Agros International and Global Giving

A comment on my Farming in Guatemala post led me to Agros International , and eventually to Global Giving. I was impressed with both of these organizations, and decided to use Rambling Traveler to bring them to the attention of others.

Global Giving allows you to make financial donations of any size to specific grassroots projects listed on their site. There are projects in 60 countries, some focusing on education, others on health care, economic development, and the environment. You can choose projects based on location or focus, depending on your special interests. All donations are tax deductible. The website is very appealing and easy to navigate. (For those interested in site design, why this site works so well was explained in a nice review that highlights the changes they recently made.)

A good description for Agros International comes from their website: "committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for rural families in Central America and Mexico by enabling landless communities to achieve land ownership and economic stability." This site is also easy to use, with stories about the organization and the people they help. You can make donations directly through the site, or through the Global Giving site where Agros has several projects listed.

If you have had experiences with either group in the past, please tell us about it in the comments section below.

A 13 Year Old Volunteer

For everyone who was anxiously awaiting Ian's report on volunteering in Guatemala, this is the best you are going to get. Ian is not a fan of writing, and it was painful to even bring up the idea of him writing a report, not to mention the sales job I had to do about how great it would be to have a record of what he thought of the trip.

So we worked a compromise and we are doing this article in an interview format. If there is anything more painful than Ian writing a report, it is me doing an interview. (I think this aspect appealed to Ian, hence his agreement) To prepare for the interview, I re-read 13 Simple Journalist Techniques for Effective Interviews on Brave New Traveler. The techniques that were the most important for me:

#1 Find a good location. I asked Ian where he would be comfortable doing the interview. His first suggestion was Chipotle, when I gave him The Look (all parents and teachers know this look) he said Dino's Gyros would also be acceptable. We settled on my office while his brothers were away.

#2 and #3 Knowing your goals for the interview and writing down questions. My goal was for Ian to speak candidly and intelligently about his experience and what he got out of it. I had no idea what I was going to ask until we started talking. Getting Ian to describe something is like pulling teeth, so I was going to have to ask the same question in five different ways to get a good answer.

#6 Bring a buddy. I loved this idea. Someone else would be there to take some of the weight off my shoulders. I would go one step further and have them help ask questions! They might wonder about things that I didn't think to ask, especially since I was with Ian in Guatemala. It didn't work out, though, and it was just the two of us.

A warning: Ian's English/composition teachers and I have tried to get him to elaborate more when he writes. His idea of a two paragraph essay is usually two very long sentences. Of course, I'm sure those same teachers would have something to say about my interviewing techniques.

What was your favorite part of the trip to Guatemala?
Going to Chichicastenango and going through the market.

What did you like about it?
I liked being around the people and seeing all the colors and what everyone was selling.

What was your least favorite part of the trip?
Working at the homeless shelter.

Why?
It felt good to help, but it felt uncomfortable. I felt safe, but it was hard to see grown men living like that.

What volunteer jobs did you like?
I liked building the house.

What did you think of the house you helped build?
It was a nice house that would be a good place to live. I like the color, it's a fun blue. It felt good that I helped build it.

What did you think about our visit to Santa Maria de Jesus?
I felt bad that the moms and girls didn't have good shoes. They were bare foot or only wore flip flops. (the small yard was dirt, and there were horses tied up near the house) It was sad they only got water for 30 minutes every three days. (the cistern for the neighborhood was very small, and there wasn't very much water)

Are you glad you went? Yes

Would you go again? Yes, I would. (the "I would" is Ian's attempt at elaborating)

Any other comments?
It was fun learning some Spanish
(one of my favorite memories is Ian ordering 2 strawberry cheesecake (queso fresa) ice cream cones for us)

I liked staying in the city and I liked how everything was so close. You could walk everywhere. Everything you needed was right there.

It was fun going to the grocery store and seeing all the different foods, how some were the same and some were different.

I had fun playing with that parrot in Panajachel.

You read "The Dream Maker", a book about God's Child Project. Was it strange to read about it after you worked on a service team and met some of the people?
No, not really. I think it was a good book. I liked the story about Carlitos.

How did this volunteer experience affect you?
The thing about me is I try not to dwell on things (this after I try to prompt him with different ideas of community, poverty, helping others, etc.)

