Katie reports back from Dubai

Katie went to Dubai with Changing Worlds back in September 2009.



She completed a eight month work placement with us. Katie clearly had a wonderful time away and this is her report back on her whole experience:
Outdoor Educational Experience - Dubai 2009/10
For my gap year 2009/10 I flew to Dubai and undertook a 7 month placement in outdoor education. The experience was fantastic and I gained a great deal of knowledge in the outdoors field.
On average we spent 5 out of 7 days outside of Dubai in either Al Dhaid or Kalba. Our desert camp was situated in Al Dhaid. It had two huge barasti tents, 12 8-man tents for the kids and 12 cabins for the instructors and teachers. It was a lovely spot and ideal for the kids as they could run about and have a sense of freedom. The huge sand dunes around the camp were great for sand boarding and we had an on-site high ropes course and climbing wall. The only concern in terms of health and safety were the inhabitants of the desert; mainly the ‘three S’s’: Snakes, Scorpions and Spiders. Vigilant safety checks were performed every night and every morning and so the risk was considerably reduced. Didn’t stop me shaking my sleeping bag every night though!
In the heat of the day the desert can be quite difficult to work in, but we all learnt to manage and before long coped really well. The climate of the UAE required a lot of personal drive to work through the conditions. It was extremely hot in the day and humid at night. It definitely aided character building because you have to remain enthusiastic and energetic when all you want to do is siesta! It’s difficult in the first few weeks but you soon become acclimatised. In the winter it became more pleasant and bearable and even got to a point where it was cold at night.
Half the days and all the nights were spent at the desert camp and half the days were spent in Kalba. Due to my lack of qualifications I did not get the chance to belay and therefore wasn’t needed a great deal in the desert. On occasion I was required to help out with desert activities such as assisting in putting on harnesses, ensuring the health and safety of the children and occupying them when their involvement in the activity was not required but the majority of my working week was spent at Kalba.
Green Turtle have two desert camps; one at the back of the campsite and another at a location a few miles away. At the second location facilities were similar but an added bonus was the advanced high ropes course and the outdoor swimming pool. The opportunity to use this site depended on the school’s wishes. One school asked that we hike from camp 1 to camp 2. I had the opportunity to lead a hiking group and it was a great walk. The best bit about walking to camp 2 was knowing that a cool swimming pool lay at the end. I enjoyed supervising swimming because often we were able to swim ourselves.
In Kalba we have an ideal location to run kayaking, canoeing, fishing, survival and beach game activities. The mangroves around the coast of Kalba (the East coast of the UAE) provided a beautiful ecosystem and a great educational environment. We would take the students on river trips and teach them about the importance of caring for these areas as it will not be long before such areas are no more. When you think of the UAE you think of buildings, sand, desert etc. but the mangroves offer a whole new perspective on the country. The trees, the water and the wildlife combined, create a different setting to which the students are used to and this in itself is a rewarding experience.
My role was quite an important one because as time went by I was given the opportunity to take my own sessions. At first I copied the other instructor’s structure but as I developed my skills my lesson structure took its own shape.
The common choice for schools was 1 desert day (rock climbing, high ropes, orienteering, teambuilding), 1 Kalba day (canoeing, kayaking, beach games, fishing) and 1 day of working with horses (on this day we partnered up with another company called Hoofbeatz and the students had the opportunity to groom and interact with horses.)
Most weeks involved the same routine but occasionally schools asked for a variation in the programme. On such days we may add sand boarding, tug of war, survival skills, bush craft or raft building to the itinerary. When the weather became too hot for the desert we organised dhow cruises, trips to a falcon shows or the wildlife centre. The schedule depended on the school’s wish and Green Turtle were amazingly flexible in catering for the school’s need.
Occasionally a school would require us to facilitate a duke of Edinburgh (or equivalent) expedition and I was involved in the majority of these - I even walked part of the silver D of E with one group! My favourite moment on a D of E was lying in the back of a pickup and falling asleep under the stars.
One thing I have loved about this placement is the way in which I have been given responsibilities like every other member of staff. I was worried to start with, that because I was a gap student I wouldn’t be made useful, but it was quite the opposite. The other instructors and the senior members of staff all made me feel like a member of the team. In fact the only difference between myself and the qualified staff was the fact that I didn’t belay and wasn’t in charge of the day’s decisions.
In our spare time we went back to Dubai and were able to spend it as we pleased. We stayed in a hotel on our days off. Not just any hotel, but a fancy one with plush rooms and a fully fitted gym/ sauna and pool. Definitely definitely not what I was expecting when I left for Dubai. Usually after a full week’s work we were so tired that we ended up relaxing by the pool at the weekend. For the energetic ones the weekend was spent rock climbing or hiking.
