The 100 Best Volunteer Vacations to Enrich Your Life Part 16

Go where your best prayers take you.

-Frederick Buechner, author and minister.

55 The United Nations and the World Bank bandy about the dollar-a-day statistic when describing poverty. In Benin, for example, they report that 30 percent of the population makes less than a dollar a day, considered the absolute minimum income required to provide nutrition, clothing, and shelter.

But what if you could help a person make $2 a day? What if decisions on community development came not from the World Bank, USAID, and other foreign organizations and foundations, but in the very slums where the poor live and struggle to survive?

That's the idea behind this volunteer program, which aims to lift women out of poverty by giving them a little training and a bit of financial help to start a small business, to give them their first chance at a slice of capital pie. It doesn't take a lot of money to create huge changes, either. African women who gain access to even a hundred dollars and a little technical a.s.sistance have proven to be quite savvy when it comes to showing entrepreneurs.h.i.+p, forming a.s.sociations, starting savings accounts, and demonstrating to their children a renewed sense of dignity, pride, and hope for the future.

Even though the Benin Const.i.tution guarantees equal rights to women, the reality is that women are frequently denied basic human rights in Benin. They are often forced into marriage, not allowed to inherit property, and wracked by the effects of female genital mutilation. In addition, education, which is free for boys, often bears costs for their sisters.

VOODOO POLITICS.

Sixty-five percent of Benin's nearly seven million people practice voodoo. There's a National Day of Voodoo (January 10) and a government-sanctioned National Voodoo Bureau, both of which were established in the 1990s under President Niceph.o.r.e Soglo. When Mathieu Kerekou, the former Communist dictator who outlawed voodoo during his 18-year reign, ran for reelection in 1996, he flip-flopped on the ban, eventually going so far as to mix up an unnamed white voodoo powder to ensure his success. It apparently worked, and he served as president until 2006.

Although outsiders, who arrived in Africa wis.h.i.+ng to supplant voodoo with their own religions, often have equated voodoo with witchcraft, in Benin there's no such thing as zombies or dolls stuck with pins-often the markers of voodoo in Western popular culture. (Animal sacrifice, however, is actually a voodoo practice.) Instead, voodoo, also known as vodou, is an ancient spiritual tradition with dozens of deities. Most adherents of voodoo have one or two personal deities.

According to a 2004 report by National Public Radio's John Burnett, the religion remains a centerpiece of spiritual life for millions of West Africans. Janvier Houlonon, a tour guide in Benin and a lifelong voodoo pract.i.tioner, told him, "Voodoo is older than the world. They say that voodoo is like the marks or the lines which are in our hands-we born with them. Voodoo are in the leaves, in the earth. Voodoo is everywhere."

The Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI), a Chicago-based nonprofit that organizes good works across the planet, coordinates with a social action project at a community center in Porto Novo, Benin, that provides microloans to help women start small basic businesses. Members gain experience handling money and raising farm animals.

The center, which currently serves around 200 people, also offers educational workshops-including radio programs-on malaria prevention, agricultural and environmental topics, computer skills, and HIV/AIDS prevention. An on-site pharmacy provides medication for people living with HIV/AIDS.

As a volunteer with CCI, you'll help women with little money or education become the architects of their own economic progress. By honoring, elevating, and supporting them in their fight against poverty, you'll empower them to develop their potential and become a powerful force in the lives of their families and communities.

CCI also works with a women and children's center in Porto Novo, which has a nursery, an orphanage, and both primary and secondary schools. At this nongovernmental organization started in 1993, volunteers organize youth groups, educate young mothers, and work on community campaigns and outreach programs, such as malaria prevention, importance of clean water, s.e.x education, and support for those living with HIV/AIDS. Volunteers may be called on to tutor, mentor, counsel, or lead skills workshops for the women and children at the center. During the months of August and September when the students are on vacation, volunteers are needed to plan and lead daily recreational activities.

A tiny but vibrant country tucked between Nigeria and Togo, Benin is best known for its fis.h.i.+ng villages on stilts, for its mud fortresses, and for being the birthplace of voodoo. As a former French colony, it's not unusual to see Beninois walking down the street with a baguette under one arm and a French newspaper under the other. The capital, Porto Novo, where you'll be working, was founded in the 16th century by Portuguese settlers. It has several museums, including the former palace of King Toffa (R. 18741908), known as the Musee Honme or the Palais Royale, which gives a glimpse of what royal life was like.

