Stories | NGS Movement

Gapper Video Profile: Maggie, Magic Hospital – Beijing

On our visit with Magic Hospital in Beijing, China, GiveYourGap was able to sit down with Maggie, a part-time volunteer form South Carolina, to talk with her about her volunteering abroad experience.

Full interview transcript

GYG: So first, can you introduce yourself for us?
Maggie:Hi my name is Maggie Hicks. I’m from Colombia, South Carolina, I’m 25 years old, and I’m currently living in Beijing China volunteering for Magic Hospital.
GYG: What is Magic Hospital? What do they do?
Maggie: Magic Hospital is a quality of life organization. So we work in partnership with hospitals, migrant schools, and orphanages around Beijing to help improve the programs that they already have in place. So we bring in volunteers who can help with art or music or just to bring a new level of engagement to organizations that work with children. We also do different individual programs like outdoorsy days or gift-giving where we go into these organizations and do a special type of event.
GYG: What do you do specifically for Magic Hospital? What are some of your daily tasks?
Maggie: I’m the volunteer communications coordinator. I have a full-time job, but I also work as a volunteer with Magic Hospital to do the website, work with local publications, spread the word about different fundraising events that we’re having, basically just get the word out about what Magic Hospital does. So daily stuff that I do is I post pictures of our most recent events, I edit our website, or I’ll answer questions that a local publication might have about what we do and our volunteer opportunities.
GYG: How did you find Magic Hospital?
Maggie: I originally moved to Beijing to teach, and then have since found another job. I found Magic Hospital just through searching. I wanted to do something that would supplement the skills that I already had and was learning through work and where I could help an organization grow and use the skills that I was learning through my professional job. So I found Magic Hospital just through Google and through word of mouth. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a lot of different people from everywhere around the world in Beijing.
GYG: What can other people do volunteering at Magic Hospital?
Maggie: We have two different ways to volunteer at Magic Hospital. One is the core team that does more the administrative work. We help coordinate the different programs and do fundraising, communications. We also have volunteers who work within the specific programs in our partner institution. So they go into the migrant schools or the hospitals and actually play out the programs that we help coordinate and work with children and teach them, or do art with them, or play with them.
GYG: How do you like living in Beijing? What’s the experience like to volunteer here?
Maggie: Living in Beijing has been a great experience. It’s been three years and I get to meet people from everywhere who are doing really really interesting things. As everyone knows, China is growing, and there are amazing opportunities if you do choose to come here. There is someone who is working on everything, so no matter what your interested in, someone is here who is doing something innovative in that space. I think that’s what I’ve enjoyed the most.
GYG: Why should people come to volunteer at Magic Hospital?
Maggie: I think the real reason people would want to come to volunteer for Magic Hospital is because you really do get to see the difference you get to make. We are a small organization but we have strong partnerships with the groups that we work with. When you go into these schools, the little bit that we are able to do has a big impact. I think that you’re not going to get lost in the scope of Magic Hospital. You’re really going to get to see what your skills and your energy can do to make a positive change.

Thanks Maggie!! It was so great to see someone dedicating their little free time volunteering, even while working abroad. Best of luck! Check out our full feature on Magic Hospital.

in Give Your Gap / Stories by NGS Movement 05 Dec 2012 1 comments

Janice Smith, Ramakrishna Vivekanada Girls’ Blind and Deaf Orphanage School

Name: Janice Smith
Type of Work: Education, Arts, Language
Region: Asia
Length of stay: 1-2 months

Tell us about the organization you work for and what you do for them.
I was the first foreign volunteer to stay and live with the girls in 2009. I taught and and other cultural activities.

Share a favorite memory.
The never ending love the girls had to offer. I learned so much about life and self discover.

What have you learned from your experience? How has it affected your long-term goals?
Material items are not essential to live a happy and meaningful life. I learned so much about their language and culture that positively effects me today on a daily basis.

What was the most challenging part of your job?
Not being able to speak the language, adapting to their food and hot humid climate.

