Volunteer Opportunities, In General * (ANY/ALL Types)

Plenty Volunteer Opportunities 2007
Belize: Volunteers are needed with organic gardening/sustainable agriculture skills to work on the GATE gardens project at rural primary schools. The ability to work cooperatively and communicate basic gardening and environmental concepts to students is key. This is a three month minimum position, with a spring or fall 2007 start date.

Kids To The Country: Energetic volunteers are sought to work as counselors with a nature-based summer program for at-risk kids aged 6-12 on the Farm community in middle Tennessee. Two week minimum in either July or August, which includes a week for orientation prior to the week-long kids program. Must love kids and work well with them. Arts, crafts, music and horse care/riding experience is a plus. Email for orientation and program dates.

Katrina/Rita hurricane relief: Volunteers of all skill types are needed to help local families and groups on the gulf coast in their efforts to rebuild their lives and communities. Visit our resource page for links to grassroots organizations performing great work on the gulf coast which you can contact directly.

U.S. based volunteers/interns are needed to work with Plenty International staff to develop Plenty’s fundraising, outreach and networking efforts. Work in your local area or be an on-line volunteer from home. Time commitment is open-ended.

Please contact the Plenty West Coast office for more details on any of these opportunities. Phone (831)484-5845.

Volunteer Opportunities with Other Organizations

Guatemala: UPAVIM - Unidas Para Vivir Mejor (United to Live Better) is a large multi-faceted women’s cooperative located in Barrio La Esperanza in Guatemala City. They are looking for volunteers to work in their tutoring center with school children and more. Volunteers receive free housing and one daily meal. The cost of living for other expenses is very low. Volunteers must provide their own travel expenses. UPAVIM says "Living in Esperanza is challenging but rewarding! Especially needed are English teachers and medical personnel, as some volunteers have worked in our medical clinic as well. An intermediate level of Spanish is required and we can recommend some good language schools in Xela, Antigua or a smaller town." For more info check: http://www.upavim.org/english/volunteer.htm

Washington DC: La Clinica del Pueblo is a high-volume clinic which provides free, culturally appropriate health services in the Latino community. They have opportunities for Spanish speaking medical volunteers and alternative practitioners. Check http://www.lcdp.org for more details.

Liberia: Imani House International - IHI LIberia Program Description in Brief: Imani House, Liberia started in 1986 to respond to the literacy needs of children and adults. In 1990 we were instrumental in keeping Island Hospital open and ran a ward for people stricken by Cholera and Children affected by starvation and illness caused by the war.

From 1990 - 1994 we brought in containers of food, medicines, books and toys, opened two clinics, distributed food, clothing, medicines throughout Monrovia, and assisted displaced persons as well as villagers in Dwazhon, lower Margibi County. IHI also worked closely with the the International Foundation for Self Help (IFESH), Plenty International, the UN and several other international donors, and government agencies to assist in the efforts to help Internally displaced (IDP's) Liberians, Sierra Leonians and other war affected children and adults. After Island Hospital closed IHI opened a children's home and took full responsibility for over 50 displaced and abandonned children who we housed, educated and supported until we could reunite them with family members.

With local Liberian professional, an African-American founder (who lived in Liberia) and communities in Liberia and the US, we started village level farming and introduce soybean growth and utilization, we set up a program to help IDP's install wells and latrines. We also offered training to young men and ex-combattants in building and construction, began adult literacy reading classes for market women and IDP's, to combat the 70+% illiteracy rate, opened a permanent clinic in Jahtondo Town, put up several small buildings as a part of the project and expanded a soybean production and utilization program.

With the continuation of the war, some of our projects were disrupted and have been on hold due to low funding. But our clinic, which turns 12 years old this year, has remained open and serves from 200 to 400 women and children each week. The clinic is open 5 days a week and offers maternal and child health care, immunization, pre-natal and emergency deliveries, dental care, laboratory testing, health education and our members assist the UNICEF Polio Eradication Immunization project among others. We also offer Adult Literacy classes to over 60 women a session, along with tailoring classes. Currenly our agricultural program consist of two demonstration sites in the Shiefland and Brewerville districts.

As the war is officially over, and Liberia is experiencing growth with optimism, our new leadership, lead by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf bring much hope for the future. IHI is looking forward to sustaining our programs, turning our clinic into a hospital, reaching additional market women in need of literacy and income generation training, and bringing our soybean program back to life for farm profit and health. Our longer term plans involve expanding our excellent programs throughout Liberia, and working closely to build the skills and capacities of Local Liberian NGO's. IMANI HOUSE operates as a team on the ground in Liberia and New York. We are an organization that believes deeply that social justice and postive social change lies in the hands of the people themselves and will not come without the involvement of the community of those who care along with those who can.

Please contact: Bisi Iderabdullah, Executive Director at imani@imanihouse.org, or call 718 638 2059 for more information. Please also visit our website at http://www.imanihouse.org.

Bisi Iderabdullah (Mrs.)
Executive Director, IMANI HOUSE, Inc.
New York/Liberia W. Africa
76A Fifth Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: 718 638 2059
Fax: 718 789 1094