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Global
Volunteers - Partners in Development Celebrate
the Spirit of the Season Give Your
Presence &endash; not Presents &endash; to
Communities in Need Whether
you're serving turkey dinner at the city homeless
shelter, "adopting" a family for Christmas or
giving a caregiver much-needed respite, your
actions will help illuminate the darkness and
deliver hope to those on the edge of
despair. Some
individuals and families take this altruistic
message a step further by planning a "volunteer
vacation" over the holidays. They find a
sense of renewal and peace in experiencing the
Christmas rituals from the perspective of another
culture and far removed from the hectic
commercialism of U.S. festivities. Global
Volunteers, a nonprofit "volunteer vacation"
organization based in St. Paul, Minn., invites
service-minded individuals to participate in
"alternative holiday" service projects in Brazil,
China, Costa Rica, India, Romania and Tanzania.
Participants pay program and travel costs while
donating two or three weeks on teaching, childcare
and labor projects. Volunteers
work weekdays elbow-to-elbow with local people,
become a part of the community and observe local
holiday celebrations first-hand. Evenings and
weekends are open for free-time explorations.
The fees listed are in U.S. dollars and cover food,
lodging and project expenses. Airfare is extra.
(Shorter one- and/or two-week options available for
most programs.) The following are holiday
options: Brazil:
Lend a hand on child-care and educational projects
for youths living in poverty in the coastal city of
Salvador in Bahia state. Dec. 16-30, Dec.
30-Jan. 13. $2,250 for two weeks. Student rate:
$1,950. China:
Teach conversational English to Chinese teachers in
Kunming, the "City of Eternal Spring" in China's
southern Yunnan Province. Dec. 17-Jan. 6.
$2,520 for three weeks. Student rate:
$2,220 Costa
Rica: Help on light labor projects, sample
rural Costa Rican life and savor nature upclose and
personal. Two-week service projects in Santa Elena
or surrounding villages. Dates: Dec. 23-Jan. 6,
Dec. 30-Jan. 13. $2,095 for two weeks.
Student rate; $1,795. India:
Teach conversational English to impoverished
children in the Chennai area in southern India.
Dec. 16-Jan. 6. $2,295 fir three weeks.
Student rate: $1,995. Romania:
Care for babies and toddlers at a "failure to
thrive" clinic in eastern Romania near the city of
Barlad. Dec. 2-23 or Dec. 23-Jan. 13.
$2,495 for three weeks. Student rate:
$2,195. Tanzania:
Experience the hospitality and simplicity of rural
Tanzanian life by volunteering in the centrally
located Iringa District. Projects are
teaching and/or construction. Dates:
Dec. 17-Jan. 7. $2,385 for three weeks.
Student rate: $2,085. To
learn more about these special holiday teams or
other service opportunities throughout the year,
call toll-free 800-487-1074, check out the website
at www.globalvolunteers.org or write to Global
Volunteers, 375 E. Little Canada Road, St. Paul,
Minnesota 55117 USA. Global Volunteers,
established in 1984, sends over 150 teams to 20
countries each year to work in human development
projects. No special experience or skills are
required.
Barbara
DeGroot, Media Relations Manager Global
Volunteers - Partners in Development 800-487-1074
toll free 651-482-0915
fax
St.
Paul, MN (June 19) - "Peace on Earth and goodwill
toward men." This year, why not take the
holiday message to heart and give the gift of
yourself &endash; your time, compassion and talents
&endash; to benefit others less
fortunate?