Do you have any advice for prospective gappers?
Travel with an extremely open heart and try as many new things as possible, except from street food venders

PT Foundation – Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

The city of Kuala Lumpur is a modern, vibrant, and exciting place. While it is easy to get caught-up in the glamour and fun of the metropolis, as we did during our first few days there, our visit to the PT Foundation gave a us a glimpse of the real life of the city. Not everyone can enjoy the luxuries of the city and the dedicated staff at the PT Foundation work tirelessly to provide the services that marginalized communities need and deserve.

GiveYourGap got to sit down with the coordinator of the Positive Living Programme, a center for people living with HIV.

The PT Foundation is an organization dedicated to helping prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and enhancing the lives of those living with the disease. They offer free and confidential HIV/AIDS testing along have different programs that help address the needs of the five at-risk groups: those living with HIV, drug-users, sex-workers, transgenders, and MSMs. We were lucky enough to be able to visit their offices, where they offer counseling and support groups for MSM individuals, and the Sex Worker resource center.

The PT Foundation organized a campaign of international celebrities to bring awareness to the needs of the AIDS-affected community.

As soon as we entered in to the PT Foundation offices, located in a low-income area of Kuala Lumpur, we were immediately welcomed and could feel the supportive environment of the office. They have a small but hard-working staff that comes from all walks of life. All of them offer their individual skills to help the foundation. Their offices are filled with inspirational posters, pamphlets and resources offering advice, and comfortable counseling rooms. Besides the staff there were a number of volunteers, both local and international, who give their time to keep the programs running.

A short distance away from the office centers is the Sex Worker resource center. Here they run a drop-in center offering many programs to help sex workers in the area. The center serves as a safe shelter for these women to stay away from the streets during the day. They also provide them with condoms, sexual health education, HIV/AIDS prevention training and resources. The shelter also provides a safe place for the children of these workers. While the PT Foundation does not promote sex work, they understand that ignoring the needs of the workers will not make it stop… it will merely become more and more unsafe for the women working. In addition to providing a safe environment and health tips, the program also offers support to women wishing to leave sex work and be trained to enter another profession. They also work hard to reduce the stigma that sex workers face so that they might be treated better by society.

The PT Foundation gave us a tour of the safe shelter they provide for sex-workers.

The women we met at the center were all strong and hard-working; a diverse group of mothers and transgender people all benefiting from the resources PT was offering. Those who were active sex workers were able to get off the street during the day to enjoy some rest and clean conditions. Others had transitioned into working for the center instead of on the streets. Both employees and clients benefited immensely from the center.

Volunteers played a big part in helping out in most of the centers. At the office there is always extra work that the volunteers can help with, especially if they come in with ideas about what skills they can contribute. In the other programs they can have more time working with people helping out in the centers. We met a wide range of volunteers coming from many different backgrounds and countries. All of them were passionate and inspired by the work both they and the PT Foundation were doing.

A volunteer at the Positive Living Programme arranging handouts.

We left the PT Foundation feeling excited about the work they were doing and hopeful for the future of the communities they served. Our time in Malaysia was much more enjoyable knowing there were people out there as dedicated and driven as those of the PT Foundation.

To see more, check out our Gapper Video Profile with PT volunteer Asma.

in Give Your Gap / Stories by NGS Movement 24 Apr 2012 1 comments

Tiffany Prachachalerm, Bridge of Hope Thailand Charity

Name: Tiffany Prachachalerm
School: University of California-San Diego
Type of Work: Medical/Public Health, HIV/AIDS awareness
Region: Asia
Length of stay: 1 Year+
Contact email: bridgeofhopethailand@gmail.com

Tiffany dropping the kids off at their school on her last day at the center

Tell us about the organization you work for and what you do for them.
I started the foundation with a friend and thought of it after I returned from my volunteer experience at the center. I had found the center online and decided to go there during the summer to volunteer. At the time, I did not know that I would eventually form a non-profit organization, but I knew I wanted to bring more UCSD students back to the center and find ways to fundraise for them. They had become like family to me. Ideas kept rolling and eventually we decided to turn it into a non-profit organization so we can also get help from companies who would be willing to donate!

