Training!

Well hello. Here we are, and in 3 weeks Gwen and myself will be on a plane to Seoul, (then swiftly on to Phnom Penh) .  (crazy)

Sporting the front/back rucksack combo technique.

But about Training...

My partner and I met in Glasgow Queen Street Station to get the bus to Oban, meeting up with a few other p8 vols who were on our selection course. Of course, no trip would be complete without a trip to the backpackers plus and a game of Mega Jenga and our new sport Satsuma Ball, soon to be introduced to Cambodia, Ghana and Nepal.




And then started training.

It was so nice to step out of that ferry onto Coll again, I think it's a place that's special to every PT volunteer and I can't wait to go back in summer.

Training is intense, there's no point saying it isn't, however it is very fun.
Classes include teacher training (primary/secondary/TESOL/social care specific), individual country groups, classroom management, how to create lesson plans, health, safety, online communications -  blogs an that.. (how am I doing DaveL?) among many, many others. By far my favourite was with our country group, consisting of myself, Gwen and Heloise who is our desk officer. These sessions helped paint a picture of our time away and find out each of our hopes and fears for the coming 8 months and try to find ways to achieve or overcome them.

Selection Reunion!

Gwen, Me, Heloise

Most evenings were spent playing Irish Snap and doing lesson prep. Then of course ending with the infamous PT end of week ceilidh, which had me in stitches (literally and physically) as it followed from a delicious 3 course meal. (Ever tried baked banana wrapped in parma ham? no? You should.)

So yeah, 3 weeks to go and I know what i'm getting for Christmas; Deet, a mosquito net and a universal plug adaptor.

Next update will be from Phnom Penh. (Ah!)

Cambodia!!!

So on the 16th September I received a phone call from John at PT telling me that there had been an opening in Cambodia so thats where i'm heading!
After getting over the initial shock of being in a completely different country/culture/climate than I though i'd be in, I became really excited.

Program Details;

Magna is a Slovakian NGO that works with children with HIV/Aids. Many of the children it supports are either orphaned or unable to live at home, so the organisation has set up a home just outside the capital Phnom Penh to house them. You will live and work in the group home, getting involved in a wide variety of activities at the project. You could be involved in giving basic English lessons to children ranging from 2 up to 16 years old, working at the NGO’s office or doing administrative work at the Magna hospital ward. A
lot of time is spent just playing with and supporting the children as well as assisting the Cambodian caregivers run the home.
There is also a more medical aspect to the project. The children are all on anti-retroviral medication, the drug that inhibits the development of HIV into Aids, and it needs to be monitored to ensure that they are being taken correctly. Some children who come into the home are very weak and the volunteers have to pay particular care for them, ensuring that they eat correctly, monitoring their weight, behavior and taking them to the clinic for their assessments. The volunteers attend an educational meeting every week to discuss the progress of each child.
This project requires a lot of initiative, looking at the routine of the children and seeing what you can do to help or to enhance the children’s daily lives. You will also be involved in running PSHE lessons, running arts and crafts activities and play therapy sessions with a deaf and blind child who requires particular attention.
Accommodation
You will share a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom in the group home which is located in Takhmau, about half an hour from the centre of Phnom Penh. The room is next to the children’s and caregivers’ rooms yet allows
you to have your own space. Food is basic and is cooked for everyone in the home, including the volunteers, by local staff so you will rapidly get used to a Cambodian diet.

Life in Cambodia

Cambodia is a country with a rich history. The Khmer people of the region have developed a sophisticated society, which at its prime resulted in the building of the incredible temples and palaces of Angkor Wat. This has become a huge tourist trap but you don’t have to go far to get away from the milling hordes and discover a Cambodia that

is virtually untouched. It is, however, one of the poorest countries
in SE Asia and is still dealing with the effects of a long period of war and political instability. The Vietnam War had a huge impact, not only because of its indirect involvement but also the political developments it spawned, which resulted in the notorious Pol Pot regime. This led to political and economic isolation and appalling human rights abuses.

A shadow still hangs over Cambodia but it is becoming a player in the economic development of SE Asia once again. Cambodia faces many challenges ahead, as rural poverty affects a large percentage of the population, resulting in many living at subsistence level with low life expectancy and limited educational and economic opportunities. Corruption is also a major problem.

Having been a part of French-Indo China from 1887 until its independence in 1953, there is a strong French influence, particularly
in Phnom Penh with its French architecture and restaurants. French is spoken by some of the older generation but it is English that is rapidly becoming the foreign language of preference, albeit only spoken in the capital and main tourist areas. In terms of travel Cambodia has much to offer, from the ancient temples of Angkor Wat to the exotic islands and beaches in the South - you will have plenty opportunity during your year to explore this fascinating country. 

Next up is training on the 3-7th december held up in Coll. Meaning the actual dates i'll be away are the 1-8th December.

My Facebook post in our PT selection group. Where my partner and I accidentally bumped into each other! (Sorry PT!)

Why aren't you in Africa?

So I haven't updated this in a while and it's mainly been because I wasn't sure how to. Some of this blog is extracts from one written in March but which I never actually published.

Why aren't you in Africa?
In March 2013 my mum got diagnosed with breast cancer which was a massive shock to everyone. Subsequently I delayed my departure to January so I could be here for most of the treatment. PT were very supportive throughout this process and I wrote letters to all the trusts who had given me money to inform them.

