Concordia North South project in Kenya

Concordia North South project

Country and place: Ngumbulu, Kenya

Date: Summer 2007

Volunteer: Caroline Dudley

Writing a blog about my experience in Kenya has been no easy task. Having spent a month in Machakos, the Eastern region of Kenya, I have had so many amazing experiences that to pick a few key points is an extremely difficult thing to do. However, the fundamental point to convey is that, at the risk of sounding cheesy, choosing to volunteer in Kenya is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

The work camp I was involved in set about repairing roads that had been damaged by water during the rainy season. Although this was the principle reason for being in the village of Ngumbulu it became increasingly apparent to me that the cultural exchange between myself, the international volunteer’s and the local community was worth just as much, if not more, than the physical work of repairing the road. Spending the afternoons on home visit or sitting round the camp fire after a hard days work, so many ideas, values and perspectives are exchanged which inevitably broaden your perspective. During my short time at Ngumbulu I, for example, learnt how to construct a fairly decent fire, sang local songs and pick up a little Kamba, the local dialect. In exchange I assisted in organising and orchestrating an English culture night, taught many a song to the local school children and swallowing my pride whenever I was laughed at playing volleyball (which was often).

Furthermore, being involved in a highly diverse group of international volunteers I was pleasantly surprised by how well we worked together as a team and how rewarding being a member of a team can be. All volunteers were involved in every aspect of domestic life whether it be cooking, collecting water or having the sometimes unappealing task of cleaning the toilets. Such responsibilities were conducted in accordance with local practices which allowed me to gain ever increasing respect for the local culture as well as an appreciation for what I have in my own life.

After spending a month in Kenya it is my belief that international volunteering can be a great way to immerse yourself in a culture, give something to community and learn a great deal about yourself and the world around you. It is an experience that I will not forget in a hurry and one, which even on my return, demands that I question and broaden my ideas and perspectives.

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Janica Dennison's International volunteer project in Italy

Concordia short term international volunteer project in:

Milazzo on the island of Sicily in Italy

Project code: LEG34

Dates: 09/07-22/07/2007

Volunteer: Janica Dennison

Two weeks of building platforms and I think I could now start my own business, (if there is a market for beach platforms in the UK that is). Although I automatically think of platforms when I think of the work camp I just completed in Milazzo, Sicily, that is not all that camp was. What Legambiente, (the Italian environmental organisation) also shared with all us volunteers was a strong sense of community and gratitude towards us international volunteers for helping keep their environment safer and cleaner for everyone to use. We even had a few articles in local newspapers about what we were there for and of course the local mayor (who in Milazzo was rather dashing in his light weight denim) even came down to our work site to thank us.

However, as anyone who has been on a work camp will say, the work is only half the experience, as for me it was living within a tight knit community twenty-four seven with seven other volunteers, who every night also got bitten extensively by mosquitoes, that made my trip. Visiting an old military base, which was a perfect view of the sea between Sicily and Italy, or hiking up 400 metres above sea level during midday sun to see the most amazing crater on the Aeolian island of Vulcano, are memories shared with new friends I won’t soon forget. Although at times the scorching 45 degrees and 98% humidity left me wishing for a little British rain, once back in the UK you realise how amazing that heat swirled up with volunteers, laughter and a little hard work aid to restore a positive outlook on life (cheesy I know but true). The way I saw Sicily was a way a solo traveller would not have seen it.

Janica went on a Standard Project with Concordia www.concordia-iye.org.uk



Janica and the other international volunteers in Sicily

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Liz Underhill's EVS volunteering experiance in Belgium

Split in Croatia - its amazing where EVS can take you?

Liz Underhill is an EVS volunteer in Brussels, Belgium for JRS

I arrived in Brussels on 1^st March 2007, not at all sure what to expect from my experience. I would be living in Brussels for one year, working with the Jesuit Refugee Service Europe (JRS) as a Media Officer. JRS is an international organisation with offices all round the world. The JRS Europe office (where I am based) is the head office for Europe. This means the office coordinates the work of offices and contact people in over 20 countries. These offices are responsible for visiting asylum seekers in detention centres, providing legal advice, food and shelter and generally raising awareness about the situation of refugees and asylum seekers.