So, that's it. If you were waiting for a thought provoking article, it isn't going to happen. Ian has a tendency to experience things without thinking too much about it, but I'm hoping that will change as he gets older. I will say he was a great travel companion, though. He goes with the flow, is open to new experiences, and is easy going and friendly. I would take him again, no question.

Related Posts:
A Means to an End: Building a House
Visiting the Homeless and Malnourished

From Houses to Homes

While we were in Guatemala, we visited with Oscar Mejía, a friend of the Larsens who they previously met through God's Child Project. Oscar is now working with another volunteer organization called From Houses to Homes, and because of our interest, he took us to Santa Maria de Jesus to show us what they are doing in that community.

During our visit, we met a family whose new home had been finished the day before. The old house had dirt floors and walls made of dried corn stalks. The new home is made of cinder block walls and concrete floors. There is also a concrete front step.

The Old House

The New Home

The Family and Neighbors

The family graciously showed us their old house so we could see what an average home is like for people in the area. They were very friendly and answered our questions and let us take pictures. The neighbors were very curious about us, and they came over to see who we were and what we were doing.

For more information about From Houses to Homes, you can visit their website. If you have questions about the program, you can use the contact form or the email address listed on the site.

Visiting the Homeless and Malnourished

During our stay in La Antigua Guatemala we visited the Santa Madre homeless shelter where we served a meal and washed dishes. We also visited a malnutrition center in San Juan, where malnourished children are sent for treatment. Both experiences were difficult. The little we could do to help did not seem enough.

The malnutrition center was a more positive experience, in that we were able to give the children individual attention. It was a great feeling to make one of them smile or laugh. The center was also a more hopeful place because the children were getting better, and several of them would eventually be reunited with their families.

While we were there, we held, fed and played with infants and young children. There were also opportunities to help out by giving baths and changing diapers.

With the older children, we played outside on the swings and shared bubbles and balloons with them. Some of the children filled balloons with water. Their mischievous expressions made me laugh and their eyes sparkled with delight. Some children, though, were more serious. They would watch us, but didn't interact. I just wanted to pick them up and give them everything they needed to be able to run and laugh like the others.

The saddest part was finding out the baby you thought was 2-3 months old was actually 1 year old or the child you thought was 2 years old was actually 4 or 5. Some of the children had been in the center for several months.

KVLY TV in Fargo, North Dakota, has a video clip of the malnutrition center and homeless shelter in part three of its series on God's Child Project.

Friday Photo Post: Cerro El Niño, Pastores

Community Laundry Washbasins

On work days, we sat in the back of a pickup truck as it drove up this very bumpy dirt road. At the end of the road, we got out and walked up a paved path, then dirt paths to the work site located in the neighborhood of Cerro El Niño in Pastores.

One of the houses we could see during our walk up to the work site.

The dirt path that led us to the work site.

You had to watch your step on the dirt paths because of erosion, but it wasn't too bad. It was a mess when it rained, though.

A Means to an End: Building a House

The original house

In my acrostic list, I mentioned walking uphill. To get to our work site, we walked up a very steep road, then up and down dirt paths that led to the family's home.

We were lucky because the building supplies were already at the site. That was huge, because the supplies included 100 pound bags of cement mix, cinder blocks for the foundation, sand for the concrete, rock for the aggregate concrete, lumber, and the wallboard. We did have to visit a previous work site and bring a heavy toolbox, ladders, wheelbarrow, shovels, etc down to our site, and that was just enough fun for us.

We were able to complete the house in only three days. I give all the credit to our very skilled and ever patient jefe, Edilser. Our first job was to cut rebar with a hacksaw. We used the cut rebar as stakes to hold the string that would mark the borders of the house, and later it was used in the cinder block as support. Once Edilser measured out where the walls would go, we used pickaxes and shovels to dig the trench for the foundation. At the same time, others were mixing concrete with shovels and later on, hoes.

When the trenches were complete, Edilser laid the four corner blocks and attached string guidelines for us to follow for the rest of the block. After a demonstration of what to do, he let us loose. I never thought I would be a bricklayer, but I gave it a try. I am definitely a better brick tender! We did three courses of block and each time, Edilser laid the four corner blocks and set the string guides.

After the block work was done, we had to mix the concrete for the floor. This had rock in it, also, which made the mixing very difficult. Jen and Nels did most of that work with help from Edilser and even some from Ian. Once it was mixed up, the rest of us formed a bucket brigade to deliver the concrete to Edilser, who did the floor. Miriam, the wife and mother of the family, was happy to use the extra concrete to cover the dirt floor in their bathroom. You can see the bathroom in the picture of Jen and Nels mixing concrete.

