Volunteering in The Netherlands

After Stan did his posting on Friday, I thought it was high time I put up the new fundraising position open at his project. Here goes:

1112. Alkmaar, Netherlands
The International Secretariat of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) seeks (A) a Communications Officer for correspondence, printed/electronic publications, and general administration in the International Secretariat, and (B) a Fundraiser for developing and implementing a fundraising strategy in close cooperation with the fellowship's branches worldwide. Duties for A include maintaining database/server, processing electronic/printed materials, research/news writing, updating website, grant proposal writing, computer work, and proofreading. Duties for B include contacting and visiting member branches for initiatives, research and networking with donors, building coalitions and designing/compiling proposals, and reconnecting the branches within the fellowship. Other duties reflect the skills of the volunteer(s) and the needs of the organization (note: this description is not definitive). Requirements: Commitment to peace and non-violence, self starter, college degree, organizational skills and ability to set priorities, computer knowledge, writing/editing skills, willingness to do varied tasks, second language helpful (especially French and Dutch). Prior experience for fundraising position would be advantageous, but not required. Communications Officer position: Available summer or fall 2010. www.ifor.org

Spring time in Alkmaar?

Hi everyone,

Hope you are enjoying a little spring time weather, and that some of you will be getting together soon for Easter. We have been busy here this month at IFOR with sending my colleague Isabelle to meet with the President of Liberia to work on women's rights issues sponsored by the Dutch Government (I just put Isabelle's article up this morning on our website).

You may remember that as publications editor I do a quarterly "eZine," the organization's flagship communiqué. I solicit articles from all over the world, and then do a lot of editing, ha! Each issue of IFOR in Action focuses on a different region of the world, and this time it was The Americas. I'm mentioning this because I received a few articles on our recent US election and Barack Obama, that I found not to be what I expected.

To do this work, publications, editing and websites, I need the most advanced computer we have at IFOR. I've made some complaints lately about the computer I had, so yesterday they bought me a new, much more powerful pc and new software. I would have say they are treating me fairly well here in the Netherlands...

But then again, being a BVSer, I try not to ask for much, ha!

Wish you a wonderful weekend!

Stan

Volunteering in the Balkans

We have one new volunteer opportunity in Bosnia-Herzegovina - in Prijedor - see below, and might have another one in Novi Sad, Serbia, in the fall. For further information, please contact me at brethrenservice@worldcom.ch.

1646. Prijedor, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Bread of Life, a Christian humanitarian association founded by Protestant churches in Serbia, with an office in northwest Bosnia-Herzegovina since 1996, originally provided food and material aid for the needs of refugees, displaced, and marginalized persons, and is now developing programs to promote income-generation, long-term employment and self-sustainability of its beneficiaries. Some of these programs include a trial project of interest-free loans and other support to dairy farmers; an employment project of loans and support to young people involved in agriculture and crafts in a rural area; low-cost English and computer courses at an education center; annual distribution of Christmas presents to the area schoolchildren; and capacity building of the organization. Bread of Life seeks a co-worker/assistant for income-generation projects. Duties include assisting the director and program manager with writing and implementing income-generating projects, assistance with fund-raising for new projects, contact with new/existing donor organizations, and assistance with creation/development of new/existing capacities of the organization. Requirements preferred: experience in the NGO sector in a developing country or Eastern Europe; ability to adjust easily to new environments and cultures; expertise in fields of economics or agriculture. Willingness to learn the local language. www.breadoflife.rs.ba

A day in the life of a BVSer

From BVS Volunteer Heather at Quaker Cottage in Belfast, N. Ireland...

(she's the second one from the right in this photo, taken during a trip to Donegal with other BVSers volunteering in N. Ireland.)


"What I really love about volunteering at Quaker Cottage is that no two days are quite the same, and that the work is varied. You could peel potatoes, ice a birthday cake, push a pram, change a nappy, play in the sand box, drive a mini-bus, sing silly songs, play a game of Snap, vacuum and mop the afterschools room, and take out the garbage all in the same day. With that said, none of those tasks alone is mentally exhausting work (quite the contrary really), but I really do find working at Quakers to be quite stimulating, particularly when trying to figure out how to “turn” a negative situation around with children or just thinking about how to encourage children’s overall development (cognitive, social, emotional, and communication) within the context of what we do in the playroom every day. And I think that Ann and Grant are so full of wisdom, and Sharon and Phil have such a great way of interacting with the children, that there is a lot to be learned in a year at Quaker Cottage through observation and conversation with them."

Another way to recycle shopping bags...

Random Days are the Best...

I generally enjoy my lifestyle as a volunteer here in Budapest, but sometimes I just love it. This winter I have been a bit disappointed by the snowfall in BP, as it never lasted more than a day and was never deeper than ¼ inch (no doubt because I live downtown with lots of hot car exhaust, etc). Last Saturday I went up to one of the parks in the Buda hills, called Normafa, with a Hungarian friend, Eszter, to walk around, and the snow was MUCH deeper there (8-10 inches). I thought about sledding, but did not have a sled. We had the idea of taking thick plastic bags to sled on, but forgot those.

