Voluntario Global
Focus: Education and Community.
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Project Description
Voluntario Global is an Argentinean NGO founded and run by members of the community. We aim to empower people from disadvantaged backgrounds by giving them the education, training and support needed to succeed.
We develop sustainable volunteer programs that aim to raise social awareness among young people from less privileged towns and improve their quality of life.
Volunteer Information
Costs & Benefits
Requirements
Contact information
Project Summary
The Kindergarten
Situated in a shantytown next to an old landfill site, the Kindergarten was opened with the aim of providing the children of the area with invaluable guidance and inspiration before their formal education. The kindergarten has space for approximately 40 children to come and learn and develop personal skills.
The Orphanage
Approximately 40 children and teenagers have found a new home in three small houses on the outskirts of the city. These children come from problematic backgrounds, such as childhood abandonment and illnesses such as HIV. The orphanage strives to care for these children by providing them with much needed attention and offering stability to their lives.
Volunteering with Children
During their stay, volunteers will help in the kindergarten or orphanage by looking after the children and organizing recreational activities. The idea is to interact and to act as a role model for the children.
The English School
The school provides a space for children and teenagers from an underprivileged area to come and learn English. It provides an opportunity to improve the children’s future job prospects and therefore their quality of life. English is taught through Reading, Listening and Grammar exercises in an enjoyable way to motivate the students that wish to continue with their studies.
Teaching English to Children and Teenagers.
The volunteer will work to help students with pronunciation, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary either on a one-to-one basis or in groups. Volunteers will organize themed lessons and educational games for their classes and may also help the students prepare for international exams.
The Community Center in La Boca
This community center is a very important space for the people in La Boca. It is used as a head office of a bakery, a textile centre as well as a radio station. In the afternoon adults who work in the center can come and learn English while their children join in after-school support. Not only this, it provides a communal space for the residents to come together and participate in the community.
The Community Center in the North of Argentina
The center is situated in a small and impoverished region. Many of the inhabitants are from indigenous origin and are impoverished, marginalized and without opportunities. The center is an essential space for integration, providing crucial support for the people of the community. It offers daily meals to the community and also educational activities such as after-school assistance and English classes.
The Community Center in Iguazu
Iguazu is primarily known as a popular tourist attraction for travelers, yet behind this face many people live in poverty. Despite being a region full of job opportunities many of population lack the qualifications needed to work in the tourist sector. In order to reverse this situation the center offers computer training, English lessons and academic support to the residents of Iguazu, so that they have better access to jobs and therefore a better quality of life.
Working in a Community Centre
During their stay volunteers will get involved with the community by interacting with local people and helping them with their daily activities such as preparing and serving food, as well as teaching and motivating those who wish to continue their studies.
Volunteering in an organic garden in a psychiatric hospital
The organic garden is located in a public psychiatric hospital. It was created as a space for both the patients and the neighborhood community to come and help maintain the garden and share the open air. These patients are in the advanced stages of healing and therefore the space provides a perfect way to begin their reintegration into society.
Volunteering on an Ecological Farm
This project encourages the local community to participate in ecological construction and experimental farming while also promoting awareness of responsible tourism. The farm has both a vegetable garden and an experimental ostrich farm and, considering the increase of tourism in the area; it aims to construct a farmhouse for the community to sell their produce.
Agricultural Development in Bolivia
This project is based in a small town, one of the stops of Che Guevara’s Route. Here, the community is trained to set up and expand their local business initiatives in the fair trade and fruit-growing industry. The community is looking to create new jobs in the agriculture and tourism sectors.
Volunteering in Sustainable Development projects
The sustainability projects offer the volunteer an opportunity to work hands-on with local businesses in tourism and agricultural development. The volunteer will help by assisting in gardening activities, working with the community to help improve their business strategies and teaching English to members of the community to boost their opportunities in the tourism sector.
The Health Care Centres
These centers work with local hospitals to provide the community with basic health care and disease prevention services. The community health centers do not only focus on the biological reasons for illness but they also understand the social factors that influence health such as poverty and lack of awareness. To improve this situation the health care professionals encourage the participation of the whole community in finding solutions for disease prevention.
Medical Volunteering
The volunteer will assist by shadowing doctors, psychologists and medical staff. They will also participate in community workshops to provide information on disease prevention.
NGO Communication & Marketing
In order to finance the projects, Voluntario Global needs to promote its work and recruit new volunteers. Working in communication and marketing will enable volunteers to understand how an NGO is managed and offer an insight into Latin American culture.
Environmental & Responsible Tourism Management
This organization works with Voluntario Global to promote environmental awareness and the practice of responsible tourism. The organization works with the public and private sector to organize activities that include members of the public in their projects.
Volunteering in a Professional Program
The volunteers can help create new ideas and develop strategies to promote the NGO internationally. With the environmental and responsible tourism organization the volunteer will participate in communication and PR activities as well as visiting schools to promote recycling.
Su Lavandaria
One of our most exciting new initiatives is the Laundry Project, or “Su Lavanderia”. The creation of theLaundry Project presents an opportunity for underprivileged youth to finance higher education with valuable work experience. The majority come from impoverished families in Villa Fátima (Barrio de Soldati), Buenos Aires, Argentina. In poor neighborhoods such as Villa Fátima, only 10% of young people continue to develop their educations after secondary school. Instead of studying, many are obligated to support their families by working low-skilled jobs that require more than nine hours of labor per day. The Laundry Project allows for a new and hopeful transition into adulthood where the students can remain in high school and advance to universities with their laundry wages financing their studies.
In the Laundry Project, the students pick up, wash, dry, iron and deliver sheets for hostels. High schoolstudent Frederico explains that the Project allows him to study and to secure a better life after school:
“If you don’t have the studies, you cannot work in any place. With this education, I will be able to find work. Even when I am here, I can take my books and study when I have a break.”
The team currently has the opportunity to expand its business to a further five hostels. Like the youththemselves, the Laundry Project has overcome adversity to continue growing. For now, however, theinfrastructure has met maximum capacity for production. The Project urgently needs new machinery sothat more disadvantaged youth who wish to finance their education and future can do so in a secure, uplifting environment.
As a brainchild of Voluntario Global, the Laundry Project relies entirely on the generosity of donors and volunteers for development and expansion.
The program costs 190$ US for four weeks and this include:
Coordination and assistance throughout the application process.
Pre-departure information pack.
Donation to the project.
Orientation meeting.
On-site training.
Follow-up and assistance throughout the placement.
Volunteer handbook + map + information about the city.
Support staff in Buenos Aires.
24/7 contact number.
Voluntario Global
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Tel: 0054 9 11 62069639
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.voluntarioglobal.org
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Average cost per day: $8
Focus: Education and Community
Skills needed: Volunteers must be at least 18 years old
