Volunteer Logs
Bilyana Iliykova - Teaching in Buddhist Monasteries, Nepal
I went to Nepal to teach English at a Buddhist school in Pharping for about 5 weeks in Jul-Aug 2007. The project was well-run, even though there were not many teachers attending the classes, they told us we (me and the other volunteers) can teach whatever we like, we didn't have to follow any program or anything. They said that anything will do, will help the kids with the language and that's what we tried to do - make it interesting and useful at the same time. The school had a very nice library with many books and materials that we could aid our classes with. At first I was thinking to do some teaching at the public school as well, but I liked the monastery too much and I spent all my time there. We ended helping with many of the other classes as there was a lack of teachers in many other subjects too. I would definitely recommend it to others. For me it was a once in a life time experience. The difficulties I met In Nepal were more from cultural shock and the quite harsh impressions that the extreme poverty had made on me. In this respect it was nice that from the organisation had organised language course with a very sweet girl, who was also my guide for the first few days, so I had some company when i most needed it. What I liked most it was probably the whole atmosphere at the monastery, with all the boys that accepted us. I've made some friends there who I'm still in contact with. There are so pure and genuine in their relationship, it was something we could learn from them too.
Volunteer in Nepal - Teaching in Buddhist Monasteries
Thomas Grosset - GoEco volunteer in Nazareth, Israel 2009
My trip can be summed up in 3 dimensions that met on the same experience: visiting of the county of Israel, getting to know the culture differences and meeting people.
My volunteering was a good opportunity to visit deeply the Galilee Region as it is really easy to go somewhere with the bus in Israel and of course have a deep insight in the city of Nazareth. Moreover, I have been able to take days off to go to different places in Israel (Dead Sea, Jerusalem,...) and see how diverse the country was. This experience has enabled me to travel in a really easy and convenient way. If I should give a piece of advice, volunteers should keep some days at the end of their stay to travel around as it takes a lot of time to see all the spots of high interest. This proves how rich, interesting and beautiful the region is.
My experience was also about getting to know the cultural differences better. Indeed, Israel is full of people from different religions and different cultural backgrounds. This volunteering has enabled me to understand the cultural diversity of Israel. I have been able to talk to different people thanks to my stay in the Fauzi and try to understand what Israel is made of. Even if I came back with many uncertainties about the country, I know more and better about the people composing this puzzling region. Moreover, Nazareth is an Arabic city. You can then experience a different side of Israel that is off the beaten track. Indeed, the media often induce us to believe that Israel is only Jewish and the occupied territories are only Arabic. Nazareth proves the media wrong and makes you experience how much Israel is more complex than just 2 territories fighting.
Finally, my experience was also about meeting people. First, I met local people. Secondly, I met other international volunteers and tourists. I can say now that some have become friends. I met new people every day which is also a highlight of my trip. I tend to think that the people you meet on a trip are what make it unforgettable
To put it in a nutshell, I would say that this month and a half in Israel has been really fulfilling. It has also been a great opportunity to change my prejudice about the country and discover a land I want to go back to.
Volunteer in Nazareth
David Foskett - GoEco volunteer for Jerusalem biblical zoo project, Israel 2007
All in all, my experience this year has been amazing. Volunteering at the zoo has enabled me to come into contact with so many different animals, many of which I am fascinated by. Additionally my observations of the zoo as a neutral place where all Jerusalemites can come and visit has made me feel proud to have worked in such an environment where discrimination is non-existen
My experience has been safe, enlightening, and very enjoyable. Nepal has a very rewarding cultural environment. The initial culture shock is quickly turned into a sense of belonging. I have never once felt anything but at home and completely welcomed.
My experience has been safe, enlightening, and very enjoyable. Nepal has a very rewarding cultural environment. The initial culture shock is quickly turned into a sense of belonging. I have never once felt anything but at home and completely welcomed.
Volunteer in Jerusalem and help the Biblical zoo staff
Israel - Desert Eco Lodge Volunteer Testimonials
Zora Kovacic - Volunteer Experience, March 2010
There is something powerful about the desert that makes you feel like you're not just passing by, but you're being pulled in. In a somewhat naked landscape, you also feel stripped of the unnecessary, the precautions, and the reservations that usually shield you from the outside world. A really strong connection to the land is almost immediate, a feeling that was reinforced by the fact that we worked outdoors, warmed by the sun. We woke up to the most beautiful sunrises, went swimming in the crater, stared at the stars at night. Days were hot, nights were cold and everything seemed to follow a natural order. I believe that human beings are connected to nature one way or another, may it be spiritual, instinctive or just by the fact that we live on it. These ties in the desert felt stronger than ever. For three weeks the feeling of uneasiness that makes me travel the world in search of a purpose disappeared. The essential part of my being was uncovered by the equally essential surrounding.