Share a favorite memory.
I have quite a few stories while with the orphans at the center and while interviewing the patients about their life stories. However, the one that sticks out in my mind is the site of the three youngest kids at the center who’d run around all day, playing so happily. Their parents are currently living with HIV, and I knew their life stories. There were three kids who were not HIV positive because their parents had taken anti-retroviral medicine when they were pregnant. It’s just overwhelming to know how much their parents had to go through in their lifetime to get to this point, and gratifying to know that the kids are happy, healthy, and have a chance to live a life very different from the rough lives of their parents. One of the girls there is a bit chubby and likes to run around eating crepes her mom makes. We bought crepes to pass out to all the kids at the center. She wanted one just because everyone else had one in their hands, but the minute she took a bite, she was sick of it because she had eaten it for the past two weeks, so she gave it to someone else. She was only 3 years old, but I found that act to be adorable. There were countless stories with the kids, but that’s just one that was on the top of my head.

What have you learned from your experience? How has it affected your long-term goals?

Jenny is a 4-year old orphan living at the center. These are her different expressions as she’s feeling the wind pass by.

I learned that you have to do your research before you donate to any nonprofit organization. Some organizations do not donate 90%, or even 30% of the donations. There are even some that donate only 5% of the donations for the cause they are claiming to donate to! There are so many loopholes. The important thing is to do your research before you get involved. Another important thing is to show your commitment once you have decided that you want to be a part of the team. Accountability, responsibility, and most words ending in -bility means your ability to uphold those different values. If you really want to help, then do it, but don’t ever half-a** your way through. That is just my opinion.

This experience is teaching me a lot of things about life, which is important for a doctor. Although you can never truly understand everything and life’s philosophies, volunteering is a start. It’s teaching me so much about how people interact and how sickness and death can affect people. You don’t start living until you’re close to death. I definitely learned that as I watched the orphans and patients taking their medication twice a day the same time everyday. That’s what they worry about. They think about, “”Will I survive today?”” while we are here thinking, “”What should I eat for lunch? Too many choices!”” It definitely puts into perspective what is important and what really matters in life. Volunteering allows you to give back to society. It allows you to be generous and hope that everyone will give so that we can continue to live together and prosper. Really, it’s a survival mechanism and if we don’t help each other, how would we survive?

No, my goals have not changed. Volunteering definitely advanced my plans and hopefully will prepare me to be the best doctor I can be!

Do you feel like you are making a positive, critical impact on the global community?
I definitely think I am doing what I can. I have a vision about how I want this all to pan out, and if it becomes something greater, then great! If I overestimated and it doesn’t get as big as I imagined, then I’ll be fine as well because I’ve learned to manage my expectations. I really do hope that I am making a positive, critical impact on the global community. I know I am spreading awareness and providing opportunities for students who want to be active and do these sorts of things but don’t know how or don’t have the means to. Sometimes it’s just a matter of your ambitions and if you think it’s possible. One of the things I believe is that if you want it bad enough and you work hard enough at it, then anything’s possible (as long as it’s not defying gravity or physics). Like in the Wicked play, “Nothing will bring us down!” It’s important to have spirit and not think that whatever your plans or goals are will become a failure. If you believe that it will become a success, then you can provide that inspiration to others and sooner than later, they too will believe that it is a success. I hope that I’m making an impact when I make someone aware about these social issues. They may not have to donate, but the fact that they are more aware that these problems in society exist, they are being more open and more willing to contribute to society in the future. As for the orphans in Thailand, I know that they would really appreciate all that we’re trying to do here, halfway across the world. Everyone, excluding me, would be complete strangers to them. If they knew that strangers were helping them out, then they wouldn’t feel like this world is such a bad place when it’s filled with caring people. If there aren’t people who show that they care, the kids might think that they are being punished by being born HIV positive, without a choice. So I hope that I am making a critical impact. It’s worth it, even if will only make an impact on one person.

Do you have any advice for prospective gappers?
My advice is to get out there. Do whatever you wanted to do because you know once you apply for graduate school or get a job, you won’t have the time to explore the world. If you want to teach English in another country, volunteer, explore other career options, now is the time to do it! You just graduated and worked hard during your undergraduate years and you deserve a break. Traveling, joining an organization, and staying active is a great way to open a new perspective and you’ll grow as an individual during the process! You’ll learn more than what you expect to and you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. Why not? You have the rest of your life to go for your career. After taking a gap year, you may have a more focused, clear mind to accomplish your career goals in an efficient manner. Just make sure to blog everything so you can look back on it. I’m sure whatever you decide to do, as long as it’s productive, would be something memorable. Literally soak up every opportunity because it won’t come by as often as we get older.

in 1 Year + / Asia / Childcare / Featured Gappers / Give Your Gap / Medical / Stories by NGS Movement 12 Apr 2012 0 comments

Erica, New York

During the summer after my freshman year of college, I biked 4,000 miles from Jacksonville, Florida to San Francisco, with the non-profit organization Bike & Build. Our mission was to raise money and spread awareness for the affordable housing crisis in America and to help build homes in several communities along the way.

