Where to lend a hand

[thearena]

LOOKING to do volunteer work on your next trip overseas? Here are some choices.
Straits Times July 24, 2007

X-trekkers

What: Operation Snow

Lotus, to assist Chain Of Helping Hands, a Nepal-based charity that takes care of social development and runs school activities in the village of Nuwakot, 80km from Kathmandu.

When: Sept 22 to Oct 4

Cost: From $2,150, depending on group size

For more details, visit www.x-trekkers.com

Venturing Asia

What: Project Nairamdal, to help the Lotus Children Centre in Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia. The centre is a shelter for children who were abandoned, sexually abused or victims of domestic violence.

When: Aug 11 to Aug 25

Cost: $2,700

For registration and more information, visit www.venturingasia.org. There is a recruitment talk at Blazing Outdoor Adventurers & Co in South Bridge Road tomorrow.

Raleigh Society

What: Operasi Ya'ahowu Health Campaign, to raise awareness of health topics and hygiene in the Afia village of Nias island in Indonesia, which was hit by the tsunami in 2004.

When: October (two weeks)

Cost: $600 to $800

For more details, visit www.raleigh.org.sg

Habitat For Humanity

What: Building houses for the poor in north or north-east Thailand.

When: October or November (one week)

Cost: About $1,900

For more details, visit www.habitat.org.sg

STA Travel

What: Planting trees and weeding out animals that are not local to the environment in Victoria, Australia.

When: Aug 6 to 10

Cost: About $1,500

For more details, visit www.statravel.com.sg

[ringring]

i'm just wondering if anyone has gone to one? I'm quite keen for the STA

[thearena]

This is a community mailing list for people in Singapore with an interest in overseas volunteerism, especially YEP-type projects.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExpeditionSG/

This is a volunteer outreach programme set-up for volunteers under Singapore International Foundation (SIF).
http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/sif_volunteers

This is a mailing list for volunteers to share with each other volunteer opportunities in Singapore.
http://asia.groups.yahoo.com/group/StarVolunteer

This is a mailing list for youth to share and learn about about the volunteering / civil society scene in Singapore.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thechoiceinitiative/

[dioken]

Honestly, I'm just generalising but many of the 'Voluntour' services provided by so and so org or coy are just profitting from your trip there.
If you really want to render your volunteering services, spending 2K on your trip there is absurd. You can probably live with the minimum and spend prolly more than half of that $2k on helping the people there. Look out for those organisations wisely, don't end up giving your money to people who dont need them as much.

You can actually consult the various embassies/consulates for advice on volunteering, if you are really keen on it. i wont advice signing up these packages. I find them totally a rip-off .

Just an advice

[Karel]

Dear Dioken,

you've understood nothing of it all. after accomplishing such an expensive organised volunteering trip, you receive a certificate of "politically correct world saviour". and that is of course priceless ...

[belgarathc]

Pretty value for money mah. Participants have fun, feel good about themselves having done some volunteer work, can gloat to their friends and have something impressive to write in their resumes.

I always admire those who simply donate their $ without asking anything tangible in return.

[boochap]

Building houses for the poor overseas? sound so ridiculous.. seems like expensive singapore air-con worker can build houses more economical than the local labor? 2k for a week, in local term is perhaps a few month pay.

plant trees in australia... hahaa. how many of you have planted a tree in your home country?

[wanderingcat]

Building houses for the poor in north or north-east Thailand.

men from such poor families in northeast Thailand come to Singapore to build HDB flats & condos for Singaporeans...
150baht (~SGD7) per day, you can hire one such person to work for you there.
200baht (~SGD9) per day if you want to pay them Bangkok instead of rural rates.
1 participant's fees = SGD1900/week = employment for 30-38 villagers for 1 week (esp during dry season when there's no farm work & zero income, & they have to migrate to Bangkok to hunt for menial jobs)

but guess getting hold of that SGD1900 in the first place is difficult if potential donors don't feel a 'personal involvement' in it...& now students want to get points for taking part in overseas CIP.

btw, quite a few YEPs i came across all travelled by full service airlines even when budget flights are available for their routes...

[spearhawk]

Building houses for the poor in north or north-east Thailand.

men from such poor families in northeast Thailand come to Singapore to build HDB flats & condos for Singaporeans...

couldn't love this irony any better 

[dioken]

Dear Dioken,

you've understood nothing of it all. after accomplishing such an expensive organised volunteering trip, you receive a certificate of "politically correct world saviour". and that is of course priceless ...

-_-

[nuts]

Now got "luxury voluntourism" even.....!

http://www.plushasia.com/article/3729

[WuffRuff]

Building houses for the poor overseas? sound so ridiculous.. seems like expensive singapore air-con worker can build houses more economical than the local labor? 2k for a week, in local term is perhaps a few month pay.

plant trees in australia... hahaa. how many of you have planted a tree in your home country?

I have done tree-planting in Australia over 5 days. Went with Conservation Volunteers Australia and paid I think less than $100 (can't remember exact figure but remember it is very little), basically to cover meals and transport cost and accomodation. Nothing extra and fair enough... can't expect others to feed me just cos I'm planting trees.

Now this STA Travel is charging $1500, also for 5 day tree-planting in Aus. Wowww!!! What a deal.
So STA pockets $1400 easily. Ok, there is airfare but you can get budget airfare to Aus for $200+!

Come on. Don't be a carrot head. If you want to plant trees in Aus, fly there on your own and hook up with CVA.
They also have many other interesting projects at reasonable costs.

Btw, I didn't specially go there to plant trees. I was staying there at that time for me studies and just decided to do something during the term break.

Btw boochap, I wouldn't mind to plant trees in Singapore... but may I know, where is the land?!?

[wanderingcat]

NParks tree-planting prog: http://www.gardencityfund.com.sg/pat/How_to_take_part.htm

SGD200 per tree...!! NParks sure knows how to make $ grow on trees...

much cheaper to plant trees overseas