As these things go, people resemble their environment. The desert does something to you inside, and so do its people. Ziv is the hard working and highly committed project manager, with the good old Israeli habit of being a little rough around the edges, just barely hiding a very generous heart. His wife Maya has the most contagious laugh of the Negev and a warm smile that puts anyone in a good mood. The family is completed by their cute 3-year old daughter Omer. Working at the ecolodge are also two Bedouins, Salim and Salman. Salim was my guide, my story teller and my interpreter who managed to make me laugh until my stomach hurt. Salman is the proud representative of the Bedouins, always willing to share his experiences and his traditions and an incredibly kind person. Last but not least, I arrived at the ecolodge with another volunteer, Dominique, who proved a precious companion in this journey and a comforting shoulder to share impressions and experiences.
We spent our days building mud tents, pruning the vineyard, tearing weeds. Exhausted at first, I came to love this physical work and the satisfaction deriving from seeing the results of our work. We helped in the kitchen, in the restaurant, with the cleaning and shared the charm of hosting the passing tourists and collecting all sorts of stories from them. I spent hours talking to Salim, over a cup of tea or coffee, always a cigarette and sometimes a small fire. Salman took me on a ride in the crater where I saw the most gorgeous sceneries and met an old Bedouin who shared the ride with us. We all visited Salman's village and ate the traditional fire cooked bread while listening to his life's tale. I tried to learn some meditation techniques from Dominique at sunsets. And at every chance, I would jump in the car with Ziv and go anywhere, trying to take in as much as possible, interrogating Ziv on whatever came to mind and thirsty for information.
The work at the ecolodge comprised a project with the Bedouin kids, aimed at creating small groups of children that can serve as leaders to their communities and peers, so as to reinforce and take pride in their identity. As Israelis, the Bedouins are the non-Jews, Arabic speaking citizens that end up in the backstage of society. As Bedouins, they are the population of the desert - a privilege that should not be lost with the younger generations. As for my brief contribution, I organised a game for the kids where they could enjoy being outdoors, playing with clay, collecting stones and flowers, having their faces painted with mud and being chased after. The most powerful lesson on the futility of cultural barriers came exactly from the children: having fun does not need a common language or even a common background.
The ecolodge stands on the edge of a natural crater formed by thousands of years of erosion, so that from there one is spying inside the crust of the earth. What I did not realize is that the desert was also creeping inside my crust. I like to think that I did not just see the desert, but that the land of craters and its people have added something to what I am.
Laura Barlow, volunteering with Bedouin youth video - June 2010
Liz Texeira - Volunteer Experience February 2010.
This is how scary movies start. That was my first thought upon arriving at the Desert Shade Eco Lodge on that cold, black night in early February. We seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, Ziv, our program manager, was monosyllabic after a long day of driving and meetings, and when we went into our combined room with approximately 25V lighting, things looked dark. I had no idea that the next three weeks would challenge me physically, intellectually, and emotionally comfortable and cozy., or that I would leave with a sense of contentment; feeling a deep connection to the desert, the Spectors, and Israel itself.
We started doling out blankets-they weren't kidding when they said it gets cold in the desert-and I had a moment to look around. Our mud hut reminded me strongly of a tent with its sloping walls, open doorways, and feeling of semi-permanence, but it also had a glorious shower filled with hot water, a kitchenette, and a bathroom ensuite, making it decidedly more comfortable and cozy. Burrowed in sleeping bags and warmed by little space heaters I fell into an incredibly deep sleep, one that I will forever associate with the silence of the desert. The next morning we woke up and stepped out of our chadrologue to one of the most glorious panoramas I have ever seen. The Desert Shade Eco Lodge overlooks Ramon Crater, the world's largest crater created by erosion processes, and it is truly spectacular. The sunrises were magnificent and blinding masterpieces that seemed to take over the sky, (A site that three weeks later would still take my breath away as I turned to take a last photo the morning of my departure).
As we settled in for our orientation meeting with Ziv, our leader and a sort of seen-it-all-done-it-all version of Crocodile Dundee, Israeli style, we met his lovely family. Beautiful Maya, an Amazon Queen of the Negev, and someone I would eventually come to think of as my family away from home. Filled with blunt opinions, but always kind words and armed with a carrot cake recipe that made even children ask for the vegetable flavored concoction Maya was a font of information about life in the desert, at the Lodge, and in Israel and our conversations would oftentimes last long into the night. Their adorable daughter Omer (age 3) was singlehandedly teaching me the few words of Hebrew that I would remember long after I left the Negev. They lived on the premises in a desert bungalow and would oftentimes invite us over for tea and delicious dinners. Ziv explained that when we weren't eating with the Spector's we would have our very own kitchen at our disposal and a supermarket in the town of Mitzpe Ramon, a ten minute walk away. Despite numerous failed attempts at culinary basics (including one memorable afternoon in which I had smoke billowing out of the small kitchen's windows after setting a pan full of olive oil on fire) I feel proud to have mastered a few basic dishes, mainly through helping out at the Lodge's Friday dinners! In addition to the local supermarket there was a bank, a little clothing store, a few restaurants (including a shawarma stand), a Western Union office, a weekly fruit and vegetable market and a 24/7 gas station with attached convenience store (the only thing open in town on Shabbat).