Early one August morning, we rode up to an old, dilapidated house in Farmington, New Mexico to find a defeated woman watching Little Miss Sunshine from her wheelchair. Five years had passed since she filed a request to have her front porch reconstructed. The deteriorating mess of soggy cardboard, rusted nails, and rotting wood that was to serve as her sole access to the street was neither structurally sound, nor ADA-approved. By the end of just one day, we reconstructed her entire porch, and let this woman know that she mattered – that she was not forgotten. This success kept me feeling invigorated as I rode from one town to the next, making small dents in our national affordable housing crisis.

But no experience is perfect, and there were moments when the southern hospitality was deeply entangled with layers of prejudice. Several times, openly gay members of my group were verbally assaulted. It did not matter that they had raised thousands of dollars and devoted their time to improve the communities where these individuals lived – they were “an abomination in the eyes of God.” My liberal upbringing in diverse, cosmopolitan Manhattan did not prepare me for this raw prejudice. I was heartbroken and I began to second-guess our role. I realized that a community might not always welcome my assistance: while the work itself might be appreciated, cultural barriers may undermine the value of the work done by individuals of conflicting backgrounds, lifestyles, and beliefs.

Only a select few of our experiences can really be transformative. Bike & Build stands out for demonstrating the complexity of truly helping others. Whether we are building homes or helping in some other way, we must be careful in our approach. Hammering nails into wood beams builds a house, but not a home. While it is important to have an agenda, having an open mind trumps all. There is a wide spectrum of beliefs, attitudes, perspectives within a country, and within a community – making generalizations and assumptions about how an individual will respond to “help” can be detrimental. The best we can do is to communicate our needs, ideas, feelings, and opinions with each other.

Biking across the country gave me a small taste of the types of experiences, internal struggle, and interpersonal conflicts I might encounter in my career. While most days I was eager to arrive at a new destination, there were days where I felt like giving up and going home. I learned a lot about my stamina and perseverance when I kept peddling in spite of 30mph winds, a hurtful remark by a churchgoer reprimanding me for my non-religiousness, or when it felt as though I was using every ounce of energy I had and still going nowhere. On a larger level, I gained faith in the ability of non-profit organizations to be effective agents of change in this country, yet realized that we have a long way to go in building a country in which people feel truly safe “at home,” regardless of how many affordable houses we build. Perhaps most importantly, though, I became more optimistic about what the passion, strength, and perseverance of a group of individuals has the potential to do.

in Stories by NGS Movement 24 Mar 2012 0 comments

Sarah, Hagerstown

When I was in college I became a part of a group called Best Buddies, an international organization started by Anthony Kennedy Shriver. The goal of Best Buddies is to promoted friendship between students and members of the community who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.

I met Karen in my freshman year of college at the first Best Buddies party of the year. After she destroyed me in checkers (and five years later, I still can’t beat her), I knew we were going to be good friends. Over my four years of college, Karen and I spent a lot of time together. I would go to her Special Olympic swimming events, and she would come to my tennis matches. We made a point to see each other every week.

As I moved through college, I faced some personal struggles that left me feeling like a shell of myself. One day in particular, I hit rock bottom; emotionally and physically. I didn’t know what to do. I felt like couldn’t call home because I didn’t want to worry my parents, and I didn’t have the energy to face my friends with my problems. At that moment, when I felt utterly alone, the only person I wanted to talk to was Karen.

Karen only saw my good. She loves the simple things. Making a phone call to just say “hey” and talk about her day means the world to her. When I was with her, I never worried about anything else. Our friendship was about being present, enjoying each other, and the time we would spend together.

