Festival

Festival

Support for disabled children on Bali Island
       Bali Island          July 24 - August 7, 2010

Volunteer project: Bali Island is a densely populated island, with more than 3 million inhabitants all together. The population is almost entirely Indonesian; 95% are of Balinese Hindu descent and could be described as ethnic Balinese. Bali is also a tiny, extremely fertile and dramatically mountainous island which measures 140 km by 80 km. The tourism boom, which started in 1970s, has brought many changes and has helped pay for improvement in roads, telecommunication, education and health. Though tourism has had some marked effects, Bali’s unique culture and custom has proved remarkably defined.

Bali Disabled School was founded to cater to the needs of disabled children and youth in Bali and the surrounding areas. The school encourages and motivates disabled children and youth to continue the struggle for a bright future. The foreign volunteers’ presence and interaction will be of great benefit to the children, who have little or no other chance to meet and live with people from other cultures. The educational classes, vocational training, and other therapeutic activities executed by the volunteers will provide these kids with direction. The intercultural dimension generated by foreign volunteers is welcomed and valued by the local staff, especially the English teachers, who will gain invaluable support in their teaching practices.

The role of the volunteers will be to assist local teachers in classes by teaching basic conversational English and helping out in the physical activity training of the disabled students. This could involve handicraft-making, playing games, or performing simple sports, among others. Through the influence that this help will identifiably have on the students, it can be expected that the volunteers themselves will gain a deeper knowledge of the completely different reality of the disabled kids and will develop an overall sense of the local culture. Additionally, the project will educate the volunteers about the treatment that families of these disabled children should provide, and may even improve a volunteer’s own perception of themselves and what they can achieve.

Study theme: The volunteers will be introduced to the education activities of the disabled students. The project also relates to Indonesian culture and customs in general.

Leisure time: During free time, the volunteers will have the chance to visit the diverse tourist attractions in Bali, which are popular all over the world. Volunteers may visit beaches, handicraft making centres, or traditional markets.

Language: English

Accommodation: The volunteers will be accommodated in the school (basic conditions, sleeping bag and mat needed).

Location: This project will be held in Bali disabled school.

Terminal: Bali airport.

Age range: 18 and over

Extra fee: 180 € (approximately 2.520.000 Indonesian Rupiahs)
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
 

 

Telling a story

Hoorray

 

Creating a public garden for the benefit of a disadvantaged community in Semarang
       Semarang          April 10 - April 24, 2010

Volunteer project: Semarang city is the 5th biggest city of Indonesia and is populated by about 1,5 million people. It is located 400 km east of Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. The international volunteer project intends to contribute to the local development of disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city.

In the Penjangan neighborhood, a community of local volunteers takes care of the common spaces, the security of the inhabitants and, most important, the harmony between neighbors. Since all of the site’s land belongs to individuals or to management of residential areas, there is a lack of public green spaces and playgrounds for children. To improve this situation and to give a good example to the locals, a group of international volunteers is invited to beautify a little green space, and thus create a community garden. Volunteers will also be asked to create some geographic panels in order to increase the children's skills and to stimulate learning. Volunteers will also have a chance to participate in learning and teaching processes in nearby kindergartens and elementary schools. The workcamp will also be an occasion to promote intercultural encounters and exchange.

Study theme: The volunteers will be introduced to the Indonesian culture and customs in general, with a special focus on the Javanese particularities. Some cultural visits are also foreseen.

Leisure time: During free time, the volunteers will have the chance to visit several important Chinese and Hindu Temples, Semarang Old City, or the nearby UNESCO World Heritage sites and temples of Borobudur and Prambanan. A number of land and marine National Parks are also in the neighborhood.

Language: English

Accommodation: The volunteers will be accommodated in a house (basic conditions, sleeping bag and mat needed).

Location: This project will be held in Semarang City, Central Java Province, and northern coast of Java Island. The northern part of the city is built on the coastal plain while the southern parts, known as Candi Lama and Candi Baru, are on higher ground. A major port during the Dutch colonial era and still an important port today, the city is known in Indonesia for its large population of Chinese origin.

Terminal: Semarang airport, railway station and bus terminal.

Age range: 18 and over

Extra fee: 180 € (approximately 2.700.000 Indonesian Rupiahs)
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
 

 

Look at the kids!

Donation recipients

 

Educational and therapeutic activities for disabled students in Semarang
       Semarang          May 8 - May 21, 2010

Volunteer project: The School for Disabled SLB Semarang was founded in 2005 to cater to the needs of disabled children and youth found in Semarang and the surrounding areas. The school is mainly funded by the Central Java department of health, and it cooperates closely with Diponegoro University’s statutory health services and medicine faculty. The foreign volunteers’ presence and interaction will be of great benefit to the children, who have little or no other chance to meet and live with people from other cultures. The educational classes, vocational training, and other therapeutic activities executed by the volunteers will provide these kids with direction. The intercultural dimension generated by foreign volunteers is welcomed and valued by the local staff, especially the English teachers, who will gain invaluable support in their teaching practices.

The role of the volunteers will be to assist local teachers in classes by teaching basic conversational English and helping out in the physical activity training of the disabled students. This could involve handicraft-making, playing games, or performing simple sports, among others. Through the influence that this help will identifiably have on the students, it can be expected that the volunteers themselves will gain a deeper knowledge of the completely different reality of the disabled kids and will develop an overall sense of the local culture. This project strives to open the minds of the international volunteers, by bringing focus to the attention that the disabled Indonesian students require in order to face their future with strength. Additionally, the project will educate the volunteers about the treatment that families of these disabled children should provide, and may even improve a volunteer’s own perception of themselves and what they can achieve.

Study theme: The volunteers will be introduced to the education activities of the disabled students. The project also relates to Indonesian culture and customs in general.

Leisure time: During free time, the volunteers will have the chance to visit Semarang city, Samp Poo Kong Chinese Temple, Lawang Sewu Building and Gedong Songo Hindus Temples.

Language: English

Accommodation: The volunteers will be accommodated in the school (basic conditions, sleeping bag and mat needed).

Location: SLB Semarang is located in the Tembalang area, in the south part of Semarang City. The school has 60 staff workers, including medical personnel, physiotherapists, psychologists, and former students who work as assistant staff. The school provides care, support and education to about 230 students, most of who classify as one of: mentally challenged, autistic, deaf and mute, down syndrome, or blind. The majority are between 5 and 15 years of age. Educational classes start as early as kindergarten and continue up to senior high-school. The school also provides vocational training in motor maintenance, sewing, carpentry, cooking, computer courses, electronics, music, hair dressing, and sports among others. On-site Master degree students also internship there - providing Genetic Counselling, organizing several regular activities with the school, and giving consultations about the children’s’ mental and physical disabilities to their families. They also perform research on the attitude and behaviour of the kids, in order to find a proper method of treatment. Besides the staff, there are about 20 regular volunteers, who provide assistance to the students and teaching staff. School hours are between 7:30am to 12:30pm from Monday through Saturday, although about 50 students stay in the school until 3:30 pm daily.

Terminal: Semarang airport, railway station

Age range: 18 and over

Extra fee: 160 € (approximately 2.400.000 Indonesian Rupiahs)
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
 

Indonesia projects slideshow:

 

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