My own personal role with JRS is as the Media Officer. This means producing a monthly update for all staff, a bi-monthly newsletter, updating the website and assisting with arranging events. As this role suggests, any week can be quite varied and mixed.

I currently live in Brussels in shared accommodation for about 40 people. A few other EVS people live there but it is mainly home to stagières and interns from around the world. It is a very vibrant place to live as it is home to such a mix of nationalities. At any one time you could be sat with Americans, Germans, people from Finland or the Ukraine. However, being based in Brussels does mean you don’t really learn much French or Flemish! The majority of people speak English and are very happy to do so!

Brussels is a great place to live because it is made up of so many different quarters and areas. The European part is a very important part of the Brussels landscape but there is much more to Brussels than the EU.

Belgium is also very central so it means you can visit other European countries such as France, the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg very easily.

I am now 5 months into my EVS placement of 1 year. I am really enjoying the experience of living in another country and meeting people from around Europe and the world. My role as Media Officer means I undertake a mix of different activities and tasks.

I recently spent a week in Croatia with the Slovakian winners of the Pedro Arrupe Award 2007, a refugee awareness award run through schools and organised by JRS. The 16 year old winners designed a DVD about the lives of refugees and together we visited refugee projects and organisations working with refugees in Croatia. This was a truly amazing experience, particularly as the students were so passionate about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. After learning about the legacy of displaced people in Croatia, the students were shown the current situation for new asylum seekers seeking refugee status from outside Croatia. We met representatives from the UNHCR and the Croatian Law Centre and were given a tour of a reception centre for asylum seekers in Kutina, near Zagreb. We were also given the opportunity to visit the cities of Split and Zagreb. We spent some time on the coast at the resort of Opatija and on the island of Lošinj, experiencing traditional Croatian food and culture.

I’m looking forward to seeing what projects I will be involved in over the coming weeks and months and hopefully will enjoy the remainder of my time in Brussels.

Liz and the winners of the Pedro Arrupe Award 2007


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EVS Iceland: the latest edition - June 07

Hellisfjourdur

Duncan's 3rd Iceland update:

In late May, I moved to the East of Iceland with the other EVS for a simulated workcamp. During this period, I was able to practice my leadership abilities; each of us took it in turns to lead 1 day of the workcamp. Our location was in Neskaupstadur, or North Fjord. Neskaupstadur is the largest town in the East Fjords, with a population of 1,500, and is only reachable through a tunnel under the mountains. Because of this, the town is self sufficient, with its own supermarket, bar, swimming pool, chemist and post office.

The work during the day varied, from raking stones close to the swimming pool to cleaning up the coastline. Perhaps the most interesting work was painting the harbour in preparation for the Fisherman’s Festival. The team of EVS painted the dock yellow, after painting themselves of course!

The training camp was hard work, but we still found time to have fun. My most memorable moment was a hike around the fjord into Hellisfjordur and back, a total distance of 25km. This was a challenging hike because there was no marked path – in fact we wanted to cross the mountain, but could not find a suitable path.

In reflection, I learnt a lot in the east, including many icebreaking games and how to evaluate a workcamp. But the most important lesson was about food. When cooking on a camp, always cook for 40 people, not 15. Too much food is never a problem; too little food means people complain.

The end of May also means the EVS split up and go in different directions. We will not be together again until September as we all have different schedules, although we can always call each other on our mobiles.

So I am now ready for my first proper workcamp…in Neskaupstadur! I am lucky in that WF01, or the first workcamp of 2007 is in Neskaupstadur. There were 4 participants and 3 leaders taking part from France, Denmark, UK, Czech Republic and Lithuania. I had a good feeling that this camp would be perfect, even though the participants were very quiet.

