Project Friendship 2011 blogs

In some ways, life in Vanuatu can be described as pretty easy. You aren’t burdened by choices and decisions all the time as these are often made for you. Read More

Imagine turning up to your first day of volunteering and finding out your counterpart had just resigned? This was my first day working at NCYC. Luckily though, within a few weeks Charlie Johnson was appointed Youth Centre Supervisor and I don’t think I could have gotten a better counterpart. Read More

One of the biggest challenges of working in a foreign country is the language barrier. Communication is so important. As nervous as I was, one of the first things I learnt in Tanzania was how much can be achieved with a smile and some gestures. Read More

In the Solomon Islands there are no women in parliament, few women in business, and most crucially for where I am, in Kia, no female chiefs. This has big implications for development in the Solomons, not only because there is a huge domestic violence problem here, but because women have... Read More

Last night I was at the duka (village shop) talking to people about buying solar lights and high-efficiency wood stoves. It’s not quite pre-school related so how did this happen? Read More

Last night I went and helped out at a meeting for the Kia youth group. It was a real learning experience for me. This group was not like any I’d ever seen before and seemed like a great response to chronic boredom in Kia. Read More

Laplap is the national dish of Vanuatu. It is like a root vegetable cake and an acquired taste that I am still getting used to. Whenever we have a celebration or any important event, a laplap is prepared by a family member of someone at NCYC and brought in to share. Read More

Workshops are easily the best part of my job volunteering here. Setting them up and participating with the youth and mamas is such a fun part of my job. Here are my top three workshops that we’ve had so far this year: Read More

While volunteering can be great when it works, there are big challenges to be faced even before a volunteer gets started. For me, these challenges are still haunting me even after having been in the country for six months – I’m still waiting for a meeting with the village chiefs... Read More

After nine immunisations, a chest x-ray, four doctor visits, two dental appointments, a prescription for 180 anti-malarial pills and a huge medical kit, I was convinced that walking into Africa would be like walking into a medical minefield. Read More