There are plenty of sights in Dubai that I was able to visit. We went to Old Dubai, the Palm and many shopping malls and souks such as Madinat Jumeirah. We did our daily shopping in the second biggest mall in the world!
I went camping in the mountains of the UAE on a few occasions; mainly at work when facilitating the D of E but also in my own time. The mountains are beautiful and offer yet another side to the UAE. You can drive up the middle of some of them with rocky mountains stretching high on either side. On numerous occasions I have slept outside on the ground by the camp fire. This was something not only brand new but a challenge in itself; I am not a huge fan of creepy crawlies! You learn however, to forget the pests and admire the nature for what it is. I will never forget these moments because they have shaped me into a new hardened up character that will no doubt be beneficial in the future.
Dubai is an amazing place. I would go as far as to say it is out of this world. Everything is so extreme. The buildings are the biggest in the world, the Burj Khalifa is the biggest building in the world and there are even talks of building the seven wonders of the earth. Dubai really is an extraordinary place. Having said this when I was there was still definitely evidence of it being a third world country. The politics in which the country is based on are crazy. The social system leaves something to be desired as well.
Culturally Dubai doesn’t really give a feel for life in the middle East as only 20% of residents are local Emirates. The other 80% are expats from all over the world. I found Kalba on the other hand to be much more of a cultural experience. It was an extremely friendly fishing village and we found we were welcomed there with open arms. The fishermen would help us when we were in need and likewise anything we could to do to help (such as fetch them a bottle of water) we did so willingly. We had a restaurant there that we regularly ate at. I never tasted Indian cuisine so good. Highly recommend. The restaurant is called ‘restaurant’!
The people on my course were amazing. We became so close so quickly. This was partly because we were living together and partly because it was necessary for us to work as a team to be successful instructors. We didn’t really have any problems with each other but any issues that did arise were quickly dealt with.
Unfortunately with being underage, opportunities to meet new people on nights out were scarce. However the teachers of each school varied in personas and so it was great to meet a new mix of people each week. No school was ever the same.
Kids also varied from school to school and so the ability to adapt quickly was necessary. I feel this is a major skill I have gained as I can now teach a range of ages and personalities and change my teaching style accordingly. Confidence is another quality I have developed. Standing in front of a group of young people and speaking out was quite a challenge for me in the beginning but soon became more natural.
My advice to anyone wishing to undertake this placement is: Go for it! If you are interested in a career in the outdoors this is a perfect opportunity to get a feel for what it will be like. Most companies do not employ without qualifications, yet Green Turtle allow you to gain experience in the field even though you’re not technically working for them. Even if you’re not intending to go into outdoor education this placement allows you to develop skills you may not even know you possessed. Simply living it rough in a tent for a night might be a lifelong character building experience, it was for me. My second piece of advice - and one that I myself was given previous to leaving for Dubai - is to live each day to the full. Really make the most of each day because you only get out of it what you put in. The experience is really what you make it.
My advice for David... When I first applied for the placement I was given a lot of information and the reactions to my emails were quick. The interview process was excellent and I liked how I found out very soon whether I had been accepted - This was fantastic. However after about a month I felt like the communication fell a little and I was left wondering what preparations I needed to make next. I understand that these things were probably stated in the meeting that I didn’t manage to attend but even so, that meeting was scheduled quite close to the departure date. I think if we had an additional pack of information halfway between the interview and the induction day then we would feel a little more confident about the up and coming trip. For most gap students moving away to a brand new country is quite daunting and so they need to feel like they are being supported every step of the way. Having said this, going to a brand new country and settling in for myself was a huge experience in itself so it wasn’t detrimental that I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for. This is purely a piece of advice from me to you that may or may not benefit gap students in the future. Whilst I didn’t mind either way, some people will want to know exactly what to expect.
Overall this placement has been fantastic and if I had the opportunity to go back I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I have gained many skills and developed on the qualities I already possessed. I was able to push personal boundaries and consequently I have become a stronger person. I can now take this experience away with me and use it to progress in outdoor education. It has been an enlightening 7 months and has shown me a career path that I never knew existed. I can now advance up the outdoor educational career ladder with this experience as a strong foundation. My sincere thanks to David, Graham and everyone else who has made this possible.
Thanks Katie for your feedback.

