Volunteer Vacations

Great post about Sea Turtle Conservation from The Vacation Gals blog.   I'm a big believer in Volunteer Vacations, which by definition mean an immersion in a local community where you serve the needs of that community. 

The idea of doing well by doing good is not new.  Tikkun Olam, repairing the world, has far reaching effects.  And travel can be one of the best roads to making this happen.  The late Richard C. Holbrooke said "If you don't travel, you can forget that other people in other parts of the world are human beings too." (Conde Nast Traveler Feb. 2011, p. 16)  The joy of volunteering in any area - be it domestic or internationally - is that you get back as much as you give.  You get to know other cultures and broaden your own world view.  You get connected at a very deep level.  You get human.

There are wonderful organizations that organize volunteer and study trips:  among them, Heifer International, where you can deliver animals to villages in need; and Toms Shoes - you can travel with Toms on a shoe drop. 

There are countless opportunities, so I encourage you to follow your heart.  And post your ideas here!

Uganda Volunteer Opportunity

I have an opportunity to create a Volunteer Vacation with a group, Aid Africa.  We're planning a trip for August, 2011 and perhaps twice a year after that.  Not all work, because all work and no play makes for exhaustion - the beginning of the trip will go to Jinja,  which is the location of the Source of the White Nile.

The heart of the trip will be about 6 days at Aid Africa's center in Gulu - visiting villages, distributing trees, building stoves, dropping shoes donated by a local Montrose California Running Store, and a bit more. 


We will do some game viewing, of course, because it's Africa after all - and for you birders, Uganda has more bird species per capita than anywhere else - like this beautiful Crested Crane, the national bird:

And there is the opportunity to extend your visit by going to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest to observe the Gorillas.  Rates to be advised, dates to be advised, but please comment here if you are interested in signing up for this amazing trip!