Once we had the basics covered, food and lodging, we learned about some of the tasks that we would be doing to help out at the Lodge. Ranging from administrative work to physical labor our tasks ran the gamut and sure enough, over the next three weeks my tasks alternated from the mundane (dishes, dishes, and more dishes) to the gross (cleaning bathrooms) to the backbreaking (moving wheelbarrows of clay) to the intellectually stimulating (helping develop tourism materials and a website) to downright fun (playing games with Bedouin youth). One of the most meaningful days I had at the Lodge was the day that Ziv invited me to come along and work the Bedouin as part of the Desert Generation program, a social start-up for cross cultural youth dialogue. Here I played with Bedouin children and learned about a lifestyle completely different than my own- yet realized through our language-complicated discussions, that people are people wherever they are and everyone has hope for the future. I spent a lot of my time working in some capacity at the restaurant they had at the Lodge, from kitchen prep work (learning how to cook my own bread!) to setting up the guest dining room, to waitressing and then finally as part of the clean up team. I also spent a few days working on the Desert Shade Groups organic wine vineyard where in between meditative sessions with my grape shears and during water breaks I began to learn about the nuances of wine production.
Whatever my daily tasks, I never doubted for a second that the work I was doing directly benefited the Desert Shade Eco Lodge. There is something viscerally satisfying in volunteering with a small business, you know that everything you do makes daily life easier, and working within a desert lifestyle, a difficult lifestyle, the work is that much more satisfying. Being in the Negev, and having the opportunity to completely immerse myself in the culture of the desert with the support of the Spectors, was an experience that made my time in Israel. Physically demanding at times, intellectually satisfying at others, my time at the Desert Shade Eco Lodge is something that I will never forget and always appreciate.
South Africa - Orphaned Children program volunteer experience by Viv Malone 2010
I can honestly say that I loved being a part of this fabulous project which is why i have returned 4 times since for 3 months at a time. I have become part of the family and made a really good friend, Ellanie.
What did you do? At the school I did a number of things depending on my confidence and what needed doing at the time. Ellanie (the program manager) usually likes to know what you like doing and whether you have any particular skills. As I work with small children I helped out with the pre school children. I conducted singing lessons with them, read them stories and generally just played. In the other classrooms I helped mark the children's books, assist the teachers with what they are doing. The children love having new people at the school and are very affectionate with you. The teachers too are great,they are so grateful of all the help they get .A Monday morning assembly is the best. All the school (children 2 - 12) come together in the hall and sing. Its fantastic because they get so carried away and dance as well.
How was the lodging? The farm in which you stay is about 40 minutes drive away from the school and you drive in the morning with Ellanie herself at about 7am and return about 3pm. You stay in an apartment where there is a TV and DVD player. Ellanie has just recently got married and is in the process of renovating a big house for the volunteers which is opposite the house they are going to live in on a new farm. I have been there on lots of occasions and its really big. There are showers as well as baths so its very musch like a home away from home. All the food is provided by Ellanie. You help yourself to breakfast and lunch at the school. This can be anything from cereal, toast, fruit, sandwiches, soup or noodles. Then the evening meal is prepared at home and bought over to the house. On Sundays you prepare your own food at home or eat out if you are on an excursion.
What about free time? At the weekends and sometimes during the week you can go various excursions. These include the Kruger National Park where you can camp or stay in a chalet. Whilst there you can go on night drives etc. Tskudu is a private game reserve where you can stroke cheetahs and maybe walk with a lion cub. This is my favourite place because you can get so close to the animals. The 3 cheetahs completely fend for themselves but go back to camp for some company at times. The panorama tour is where you drive to the most amazing views, Blyde river canyon, potholes and many more.I like this tour because the views are in the tourist books you buy when visiting South Africa. The Eiland is a holiday resort about 15 minutes from the farm. It has outdoor swimming pools,entertainment,shop and restaurant. A lovely way of relaxing on a Sunday afternoon.
The project has become a very big part of my life and i try my best to raise funds for the children over here. Ellanie is a great person with an amazing passion. She loves what she does so much and takes great care of all the people who visit. She welcomes them into her home and treats them like family.Nothing is ever too difficult for her.