Beccky updates on fundraising for St Stephens orphanage

Becky continues her efforts to raise funds for St. Stephens orphanage in Nakuru in Kenya. Becky and Ben Lock are former volunteers who went away with Changing Worlds last year. Becky writes via Facebook:
Hi David,
hope you are well.
Things are going well with fundrasing now.
Myself, Ben Lock and a few friends and family completed the London-Brighton cycle on sunday, it was good but very tough.
Once i have collected my sponsorship from that as well as another event at church i should have around £1000 which is my target to have by july when i go back to kenya for 4 weeks.
I also know that some of the others have had/ have coming up fundraising events for the orphanage and Zoe's Nakuru workers feeding programme.
The only concern that many of us still have with the orphanage is the issue of running it. We dont want to put a few more thousand into the building if there are going to be no children living there but we definitely dont want to waste the money already gone into it.
It is difficult to communicate with Karanja about this because he is so busy do you know any more about this issue?
In addition to this i am in the process of setting up a link between my mums school in worthing and Kiamaina. I did 2 assemblies there yesterday and hopefully the children are going to write letters and raise a bit of money.
Becky
We wish Becky continued good luck with her fundraising. If you feel you would like to mkae a donation, however small, it would be appreciated. Let me know via e-mail to:
david@changingworlds.co.uk

Read our Newsletter for April 2010

Our latest updates in our April 2010 newsletter.

Features include issues of fundraising, updates on our placements in Brazil and China and an interesting video of one of volunteers playing the part of a pop star whilst in Kenya.

http://www.changingworlds.co.uk/Home.aspx?vurl=%2f%2fRoot%2fContent%2fNewsletterApril2010

Enjoy!

Jack in China provides a useful video link about Nanshan

Changing Worlds has been sending volunteers to Shandong province in North East China for the last four years. Our volunteers mainly teach english language to primary school children. In return volunteers are taught Mandarin Chinese through the teachers.

Jack, the Changing Worlds representative, has sent us a video link about Nashan.

Most of volunteers either teach in the city called Yantai (city number 26 in the old communist speak!) or in the neighbouring (up and coming) town of Nashan.

Jack writes:
Dear David,

Now we have uploaded the following video clip of Nanshan online for volunteers to watch for free. I hope you could remember from your previous visit to Nanshan.

THIS IS NANSHAN!

Enjoying watching this video from Yantai.

Regards.
Jack

Enjoy!

Zoe is jumping from a plane for Kenyan kids!

Zoe Kelland is fund raising for the children at Nakuru Workers. Zoe worked as a volunteer for six months at the school and identified a very important issue.

Zoe writes via Facebook:
Hello!
In May or June I will be skydiving from a plane somewhere above Nottingham and hoping to dear God that I don't just plummet into a tree.
I am doing this for the school in Kenya that I spent 6 months teaching at last year. 70 children at the school only eat one meal a day and I don't think this is fair.

ALL money raised from my skydive will pay for free lunches for these children.

• 25p pays for one child's lunch.
• £15 will feed a child for a term.
• £45 will feed a child for a YEAR.