Our local contact was a lady called Jorfridur, a crazy (she likes heavy metal) biker chick who somehow managed to do everything for us during the 2 weeks. Our work for the camp was not quiet what we expected, but we all showed as much enthusiasm as possible. There was more painting in the harbour, lots of raking stones and sweeping docks, in the next fjord, Reybarfjordur. The most enjoyable work involved pulling out some pretty blue flowers. These are called Arctic Lupin, and are seen as a weed in Iceland. They are tall flowers, similar to Bluebells, which prevent other flowers from growing by blocking out the sunlight. We spent two very enjoyable days on the cliffs working with these flowers, but we felt like such vandals!

Part of the role of the local contact in a workcamp is to provide the group with an excursion or two. Jorfridur organised a boat trip for us (on two occasions), and we were able to go fishing and exploring the fjords. On one occasion, we visited a rescue house, which according to local legend is haunted. The story goes that a local man took a photo of a window in the house, and there was a face of a man in the picture. This man had been dead for 100 years. I also took a picture of the same window, however there is no man, or is there…

We also participated in the Fisherman’s Festival – there was a trip round the fjords on the big fishing boats, a BBQ, and a tug of war competition, where the losers had to jump in the fjord.

Finally, we found time to hike round the fjord, and this time, I cross the mountain range! I really enjoyed my first workcamp and am looking forward to my next in Flateyri in July. - Duncan

Ghost House

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Duncan's EVS adventure in Iceland continues...

2nd update from Duncan's EVS adventures in Iceland

It is now May and this is the second month of my stay in Iceland. So far it has been really hectic! The whole month is dedicated to training the EVS, who have come from all over Europe: Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, France, Scotland and Greece.

I finished April by taking part in a seminar based around immigration issues. Veraldavinir´s job was to organise this and make the participants feel welcome. Some lively discussions were created, but the group was able to have fun as well. Part of the seminar involved cleaning up the coastline next to the House of the President of Iceland (He wasn´t in!). We also involved some children from immigrant families and carried out an activity where they had to construct garbage animals.

A debate in Reykjavik City Hall was also part of the seminar. There were elections in Iceland on the 12th May and immigrantion is a big topic. Iceland has some of the toughest immigrantion laws in the world and so far only one person has claimed asylum in Iceland. It was very interesting to hear from organisations such as the Icelandic Red Cross and the international centre as well.

The begining of May started with meeting the new EVS and awaiting to move to Keflavik, to live on the ex NATO base. During this period, we are based in Gunnersholmie. Gunnarsholmie is a “busy” town with 4 houses and lots of sheep. Also, it has Gunnar, the manakin in the shower room!

The training began with an introduction to Iceland and the organisation. Icelandic naming is very confusing. Each person has a first name, and there surname is their father´s name, with son or dottir at the end. So Gunnar Gunnarson means Gunnar is the son of Gunnar. In addition, there was a day devoted to the clean up the coastline project. I ran two activities – a word association game related to the environment and a beach walk, where the participants had to note down the positive things on the coastline. Both activities were a success, despite the second activity not taking place near the sea. I discovered very quickly the coastline near Gunnersholmie is like a desert, complete with sandunes. Next time i will find the sea!

STILL NO MOVE TO KEFLIAVIK!

The second week of training involved working in the Botanical Gardens of Reykjavik. We were introduced to Icelandic flora and fauna (or the lack of!), and in the afternoon helped out in the gardens. I was in the vegetable patch (thinking of food again) and helped to add new soil. They grow most vegetables there including potatoes, onions, asparagus and carrots. For lunch, we were treated to tradditional blood and liver sausgage.

At last, we move to Keflavik! Living on the NATO airbase is strange. Its like a ghost town. Everything is in American, complete with Subway Sandwich. We spent a day moving furniture into the apartment. Those Americans had big ass TVs! From now on, my American name is Jack Calvin!

I am also learning Icelandic. This must be the hardest language in the world! They have words begining with Hv, which sounds like kf. So i can say:

Ég heite Duncan – my name is Duncan

Ég frá Brettlandi – I am from England

Ég erg tuttago oir tvegga aira – I am 22 years old

Einn Björ takk – one beer please

Hvað heite þu? – what is your name?

The training continues with a short seminar on leadership and conflict resolution. During this, we learned what a group is and how to communicate effectively, mainly through being blindfolded! I am still not sure how to resolve a conflict though; I just know what one is.

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