From Marc:
In looking to restart my outlook on life following a self-perceived miserable 30th year of existence I decided to start really focusing on goals that I've always wanted to achieve. Having always been involved in community service organizations growing up there was always a desire to do something globally. My War & Peace class, and a unit on Child Soldiers brought my focus and attention to Africa. This is not a trip regarding child soldiers, nor war or peace, but an opportunity to do something extremely productive with my summers and obtain the feeling that I helped to make a positive impact in the global community outside of a monetary donation.
Gloria has always been up for these activities, having done time on a kangaroo farm in Australia and tsunami relief in Phuket, Thailand. Friends since freshman orientation we've been getting into trouble (and I've been getting her out of trouble ;-) ) since 1997.
After weeks of research and searching Gloria and I came across International Volunteer HQ. Based in New Zealand this group was formed in 2007, non-profit, non-denominational and just looking to connect travelers with fulfilling experiences globally. Our program director Jamie-lee has be more than helpful with our questions and concerns. With their help I hope that Gloria and I have a very positive experience this summer and through this blog we hope to share it with you.
Jambo is "hello" in Swahili, the first of two official languages of Kenya. IVHQ stands for the International Volunteer HQ, our guide in the process. And with this first post we hope to welcome you all to the next 5 weeks of volunteer work in Kenya! Jambo!
Do Something
- Volunteer: http://www.volunteerhq.org/
- Micro-Loan: http://kiva.org (http://www.kiva.org/lender/gawron)