The kids are the friendliest, loveliest, most hard working people you could ever meet, and they deserve better than one meal per day. The kids who don't eat enough cannot concentrate at school and achieve so much less than they could if fed properly.
Please help them have a fair chance at doing well in school and achieving a better future for themselves.
If you could donate anything you can I, and the children in Kenya, would appreciate that so much. Just the amount we'd spend on a night out makes so much difference. To donate go to http://www.justgiving.com/Zoe-Kelland

Thank you so much :) Zoe xxx

I hope you feel you can make a donation towards Zoe's fundraising efforts. A donation, however small, will be well received.

Zoe is aiming to get UK£1 000 for the children at the school through her sky diving.

Changing Worlds has played our small part by donating UK£45 to the cause - I hope you can too!

I will keep you updated with Zoe's fundraising efforts.

Livvy completes the London Marathon and raises funds for the children in Kenya

Huge congratulations to Livvy Partington for successfully completing the gruelling London Marathon last week.

Livvy writes via Facebook:
Hope you are well, I did the marathon on Sunday and I have got £1000 for the orhanage from it so hopefully with all our fundraising we'll be able to get it off the ground this year! Speak soon, Livvy'

Livvy, a former Rugby School student, went to Nakuru last summer with Changing Worlds. She spent three months working in an orphanage for street children.

Such is the impact these kids had on her life Livvy is determined to not only give her own time but to continue to work for their benefit.

Well done Livvy!

News Update - read the March 2010 Changing Worlds newsletter

Read our latest March 2010 newsletter at:
http://www.changingworlds.co.uk/Home.aspx?vurl=%2f%2fRoot%2fContent%2fNewsletterMarch2010

News updates includes further information about the on going political situation in Bangkok, Thailand, our new Changing Worlds placements in Germany and New Zealand and updates from participants from around the World.

Shannon offers advice on volunteering overseas

Shannon is offering potential volunteers some worthy words of advice:

How to Enhance Your Volunteering Abroad Experience
It’s not only a way to help other people, it’s also a great way to see more of the world and broaden your horizons.

In short, volunteering abroad is a two-way street that generates as many advantages for you as it does for the community you’re volunteering in. You get to learn about new cultures and experience the lives of people who belong to those cultures; you’re able to travel and visit new places and countries and meet new people who will change your life in various ways; and besides all this, you’re making a positive difference in the lives of the people you choose to live amongst.

If you’ve decided to be a volunteer abroad and are looking to make your volunteering experience more fruitful and enjoyable, here’s what you could do:
· Choose a country you’re comfortable with:
Don’t go somewhere just because your friends are going or because it’s the in thing to do. Rather, choose to volunteer at a location where you’ll be comfortable – with the weather, the way of life, the culture, the language, and the people. When you’re at ease in your environment, you find it easier to be a better volunteer and be of help to the community you’ve chosen to live amongst.
· Learn about the country and people you will be visiting:
It’s not that hard to learn about the ways and customs of any country and people today, what with the Internet throwing open to us a world of resources that were not available easily a few decades ago. So before you board that plane, take some time to know the country and people you’re going to visit and volunteer in, not just to broaden your knowledge, but also to find ways to improve your volunteering services and customize them to the needs of the locals.
· Respect their culture and customs:
You may find their culture and customs strange and even weird at times, but even if you don’t agree with their way of life or adapt to it, respect it. Don’t make fun of their ways of doing things or look down on them. And even if you cannot bring yourself to do as Romans do in Rome, be tolerant and understanding and remember that you are the stranger there, not them.
· Learn a little of their language:
You don’t have to go the whole hog and become fluent in their native tongue, but it would help if you learned a few words and phrases that are used often. This will help you bond better with the people you’re living amongst and make you a better volunteer in the long run.
· Keep an open mind:
And last, but certainly not the least, keep an open mind when it comes to new experiences and trying out something that seems strange to you. When you’re open to change, you not only adapt to it better and faster; you also become more mature and more knowledgeable because of your experiences.

Thanks Shannon.

By-line:
This guest post is contributed by Shannon Wills, she writes on the topic of Online Engineering Degree . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com.

Graham sets up a new Field Studies Centre in Dubai

Graham our rep based in Dubai in the Middle East has enjoyed an incredibly successful year. He has continued to work hard at building up relationships with local schools in tne city.

