The Global Volunteer Network's partner organisation in the Philippines is a newly established NGO. Their objective is to assist and develop local Filipino communities through education, integration, research and volunteerism. Their programs are nationwide, assisting local communities with their basic needs, focusing on children.
.: The Program
The volunteer opportunities are in the following areas:
* teaching programs
* health program
* cultural exchange
* school building and maintenance program
Teaching Programs
Day Care Centres: Volunteers teach children ages 3 to 5 in a day care centre for 2 to 4 hours a day. They will teach children the alphabet and basic concepts like colours, shapes, sizes, days of the week, and the like through songs, stories and play. This program is not available during April and May.
Elementary and High School : Volunteers on the program teach elementary and high school students in public schools for two to four hours a day. Subjects taught include English, maths, science, health, and basic computer skills (only in schools where computers are available). Volunteers may teach on their own but there will be a local teacher available to assist. This program is not available during April and May.
Health Program
Philippine laws provide for a community health centre in each of its 41,000 barangays (communities). Sadly, not all communities have their own health centres and those that have one are woefully under-equipped and understaffed. Medically-trained volunteers may help in community health centres and hospitals, and may perform medical tasks depending on their skills and qualifications. For volunteers to practice as licensed doctors and nurses in the Philippines, however, they must submit their applications at least three months before their scheduled program in order for their accreditation to be processed by the Philippine Professional Regulatory Commission. They may also conduct trainings and workshops to train the people on hygiene, health care, reproductive health care, first-aid, and other health concerns. Volunteers may also help set up clinics in public schools and train teachers and students to become effective health officers and clinic custodians. Only volunteers who are in their final year of study or who are professional doctors or nurses can participate in the Health Program.
Health volunteers will be asked to live and immerse themselves in the communities where they will conduct medical missions, especially in the rural placements. This is done to give the volunteers a more holistic appreciation of the people they wish to help, their economic activities, culture, values, issues and struggles. At some point in their programs, they will also be taken to both public and private hospitals for them to see the problems of the health sector in the Philippines.
Cultural Exchange
Volunteers live with a Filipino family. This is a good opportunity for volunteers to learn about Filipino culture, lifestyle, language and people. We can arrange home stays in many parts of the Philippines. During this period volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in local festivals.
School Building and Maintenance Program
Volunteers on the program will be doing manual tasks of building. Your time will be spent repairing school buildings, painting roofs, walls, chalkboards, desks, teaching aids and other equipment. Volunteers may help in the installation of water pumps. Volunteers may also help in setting up of libraries. Volunteers can start by asking for donations of old books from families, friends, towns, parishes and former schools. You can encourage the use of books by the students through class visitations and regular story-telling sessions. The objective is to introduce to public school students the joys of using a library, which most do not experience until college, if at all.
Volunteers can spend up to one month on the School Building and Maintenance Program. If volunteers want to stay on the program longer, they can elect to combine their time with two or three programs.
.: Program Location
Volunteers may be placed in various locations in the Luzon group of islands. Short term volunteers will be placed in and around the capital city of Metro Manila. Others will be placed to the laid back archipelagic province of Romblon-one of the poorest provinces in an already economically poor country. Volunteers to Romblon must be ready to tackle challenging travel experiences to Romblon via ferry and outrigger boats as well as basic accommodations and limited internet access therein. GSM cellular phone connections are available, however, and are recommended to all volunteers. (Local sim cards are preferable because of their cheap services.) But they will be rewarded with beautiful sceneries that only few places can equal or surpass. The peoples' hospitality is also hard to equal.
.: Program Requirements
Volunteers for the Philippines program must:
* be 18 years or older
* have no major health problems
* possess genuine openness to different cultures, sensibilities and conditions
For more information and details on the costs of this program visit
http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/philippines
If you have a question then send it to:
info@volunteer.org.nz
* The Global Volunteer Network offers opportunities in Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Kenya, Nepal, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, South Africa, South Dakota, Thailand, Uganda, and Vietnam.