I ended up going to Karen’s house on that night I hit rock bottom. She was there to remind me that I mattered and that I was worthwhile. I joined Best Buddies thinking it would be a nice thing to do, that it would make someone else feel good. I didn’t expect that it would be the thing I would turn to when nothing else seemed right. I joke now that it wasn’t my time being volunteered, but that it was Karen who was doing the good deed. She helped me to see the good in my life, and for that I will always be grateful.

Photo credit:http://2010.washcoll.edu/sarahmacht/

in Stories by NGS Movement 24 Mar 2012 0 comments

Nikole, San Diego

We All Have Stories to Tell

Americorps VISTA. Shakti Rising

We all have stories to tell, stories that could fill pages and create great novels. I could tell you many stories, but instead I’ll focus on one.

An equal mixture of excitement and fear surged through my veins as I stepped off the plane on the San Diego concourse and began my year long quest of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I traveled from the opposite end of the continental U.S. carrying along my personal baggage; darkness the biggest piece of luggage, hope a small carry-on. I was departing from a life lacking purpose. Finally emerging from the abyss of my lost self and delving into the unknown, I had the intense desire to be of service.

Everything in my life completely changed when Shakti Rising found me. While working in the Transformation through Service program, I began experiencing personal shifts that connected me with my heart and spirit again. On almost a daily basis, I was able to help others discover their passions through volunteering. I soon began working on a storytelling project that ignited a fire inside of me and fueled inspiration. I soon found myself co-piloting a committee that would provide outlets where everyone’s story could be shared and heard – through art, film, writing and social media, I was able to help share the individual and collective stories of apprentices, staff, volunteers, and community members involved with Shakti Rising. Shortly thereafter, this committee created a new and improved version of the Flutter-by e-newsletter, and it has been amazing to witness the stories of transformation unfold!

Shakti Rising came to me when I needed it most. It wasn’t the organization or the charming old house that I had been searching for, but rather the true vision of transformation behind it. It was the community of strong women standing together in their leadership, service and authenticity that was the force of gravity pulling me in. My service at Shakti Rising has not only allowed me to discover my passion for telling stories through writing and marketing, but it has also shown me that I have had wisdom and serenity within me all along. My passion did not need to be searched for because it was already intuitively known. I answered a call to the AmeriCorps VISTA program because I wanted to be of service, I answered the call to Shakti Rising because I wanted to create transformation and be a leader.

* also published in Shakti Rising’s July 2010 newsletter

in Stories by NGS Movement 24 Mar 2012 0 comments

Brad, Washington DC

How service projects ruined my life:

Picture for a moment the ideal of the American dream: a high paying job, a house, family, good health, plenty of food. You go to work in an office, maybe taking the train into the city. Life is comfortable, stable. Sounds perfect! Which is why it’s the American dream. So why is it that while I have most of these things, all I want is to go somewhere that is dirty, poor, dangerous, and unpredictable? One word: Service. That stupid word ruined what was otherwise a very linear track to a very clear goal.

I think it started when I got involved in residence life. It gave me the confidence to try new things, to venture from the stable into the unfamiliar, and do it with some semblance of grace. What I mean by this, is that I did not completely trip and fall, but managed to awkwardly fumble along with the idea that I was doing so intentionally. Through residence life I got a taste for building communities, and giving back to those communities. Feeling pride for what I had built, and a real connection and understanding of the people around me (complete with their beautiful imperfections) made me hunger for more. So, I looked around for more ways to do this, and found Engineers Without Borders.

The EWB group brought passionate, eager engineers together with the idea that they could do something positive for others. What could be more valuable than that? The comfort and stability which a normal career might offer pales in comparison to the rewards of dedicating your work to the betterment of life. Through this group, I found a community of like minded individuals and a way to explore how engineering and service could work as a couple. The two fields weren’t married yet in my mind, but they were definitely flirting with one another. Being an engineer, I always thought of service as part of my life, but not a career. Things were changing in my mind though, and I was getting a dangerous taste for what my future could be.

