Simon Says: Make a difference where it counts
by Simon Worsfold

When people ask me what volunteer travel is all about, I say two things: giving your time to good causes, and gaining good experience for yourself at the same time. Where you volunteer simply depends on your priority - giving, or gaining.

This issue I'll be looking at the former: volunteering for good causes. From cloud forest conservation in Central and South America to HIV/AIDS outreach in Africa, there are countless projects you can get involved with. This sometimes makes it hard to decide exactly where you want to volunteer, but as long as the issue is important to you, that's all that matters. Committed volunteers are much more valuable on development projects than ones who are just along for the ride.

I will only be highlighting a handful of world issues and corresponding volunteer projects here, but if there are others that you think should be mentioned, write to me and let me know. simon@vergemagazine.ca

Cloud forest Conservation
Cloud forests are exceptionally rare (making up only 2.5% of the world's tropical forests), and are home to an astonishingly diverse concentration of plants and animals.

The United Nations Environment Program recently found that agriculture, road-building and climate change are not only destroying these habitats at an alarming rate, but also affecting water supplies and livelihoods. In the Western Andes, for example, deforestation and habitat fragmentation has made 31% of the original bird fauna locally extinct.

The best-known cloud forests are found in Central and South America but in fact, over twice the amount of cloud forest can be found in South East Asia - where there are also far fewer conservation projects.

Central and South America are packed with cloud forest conservation projects (see www.yearoutgroup.org). For more information on the situation in Asia and advice on where to volunteer, try the Strybing Arboretum Society (www.strybing.org/cf) or Future Forests (www.futureforests.com).

Community Work in Eastern Europe
Following the Balkan wars in the last decade, communities throughout the old Yugoslavia (including Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia) have been left divided and, in places, unstable.

Few volunteer organizations currently run supported placements in the Balkans but there are many NGOs rebuilding communities there who, according to The Balkan Coalition, currently have great skills shortages, so may be looking for support.

For established volunteer projects, try www.balkansunflowers.org, who need volunteers to teach finance, English and martial arts as part of community education projects; or the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) who have their own volunteer program in the Balkans.

NetCorps Canada International and Canada World Youth arrange volunteer internships in Poland, Ukraine and Russia for people with an IT background. (www.cwy-jcm.org).

HIV/AIDS in Africa
This is a pressing issue, but far from the only reason to travel to Africa. I know many Africans are disappointed by the amount of media coverage given to negative issues on the continent, but if a good cause is what you're after, there are few health issues more urgent than the spread of HIV/AIDS.

In South Africa, for example, a quarter of the population are now thought to be infected with HIV - more people than any other country in the world.

There are a number of ways to help out, but without a background in health or counselling it can be hard to get onto a project. With i-to-i (www.i-to-i.com), however, you can get special training for HIV outreach placements based in the Western Cape and make a worthwhile contribution to people affected by the disease.

Youth Challenge International has launched an HIV/AIDS awareness programme in Tanzania for summer 2004. To find out more, visit www.yci.org and check out their current newsletter.

For up-to-date information about HIV/AIDS and what's being done about it, go to www.aids.org.

Volunteering at Home
Something I believe we should never overlook as travellers is the need for conservation and community work at home.

It is all very well to say 'here is a place we must preserve for future generations to visit, live-in and enjoy' - but how much consideration do we give to our own social and ecological issues?

The Roots & Shoots programme, operated by the Jane Goodall Institute regularly organizes community based conservation initiatives and welcomes volunteers. Visit www.janegoodall.ca

Charity Village (www.charityvillage.com) has a great database of organizations that offer volunteer opportunities in everything from environment and conservation, to health and social issues.

Leaving a Positive Mark
On that note, travelling will always leave a footprint, so how can we minimize its impact on the world? Volunteering helps, but another consideration, wherever you go, should also be sustainability. Has the volunteer project, for example, been set up by local people, for local people? And how much impact did your journey alone have on the environment? Many travellers now try to make their trips carbon neutral. To do the same, see www.futureforests.com.