This later departure date meant that I was able to spend my summer volunteering at Quaker Cottage, a family centre where I split my time working the the babies/preschools and the 6-12 age group. We did lots of craft and it gave me confidence around the younger age group who I hadn't had much experience before. (I am now a complete expert at throwing/catching/spinning/ chasing/piggybacking/wresting the under7's.)

Fundraising Updates


From March
'On the 13th of this month, while I was sitting on my laptop, I got an e-mail through from Vrigin Money Giving telling me I got a donor for £555.00. (!) What?
I couldn't believe this, and still do not know who or what trust it is from, but thank-you so much!

Today, again through the door another £500 from a trust.

For any future volunteers, writing to trusts is one of the most important fundraising steps. Though it may take a long time to initially research them, write that perfect letter, address them, stamp them, envelope them, then eventually post them.
It is so worth it.'

Since then my fundraising has kind of halted... but spending a lot of time at work means i'm not worried about the rest of the funds, I know it'll come :)

PT Parents Evening (March)
Another thing that happened was the Project Trust Parents evening, which for the Northern Ireland Applicants was held at Queens University. It gave the chance for all the Northern Ireland (and a few from Ireland) volunteers and parents to meet together and swap fundraising ideas. While I thought bag packs were out of the question (Asda said no to me) we found that other stores did let bag packs happen and it was very much a store dependent process. So I might ask around for over Christmas period. It gave parents the chance to chat, and gave them a support basis for when we are away - which  I think will be very helpful for them.

Those are updates i've probably left out a lot. I will write another blog post tomorrow about my new placement in .......... (drumroll please)...

£2000!

Yepppp, that's right we have now got over £2000 - which is amazing considering 3/4 weeks ago I only had about £300.

In school this week I and my amazing amazing friends held a sweet sale raising a total of £370, selling over 9kg of jelly snakes, 250 creme eggs, 3kg of cherry sweets, 5 boxes of strawberry lace sweets, 2 boxes of chocolate, and about 50 drinks (and more). e.g. a lot of food is 4 days. Total takings was actually £200 more but that money actually went to buying the sweets in the first place! Thank goodness for being able to source a Macro card to buy it all with!

Through the post I also got a cheque for £250 from a charitable trust, with the promise of another £250 on my return (I haven't accounted for the second 250 yet so actual overall fundraising is about £2,320!)

Haven't even thought about my next fundraising plan yet!

Updates

Okayy, so that calendar of events was purely for self-motivation. Sometimes it worked, mostly it didn't.

However, I do have over £1000 pounds now!!!


Wayheyyy


Firstly I received £100 from a charitable trust which I thought was the best thing on earth, then a week later through the post I received a cheque for £500! Wow.

It was also that day I had a fundraiser of a dessert evening.

It was pretty simple to organise and I recommend it to others, basically two weeks before I set a date and spread the word.

I left school at lunchtime to clean and to finish baking my Banoffee (tasted pretty good) then my friend came at 3pm and we made a beaut fruit salad consisting of kiwi, grapes and melon and some flapjacks. Once people started arriving though it got a bit nerve-wrecking, though fortunately most the the people who arrived first knew each other though it wasn't too bad and eventually we had a full house of about 30-35 people over in total.
What was also good was people kindly offered to bake stuff as well so thank-you to everyone who helped out in any capacity that day!

In school one Monday I also sold Malteaser buns pricing them at 50p. I was due to only make about £6 from it, but every little helps... I made £12 altogether!

Over the past few weeks in my house I have also been gathering the loose change we have lying about the house and today I took it all down to Tesco's to put it in the change machine and from 1p's and 2p's it came out with £18! Im raging because we also had loads of 5p's but I didn't think it took them so I left them all at home.
Oh well, they'll go in the next change collection =)

Overall total now £1,210.12

In school I also have a sweet sale coming up which will hopeful last either 4/5 days (stock depending). I went to Macro the other day with my mum and aunt and we spend just over £100 on sweets. Hmmmmm lets hope we make it all back!

Writing To Trusts

After many hours spend in Bangor library and pouring through the Directory of Grant Making Trusts I had approx. 100 names of trusts.
After further Internet research on each of these I have whittled it down to 35 who I am in with a chance of getting funding from. While PT recommended we sent at least 100, I think it is better to send a few good ones and save the stamps.
The letter has been written and now just comes addressing all 35 and posting them off.

Something that surprised me was the lack of funding in Northern Ireland. I found full lists of trusts for many different area's in England/Scotland/Wales but everywhere seemed to forget us! Seeing that most trusts are area specific this was quite a problem.

Strathearn's got Talent is still in the process of being agreed to by school (fingers crossed) and I really hope I am able to do it because a) it would be so much fun to organise and b) would help fundraising enormously.

I am also trying to organise bag packing but I can't do it in either Tesco's or Sainsburys, Iceland maybe? My friend going to Rwanda was at Iceland bag-packing on Christmas Eve and raised over £300, so if we got something like that it would be good!

2013!!!

Its this year I go to Africa! (Its a scary thought)

We had a Northern Ireland meet-up in Clements Coffee in the city centre and it was a wonderful opportunity to speak to the others that are going away, although none of us are for the same countries we could still share fundraising tips and ideas. The people who were one one of the first selection courses for 2013/14 are already near finished when i'm only starting and that's another very scary thought.

There's only about 7 of us going from here but apparently that's a lot in comparison to previous year!

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Fundraising Plans for the year;
1) Get Strathearn's got Talent sorted
2) Car boot Sale
3) Coffee morning/ bring and buy sale
4) Random school sweet sales
5) Charitable trusts?
6) Bag Packing?

Help need other ideas fast!