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Welcome to United Planet
As an international non-profit organization, United Planet (UP) strives to create a world in which all people understand, respect, and support one another.
United Planet's global network of leaders and volunteers fosters cross-cultural understanding and addresses shared challenges to unite the world in a community beyond borders.
Check out United Planet's Blog to read organizational news, stories on volunteering abroad and cultural exchange, Ambassador Club events and more!
United Planet Emergency Fund
United Planet works to foster cross-cultural understanding by sending volunteers to assist in community development projects in over 40 countries worldwide. Their service comes as a great relief to understaffed community centers. However, with no safety net, the continued existence of our community partners is unstable.
All it takes is one unforeseen emergency to derail the hard work of our partner orphanages, schools and clinics. A collapsed roof, a flood damaged school classroom, a sudden rent hike.
As part of our ongoing commitments, and to ensure our volunteers’ work is sustained, the United Planet Emergency Fund is necessary to handle crises, large and small, as they arise. Your generous financial support will ensure that these communities have the support they require when they need it most.
UP Day Contest 2009 - Grand Prize Winner
Grand Prize Winner - Antoine Cassar
Excerpt from "Mehrba" by Antoine Cassar:
I'm from the town,
from the village,
from the other
side of the sea
I'm from there,
from here,
from far, from near
mapan erakutsiko al didazu?
kao esta sumena hao?
welcome to the open meadow
welcome to our ger,
with the door facing south
UP Day Contest 2009 - Honorable Mention Winners
Alex Budak - United Planet Day Photo Contest 2009 Honorable Mention Winner (Photo taken in July 2009, while volunteer coaching an ultimate frisbee team for kids in the local slums of Ahmedabad, India)
Joni Lohr - United Planet Day Photo Contest 2009 Honorable Mention Winner (Photo taken by Joni Lohr of the Newton Tanzania Collaborative (NTC) at United Planet partner organization, summer 2009)
Excerpt from "The Baby with no Name," by Jess Noble:
"'And what’s that one’s name?' I asked the nurse, gesturing to the baby boy under the window. He was placed on his back on a bare metal bed frame, away from the others, and he was crying softly - almost inaudible. "No name", the nurse muttered, scurrying out of the room. Strange, I thought. The other babies had names."
United Planet Day 2010 - Writing & Photo Contest
United Planet is proud to announce the start of our annual United Planet Day Writing and Photo/Video Contest! Each year we host this event to celebrate United Planet Day 2010, the one day during the Fall Equinox when the sun shines on every location on earth for an equal amount of time.
Please visit our United Planet Day page to view more of this year’s incredibly moving photo and writing submissions.
United Planet Special Projects
United Planet is always striving to make a more lasting impression in the communities in which we serve through innovative models like United Planet’ s “micro-empowerment” concept. Micro-empowerment brings together United Planet’s core competencies by combining volunteer abroad support with project funding and on-going mentoring.
In January 2008, United Planet opened Lavanderia Planeta Unido, a laundromat that provides services for both tourists and residents of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Funds from this project are creating sustainable revenue and providing valuable training to benefit a shelter for abused women and their children.
United Planet is extremely proud of our volunteers abroad. Volunteers like Lizzie Lee, a student at Columbia University, who has a strong interest in business and a passion for volunteering abroad, prepared a business plan to help boost the laundromat's revenues by an estimated 200 percent. Lizzie describes her volunteer abroad Quest experience as “one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.”
We believe that these projects are immensely beneficial not only to the local communities that they serve, but also to the greater global community. If you would like to support these projects or volunteer abroad, please contact us or visit the Special Projects section of our website.
Wear what you believe
It feels great inside and out. Wear the UP T-shirt with pride. By wearing the UP t-shirt, you make an invaluable contribution to our educational, humanitarian, peace-building, and volunteer abroad projects worldwide.
Who says you can't carry the world on your shoulders?
