Here is a note from our country coordinator in Romania, Melanie:

I would like to thank eveyone who has helped over the last few weeks.  It has been an especially difficult time for us and the support and messages have really helped to keep the spirits up.  We have been touched by the kindness of our volunteers and thank you so much for your help.

We are going to use the funds raise to rebuild as soon as the weather allows.  We are awaiting structural engineering results to see whether we can rebuild on what was left or whether we need to demolish and start again. We will keep you posted.

Best wishes to all and once again many thanks

Melanie

Multumesc-Thank You from the adorable children at the Romanian orphanage

Please consider making a donation of any size through our donation site set up specifically to raise money toward helping the orphanage.

Or, text ROMANIA to 85639 on your mobile device.*

Thank you for all your support, for your dedication to our programs, and for your well wishes!

*$10.00 donation to United Planet Romania Fund. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 85639 to STOP. Text HELP to 85639 for HELP. Full Terms: www.mGive.org/T.  Privacy Policy

One of the adorable kids at the orphanage

For several years, United Planet has been proud to partner with a wonderful orphanage in Romania. We have sent hundreds of volunteers, and they report about the generosity, dedication, and joy of the people who work there.

Megan, a volunteer who traveled to Romania this summer, summed up her one month experience in Romania, remarking:

“I have never felt so attached to a single community I have been involved in my life. The people were so welcoming and kind. It is a beautiful country. ”

We’re sad to report that on December 12, 2011, the orphanage suffered a devastating fire, which damaged several buildings.

Fortunately no one was hurt during the fire, which blazed until late hours of the night/early morning.  Melanie, the United Planet Program Director of Romania, reports that everyone is safe, and the living quarters were not damaged.

Local people and staff at the orphanage evacuated everyone immediately. Due to dense fog and bad roads it took the fire truck 1 hour to reach the orphanage.  The community is busy cleaning up and assessing the full extent of the damage.

The fire at the orphanage, around 3am in Romania

They lost a lot of valuable items, and several rooms need to be reconstructed — including the kitchen.

This community provides vital services to many children. They all need our help now more than ever.  We’re happy to be sending several volunteers to the orphanage this winter, and we hope they can be part of a quick and effective clean-up to help the community move on from this difficult time.

Please consider making a donation of any size through our donation site set up specifically to raise money toward helping the orphanage.
Or, text ROMANIA to 85639 on your mobile device.*

We’ll leave you with a heartfelt message we received from another volunteer, Katalina, who traveled to Romania this summer:

Some of the kids in class at the orphanage

“The children there are amazing and so precious and they taught me so much about caring for one another and love. The adults there are extremely kind and they were so hospitable. I, along with other volunteers really enjoyed our stay and it was a wonderful way to emerge cultures and help out the people. They are all amazing they made the stay very comfortable for me and the other volunteers. We always had a lot to do and we always felt needed. I’ll be going back next year and hopefully stay for longer!”

You can see more photos of the fire on this Romanian newspaper site.

Thanks for being part of United Planet! We’ll keep you updated on the progress of rebuilding efforts at the orphanage in Romania.

*$10.00 donation to United Planet Romania Fund. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 85639 to STOP. Text HELP to 85639 for HELP. Full Terms: www.mGive.org/T.  Privacy Policy

Alison spent the first 5 weeks of her Quest at a women's shelter. The women --some as young as 13 -- learn vital skills such as sewing, and have a safe environment for their children

Alison spent eight weeks in Peru, in July and August of 2011, working in a women’s shelter and an animal rehabilitation center, while also immersing herself in Peruvian culture.

Alison recently stopped into the United Planet office, regaling the Team with several photos of her trip and tales of her travels.

Her first volunteer project was at a women’s shelter. Challenging at times, work at the shelter was ultimately rewarding; she built relationships with many of the girls there over her five-week placement.

The girls were often victims of sexual and domestic abuse, and they had a hard time opening up to Alison at first: “I think because I was so tall and white, they were scared of me. But by the time I left, some of the girls would cry at me to pick them up.” The center teaches the women – some of them mothers as young as thirteen – some vital skills, such as sewing and making crafts.

She especially liked the animal shelter, where she spent three weeks taking care of disabled critters who had been rescued from cruelties such as trafficking and abuse. She and another United Planet volunteer took a liking to many of the animals, and enjoyed the daily routine. “We had a blast cleaning animal cages, feeding animals, giving tours in English, painting, and cleaning trash out of the river,” she explained.  “It was great to be outside all day and I felt that the work we were doing was really making a difference.”