His company offers opportunities to school children to enjoy outdoor education. Over the last two years volunteers from Changing Worlds have been supporting Graham teaching the kids things like kayaking, teambuilding, surviving skills for the desert and trekking (to name but a few!)

This year due to this success Graham is looking to expand the programme to include a Field Studies Centre.

He writes:

'The Graduates will need to have an interest/academic background in either or field studies, Geography/Biology and environmental sciences.

They need to be comfortable working with students from 8 to 18 years old and be passionate about the Outdoors. The Field Studies will be run from two main locations. Our Mangrove centre, where we utilise a large house boat as a teaching platform that takes students into the heart of the Mangroves. Overnight accommodation is in our field studies centre on the Umm Al Quwain coast.

For the desert field studies we have a centre in the heart of the sand dunes with tented accommodation with easy access to the study area.

The placement will run from approx 20th Sept 2010 to end May 2011. Graduates will receive shared accommodation, access to a vehicle to drive (if over 21), use of all centre equipment, all food provided while working on the placement and allowance of 2000 dirhams per month. (Gap year students 1000 per month)

Working hours are flexible but we are looking at a 5 day working week with a two week holiday over Christmas.

The placement is suited to a Graduate who is truly conscientious about the environment and is keen to pass on their knowledge to students. An interest in Outdoor Ed Adventure is an advantage. The Graduates would need an up to date first Aid qualification as would the Gap Year students.

The placement, similar to the Adventure camps, is not suitable for an individual who is keen to "party hard". There are a number of restrictions as we are living in a muslim country.'

If you are interested in finding out more about either the New Field Studies position or the existing Outdoor Education programme then drop me a line to:

david@changingworlds.co.uk and I can provide you with further information.

Jack invites volunteers to spend a Summer in China

Jack Lui our representative in Yantai, China has devised the new Summer programme for volunteers.

He writes:
Summer Volunteer Teaching Program in China
Enriching Yourself While Helping Others in Need!
Place and Location:
Various affiliate campuses throughout Yantai City, Shandong Province, P.R. China
Program Description:
_ Teaching conversational English in class
_ Local hiking and excursion activities
Workload:
About 4-6 hours per day from Monday to Friday
Categories of Age Groups:
_ 6-12 years old (primary pupils);
_ 13 to 15 years old (junior high school students);
_ 16-18 years old (senior high school students);
_ 19 to 23 years old (college students).
Program Dates:
Four weeks in July and August 2010
Recommended Date for 2010:
Starting Date: July 12 (Monday)
Ending Date: August 6 Friday)
Program Fee:
GB£2 020 per person, including the following items:
_ Accommodation on campus during the program
_ Three meals in school cafeteria per day during the program placement.
_ Internet access on campus;
_ Airport pick-up and see-off service in Yantai;
_ Program supervision and logistics service;
_ Any emergency aid 24/7;
_ International return airfare from London Heathrow to Yantai, China (via Beijing).
Excluding the following costs:
_ Overseas insurance and medical bills if any;
_ Visa fees;
_ Any personal expenses such as the drinks, taxi, phone, laundry and traveling costs in China etc.
Jack Liu

Photo: Jack and David enjoying a quiet lunch

If you would like to know more then contact me at:

david@changingworlds.co.uk

Ross reports back after his adventures in Ghana

Ross and James continue to enjoy their time in Kumasi in Ghana. They are both completing a medical placement in the city.

Recently they have been travelling north to the Mole National Park. The park is famous for its elephants - as captured by this photograph:

Ross writes:
Hi David,
yes thanks, we are both settling into the routine well
now. everything is great,
please find the photos attached, ones
in mole and the other was taken when we were travelling by land rover
from mole park to the hippo sanctuary 6 hours or so away. it broke down
in a small desolate village full of kids and i decided to give them a
long english lesson in the dirt! well, anyway, they were the two photos
ive chosen.
hope all is well in the uk,
ross
p.s.
we understand there are other gappers coming out soon? when are they
coming? francis wasnt overly sure with exact dates. would be great to
know so we can make plans.

Unfortunately I did get a photo of the broken down land rover - I hope to receive this soon!

