| | News fromProjects Abroad UKIs this email a little distorted? See it clearly here. | | | | | | | This is an update fromProjects Abroad UK |  February 2009 |
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 1. State visit to RomaniaWe at Projects Abroad are always eager to seek out new and exciting opportunities and no one more so than Projects Abroad Director Dr Peter Slowe. While most of us were still reeling from the latest bout of norovirus/man 'flu, Peter was off and running; boarding a plane on the first leg of his annual New-Year mission: to terrify the living daylights out of one of our destination teams by turning up unannounced and demanding to know what more Projects Abroad volunteers can be doing in their country. It really is amazing to witness the good doctor in action – the way he leads from the front is reminiscent of an old fashioned army General...... Custer, perhaps? This year was the turn of the Romanians, but it looks like Romania Director Mircea Samoila must have received a tip-off from someone because he already had more projects up his sleeve than you could shake a stick at (providing the stick was very heavy and you got tired after shaking it at the second project). Physiotherapists will be delighted to learn that their choice of destinations has now expanded to 12; a new Brasov-based placement making Romania the latest addition to Bolivia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Meanwhile our Veterinary Medicine & Animal Care project has expanded to include an exciting new placement working at a Bear Sanctuary! Peter is most excited, however, about a new Journalism placement at the sister paper of our very own Brasov Visitor – the Transylvania Visitor. Essentially the same format as the Brasov visitor, only with a lot more garlic (how on earth I still haven't been offered any Christmas cracker joke-writing work, I don't know) the Transylvania Visitor allows interns the opportunity to take part in every aspect of work on an English language publication, including news reporting, feature writing, investigative journalism, sub-editing and editing. Sounds fang-tastic...... (ah, puns – an even lower form of wit than sarcasm). |
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| | | | 2. Cambodia Diving & Marine Conservation Over the Christmas period we were greatly saddened by the news that some vandals had sunk several small boats moored on the River Arun, just down the road from the Projects Abroad UK Office. We were mostly upset that, despite this criminal spree, Peter Slowe's own personal “boat” had managed to come away unscathed. Just how it did I am not quite sure; it has been known to capsize following encounters with particularly large Water-boatmen. And now with Spring hopefully just around the corner, all of us are currently dreading the possibility of an invite on the annual Cannonball-Run up to Burpham. Thankfully the new boat recently purchased by Projects Abroad is at least a hundred times more seaworthy than Peter's glorified bathtub, which is a very good thing, because it is currently carrying the first volunteers for our brand new Diving & Marine Conservation Project in Cambodia! Following the success of our Diving & Marine Conservation project in Thailand we have opened this second project up, on an island just off the coast of the seaside town of Sihanoukville, in southern Cambodia. Cambodia is a country with a tourist industry which has flourished in the last decade, but this has come at an ecological cost, with the local marine life hit by the combined forces of increased resort development and intensive fishing practices. Thankfully local groups are working - together with Projects Abroad – to protect the species of turtle, dugong, seahorse and many other forms of aquatic life which inhibit the area. With scientific experts and dive-masters supporting you every step of the way, this looks like another flagship project in the making! | | |
| | | | 3. The Caring Face of the Credit Crunch This time last year, saying the phrase 'Credit Crunch' to someone would likely have made them think you were talking about a supermarket own-brand version of an exotic organic breakfast cereal. One year on and it is virtually impossible to get away from the constant stream of news, views and opinion it seems the whole world is being fed about this 'Crunch' and the subsequent economic downturn. And its effects really are being felt on a global scale, something we have been able to witness ourselves at Projects Abroad with the opening of our first Care placements in China; previously there had been no real need for volunteers to work in this area here, but the tough economic situation is causing real problems for immigrant families in and around Shanghai, whose children you will be caring for if you volunteer on this project. The current crisis has also brought an unexpected outcome to our industry, in the form of a number of volunteers who have come to us after being made redundant from the jobs. It seems that a great many of these people are realising that right now is perhaps not the best time to be trying to re-enter the job-market and are putting their redundancy packages and/or savings into helping out in the developing world, whilst enhancing their own CVs in the process. If you are in a similar position, then please get in touch with us. | | |
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If you are interested in any of the above projects then just follow the links or click here to go to our homepage. If you would like to discuss your volunteering options with a friendly member of staff then you're in luck – everybody here is in a good mood today! Give us a ring on +44 (0)1903 708300. Robert Kidd
Programme Advisor |
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Projects Abroad | Aldsworth Parade, Goring, Sussex BN12 4TX - Tel: +44(0)1903 708300
www.projects-abroad.co.uk | info@projects-abroad.co.uk | | |
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