An intermediate level of French is required for this volunteer vacation, which includes a three-day orientation to Beninois culture and the project you will be working on. French lessons are available prior to the volunteer project for an additional fee.

You'll live with a host family, share two meals a day with them, and pay $1,550 for your one-month volunteer post.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

Center for Cultural Interchange, c/o Greenheart, 712 N. Wells St., 4th fl., Chicago, IL 60657, 888-227-6231 or 312-944-2544, www.greenhearttravel.org; www.cci-exchange.com.

TRAVELLERS WORLDWIDE.

open your heart to aids orphans.

LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA.

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat...We must find each other.

-Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Catholic nun and founder of Missionaries of Charity.

56 Even though the son of Zambia's first president, Kenneth Kaunda, died of AIDS in 1987, the growing epidemic was kept under wraps for way too long. For nearly 20 years after the first case was diagnosed, the government, the Zambian press, and especially those dying of the disease, disavowed the large pink elephant sitting in the corner.

The devastating result of this hush-hush approach? One out of five adults in the country were infected with HIV by the early 1990s. An open, public effort to combat HIV/AIDS didn't happen until 2002, when Parliament finally pa.s.sed a national AIDS bill. By 2004, the government declared it a national emergency and former President Kaunda became one of the nation's most committed AIDS activists.

Today, it's estimated that 600,000 Zambian orphans are paying the price for this stealth approach to the AIDS epidemic. Travellers Worldwide (TWW), a U.K.-based volunteer organization that organizes more than 300 volunteer projects in 21 countries, sends volunteers to work with the children left behind when the disease claims their parents.

TWW's founder, Jennifer Perkes (she started the company with her husband Phil, who died in 2004), has funded scholars.h.i.+ps, books, food, and even roofs at a school for orphans in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia since 2002. On TWW's website, you'll see photographs of grateful students holding signs expressing their thanks.

Lusaka's Thandiwe Chama-who at age eight led 60 barefoot children to the school demanding their right to an education-won the 2007 International Children's Peace Prize. As a result, all children were taken into the Jack CECUP School, which is one of the local schools supported by donations from Travellers . Following her impressive speech during the Children's Peace Prize ceremony in 2007, a library was offered to the school. Chama is now 17 years old and writes a human rights blog at http://thandiwechama.blogspot.com.

Twenty percent of Zambian children under 17 have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. As a result, many young people are homeless, live under bridges, or try to maintain a household by themselves. Those lucky enough to find a bed in an orphanage still struggle to secure health care, education, and even food.

Travellers sends volunteers to orphanages in Livingstone, a quaint colonial town that serves as the gateway to Zambia's many safaris and wildlife adventures, including Victoria Falls. The town was first doc.u.mented in 1855 by explorer David Livingstone (as in, Dr. Livingstone, I presume) and turned into an official town in 1905 when the railway bridge across the Zambezi was completed.

Volunteers in orphanages may rock babies, prepare food, feed children, bathe them, wash their laundry, clean the building, or organize a soccer game or an impromptu sing-a-long. In the schools, volunteers-who usually work with a teacher on staff-may be asked to teach a variety of subjects, including math, science, drama, dance, art, music, and, of course, English. In fact, since many of the children are reluctant to practice their English, engaging them in speaking English is a primary function for volunteers. Sports-minded volunteers can coach basketball, cricket, football (soccer), rugby, or volleyball.

HOW I WROTE OFF MY SUMMER VACATION.

If the fee you pay for a volunteer vacation is used to support research or another n.o.ble cause, it may qualify as a charitable contribution. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) isn't keen on subsidizing taxpayers' fun and games, though. Travel costs qualify for a tax deduction only if the trip has no significant element of "personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation," and various other conditions apply. Be aware that if you tour the country before or after volunteering, you forfeit the right to deduct transportation costs. Consult your tax professional or an IRS representative to see if any part of your trip might qualify for a tax deduction.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION.

The official name of the school is Jack CECUP School. The acronym CECUP stands for: Community Educational Centre for the Under Privileged. The Jack CECUP School started with 32 students in one tiny room. It now has more than 450 students, who are taught in three rooms. The school has a number of activities, which include football, netball, drama, poetry, choral music, cricket, cultural dances, Anti AIDS Club, Anti Drugs Club, Environmental Conservation Club, Child Rights Club, Book Club, and traditional games. The school also has one school computer for the children to use.

The school a.s.sists orphans, which includes children who have lost one parent or both parents. It also takes students whose parents are alive, yet are unable to meet their demands and cannot afford to enroll their children in either government or private schools.