When we arrived in Normafa, the park was full and festive, parents pulling children along on wooden toboggans, young people standing in clusters drinking hot wine and eating turo retes (a pastry with cheese in it), and many many children, adults, teenagers sledding down the hills on everything from small plastic discs to skis and snowboards. I went to practice my Hungarian and asked someone in a group where they purchased their discs; I really wanted to go sledding but did not want to buy a sled (and at least those round discs looked cheap). One man told us that he got his at Tesco, and Eszter and I were discussing whether or not we thought it was worth it to leave and purchase one (neither of us wanted to spend the money or make the trip). This man must have overheard our conversation and later offered to let us use a broken plastic sled that he had.

I proceeded to take the sled and immediately sledded down the slope right in front of us. It was perhaps the steepest slope there and I was soon rolling around to stop and covered in snow head to foot. It was brilliant. And then they let us keep the sled! J

So, Eszter and I now had a broken sled! We spent the rest of the day sledding down the slopes of Normafa. It was absolutely amazing, from this hill, or “little Hungarian mountain”, you have a view of Budapest throughout the entire slope, and you are also surrounded by other hills, trees, fresh unpolluted air, etc. And the slope was amazing; hill after hill after hill (along with the obstacles of other sledders along the way J). As soon as you reached what appeared to be the edge of one slope, you could then continue and go down the next. We had a lot of fun with this broken plastic sled.

And then, as we were walking back up (and up and up J), we found a think plastic shopping bag someone had left behind and proceeded to see if we could sled with it. It was even better than the sled (less painful on the tailbone). Wet, tired, and elated, we went to the grocery store to get supplies to make spinat fűzelík (a Hungarian spinach crème soup) and to buy some thick plastic bags. The look on the cashier’s face as Eszter was checking the texture of the bag (for smoothness and thickness) was priceless. We were planning to go sledding again the next day, Sunday, already. J

We spent Sunday afternoon and evening sledding around on shopping bags with more friends, and watched the sunset and the lights come on in BP, etc. Many kids had headlamps to continue sledding after dark. I am hoping the snow won’t melt before next Saturday…

…Another random funny note: When I went to the store to buy batteries for my camera to photograph our sledding adventure, I accidentally asked for “a life” instead (I said élet instead of elem). J

Volunteering in Germany

Here are three of the seven project openings we have listed for Germany. For more info, please see the contact details in the 2 previous blog entries.

612. Tecklenburg, Germany

BVS placements are available at some of the many L'Arche communities in Europe. L’Arche invites Assistants to come and share life with people with intellectual disabilities – building a community where everyone is valued regardless of ability, creed or culture. The Tecklenburg community in northwest Germany has three houses. Requirements: 21 years old; open to living with people of varying abilities in a community where God is recognized as the source of life and difference is seen as a gift; accepting of people of different cultures, social origins, and practices; driver's license helpful but not essential. www.arche-deutschland.de

1131. Minden, Germany

The International Fellowship of Reconciliation – IFOR - is an organization of people believing in non-violence as a lifestyle and as a method of personal, political, and social change. The German branch of IFOR - Internationaler Versoehnungsbund, Deutscher Zweig – would like to give young interested people the opportunity to learn about peace work in Germany and seeks an International Volunteer to work in the national office in Minden. Duties include assistance in, preparation of, and participation in the annual conference, board meetings, summer camps, youth gatherings and other events, as well as support of projects and campaigns. Requirements: Nonviolent convictions; ability to work in a team as well as alone; basic computer skills/knowledge (at least Word, and Excel and/or graphics programs welcomed); prior knowledge of spoken and written German would be helpful, but not essential - if the volunteer is willing and motivated to learn the language at the start of term; communication skills; flexibility, initiative and creativity. Experience in public relations and/or event planning useful. www.versoehnungsbund.de

1822. Bonn, Germany

Germanwatch, a non-profit north-south initiative engaged in directing German political policy towards sustainability (motto: "to change the north so that the south can survive"), striving for a political framework to combat global warming, for a fair world trading regime, and increased socially responsible investment, seeks a Program Assistant. The main field of work would be in the global warming program (climate responsibility campaign). Duties include co-organizing campaign events and expert meetings, writing/translating/correcting English texts, and daily routine office work. Depending on skills, additional duties are possible. Requirements: College degree or higher, good knowledge of German and willingness to improve, good command of written English, computer skills, willingness to do routine office work about one-third of the time, ability to work independently and in a team. Strong interest in (and good basic knowledge of) at least one of the following topics: global warming, global governance, north-south politics, WTO, financial markets. www.germanwatch.org

Volunteering in Budapest

Here's another BVS project opening in the summer of 2009.
For more information, please contact me at brethrenservice@worldcom.ch or www.brethrenvolunteerservice.org.

1100.7 Budapest, Hungary


The Europe Region of the World Student Christian Federation, a global fellowship of Christian students committed to dialogue, ecumenism, social justice and peace, seeks a Publications Intern/Office Assistant to work in the Regional Office. Tasks include: editing texts for the region's publications, managing subscriptions, advertisements and distribution, assisting in office administration and in the organisation of WSCF conferences, cooperation with the Lingua Franca language and leadership training program and participation in WSCF events as able. As all activities are international in scope, the working language of the project is English. Requirements: native English speaker, previous experience in journalism or writing/editing strongly preferred, knowledge of or interest in ecumenical issues and questions of inter-church and inter-faith relationships, active involvement in church structures strongly preferred, B.A. or equivalent, basic computer literacy, outstanding organizational skills, ability to work independently with minimal supervision, age 21-30, willingness to travel.
http://www.wscf-europe.org/