On the last day, we used the only electric tool we had, a circular saw, to cut the lumber. Some of us used a hand brace bit drill to drill holes in the 2x4's that would lay over the top course of block. The wood had to fit over the rebar that was sticking out of the foundation. While some of us did the framing, others were busy painting the exterior side of the wallboards.

After lunch, Mario and Mickey from GCP stayed to help us finish the house. When the framing was complete, the walls went up. As we walked around, pounding nails in all the boards, Edilser and Mario were putting on the metal roof. We cut out a window and Mickey put in a door. Once the roof was complete, the gutter and downspout were installed.

With all the excitement of finishing, neighbors coming over, and cleaning up the work site and putting away all the tools, I actually forgot to get a picture of the completed house. We realized that after we brought all the tools and ladders down to the truck, but we were too tired to walk all the way back up to get a picture. Luckily, we did manage to get a shot of our service team with the family in the doorway.

Miriam and her daughter Jennifer were excited about their new house, and when we presented the house to them, Miriam had us in tears as she expressed her gratitude. Luckily, Jen from our group is fluent in Spanish and was able to translate Miriam's words. Unfortunately, Miriam's husband wasn't home from work before we left, so we weren't able to say good-bye to him.

*related post: God's Child Project

The Dreamer Center

The Dreamer Center

The Library

Here are some pictures of the Dreamer Center to go with yesterday's post on God's Child Project.

God's Child Project/ La Asociación Nuestros Ahijados

Patrick with students at the school

Ian and I joined five friends to form a service team for God's Child Project in Guatemala. Patrick Atkinson, the founder of GCP, was in Antigua and led our orientation the first day. "You are here for three reasons, to learn about yourself, to learn about your god, and to learn about the poor" Building the house, serving a meal at the homeless shelter, and visiting the malnutrition center in San Juan were all just means to an end.

He also told us we would be receiving a gift from the people of Guatemala. From the people we met, we would discover the power to choose what we focus on while we deal with everything in our lives.

The families we would be helping were very poor, but they choose to focus on things other than poverty. They focus on the positive things in their life, so we shouldn't be surprised to see the friendly smiles, and the willingness to share what they do have. What a contrast to wealthy people all over the world who have incredible resources, but are unhappy because they focus on negative aspects of their life.

The orientation also covered the history of the organization, tips for health and safety, and a tour of the Dreamer Center. The Dreamer Center includes a school, medical clinic, dental clinic, and rooms available free of charge for community events.

The main goal of God's Child Project is to help families break the cycle of poverty. They do this by encouraging children to stay in school. The project helps pay for school supplies, uniforms, admission fees, food, bus fare, medical care and other expenses. The family receives extra money if the child gets good grades in school. This works as an incentive for the parents to encourage the children to study. If the families did not have this help, many of the children would be working to help support the family.

God's Child Project has several websites, and navigating them can be confusing, but there is a lot of information about the program and the services they provide for the families of Guatemala.

Some of the sites:
www.godschild.org
www.gcpnc.org(the office in Bismarck, ND)
www.gcpvolunteers.org
www.gcpserviceteams.org
www.ana.org.gt (La Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados)

Wearing La Asociacion Nuestros Ahijados tshirts, some of the people in our group had locals on the street comment about Patrick's project. Everyone had good things to say about it. One man added that it was one of the few organizations that doesn't "sell" the children of Guatemala, a reference to the practice of foreign adoption. After our experience as a service team, I was impressed by GCP, but to hear positive feedback from the people who live in the community really confirmed that impression.

*related post: Defending Voluntourism

Defending Voluntourism

In one of his posts, Our Man in Granada mentioned a three part article on the Downside of Voluntourism that he wrote for Volunteer Logue. After a spirited discussion in the comments section (I disagreed with some of his points), I read some of the other articles in the archives. There is some great information there, and I'm grateful that Steve introduced me to the site, and by extension, to Kate, who also wrote an article about voluntourism and another one about the value of volunteer trips.

I am interested in the different opinions of short term volunteer work because I am going on such a trip this summer with my 13 year son. We are going to Guatemala to help build a home for a family, but I'm very aware that we could be the ones to benefit the most from the experience. This is one of Ourman's points about voluntourism, "You are helping, it’s true, but mostly it is about the experience." I agree, and I don't see the problem with that, as I'll explain below.