The animal sanctuary cares for endangered and abused animals. Someone removed the tail feathers of this bird, likely for jewelry, and left it unable to fly -- and to survive in the wild.

While in Peru, Alison was also able to refine her Spanish. “I gained such better Spanish skills and it ended up being one of the best things I took away from the trip,” she said in the survey she took upon her return to America.

Other aspects of her time: she describes her host family as warm and loving, and taking great care of her every need; and perhaps the best part of her stay. “I loved my host family so much; they are so so nice.”

During her 8 weeks, Alison enjoying several memorable excursions, including "one of the best days of my life" doing white water rafting and ziplining.

And she enjoyed several great excursions and activities: white water rafting, Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley, salsa dance class, cooking class, weaving class, Quechua lesson, ziplining – and more. “I’ll never forget the thrill of white-water rafting, it was one of the best days of my life.”

“I believe when volunteering in a foreign country, nothing is going to go exactly as you have in mind,” she recognized. “I take the challenges as part of the experience. Overall, my volunteer experience was great ; I learned a lot and hopefully made a difference.”

"So so nice," Alison says of her host family in Cusco, Peru

Machu Picchu!

He’ll be reporting back with photos, videos, and more — here are some initial impressions. Please keep in touch with our efforts to build United Planet Japan, thanks.

Everywhere we went, we were greeted with open arms.

I did not find what I was looking for in Japan.  Where I expected self-pity, sadness, and hopelessness, I found courage, gratitude, and love.  In the midst of complete and utter loss, I found abundance.

I encountered many who lost their homes, but more who found shelter in the companionship of each other.

I realized that my own struggles were mere trifles in the midst of true adversity.  I discovered the resiliency of nature in blooming flowers and the resiliency of the human spirit in the smiles of many pure and brave souls.

***********************************

Please Take a Look at Dave’s Video in the Tohoku Region: Never Give Up

The recovery in Japan will be counted in years, even decades.  Long after the media coverage has vanished, the people affected by the Great East Disaster of Japan will be struggling to recover and rebuild.

Hard to describe the extent of the devastation.

You can help restore the spirits of these courageous people by volunteering in Japan.  Just by listening to the stories of the survivors and giving your companionship, you can lighten the enormous loads within their hearts.

You can help rebuild and restore Japan not only by assisting in schools and community centers or through physical work, but also by bringing joy to the people simply by listening to them and allowing them to share their stories and culture with you.

I have personally visited the disaster areas and spoken with the people.  My life has changed through listening to their stories and experiencing their bravery, kindness, and gratitude despite enormous loss.

You have much to give, especially your love and support, but you have even more to gain, especially to experience the Spirit of Nippon (Japan) firsthand.

The spirit of Japan flag. This photo was taken at Rikuzentakada city hall where many of its public servants were killed by Tsunami. It is completely destroyed inside, but the building's structure remains intact.

Kindness is everywhere - Dave (right) in Nagoya

She’s working on building the infrastructure and the team to sustain a long-term effort for rebuilding and helping. We hope you will join us in supporting her, and helping to build United Planet Japan.

To donate using a mobile device such as a cell phone, please:
text JAPAN to 85639

$10.00 donation to United Planet Japan. Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Text STOP to 85639 to STOP. Text HELP to 85639 for HELP. Full Terms: www.mGive.org/T. Privacy Policy

___________________________________________
Voices of Survivors: Mr Akama
 
“I am from Yamato town, I was at the dentist when earthquake hit on 11th March 2011. Right after, I was worried about my house, so I went back to the house, then big Tsunami came, water broke windows and came inside of my house.

I could not stand up, water level was almost my height, so I was jumping up and down, drowning in the water, drunk sea water. I almost gave up, but I told myself that I should not die like this, so I used my last energy and somehow managed to climb up on the top of wardrobe, floating.

The water was really cold, my body was really freezing, I needed to heat myself up, therefore I tried to find Sake. I had thought drinking Sake would heat my body up, but it was impossible to move or to find Sake, all of items in house were messed up in water.

A few days later, I was rescued…. Now, I am sharing this space at this shelter with 2 other men, Not only me, many people lost families; one of my friend here were 5 members in a family, lost 4 of them.

