read, now it’s a soccer classic “Inverting the Pyramid” and fall into a deep, uninterrupted asleep.

The kids played a critical role in my survival. I’d be hard pressed to find a better mannered bunch. They pro-actively ask if they could help me clean my dishes, automatically folded my sleeping bag, and helped me get food. The militaristic teacher also made sure my needs were met.

In the end, I circumvented the crapping issue by taking it outside. I guess I still have a ways to go in my flexibility. Damn new toilets still aren’t done! But perhaps perversely, I like shitting in the woods.

Having demonstrable skills

Climbing at a wall in Kathmandu. Wait, I don't lead climb.

What skills can you readily show someone? Or even teach someone? As tomorrow is the start of a one month stay at the rural Nurbuling School dormitory, I’ve challenged myself to reflect upon what I actually comprehend and can pass on to others. How can the children benefit from my presence?

Adding structure
Soccer – on our high school team, we practiced many drills – keep away, efficient first touch, positional roles, and offside trap. Additionally, before each kickoff, we performed warmups in a certain sequence. Perhaps this structure will add some discipline, connect these kids to the matches they see on TV, and strike fear in opposing schools.
Setting goals – I’m attempting my third 100 pushup challenge. I’m taping up a calendar and holding myself accountable with the students. I’ll establish a routine – wake up, meditate, brew coffee, then 100 pushup challenge. I’d better succeed!
Perhaps this touches on being a role model? I feel woefully ill equipped.

The arts
Guitar – I’m donating two “Givsun” guitars to the school. At least one teacher there plays, and I can strum a few chords. Some of the older kids might take an interest. And hopefully I get somewhere in the next month!
Singing – I’ll karaoke there! No room for shame. I’ll require them to teach me a few Nepali songs too.
Dancing – They’ll teach me. They’ve got an arsenal of serious moves.
Art – Unfortunately I’ve got no skills.

Using technology
The extent of technology most of the kids have seen and used is limited. Cell phones are probably the most common. I’ll use a computer for simple word processing, my mobile phone for internet, and I’m also bringing a portable 3-bulb solar panel system to have a little lighting at night! Hopefully they will benefit from this exposure.

Teaching classes
Rock climbing – this is the only certification I’ve got! While we won’t be climbing there, at least the enthusiastic teaching attitude may translate across other classes I teach.
Outdoor skills – The boys captured a pheasant and ate it for crying out loud. What can I teach them??
Yoga class – They’ll get a kick out of doing handstands!
Martial arts – They’ve asked twice if I know any TKD or Kung Fu. Sorry to disappoint!

The forecast
We’ll see what really happens over the next month. I’m grateful I’ve tried new things and more recently reflected upon them. It does underscore the value of seriously cultivating your real interests. What can you take with you, always?

The world isn’t flat

Thomas Friedman popular book “The World is Flat” argued that the interconnectedness of the world has enabled the disadvantaged to catch up to the global level playing field. For most of the children at the schools we visited, this statement is far from the truth. They are simply not privy to the opportunities that you and I take for granted.
In the last couple weeks, we visited schools displaying varying degrees of disrepair. They lacked proper toilets; the classrooms were in need of better seats and tables, and most kids did not even have playgrounds.
On display were the “hardware” deficits – problems of infrastructure that could be readily solved with funding. However, with the children at stake, the “software” deficiencies are the most critical. Each school administrator demanded more qualified teachers. After all, education starts with teachers. Only they can pave a brighter future for these children.
It’s an uphill battle for these rural schools. Even if a school has a state of the art library, health clinic, and strong science program, as in the case of the Phalewas school, the government still questions their ability to produce competitive students on par with those in urban areas. Along with this doubt comes underfunding; the government simply doesn’t believe these rural schools can provide a quality education and subsequently cut their funding. Furthermore, the schools are unable to attract good teachers to the farflung countryside. Once hired, retention becomes a problem.
These immediate problems aside, deeper underlying issues remain. The economic livelihood of these rural families must be raised to give these children a chance.
Optimistically speaking, the children are in a good spot – they possess rudimentary English, are extremely well-behaved and disciplined in their learning. They just lack opportunity.
Encouragingly, bridging the digital divide may be a viable solution. This environment demands students to be willing to learn on their own. And the internet is the best platform for that. And soon they are coming online, with increased internet access across these schools. Joining the global stage may happen quite quickly. Optimism may be our best bet. The world may be flatter than I predict.