Some of the downsides that Ourman mentions are that short term volunteers:

1. Take jobs away from local workers.
2. Take jobs away from long term volunteers interested in sustainability and training local workers.
3. In some cases, do more harm than good.

My thoughts:

1. I think both volunteers and local workers should be used on projects. Local people should always be involved in solving the problems they live with. They are the ones who know exactly what they are dealing with. Volunteers should be there to help them. It is also important for volunteers to "see issues like poverty or environmental problems first hand", as Kate discussed in one of her articles. Her point is that the experience will hopefully get people to think about issues of poverty and environmental problems, and use their knowledge to help change those situations. There is also the hope that once someone has helped a family or community with a project, they will feel an attachment to the people that might translate to continued support in the future, be it financial or political.

2. It seems like the work that most long term volunteers do isn't appropriate for short term workers, so I don't see it as being a big issue. I would be interested in specific examples of long term volunteers being replaced by short term ones. I would also be interested in how many long term volunteers started out as short term ones. Would there be as many long term volunteers if they hadn't experienced volunteering in the short term first?

3. In another article about voluntourism, Kate also mentions the possibility that short term volunteer projects can do more harm than good, and something isn't always better than nothing. I think it is the responsibility of the volunteer organizations to keep this from happening. In one of my comments on Ourman's article, I wrote "...as a volunteer, the last thing you want is to be a hindrance or part of the problem. Volunteer organizations should definitely be able to direct people to areas where they won’t be in the way and where they can do some good." Volunteers should also do their part to prevent this by educating themselves about the project and community they will helping.

Another point that gets mentioned frequently in articles about voluntourism is how much money volunteer trips cost. Arguments are made that if people just donated the cost of the trip to the organization, it would be more of a benefit to the community. In the real world, how likely is it that non-wealthy people would donate that kind of money without any first hand experience of the project?

That experience has other benefits, too. As mentioned above, if volunteers see the problems first hand, they will have more understanding of the issues behind those problems. If they meet the people they are helping, they will feel an attachment to the community and are more likely to continue their support. People are more likely to contribute money when they know who and what the money is for. There is also the fact that people are paying the money not just to help out, but to travel and experience another culture, both worthy goals.

For more information about volunteering, there is a guide to ethical volunteering that gives tips on selecting an organization. The Ecua Traveler also has tips for making a difference as a volunteer. Most of the tips are for long term volunteers, but some can be applied to short term volunteering.

Conor's Next Generation Nepal Party

From the invite:

When: Thursday, June 21st at 7:00 pm
Where: Phebe's, 359 Bowery, New York, NY

Next Generation Nepal has a lot to celebrate on its 1st birthday! Right now there are 26 trafficked and conflict displaced children who are finally safe and going to school, living in our new children's home in Kathmandu. We have searched for parents of trafficked children and managed to reunite over 30 trafficked children with their families.

Come help NGN and its founder, Conor Grennan (flying in for the event) celebrate its 1st birthday in style and raise money to rescue more children and find more families of lost children. We are doing great things together!

Join us for music, drinks, auction prizes and good cheer.

$50 at the door gets you free beer and wine.

For more information, contact Next Generation Nepal at nextgenerationnepal@gmail.com

From other Travel Blogs...

Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Some good articles for you to read:

The Daily Transit has a good post about Why We Travel: Reason #1. I'm looking forward to reading his other reasons.

Timen at in my All Stars shares an incredible video, A Story of Healing, about a surgical team traveling to Vietnam to do plastic surgery on children with facial malformations. For more information about Interplast, check out their blog, So No Child Must Wait.

Interested in backpacking? Check out Road Junky's post, Top 10 Backpacker Destinations. If you go to Nicaragua, say hi to Ourman, or if you go to Nepal, say hi to Conor.

David at authorblog had a post about Anzac Day in Australia. It was striking to me because I had never heard of Anzac Day until the night before David's post when I was reading The Wrong Way Home by Peter Moore. In the chapter I was reading, Peter had arrived in Turkey too late to go to Gallipoli for Anzac Day. Has everyone else (non-Australian) heard of Anzac day?

The Lost Globe has a fun list of quizzes you can take. What kind of traveler are you?

Ian at Brave New Traveler shares a great video on RSS that he found at CommonCraft. If you don't know what that orange button is at the top of my sidebar, watch the video to find out how you can subscribe to Rambling Traveler! The video explains RSS way better than I did in my site tips.

