SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA March 13, 2005 -- The Sun Herald, Australia's most prestigious daily newspaper, highlights Cosmic Volunteers as one of the organizations that can help international travelers "do something good for the world." In an article called "Where charity begins overseas", journalist Michael Gebicki explains that holidays can be used to help people, not just "get a suntan."
A portion of the article is below. For a reprint of the entire article, visit Sun Herald's website.
A suntan might be a positive holiday symbol, but doing good is far more satisfactory, Michael Gebicki reports.
DESPITE the tremendous misery wrought by the Asian tsunami, the event has also demonstrated that the world has a big heart. In the aftermath of the biggest natural disaster in living history, people everywhere have reached deep into their pockets and contributed massively to assist those whose lives were torn apart. Along with cash, many volunteered their skills and time to help the afflicted, and in the process focused attention on a very different kind of travel experience the holiday with a heart.
From working in a Romanian orphanage to documenting vanishing wildlife in Madagascar, the world is full of people wanting to help, and anyone can do it. If you want something substantial from your holidays, the light that shines from a small face when you've just brought some magic into his or her life surely beats a suntan and a souvenir T-shirt hands down.
Here are some organisations that can help you do something good for the world.
COSMIC VOLUNTEERS
Founded by an American teacher who had his first helping-hand experience in Nepal, Cosmic Volunteers gives support to local people in Ecuador, Ghana, India, Nepal and the Philippines, while offering volunteers the chance to learn about those cultures. Cosmic Volunteers' programs are run entirely by local professionals and a wide choice of work is available in these countries in teaching, medicine, orphanages, social work, business studies, environmental action and HIV/AIDS, both in rural and urban frameworks. Except for the medical program, which requires volunteers with formal training, Cosmic Volunteers simply requires fluency in English, enthusiasm and an open mind. Volunteers stay with a local host family that provides a private room and all meals.
