Want a deeper insight into what an ICS placement looks like? Read the amazing blogs written by our past and present volunteers. Enjoy the journey!
This week is Environment Week; a week long global campaign centred on awareness raising and promoting of environmental conservation. We, the Progressio ICS international development squad, would be attending an environment week conference in the Malawian capital city of Lilongwe to represent Progressio and the work that they do to protect our most valuable and most neglected resource.
Humans and the Earth
Coming to Nicaragua with little to no Spanish was maybe not the best of ideas, especially as a Team Leader, where communication with the members of your team and with those organising the projects is so important. One would assume that language will be the main way of communicating and building relationships. Clearly communication with the UK volunteers through language was going to be much easier but we all needed to build relationships with the national volunteers, and some of us would have to do this without language.
We, the Umodzi team of COWLHA (Coalition of Women Living with HIV and AIDS), were a little apprehensive when heading to Nkhotakota Radio Station on Wednesday to record a panel show with Edward, the station’s Programmes Coordinator. The idea behind this show was to give us a chance to talk about the work we have been doing here in our local area and to give an opportunity to thank the women we had been working with publically for making our project such a success.
As our cycle starts to draw to an end, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the highlights of Team Umodzi’s placement. Although we still have a very busy two weeks left with plenty more to report back on, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look at some of our best bits so far.
In life there are dreamers who believe that the impossible can be realised. Among them are the future of society, the children who dream of becoming teachers, professional football players, even superheroes.
Kevin, a 9 year old boy living in the rural community of Belén, is such a child. Kevin’s dream goes beyond wanting to fulfil a personal desire, his wish was to have a school playground, which he and his friends could enjoy.
Team Sapitwa have spent eight weeks in the Mulanje district of Malawi and have a lot to show for it! Each team that are sent by Progressio have certain targets that that they have to meet. These targets are set out by Progressio. For our team they include 11 awareness campaigns, 15 waste bin distribution, four peer education sessions, five training exercises and a special project. We are happy to announce that all targets were completed or exceeded. Below is a summary of the targets:
The Community of Nuevo Gualcho is located eight miles from the municipality of Nueva Granada, on the northern area of Usulután, El Salvador. It was born on 5 March 1990 with the arrival of the refugees that were in a Honduran camp during the Civil War in El Salvador, when people were forced to leave the country and lived there for 10 years.
The March - June team of Progressio ICS volunteers are the second cycle of volunteers in the community of Nuevo Gualcho, and are continuing the work within the environmental sector. Part of the project is to write a feasiblity study of introducing an eco-tourism route, so that in the near future Nuevo Gualcho can put itself on the map as a hot spot for tourists looking for an authentic and environmentally friendly experience of El Salvadorian culture.
With the end of the project insight and only two weeks left until final debrief, we are reaching the point when things become somewhat more hectic and the thought of a hot shower and no fear of soup for breakfast makes us all smile. This landmark has given us a chance to reflect on our achievements thus far and our own personal contributions to the project.
Twenty Progressio volunteers arrived at the lively Placita in Monimbó, Masaya, at 8:00a.m. on a bright Sunday morning. The morning would comprise of cleaning the site of the ancient Petroglifs, 800 year-old cave carvings, with the help of 22 other volunteers. These included members of OrgaNica, a local environment group, a member of Project Raleigh and a doctor who worked for the Red Cross in Nicaragua. Unfortunately, for over 30 years, people living in Monimbó have been throwing all sorts of waste and rubbish into the estuary which runs into the Laguna de Masaya.