Run by local volunteers, Jack CECUP School is considered a self-help school and is registered with the Zambian Ministry of Education as a service school. Students here, whose ages range from 6 to 16 years, are cla.s.sified according to three types: Never-beens: Children who have never had a chance to attend a government school and who will no longer be accepted at a government school due to age limits.

Dropouts: Children who failed to proceed to junior secondary or in any other grade due to various factors, including the lack of school uniforms, shoes, books, or school supplies.

Pull-outs: Children who once attended government or private schools, but were forced out due to the loss of the main breadwinner or parent who used to sponsor them.

In their free time, they're free to kayak and canoe, take elephant-back safaris, visit Zambia's 19 national parks, or bungee jump off the highest commercial bridge in the world.

This trip, with accommodations in a hostel featuring an Internet cafe, a large garden, a swimming pool, and a bar that attracts an international clientele, plus two meals a day, runs 775 ($1,225) for two weeks, 1,295 ($2,280) for four.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

Travellers Worldwide, Suite 2A, Caravelle House, 17/19 Goring Road, Worthing, West Suss.e.x BN12 4AP, England, 44 1903 502 595, www.travellersworldwide.com.

GLOBAL VISION INTERNATIONAL.

collect important marine data.

CAP TERNAY RESEARCH STATION, MAHe, SEYCh.e.l.lES.

In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.

-Baba Dioum, Senegalese poet.

57 The Seych.e.l.les is an archipelago nation of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean that between 1994 and 2005 lost 42.5 percent of its coral and half of its 134 fish species due to unsustainable fis.h.i.+ng practices and the effects of global climate change. The Nature Conservancy, an Arlington, Virginia-based conservation organization, is working with local governments in the Seych.e.l.les to establish new marine protected areas and strengthen existing ones in the region.

According to National Geographic News, in 1998, El Nino sparked the worst coral bleaching event in recorded history, destroying 16 percent of the world's coral reefs. In the Seych.e.l.les, the damage was particularly devastating. The inner islands suffered the brunt of the damage, losing more than 90 percent of their staghorn, elkhorn, and table corals.

Unfortunately, the Seych.e.l.les Ministry of Environment doesn't have the staff, the time, or the resources to monitor the problems in its troubled waters. Yet you can do your part to help. Global Vision International (GVI), a British-based company with a U.S. office in Boston, sends volunteers to a marine station in Mahe, the largest of the islands, to fill the gap. Volunteers, all certified divers, spend five weeks conducting research that will help this island nation create plans for their valuable coral's survival. Not a diver? No worries. Come four days early, bring 360 euros ($500), and GVI will arrange the necessary training.

As a GVI volunteer, you'll collect data on coral and fish species, conduct whale shark migration surveys, and research turtles, dolphins, octopuses, and lobsters. After learning research diving and marine survey skills, you'll work on a team, partic.i.p.ating in six to ten dives per week. You'll rotate between diving and nondiving projects and will collect, review, and input data and help keep the camp running, from cooking and cleaning to operating the compressor and filling scuba tanks.

SHE SELLS SEYCh.e.l.lES...

Or coco-de-mer nuts, the world's largest plant seed, weighing in at as much as 50 pounds. The islands of the Seych.e.l.les are the only place on Earth to find coco-de-mer palms, the trees whose giant nuts look an awful lot like a woman's bottom. In fact, the last word in one of the plant's early botanical names, Lodoicea callipyge, was a Greek word meaning "beautiful rump." It later was given the name Lodoicea maldivica, because it was erroneously thought to originate in the Maldives.

After finding the coco-de-mer floating in the sea, early sailors believed the fruit must come from a mythical tree located at the bottom of the ocean. Now a rare and protected species, the coco-de-mer's nuts have traditionally been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. On Praslin, the Vallee de Mai Nature Reserve, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, protects a natural palm forest that has been preserved in almost its original state, with trees topping 100 feet. The reserve has been run by the Seych.e.l.les Island Foundation (www.sif.sc) since 1989: The valley contains all of the six palm species that are endemic to the Seych.e.l.les: Lodoicea maldivica, Deckenia n.o.bilis, Nephrosperma vanhoutteana, Phoenicophorium borsigianum, Verschaffeltia splendida, and Roscheria melanochaetes.

