Partner :: Partner Stories

Please browse our archive of stories posted by our international Partners.

 

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they need a roof on their little heads

July 29, 2010

Project Why, India

Yesterday I got my first monthly report from BiharWhy. I sat a long time reading the two neatly typed pages, my eyes moist and a lump in my throat. Was this really happening? Somehow it all seemed to good to be true but true it was. All the years spent trying to empower people and make them believe in themselves had borne fruit. Even the gentle prods on the wisdom of taking the road back home and reversing the migration seemed to have worked. It almost seemed I had come full circle, even if it was in a tiny way.I was reminded of the umpteen staff meetings where I had urged my proteges to walk the extra mile and fly on their own wings, and where I...

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Community Development

July 28, 2010

Ghana ACT, Ghana

          Four volunteers - Tom Sutter, Sol Tangvik, Evan Yandle and Liam Lynch - helped begin construction of a nursery school in Saviefe-Deme this summer, 2010. Saviefe-Deme is a rural community of about 500 people. Primarily famers, when the parents are away at their fields, the young children are left with little supervision and no education. The community collectively decided their most pressing need to be a nursery school. The nursery school will provide a place to take care of the little ones while laying a strong foundation for their future education.            The volunteers shoveled and carried sand and rocks from around the community to the work site. They broke larger rocks into small stones which will later be mixed with cement and used for the foundation. They leveled ground...

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Volunteer Blog - Jules Hatfield July 2010

July 26, 2010

Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru

Is Pisco a beautiful place? If beauty is defined by the amount of fancy houses and expensive cars a suburb has; by the high class restaurants and shopping centres; or maybe even the amount of nice parks and gardens that can be explored during quiet afternoons; then no it isn't. But if you measure beauty by the character, the comradely, the good will and the unity that this town produces day in and day out in desperate times of need; then Pisco is amazingly beautiful. This place is a roller-coaster of mental, physical and emotional challenges. You have your days when you feel on top of the world, and you have the days where you want to cry. But at the end of the day it's the smiles, the laughter,...

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Volunteer Blog (Bio Diesel)- TJ Lee July 2010

July 26, 2010

Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru

BIODIESEL BLOG Day 5-15 July 7th, 2010 The Biodiesel room, just completed with western style swinging doors, is located in the corner of the lot and has the largest footprint of any other project. The rig was once operational but, since it was moved from the old house, it’s been in need of some help. That’s why I’m here: to turn this array of tanks, pipes, and pumps into a fully functional Biodiesel Station.                I have begun work redoing some of the plumbing, and building a Methoxide reactor.  I must have been to the market a dozen times by now - good thing it’s only one sole fifty (about 50 cents) and a bumpy mile ride via a mototaxi.  Also known as Tuk Tuks, these are three-wheeled mopeds with a...

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Volunteer Blog - Laura Morgan July 2010

July 26, 2010

Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru

I’ve only spent a short time here in Pisco, Peru... but it has been amazing! Pisco is impoverished and greatly damaged from an earthquake that hit several years ago, which destroyed a significant portion of the town, as well as took many lives. Pisco Sin Fronteras is an amazing organization that is helping to rebuild in all sorts of ways. The people who make up Pisco Sin Fronteras are individuals from all parts of the world who have come together for a common purpose, and we work hand in hand beautifully together... This is how the entire world should operate.  I’ve only been here a short while, but I already feel like I have become part of not only a group dedicated to helping the people of Pisco, but also...

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The Crawling Boy in Makoko

July 24, 2010

Hope for HIV/Aids Life Support International, Nigeria

THE CRAWLING BOY IN MAKOKOWhen you walk through the shanty buildings on your right into the community and get across a local church called the Foursquare Gospel Church down the lane to your very straight right is a wood building where you will always see a boy crawling almost every time.His name is Friday and was born on 15th March 2002, moment after delivery he was expected to to hear the newly born crying but the case was not and with panic and curiosity the Nurses came up with idea of giving him some certain injections which were suspected as the eventual course of Fridays present predicament. Several herbal/native treatments did not helpFridays growth over the years has been abnormal as he cannot walk, unable to talk normally like every...

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Alice & her Baby

July 24, 2010

Hope for HIV/Aids Life Support International, Nigeria

ALICE & HER NEW BABYAlice Apofo is a 25years old, she is was born dump and deaf which make unable to communicate with people effectively, along with this was the state of her mental faculty, Alice has a mental imbalances and behave abnormally always.She leaves with her mother who is a Widow along with 8 other siblings in a single room apartment build with plank in an environment filled with dirty on the end part of the water community.Alice had a baby 4year ago and due to her very poor and un-hygienic condition coupled with her mental state, the baby died few days after, the man responsible for Alice pregnancy was not known as she could not talk.On 5th February Alice gave birth to another baby boy in a local...

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Firing On All Cylinders

July 23, 2010

LHA, India

It is monsoon season here in the foothills of the Himalayas. This however has not stopped volunteers and students from coming together in the classroom. There are approximately 215 students that pass through the narrow halls of the LHA every day. They are taking a variety of different classes; English, Spanish, French, Chinese, computer, and massage. Looking down the hallway in between classes is almost like being at the United Nations. People from all over the world congregate in the library and other open spaces. There is always a steady supply of volunteer teachers here at the LHA, something the refugee population is very appreciative of. It is however sometimes a bit difficult to tell the difference between student and...

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Paulino Salgado in the News

July 19, 2010

Colegio Paulino Salgado, Colombia

In the past year, Colegio Paulino Salgado has received alot of attention from the community due to several articles in Barranquilla's local newspaper giant, El Heraldo. The prinicpal, cultural events, the school's first American volunteer, and several of the students have been featured.Here are the links to the articles in Spanish: www.elheraldo.com.co/ELHERALDO/BancoConocimiento/0/0futuro_a_ta_ku_suto_el_futuro_esta_con_nosotros/0futuro_a_ta_ku_suto_el_futuro_esta_con_nosotros.aspThis article describes the African traditions and cultures which  influence the curriculum used at Paulino Salgado as well as explaining a few of the obstacles the school has overcome since it's creation in 2007.www.territoriochocoano.com/secciones/regional/559-ser-afro-es-un-privilegio-de-dios.htmlThis article was published on National Women's Day and describes the achievments made by the Director at Paulino Salgado, Denny Lloreda  and how her hard work has made her a leader in the movement for AfroColombian rights.www.elheraldo.com.co/ELHERALDO/BancoConocimiento/0/0colombiaelpais/0colombiaelpais.aspFeaturing the first long term volunteer at Paulino Salgado, this article...

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World Cup

July 11, 2010

Ghana ACT, Ghana

Last week Ghana lost its quarter finals soccer match to Uruguay and was eliminated from the World Cup. Despite this loss, the people could not be happier with their team's accomplishment. When the Black Stars returned to Ghana there were thousands of people at the airport, having bused in from all around the country, waiting to greet the players. One woman held the sign "Welcome home our HEROES". Despite the heartbreaking loss, the success of the team has been a tremendous source of national pride and it has been an incredible experience for all of us volunteers to share with the people.

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