People who were evacuated here shared same experience, we have very strong bond… that is one good result of disaster…………..of course I feel sad, but what can I do ? Better to move on in life.”

Shelters continue to house thousands of people who lost their homes in the tsunami.

The group from BPS at an orientation

In Mongolia, they will learn all about the people, culture, and local media organizations of the country.

Then in October, a group of students and teachers from 10 different Mongolian high schools will travel to the USA where they will spend time in Washington DC and Boston learning about the government and media practices in America.

Caitlin Ferrarini, the United Planet Group Coordinator who will be accompanying the BPS group, explained that she’s most excited about the traditions and cultural wonders they will get to see. As she said, “Mongolia seems like it is a place that is still very full of traditions, and I am very interested to learn about these and get to know the people in Mongolia.”

The group will have the unique opportunity to spend time in both the capital city, Ulan Batar, as well as the Gobi Desert. The contrasting traditions, lifestyles, and cultures between the many Mongolians who still practice nomadic herding, and those who live in the city, are sure to be eye-opening for the students and teachers alike.

Here in Boston, the BPS group has had the opportunity to get to know each other and learn some introductory information about Mongolia.  Everyone has been getting along really well and both the kids and adults are incredibly excited!  As Caitlin says, “Meeting all of the students in the group has been great so far, they are all such amazing people whom I am excited to get to know better on our adventure to Mongolia!”

United Planet's Theresa dressed in Mongolian Princess regalia

United Planet Vice President Theresa Higgs, herself a returned Peace Corps volunteer and veteran traveler, traveled to Mongolia this past November to help set up the program details, prepare and facilitate the exchange program and choose the Mongolian students.

Check out this video, (posted by iEARN USA who is administering the exchange program), where Theresa shows us an up close tour of a traditional ger (yurt), as well as a couple friendly welcomes from the Mongolian students who are participating in the exchange.

Theresa was so excited and impressed by the people she met during her trip.  As she wrote in her journal, “The participating students and teachers from 10 schools from around the country are so motivated and focused on learning more about journalism and community action. They have truly inspired me!”

This trip promises to be a wonderful experience; one that we hope will have a positive effect on each individual involved as well as their families, friends, and communities!

Keep looking out for more updates as the time draws nearer.  Hopefully we’ll have some live reports from the nomadic travelers while they’re abroad!

Her UP story started with a decision in 2008 and in mid 2009 Abbie was on her way to Cambodia for a 10 day Quest with United Planet to teach English and play games with children. Today Abbie shares with us her stories from her great volunteering experience and her vision for the future of United Planet’s Alumni.

Abbie with some of the kids she met at the foundation in Angkor

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” is Abbie’s favorite quote by Ghandi, and by going to Cambodia she was trying to do exactly that – be a change.

Her journey started with some challenges:  having to cope with a huge language barrier and trying to communicate in a language the local people didn’t understand and who spoke back in a language she didn’t understand.  Despite this, Abbie’s attitude and experience was positive.

“The people were so friendly and welcoming; it was easy to get comfortable halfway across the world from my home!”

Abbie felt the people were an enormous help to her when she first arrived and made the transition easier for her. Being in Cambodia and surrounded by these amazing people, Abbie found an unexplainable inspiration and motivation.

Even though her visit was short, it was powerful; and Abbie is positive that she will never forget the things she learned and experienced during her 10 days in Cambodia. She truly enjoyed her experience and had a wonderful time interacting with the amazing Khmer people, and being at the school and orphanage.

“Talking with Phally, who runs the English school out of his house, and hearing about his commitment to the children in his community and what he faced during the Khmer Rouge was very inspiring.”

This was amongst her most cherished memories from her time spent in this beautiful country.  Even after returning home, the experience left a mark on Abbie.

“I felt inspired and motivated, and am still planning when I am going to be able to go back.”

Beautiful Angkor

When she was offered the position of Secretary for the Alumni Council she knew this would be her way of giving back to United Planet. Her goal is to connect volunteers with both the projects and countries that they were involved in, and she hopes they will be as involved and motivated to spread the word about United Planet.

Abbie hopes that volunteers will stay involved by signing up for the newsletters, checking the website and Facebook page every so often and asking how they can help.  She explained, “we can come up with something!” She believes there is a solution to everything, if someone is willing to pitch in.   In this case, it’s all about the Alumni!