Located 1,000 miles off the east coast of Africa, the islands that form the Seych.e.l.les are scattered across 500,000 square miles. The research center is located in Cap Ternay Marine National Park, on the west coast of Mahe-the Seych.e.l.les' main island. You'll also spend time at a satellite camp on Curieuse Island, a lushly vegetated outcropping near Praslin that has more giant hundred-year-old tortoises than humans.

On weekends (expect to stay busy and be quite tired out Monday through Friday), you can explore the islands and experience the Creole culture of the Seych.e.l.les-a mix of African, Asian, and European influences. You might choose to catch up on some well-earned sleep or visit the Internet cafe. Every Sat.u.r.day night, the base hosts a lively party.

Five weeks, including dormitory accommodations and meals at the Cap Ternay Research Station, plus a zipline canopy tour, is $2,520.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

Global Vision International, 252 Newbury Street, Number 4, Boston, MA, 02116, 888-653-6028, www.gvi.co.uk.

PROJECTS ABROAD.

coach a kids' soccer team.

ST. LOUIS, SENEGAL.

Many of us have surrounded ourselves with the excess of Western society and have found that this emphasis on self and things is unfulfilling and unrewarding and creates a vacuum inside.

-Cliff Lewis, volunteer with Projects Abroad.

58 A kid in Senegal grows up with one of two dreams: a) to be the next Youssou N'Dour, the Senegalese singer and percussionist that Rolling Stone described as follows, "in Senegal-indeed, in much of Africa-N'Dour is perhaps the most famous singer alive," or b) to play soccer for the Senegal Lions, the national football team that in 2002 pulled a surprise upset by defeating the reigning world champion France in the opening game of the World Cup.

Projects Abroad, a U.K.-based nonprofit with bases in 23 developing countries, sends volunteers to Senegal to help nurture those dreams-not so much to encourage kids to play professional soccer, but to use the popular sport to foster cooperation, hope, discipline, and respect.

In a country where less than 30 percent of children can read and write, football (as they call soccer) plays an important role in the development of young people's values. From street players to those aspiring to follow in the fleet footsteps of Senegalese football star Aliou Cisse, soccer brings people together and builds strong communities. Besides the obvious physical and mental benefits that any sport provides, being coached by an adult who cared enough and believed in them enough to travel across the globe can mean the difference between hope and despair.

Senegal's national motto is "One people, one goal, one faith." Nowhere is that spirit more evident than on the football field, however modest that field may be. Volunteers, working with team managers, set up training drills and fitness sessions, and coach teams in already established leagues. They help young football players (there are under-12, under-14, and under-17 leagues) develop their skills in ball control, maintaining possession, pa.s.sing, and dribbling.

Projects Abroad's Senegal base is located in the island town of St. Louis, four hours north of the hectic capital city, Dakar. With palm trees, sandy streets, donkey-drawn carts, mosques, and French patisseries, St. Louis is a fascinating melange of many cultures. It's located on a long, rectangular island in the middle of the Senegal River.

Between national parks-one with the largest pelican breeding grounds in the world-and sandy beaches, wild countryside, a vibrant music scene, and thriving cities, Senegal offers something for everyone. It's a great place to improve your French, study colonial architecture, take in local nightclubs, or visit the nearby Mauritanian desert.

A monthlong volunteer post, living with a host family and sharing three tasty onion-, garlic-, and ginger-based Senegalese meals (expect chebujen, the national dish of fish and rice, and fish maffe) per day, runs $2,895. Projects Abroad even puts out a monthly newsletter from Senegal called The Spirit of St. Louis.

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH.

Projects Abroad (U.S. Office), 347 West 36th Street, Suite 903, New York, NY 10018, 888-839-3535, www.projects-abroad.org.

FAIR TRADE CASHEWS.

Aliou Cisse, a famous Senegalese football player who plays for France (that traitor), has a first cousin named Ibrahima Cisse who never left Senegal. Instead, Ibrahima Cisse started a company that, he hopes, will alleviate poverty and halt ma.s.sive deforestation. Working with former Peace Corps volunteer Jeffrey Chatellier, Cisse started Green Caravan (www.organiccashewnuts.com/greencaravan.htm), a fair-trade company that sells organic cashews and solar dried organic mangoes.

Like coffee beans and cocoa, cashews grow abundantly in Africa-more than 16,500 tons are s.h.i.+pped from Senegal alone every year. Until recently, Senegal's cashews (grown mainly in the southern region of Casamance) were exported raw, which brings in less profit. Since Green Caravan operates under fair-trade agreements, it pays reasonable wages to workers, ensures a safe working environment for them, and guarantees fair prices to producers.