Because of my experience with EWB, and a little more good luck, I got a job for the summer working in Tanzania doing some work on technology for developing communities. Specifically, an electronic device which teaches visually impaired children how to write braille. This was my first hands-on service work that was ‘in the field’. The experience was thrilling. It caused me to see the world in such different ways. Specifically, the patience and strength of Tanzanians, facing much harder obstacles than I had ever experienced gave me a new found sense of humility and perspective on my own problems. I came back to the states feeling light – happy, grown, and with a sense of perspective about what did and did not matter. Older and wiser, but not tarnished and pessimistic.

The final nail in the coffin, so to speak, was at the end of my college experience. I spent two weeks in the Philippines with other engineering students building houses and teaching kids about engineering. I worked with and led my peers, who inspired me and made me proud to do the word. It was grueling, awful work. We dug holes in garbage and dirt mixed together, with broken tools, in blazing heat, for an entire day. We were all exhausted, dehydrated, disgustingly dirty, and I had never been happier. I came back from the trip with a bad case of pneumonia, caused by a mix of 3 days of constant travel, exhaustion, and breathing in diesel exhaust for a 6 hour drive. As I was lying in the car with my mom driving me to the hospital, I was very much delirious. But I remember one thing: telling her that getting sick would not stop me from going back. I remain determined to go back, and continue working.

So my path was as follows: trying out some service as part of a school job, helping grow a service focused organization on campus, doing a service related job for a summer abroad, and finally going on a 2 week service trip. That path led me here: to my ruined life.

I currently have everything anyone could ask for: job, apartment, health care, food, friends, holidays off. But – I’m miserable, and the reason is that service is no longer a part of my life. I’m an addict, and I need my fix. And just volunteering on the side is not enough. I know I’m ruined for good. I want my work and my purpose to be completely married.

So here I sit, with my dreams simultaneously achieved and ruined. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

in Stories by NGS Movement 24 Mar 2012 0 comments

Brad, Atlanta

I put down my flashlight, picked up three-year old Arafat and set him on my lap. He still weighed no more than the metal flashlight now on the ground. His head fell limply against my chest as I picked up the bottle filled with soy bouille and began feeding him. He had gained some weight, yet his sunken-in fontanel, his inability to sit up, and the ever-present loose skin on his finger-thin arms and legs still incited worry for his life. He locked eyes with me as he gave a grimace and uttered a cry that touched the inner-workings of my soul. I had known that Djoulde, my best friend in village, had a child but I had never seen him until last week at the health center. Arafat’s mother died of AIDS when he was 4 months old. He was currently suffering from extreme marasmus and advanced malaria; preventable diseases. This was 10 months ago. This is Arafat’s life.

By stark contrast, my childhood consisted of growing up in wealthy and white suburbia, pampered with a neighborhood pool, a jet-ski, and expensive restaurant cuisine. Needless to say, my existence has been easy being a member of one the most privileged groups of people in the world; white, American, and male. Due to this fortunate upbringing I feel a personal requirement to dedicate my life to humbly serving others; working to make a small dent in the incredible amount of preventable suffering occurring worldly. I cannot rest content and complacent with the way the world is currently. I seek my meaning in this world through bringing about change with regard to how individuals view the global community and global ecosystem as a whole and I believe education is the first step in achieving this goal.

After two years in the Peace Corps, charged with improving health outcomes and education in an African region of more than 100,000 people, I discovered that good intentions and a humanist life perspective do not inherently result in positive outcomes. One must use science to inform action. For this reason I am in the process of pursuing a PhD in globally-focused epidemiology, hoping to use science to build functioning comprehensive primary health care systems internationally.

I feel incredibly blessed daily to have opportunities to contribute to improving care for depression and suicide in rural Haiti, to preventing HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Malawi, to the development of new anti-malarial drugs in Thailand, and to educating youth on health issues in Cameroon. It is amazing how every time I travel abroad individuals thank me for what I am doing when I should be thanking them for being patient with the world as we sit idly with so much inequity and suffering. That I am able to live my dream to hopefully (eventually) make a career around improving the health of populations globally is just beyond words.