We wish Abbie good luck on her journey with the Alumni Council! With her motivation, eagerness and inspirational mind we are sure she will be an amazing contributor to the Alumni Council and to the mission of United Planet!

In 2010 Ruoqing went on a Quest to Ghana with United Planet, where she spent 9 wonderful weeks in Putubiw teaching young children; here she shares her thoughts and ideas and most cherished memories…

Ruoqing surrounded by her students in Putubiw

“My most cherished memory from my volunteer experience is the time I spent with my host family. They really made me feel at home when staying away from my home country and they tried their best to make me a part of the family and part of the village.”

Making the choice to go abroad for a volunteer Quest has been one of the most exciting experiences Ruoqing has had.

She had a firsthand experience with a culture foreign and unknown to her, and had the opportunity to experience together with her host family the true face and beauty of Ghana. Another memory she cherishes is celebrating Ghana’s Independence Day.

“Walking along the busy street, talking about each other’s favorite Ghanaian food, buying our little sister Grace a toy horse from a street stand and having Fufu in a hidden backyard-restaurant make up my most beautiful memory about Ghana.”

Upon her return, Ruoqing felt she had learned so much through this experience.

“This kind of understanding would never be achieved without the experience of fully immersing myself into a different culture. I did feel a sense of accomplishment.”

Ruoqing teaching in a classroom in Putubiw

Through the Alumni Council, Ruoqing wishes to continue to make a difference though her effort — which was why it was easy for her to accept the position as President of the Alumni Council.

She wants the council to give the Alumni great opportunities for networking and connecting to each other through their experiences abroad. “I am enthusiastic to contribute to this meaningful purpose.”

Ruoqing hopes volunteers and Alumni will stay involved by providing help for each other before and even after their Quest, through fundraising for the projects they went to or for other projects volunteers might feel connected to.

“Alumni could not only make contributions to the projects, but also expose more people to the opportunities provided by UP’s wonderful programs.”

A few of her students, posing with Ruoqing

We wish Ruoqing much luck and success with her hard work and dedication to the United Planet Alumni Council. She is excited about the potential it has, and she hopes that people are as excited to join as she is.

Ruoqing leaves us with her favorite quote by Kant:

“Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe —the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

We recently heard from Barbara, a Long Term volunteer who just arrived to Germany this January.  She has a great blog from her trip so far including delicious recipes and tales of her volunteer experience so far.  We included a couple entries here, as well as the link to the rest of her blog…Enjoy!

“Last Saturday we drove to Bernauer for some ‘richtiges Einkaufen’ (proper shopping) at the E-Center (Can you guess what the E stands for?). Our main goal was groceries and SIM cards, which we completed with ease.  However, with several hours of shopping, 2 hours walking the dog, and nothing but a traditional Deutschefruehstuck (German Breakfast, which consists of rolls, butter, cheese, jam, and coffee), poor Lex and I were exceptionally hungry by 6:00pm, when we got back to Werneuchen.

Though I am fairly certain these recipes are, in fact, truly delicious, I cannot be sure how tainted my perception was by my hunger that night. )
Guten Appetite!

Salatesosse (Salad dressing)
2-3 spoonfuls of fragrant Olive Oil
2-3 spoonfuls of lightly reduce Balsamic Vinegar (this vinegar should be distilled from grape, apple, and pear juice, or similar fruits)
1 spoonful of Clover Honey
Salt, Pepper, Tuscan spice blend, and Middle Eastern spice blend

Whisk all of these ingredients together in a salad bowl. Toss with salad greens to coat.

Kaese-Kartoffeln (Cheese Potatoes)
1 kg small/baby golden potatos, boiled
100-150g shredded Swiss cheese
Salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F (C).
Quarter the potatos and place in a heavy casserol dish. Drizzel olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to coat.
Sprinkle the Swiss cheese evenly over the potatos.
Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the edges have started to turn brown.

UP/ICJA Quest: Host-Family, The First Days.

On January 27th our host family picked us up. We enjoyed a nice meal at their favorite Indian restaurant (which was DELICIOUS! I had the Chicken Tandoori and Lex had Snapper in red sauce), and then to their favorite Cafe for an after lunch espresso (in my experience this is very typically German after enjoying a large meal). It was wonderful to be able to speak German freely (during the Orientation Camp we were asked to speak English as not everyone could speak German), and I was very proud of Lex for practicing his German and enthusiastically participating in our conversations.