Iwan and Gareth are putting in the new goal posts

You may recall in a previous mail some weeks ago that Iwan and Gareth, two of our volunteers in Nakuru in Kenya, were busying them selves putting in goal posts at one of our orphanages.

I asked for a photo of them in action and here it is:

Iwan, in his Changing Worlds t-shirt, digging!

Can't wait to see the finished product!

Richard asks for help - starting a pen pal scheme!

Richard went to Kenya in September 2008 with Changing Worlds and did some volunteering. He has since this time returned and clearly is keen to keep links with this East African country.

(This is Rich in Kenya!)

He asks for help from our present volunteers based in Nakuru in Kenya. He writes:
Hello,

'I have been talking to David Gill, I am a past volunteer for Changing Worlds and spent my gap year in Kenya aswell. I was a volunteer at Kagoto Primary school and St. Stephens orphanage. I worked there throughout my time in Kenya and since returning home have decided to set up a pen pal scheme between any of the children you are working with in Kenya and children I work with here.

The children and Young people I work with in the UK are all Looked after and in Foster Care of some form. They have all wrote letters, which I will be sending out to Karanja this weekend again as I have a feeling they may have got lost in the post last time I sent them.

I have attached a letter from myself to those letters with a return envelope in with my business address on. I would really appreciate it if one of you does not mind using the letters and getting the Kenyan children to reply to a specific young person and co-ordinate the returns for me.

One other thing, would anyone of you mind writing a letter that gives the YP an idea of what you are doing in Kenya and what life is like? Could you please post it to Richard Hartley, Access Service, East Durham Education Centre, York Road, Peterlee, SR8 2DP, UK as soon as possible please?

I know that’s a lot to ask as I don't even know any of you, but I am really keen to set up a penpal scheme that will enable children on both sides the chance to learn about another culture. I also know that the Kenyan children are forever interested in talking to people from England.

Whoever is interested in doing this or does not mind, could you please reply directly to this email to let me know?

I will ensure all costs are covered so that you do not incur a penny!

I really do appreciate any help you can offer me, please send on my regards to the family/ children and Karanja.

Thanks,

Richard'


Richard is presently work with disadvantaged children in his home town of Durham in the North East of England.


I await a response from our volunteers - what an exciting projects for all those children wherever they are in the World.


Carry on the good work Rich - help make the World a better place!

Ross and James settle in to new life in Kumasi, Ghana

Ross and James went out to Kumasi in Ghana a fortnight ago. They are doing a medical placement with us. I was keen to see how they were settling in. Ross replied:
'Hi David, Apologies, we have been meaning to send you an email, but we've been quite busy and getting settled. Everything so far is great.
The family we are staying with are lovely. James and I are slowly being allowed to wash up and contribute to the household tasks contrary to what they insist!
We paid a visit to Kumasi market today, managed to get home alrite on the tro tro but with a slash of worry about getting lost- all turned out ok though. We have a phone and francis's number.
Francis (the rep) is also awesome, cool bloke.
Thanks though for telling us about Ghana maybe time (GMT), as francis certainly seems to operate by it at all times! We had fu fu today at the hospital cafe, not overly keen, but all other food has been scrumptious.
Many thanks for everything you and shirley have done in organising this placement.
We look forward to going to Mole national park in mid march with the girls/francis. We'll let you know how we get on,
All the best, Ross / James :)
Looks like they are getting in to the lifestyle...but perhaps not so much the food at this early stage!

News Update - read the February 2010 Changing Worlds newsletter

Find out about our exciting new developments at Changing Worlds.

News updates include our new martial arts programme in China and a video of a Great White shark off South Africa.

Find out more at:
http://www.changingworlds.co.uk/Home.aspx?vurl=%2f%2fRoot%2fContent%2fNewsletterFebruary2010

Enjoy!

Iwan and Gareth get working on the soccer field

Iwan and Gareth are clearly working hard in Nakuru in Central Kenya. They are working at a school.