And the winner of the Great Turtle Race is... Billie! She reached the finish line early Thursday morning after 10 days of swimming. Drexelina is still back at Costa Rica, swimming around the shore. We'll keep an eye on her.

For more travel articles, check out the section marked "From other blogs" in my sidebar.

From other Travel Blogs...

Ruins at Ephesus in Turkey

It was another good week for interesting travel articles. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Timen at in my All Stars has launched the Trusted Travel Blog Network. Check it out, and be sure to nominate your favorite travel blogs.

2. Gadling had several good travel articles, including Do It Yourself Volunteering and Spanish Immersion in Guatemala by Jamie Rhein, and Talking Travel With Matthew Polly by Justin Glow.

3. Conor Grennan from How Conor is Spending All His Money shares another great story about his orphanage in Nepal with Sock Puppet Photos.

4. Ian at Brave New Traveler started a Flickr Photography Pool and invites you to share your travel pictures.

5. Ubertramp has more travel tips with How to Choose a Backpack.

6. Learn about Nicaraguan Communications at Our Man in Granada.

7. Smarter Travel has an interesting article on Taking the kids to the Galapagos Islands.

8. National Parks Traveler has some good advice for visiting Arches National Park near Moab, Utah and Acadia National Park in Maine.

9. Pia Taylor at Backpackers.com writes about keeping your valuables safe when traveling.

10. Last, but not least, This non-American Life made me laugh with a post on Nudity Season.

For more great travel articles, check out the section labeled "From other blogs..." in my sidebar.

*The above picture was taken at the ruins of Ephesus in Turkey.

From other Travel Blogs...

It was another good week for interesting articles, and here are some of my favorites.

1. 10 Reasons Why Volunteering Is Better Than Traveling by Brave New Traveler (guest post by Steve Jackson from Our Man in Granada)
2. 12 Stupid Mistakes Of The First Time Traveler by TravMonkey
3. The Tourist/Traveler Distinction by in my All Stars
4. The Ultimate Guide To Memorable Travel Slideshows by Brave New Traveler
5. The Best Way for Travelers to Experience Local Culture by Chronicles of On The Road Travel
6. Gutting New Orleans by This non-American Life

For more articles, check out the section labeled "From other blogs..." in my sidebar

Today's pictures come to you from the Greek Island of Delos, the birthplace of the gods Artemis and Apollo. According to our tour guide, the inscription on the statues pictured above explains that the couple had the statues made to commemorate their gift of two silver tridents and many silver coins to the Temple of Apollo. A bit of self promotion, I think.

Our Man in Granada

Photo by ourmanwhere on flickr

I've been reading a lot the past two days. Through a comment left on in my All Stars, I found a blog that I haven't seen before, and it is really good. It's actually two blogs, both written by Steve, also known as "Ourman"

The first is Our Man in Hanoi, about his experience as a VSO volunteer with KOTO in Hanoi, Vietnam. KOTO is a restaurant and vocational training program for street and disadvantaged youth. Several of his posts also describe traveling in Vietnam. The archives go back to July 2004, and I started reading them at the beginning.

If you skip the archives, you will miss posts like this and this. I've read several posts on other blogs with tips for backpackers in Southeast Asia, so I thought this post about backpackers was interesting.

Luckily, I found out about his second blog, Our Man in Granada, as he arrived in Nicaragua, so there were only a few archived posts to read. In Granada, Steve is volunteering for Building New Hope at Café Chavalos. I can't wait to hear all about it.

Gadling and Brave New Traveler Do It Again

I’m not sure if this is going to turn into a Thursday habit or not, but I have two more articles from Gadling and Brave New Traveler that I want to share with you.

The first is a great story by Dia Draper on Gadling titled “Travel Deity: Conor Grennan”. Conor is opening an orphanage in Nepal, and he is doing some amazing work. I first read the Daily Progress article about Conor. Intrigued, I started reading his blog, "How Conor Is Spending All His Money" and my immediate reaction was, "What can I do?" I hope you read his story, and the story of the children he is helping. I am also adding a link to Conor's blog on my sidebar.

The other article is from BraveNewTraveler by guest blogger Derek Wallace. "What Cuba Taught Us About Peak Oil" is about how Cuba was affected by the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the energy crisis that followed. It is an interesting story about how Cuba has slowly moved away from using pesticides to organic farming.