The Behms (our host family) drove us around Berlin center, pointing out important landmarks and sharing some of their own personal stories growing up in Eastern Germany/Eastern Berlin and living through the imposition and destruction of the Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall). Since both are artists (Our Host-Vatter (Host Father) is a percussionist (specialties are set/trap) and Host-Mutter (Host Mother) is a dancer (performer) and dance instructor) and both grew up in artistic families, their stories tended to focus on performance art and the use of performance art in political demonstrations. It’s absolutely fascinating and I can’t wait to learn more!”

Want to hear more about Barbara and Lex’s Long term Quest?

http://postgradexplorations.blogspot.com/

Interested in Long Term Quests to Germany? Check out our website for information about how YOU can travel and enjoy the gift of volunteering:

http://www.unitedplanet.org/volunteer-abroad/long-term

In August 2010 the University of Idaho informed United Planet of its decision to send a group of 13 students and two professors to build houses in Chile. The decision was a response to Chile’s devastating 8.8 earthquake in February 2010, the fifth strongest in recorded history, which had left thousands of Chileans homeless.

Idaho’s decision was not surprising. The university had been sending students on United Planet-organized group Quests around the world for the past five years, and enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the foundation.

Idaho’s Quest was divided into two separate volunteer experiences during their 18 days in Chile.  Their first worksite was a daycare center operated by United Planet’s partner organization near Viña del Mar, which provides all-day childcare to 63 children between six months and four years of age.

Lots of helping hands at the daycare center

The volunteers’ tasks included landscaping, pruning trees and painting outside gates.  The volunteers also participated in playgroup activities with the children and daycare center personnel.

On their second morning at the worksite, the volunteers discovered some wooden desks out back which had been thrown away.

On their own initiative and with the daycare director’s consent, they took apart the old desks and began constructing a slide, a long table, and refurbishing a swing set which was not being used. They went to a hardware store and bought sandpaper, screws and nails.  They dug holes and trenches to lower everything to the level of a four year old.

Constructing the swingset for the children

The last morning at the daycare, the director arrived at the site and could not believe her eyes.

Just two days before, she had welcomed the volunteers with the expectation that they would clean up the large outdoor area with its overgrown fruit trees and weeds, and make it look nicer. 

Now she was looking at a new outdoor play area for the children with a table, slide, and swings in a setting that might appear on the cover of a gardening magazine.

The volunteers’ only weekend at Viña del Mar was full of excursions and activities.  There were tours to Viña’s lush botanical gardens, a walking tour of Viña del Mar’s colourful boardwalk and arts and crafts shops, and a ride along the 44 steep hills surrounding Valparaiso included a visit to the home of the Nobel-prize poet, Pablo Neruda.

An unexpected added treat was witnessing a spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks display at midnight from Playa Amarilla beach along with thousands of cheering and festive Chileans.

The volunteers’ second quest consisted of building houses at a rural worksite seven hours south of Santiago by bus. The agricultural, coastal town of Cobquecura had been at the epicenter of February’s 8.8 earthquake, and many of its adobe structures had collapsed.

Constructing houses in the coastal town of Cobquecura

United Planet’s local partner organization had recently received Chilean government funding to build four homes for displaced families that would use anti-seismic and energy-saving technology and hopefully serve as a prototype for future low-cost housing.

The local families who would receive the houses cooked meals for the volunteers. A few more Chilean university volunteers arrived the second week and joined the group staying at the school.

At the worksite, various tasks were done by groups of four or five volunteers. A lot of time was spent on constructing the walls of the houses which were a mix of straw and mud placed in wooden frames.

Frame of house during construction

The Idaho volunteers enjoyed the multiple challenges at the worksite, and had made significant progress by the time they had to leave.  On their last night they made a large bonfire on the beach and sang songs with their new Chilean university friends.

The group arrived back to Santiago one day before their return flight, tired but happy. They enjoyed a special tour of the Presidential Palace, La Moneda, and shopping at the Pueblito de Los Dominicos, an area of 150 arts and crafts shops.

What was obvious was that they had changed. Now they felt more independent and comfortable in the Chilean culture. For example, they returned to a restaurant they had eaten at on their first day in Chile, but this time they were able to give their orders to the waiter in Spanish without any help.

What they then realized was that an inevitable consequence of their quest and their effort to help others bring about change had been a change in themselves.