** Congratulations to Kelli who won our first $250 giveaway. Thanks to all that participated. **
We received some great entries to our contest to win $250 CDN for your volunteer travel idea. The 5 finalists have been selected and are listed below along with their submission.
Now it is up to you! Please vote below for who you think should receive the $250 CDN prize. The voting will remain open until May 7th at 12pm. The individual with the most votes will receive the prize. Good luck everyone and thanks to all those who participated. Also, thanks again to our sponsors from Ecoripples – Eco-Friendly and Socially Responsible Products.
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Maria Diaz
I am currently an undergraduate sophomore working towards my Biology Degree. Once I graduated high school I went straight into EMS with the dream of becoming a paramedic. I was the youngest of my class and it was not an easy journey. After completing my Advanced-EMT I quickly found a job and dove into the field. I had heard the horror stories from my instructors and the dramatized scenarios on t.v. shows but I was so ambitious and excited to put on that uniform, that I disregarded all of the warnings. It wasn’t until I lost my first patient that I had an epiphany about my own life. I saw his lifeless body lay in front of me and I had only wished there was something more that I could of done. That is when I took a step back and realized that I was 19 years old. I was young, ambitious, and still had so much ahead of me. My original dream was to become a paramedic but now my dream is to become a Physician Assistant and be able to provide a higher level of medical care to my patients. I intend to use this $250 towards my volunteer trip with FIMRC to Nicaragua to help the underprivileged kids and pregnant females with little to no access to healthcare and to also, finally, visit my homeland. Thank you.
Mackenzie C
My name is Mackenzie and I am a freshman in college, majoring in biology and minoring in spanish. I currently work two jobs, one at a local restaurant and at an Internal Medicine office, an office of twelve providers. Two months ago I traveled on my first volunteer trip to Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, with MOCA of WNY. MOCA stands for Medical Outreach and Community Assistance of Western New York. This non- profit organization was started by Dr. Nylander, an OBGYN.
While in the Dominican we split our group of thirty people into three groups; 3 Internal Medicine Doctors who visited different clinics in Imbert, DR, orphanages in Maímon, and ‘Hogar de Ancianos,” AKA a nursing home. 18 medical staff (a mix of Doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists) performed 17 surgeries at Hospital Municipal de Imbert, including delivering a precious baby girl who was named after one of our Doctors. A total of 9 kids, ranging from the age of 12-18, volunteered at surrounding orphanages and painted two basketball courts.
I traveled with the Internal Medicine Doctors, Dr. Sue, Dr. Goméz, and Dr. Jon, and over the course of seven days we saw a total of 847 patients, some who would travel to the clinics two days ahead of time. We had range of age for our patients, some who were 95 years old even down to the tiniest 10 day old baby I have ever seen.
The Doctors at the hospital in Imbert performed multiple OBGYN surgeries, many that required patient’s to stay at the hospital for post operational care. Due to the fact that MOCA only travels down once a year, we have two doctors who live in the Dominican and visit our patients at home to help follow up and make sure everything is OK.
If I were to win this money, the money would be put towards a fund we are starting for El Hospital de Imbert, where our Doctors would like to continue working at for the next few years that we travel down there. When we arrived at the hospital the first day, none of us knew what to expect, mainly because this was not the same hospital that had been used by our doctors before. The hospital did not have one patient there, and the so called pharmacy had nothing in stock, not even Tylenol or Motrin. When we traveled down we brought all of our supplies and medications with us and before we left we stocked them up on all needed supplies. Since the Doctors arrival at the hospital, many people traveled down to be treated because there was actually medications. The money that we are fundraising would help keep El Hospital de Imbert up and running, and help keep them stocked with supplies.
I am also excited to share my next few upcoming volunteer trips, I will be volunteering with FIMRC over the summer in Costa Rica, and with MOCA we will be going back to the Dominican in February and Ghana in October of 2017.
Jovanke
I am a psychology student from Poland, on my gap year. Two months ago I arrived in Nepal to find people, who really need help and would truly use my volunteer work. I met an amazing, extraordinary Nepali women, Babita. I spend wonderful time in her village, cleaning the land for farming and building, planting fruit trees – helping her to realize her dream, which I’m sharing with her and village people now.
What is Babita’s dream?
It’s the dream to build a place for homeless families, where she can teach them how to grow food and support themselves. They would be welcome to stay as long as it is needed. She wants to build a sanctuary with an organic garden, so that the families can work there and sell the vegetables and fruits they harvest. The dream is that the families who leave in this sanctuary have enough money to start their own farm or business and be able to leave their homeless life and become happy,self-sustaining people.
Not all such beautiful dreams have chance to become real. Although the lack of money is the barrier, getting them wouldn’t be enough, if Babita wasn’t a women that she is. She always realizes her dreams. 15 years ago she fell in love, proposed to her loved man and they run away from the threat of approaching arranged marriages to start a new life together. When she was 13, she heard about tragedy of people who lost everything on the big earthquake. She broke her piggy bank, bought food for all the money and travelled by bus to the place, where people were starving. All this in the country, where at that time love marriages were only 1% and where girls wouldn’t even imagine travelling alone!
As every project, this one also needs money to run. And I’m sure this money won’t be wasted here. All village is supporting Babita’s idea- sharing their land and however they can -but they are poor Nepali people and their help is not enough to make dreams happen.
Right now we need money for materials for building houses for homeless families.
I am happy to be here, it’s the greatest volunteer experience I’ve ever participated in!
Brianna Harris
Hi my name is Brianna Harris, I am currently a Junior in High School. I chose to do this volunteer program, because I realized I wanted to do more in the world, then just stay home for the summer and work. After, doing some research, I have realized that going to Haiti to help these children, would be an amazing thing to do, since I am going in the medical field. I’m not here to joke around, and I don’t want you to think I am to young, I am a very ambitious person and I am looking forward to spending the time with children and families,and meeting new people. Right now, I am in a club at my school called, Girl Up which helps young girls in differnet countries. Its a great experience and I know this program will be one as well. I am really hoping to get the money towards my trip, so I may go volunteering and just experience this summer and have a different scenery . If I don’t get the money, that wont stop me from going ,I will just have to figure something out. I really hope you like what I have to say and know, this is truly something I would love to do.
:)
Brianna.
Kelli
I am a long-term volunteer (1.5 years in total) at Casa Guatemala, a boarding school in Guatemala where approximately 250 impoverished and malnourished children study and live. Most of our students are from indigenous communities and endure incredible situations, for example hiking for hours to arrive home for visits, not having toilets, etc. Our school is their chance to get an education, sponsorship from foreigners, and ultimately help out their families in the long run.
I studied Art (specifically photography) in University and have a degree in Fine Arts. I am currently coordinating volunteers, our sponsorship program, and our social media pages. For me, I would love to use the money to make a yearbook for our graduating students this year, and a few copies to keep in our school. Our children love photographs and anytime I’ve given a child a picture, they have it in pristine condition a year later. For me, this would be the best gift and would bring such joy. I would also like to give the graduating students a party, which a proper meal for the 30 students would be about 40 USD.
Also, to all of you volunteers out there, check us out at casa-guatemala.org and come volunteer or donate! The best thing you will ever do is volunteer your time and experience a new culture, and if you like working children we are an amazing option! Cheers to all and good luck with your adventures!!