Iwan writes:
Hello David!!!!
Placements are going really well! Gareth and I are buliding goals in pistis this week. We dug the holes on Tuesday and are going to cement and put the posts in tomorrow! weather is a bit iffy at times.
We were wondering last night if there are going to be any new mzungu's joining us in a few months?
All is well apart from that.
(Note: Mzungus = Europeans)

I have had asked for photos taken before and after - I await a response.

Selvyn at Prema Vasam in India provides an update

Selwyn, one of our hosts at his orphanage in Southern India, provides an update. He writes:

'Dear David,

Lots of love and greetings from Prema Vasam!

We have so many things to write to you, celebrated Christmas and New Year. Later we celebrated Pongal too. Now it is the time to concentrate more towards studies and other activities.

Our first child Indra has passed in distinction in the fifth semester of MCA studies, these days she is busy in preparing the project for the completion of the course, as it is we are always proud of her. Indra is incharge for the free tuition centre, nearly 120 poor children are getting benefitted. Indra teaches and coaches the 10th standard students, last year one of her students Leelavathy got 452/500 marks, Indra gave a nice gift (watch) to Leelavathy on the annual day.

One of our college going girls Miss Benitta has donated blood last month happily. Benitta is doing final year of her college, please pray for the success of her studies and for her future. Miss Soni who is doing B.Sc Nursing got a price for the essay competition at the national level in the “Competition Success” magazine.
Our college going girls got their fifth semester results too. Anisha, Anitha, Kalaichelvi, Suganya have got first class whereas Benitta has passed in second class. Unfortunately Lakshmi and Radha has failed in the fifth semester, both of them are so upset and sad. Of course all our college going girls do so much work in looking after our special children, they are very supportive and helpful.

On 4th February our boys home was inaugurated by Sonia Bonfiglioli, the director of Bonfiglioli groups. She is so happy to support and promised to help us in the coming days for our children.

Couple of our college going girls Radha and Benitta have got trophies for the college tournament and we are so proud that Radha got champion of champions trophy in her college.

Today one of our children Prema is celebrating her 14th birthday, please pray for her.

We are desperately trying our best to get a piece of land to extend our service to many more physically and mentally challenged and less fortunate children. Sometimes we are discouraged and disappointed while we approach the government officers for the same. Please remember our children and this special intention during the moments of grace. I am extremely sorry for this long silence in not keeping touch with you.

With much love,
Selvyn'

We wish Selwyn and his team good luck with their new projects. I will keep you updated.

Chloe in Ghana reports back

Chloe got out to Ghana just over two weeks ago. She is teaching in Kumasi in Central Ghana. Her first report back is most positive. She writes:
Hey David
hope your well! Everything is fab out here. We are all fine and have settled in really well.

We are all working at the orphanage. Im finding it a little hard to adjust to the way they do things but will hopefully be able to make some suggestions and change things for the better.

Host family are great, everyone is very welcoming, no issues to mention. Went travelling for the weekend with Francis, had a fab time!!
Speak soon
Chlo
The pace of life in Ghana does take some time to adjust too! Infact we suggest to volunteers not to bother with a watch. Get used to G.M.T. - Ghana Maybe Time!
I am more than confident that Chloe and her fellow volunteers will soon adjust to their new way of life.

News Update - read the Changing Worlds January 2010 newsletter

I am delighted to release our latest newsletter for January 2010.

http://www.changingworlds.co.uk/Home.aspx?vurl=%2f%2fRoot%2fContent%2fNewsletterJanuary2010

It includes some really useful information about fundraising ideas that will be very useful to those looking to find potential sponsors for their gap year.

Regards
David

Ethical Volunteering Overseas

An advertisement for financial assistance has appeared in the Society Guardian section of the The Guardian newspaper on Tuesday 03 February 2010.

The advert writes:
ETHICAL VOLUNTEERING OVERSEAS
£500 bursaries now available!
ICYE is an international volunteering charity organising placements across the World. Two £500 different bursaries are offered. One is towards the programme fee for a voluntary placement to Latin America and the other will go to a placement in Africa.
Placements must begin on or before 21 June 2010 and last for a minimum of eight weeks.
Application deadline: Monday 08 March 2010
Contact short-term@icye.org.uk or call 0207 681 0983