The story of a Kibbutz Lotan Go-Eco Volunteer Family
My wife Amy (40) and I Arron (43) made a decision to pull our family out of the day-to-day suburban world in Australia and venture on 5 month world trip. We wanted an experience that would expose our family of 5 to new cultures, languages, foods and most importantly different ways in which other families and societies co-exist in a less consumption-oriented way.
But was this possible? One month at Kibbutz Lotan in the Arava Desert in Israel ticked all the boxes and - as we were to discover - many more. Firstly we requested time away from school for our daughters 9 and 5. The school was very accommodating and recommended home schooling text books. Our plan was to home school an hour a day focusing on areas that we felt the kids needed to improve. Our goal was to have the kids remain or even advance their overall academic status on return. We rented out our house, requested leave without pay from our jobs and packed our bags. Once we decided to do it, it is was easy and nearly everyone around us commented about how jealous they were: we were taking control of our own lives.
What is this place? Kibbutz Lotan is a special place 40km north of Eilat bordering the magnificent Jordan mountains. Approximately 1.5 km long and 1 km wide it is a working Kibbutz that produces milk, dates, goat yogurt and cheeses. It's 50 members work and live towards a vision of "Jewish Renewal; Equality; Economic Cooperation; Community and Repairing the world". Kibbutz Lotan operates as a team with its members, long-term volunteers and short-term Go-Eco Volunteers (paying student/workers). There are also a group of paying 'Green Apprenticeship' students studying various aspects of permaculture who also work part of the time. Ultimately all these groups work, eat and play together as part of one community.
Family volunteering? Quickly our days on Lotan fell into a pattern. It gets hot in the desert so the working day starts early. One parent would rise early and start work. The rest of the family would soon follow. Work duties varied and were carefully selected so as to be child safe and friendly. On different days we might construct mud walls and houses, compost or harvest in the organic garden, or paint the children's eco-playground. Work finished late morning, which was when we did some schooling before lunch. The afternoons were filled with walks, reading books, playing and swimming in the beautiful shaded pool. Twice a week we were invited to lectures on the principles of 'Permaculture' or 'Sustainable Agriculture'.
What about free time? There really is something for everyone in the family here. We were all astounded by the free time created by having three healthy meals a day provided in the communal dining room. It was also a great social outlet. Not having to buy or prepare food left us more time to play with the kids, and watch and help our 11 month old crawl and talk. I loved the work and lectures, and the kids picked up more knowledge than we would have expected. I'll be composting everything when I return and putting in a solar oven; honest the food tastes better. The kids loved all the games in Hebrew with their new friends. As Lotan is an enclosed area with virtually no cars, kids on their bikes run this place. Amy enjoyed spending time to understand life on a kibbutz through conversations with members and volunteers. Hanging with the 20's set was great fun. The entire experience is a good change from the school drop off/corporate slog/rushed meal/bed routine.
What did you do on the weekends? On weekends when we weren't playing in the sand dunes or hiking up to mountain outlooks, we would catch a bus South to Eilat to do some snorkelling in the Red Sea. This was the only time we used cash in the whole month. Consider that when looking at the charges as it will include all food, all activities and all learning experiences. All in all a great experience where we felt like part of the community. We did it easily with a 1, 5 and 9 year old and discovered many simple ways of living without wasting resources and precious time. It has helped us prioritize what's really important.
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Australia - Conservation Volunteer Experiences
I loved playing cards at night, kangaroo and possum searches, darts tournaments with locals, good food, learning some Korean from fellow volunteers, seeing aboriginal paintings... oh yeah, getting muddy too! I'm now a pro puller of black willows - weeds!" Emily, Nottingham
I spent 2 weeks in Guyra helping with tree planting and wildlife survey projects - really good team and team leader - had a brilliant laugh! Then spent a week on beach restoration at Waigete - beautiful area and a picnic lunch on the beach every day! It's a good way to see unusual parts of Oz and make a difference while you're there." Steve, Liverpool
I loved the satisfaction of helping to build something - a stile and a boardwalk - that is going to be used by people many times over... it gives the opportunity to get off the backpacker trail and see remote places."
Linda, Bath
One project involved working with local school children to plant trees, and being involved in environmental education activities - fun and rewarding. It was also great to see parts of the surrounding area - beautiful - and have a barbecue at Lake Eacham!" Helen, London
it was great - building fences around rain forest near Malanda, north Queensland, to protect tree kangaroo habitat - wonderful animals, and we met some lovely local people who made us feel so welcome. Excellent fun, great way to meet people and see parts of Australia you wouldn't otherwise, and to top it all, it is very beneficial to the environment!"
Chris, Edinburgh
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