I strongly believe in the mission of NGS and think that the ultimate goal of the educational system in America should be to build character in our youth, a sense of purpose in life, and a desire to improve themselves and the world at the same time. The learning that takes place during volunteer service to the underserved is soulfully empowering on a level that cannot be touched by getting an “A” in classroom studies. Seeing children like Arafat suffer is extremely difficult, but where there is great suffering and need there is also the greatest opportunity for positive change. Nothing is more empowering than being needed and being able to contribute positively to society. I look forward to a day where all youth can be paired with an organization or opportunity where they can be needed and can contribute positively to the making of a better world.

in Stories by NGS Movement 24 Mar 2012 0 comments

Kerry Fugett, Andean Bear Foundation

Name, Age: Kerry Fugett, 24
University, Major: UC San Diego, Physiology and Neuroscience
Region: South America
Length of stay: 6 months – 1 year
Type of Work: Environment/Conservation

Tell us about the nonprofit/social business you work for:
I worked with the Andean Bear Foundation in rural Ecuador. Most of my time was on-site at our research house in Pucara, in the northwestern area of the country. For more information, check out AndeanBear.org

How did you find your position?
StopDodo.com, an awesome website for finding gigs like this!

What’s your typical day like?
I was the Volunteer Coordinator for the program. We had 4 to 6 volunteers who stayed up to a month. As the coordinator, I was responsible for planning and guiding the treks to do radio telemetry looking for Andean Bears in the mountains. I also had to write the menu and do all the grocery shopping (a task requiring about 5 hours of bus round trip!). A typical day meant up at 6am, we all ate breakfast together, then head out on a hike by 7 or 7:30 to “listen” for one of our 6 radio collared bears. We’d usually be back around 3 to avoid the afternoon rain, take turns in the lukewarm shower, then dinner and hammock or game time.

What kind of people do you work with?
All nationalities with the average age from mid 20s to mid 30s. It was not a program for people going abroad for the first time ever, so most people had finished college and had probably studied abroad. We had a lot of biologists looking for field work training, but really anyone with a passion and who worked hard was accepted.

What are your living accommodations?
The bear house has closed down since I left, but the project is hoping to begin construction on the first ever Andean Bear Sanctuary in Ecuador soon and will be looking for volunteers for that. That will be in a new location near Baeza on the way out to the Orient.

What do you do in your free time?
Hammock, climb trees or work in the organic garden we had going. One volunteer made a swing and a tree house, that was great!

Share a favorite memory or story from your experience!
My first Andean Bear sighting in the wild…up in a tree, the expanse of the Andes Mountains behind, just stunning. We were lucky enough to get to watch it for an hour before it came down and walked away. It never even knew we were there!

What inspired you to do this kind of work? If you are taking a gap year, what motivated you to do that?
Career development and travel bug. That bug bites hard, watch out!

How are you financing your time?
I was given free room and board once I was there, my free time spending money was from personal savings.

What kind of special skills do you need to do your job?
Language, photography, leadership experience.

Do you feel like you are making a positive, critical impact on the global community?
Yes. It is a very small organization and I had a huge part in every aspect of helping run it, from finances to website assistance and social media. It was started and is primarily run by an Ecuadorian Biologist, and I really valued working for someone from the country I was living in. It made it very challenging at times, but I learned how to best make a difference “Ecuadorian style”, which I think will ultimately be the longest lasting.

What have you learned about the nonprofit and social business world in your experience?
It is hard. No doubts about that. But you take the small successes and just keep pushing.

Do you think you make a unique contribution to your organization as a young person? Is your perspective or approach different from others?
Possibly. It was good and bad being the same age or younger than a lot of our volunteers. I had to make sure to gain respect right away and that meant being “on” 24-7. But it also allowed me to relate to a lot of volunteers which I think helped a lot.

How do you see this experience fitting into your long-term goals?
I really liked the leadership aspect of it. It made a positive impact on me for sure, but what I want to do next is still hard to sort out. Very amazing experience though that I am extremely glad I did. Though you always think you’ll have it figured out after just one more experience or trip, but it just made me more confused!

Do you have any advice for prospective gap-givers?
Do it!

Are you blogging about your work or travel? How can we stay in touch?
Tried to blog, but only got about 5 posts in almost 10 months….opps. Feel free to email me though if you want to get in contact!

Would you be willing to take questions from potential Gappers?
Yes.

in 6 Months - 1 Year / Environment/Conservation / Featured Gappers / Give Your Gap / South America / Stories by NGS Movement 23 Dec 2011 2 comments

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