News from 2009

Due to drastic governmental budget cuts, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes in Romania is in danger of no longer being able to do its work of finding the victims of a murderous regime, and is in need of our volunteers’ help.

The annual George and Rita Briton Cup tournament, organized each year by Projects Abroad, took place on December 4 and 5, 2009 at the Prisons Park in Accra. Tom Davies, Country Director of Projects Abroad Ghana explained that the event forms part of his outfit's social responsibility to develop local talent.

Today the mother city of South Africa, Cape Town will host the draw for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. This promises to be a vibrant traditional African affair welcoming the competition to the continent for the first time in history.

Volunteers from the Human Rights project have been working with the Shelter for Abused Children in Ghana and the Department of Social Welfare for some time now. The shelter is located at Osu Ako-Adjei in Accra, just five minutes walk from the Projects Abroad Human Rights Office.

Seventeen years after we founded Projects Abroad, we have started Projects Abroad Pro. We are bringing all our experience and expertise, and all our contacts and influence, to ensure that volunteers with recognized skills and qualifications can contribute meaningfully in a wide variety of placements all over the developing world.

The Projects Abroad Jamaica group on Facebook, www.facebook.com is attracting more and more past, present and future volunteers. Search Projects Abroad Jamaica to join the Jamaica Facebook group.

My return visit to the turtle camp after almost five years was everything I expected. Although the camp was not at the location that I volunteered at as a gap year student five years ago, the camp at Tecoman has been up and running for almost four years now.

Ciudadela SEDEGES is a state run orphanage that we have been working with since 2002 (previously known as Alejandro Magno). The state only provides funding for the salaries of most care workers for 10 months; March through to December.

Volunteers, staff and players gathered bright and early one morning last week by the side of the pitch at Cantonments Soccer Club in Accra, Ghana. The task for the day was not about winning matches, but rather coming together to help the local community.

By Ian Birbeck – Recruitment Director
Before visiting our volunteers in Ho I had been in touch with Ailsa Murray who was a medical volunteer working in Ho. Ailsa has been a regular volunteer with Projects Abroad, previously working in Sri Lanka and Moldova.

Projects Abroad has always welcomed lots of geographers onto programmes whether it is over the summer or on their gap year. Our Director Dr Peter Slowe worked in the Geography department of Chichester University before he started Projects Abroad.

Excitement is rife in Sihanoukville as a new species of Nudibranch was discovered in the waters off Southern Cambodia. Now we have hit the headlines of the Wall Street Journal and Sport Diver magazine with the unidentified Nudibranch.

Earlier this summer a group of students from Ardingly College, England, set off to India for something a little different from your average summer vacation. The group was made up of ten year 12 students, all of whom had an interest in travel and a real enthusiasm for volunteer work.

The Canadian Projects Abroad team will be hosting a fall Open House. Come join us on Tuesday, September 22nd 2009 from 4-8pm at our Toronto Office just south of Yonge & Bloor.

Although June hasn't been the busiest time for us in terms of volunteers, we have still been incredibly busy continuing the work that has already been started, finishing certain projects around the park and setting up our butterfly project.

Things have been very busy at the Taricaya Lodge these past few months and the team out there doesn’t stand still for long!

The work of Projects Abroad in Jamaica has been explained in an article published on the Jamaican Information Services Governmental website.

Projects Abroad volunteers are now making a big difference at a village health clinic in Tamil Nadu, Southern India.

UK staff members Harry Kent and Andrew Fryer attended the British Safety Council health and safety course in London in February. On the day they met with Madeleine Wright who was due to jet off to Ghana on a Care placement with Projects Abroad at the end of the month.

Conservation Coordinator, Richard Munday updates us on all the news from March and April at Barra Honda National Park.

Born 9th June 1950 – died 12th April 2009. To carry wisdom and success lightly is a gift. Rajendran was a wise man and also the most fun of any companion.

The Toronto Open House in April was such a success that the Canadian Projects Abroad team will be hosting a second spring event.

How about doing something worthwhile over the holidays? Our wide range of 2-Week High School Specials programs are the perfect opportunity to experience a gap year taster either during a school vacation or in the summer before starting college.

Our Sri Lanka team are proud to announce the opening of Modaravila Community Centre located in Panadura.

Reasonably fit? Physically active? Love the outdoors? If the answer's yes this could be the perfect project for you. Projects Abroad are offering a new community building project working in the township of Mfuleni in South Africa.

Projects Abroad Jamaica officially celebrates its one year anniversary on April 1. Country Director, Bridgette Barrett tells us how it all got started.

As this is my first article since arriving in Costa Rica in November 2008 I thought a brief explanation would be necessary, not just about myself but about the park that Projects Abroad is working in.

You can now follow Projects Abroad on Twitter at http://twitter.com/projectsabroad.

The Canadian Projects Abroad team will be hosting an Open House on Thursday April 2nd, 2009 from 4-8pm at our Toronto Office just south of Yonge & Bloor. This is a great opportunity to meet the staff and former volunteers who will be able to answer questions about our projects and destination countries.

On March 1st Chinnasamy Rajendran, Director for India, along with a number of high level community officials and the head of the clinic Dr Mohideen witnessed the grand opening of the first ever Projects Abroad Village Clinic.

After another successful volunteering year it is time to look back to see which of our destinations were most popular in 2008.

Louis Berger-Mole a sports volunteer in Ghana recently found himself a lead part in a Nigerian movie. Louis was on his normal walk to work in Teshie Nungua when he was spotted by the film's director. He was then asked if he could attend an audition where he was instantly given the job despite having no acting experience.