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!
Yesterday, a team of volunteers from San Benito and San Antonio woke up at 4:30 AM to travel to El Aceituno, near Tegucigalpa, for the Medical Brigade. The early start was not as painful as anticipated; we were treated with the sun rising over Honduras’s unrivalled mountainous landscape and the national’s ceaseless energy that, if anything, seemed amplified by the early hour.
MASO (Midlands Aids Service Organisation) welcomes its third cycle! For the latest group it’s all very new and exciting. Lots of fresh ideas and opinions floating around ready to be utilised. The team (comprised of 10 local volunteers and nine UK volunteers), works on community projects, responding to communities’ local needs and supports communities to respond to HIV. This cycle is actually the biggest one yet!
Malawi is a country with a fast growing population. Despite this, it is a country that poses attractive topographical features that beckons our friends from the west and east to pay the country a visit. It is well known for its peaceful co-existence and great scenic beauty.
This blog is about the life of Malawian children who are girls. Our main focuspoints us to the northern region of Malawi, particularly in the Nkhata Bay district.
The climate, the noises, the smells, the bugs; these were the kind of things we thought would be a challenge before coming out here. Something I didn’t expect to be such a big adjustment was the food. From rice and beans (the bread and butter of Nicaragua), to the inevitable tortilla served with every meal or the tangy taste of the local cheese, Cuajada, all things culinary in Nicaragua have been a discovery in their own right.
Growing up in a country faced with the HIV pandemic it becomes a routine to hear at least a word or two on HIV & AIDS related issues affecting the nation. As early as when we are six years old, we become accustomed to AIDS related stories, whether just myths or the reality on the ground. As we grow into youths we are made aware that there is this deadly pandemic that we need to deal with, including developing a positive mind to live in a positive world.
It’s now been over a month since I first arrived in Malawi. Amongst all of our cultural differences the thing that has stood out to me the most is the sense of community and how happy everyone here is. Families in Malawi don’t have much compared to us back home, yet they seem to be so happy with their lives. It's such a breath of fresh air to see children being children. Playing outside and getting covered in dirt, instead of sat inside playing with an electronic device of sorts.
One of the first things you notice when you come to El Salvador is how important the history of this country is to its people. Even those who were not alive during the war, like the national volunteers we are working with, hold their history close to heart. During our first week in Arcatao they portrayed the civil war with a short drama. They were very enthusiastic and keen to share this history with us, and to help us understand the tragedies their people have suffered through drama.
The chitenje, pronounced chit-ten-jay, is a traditional piece of cloth worn across East, West and Central Africa, and is mostly worn by women. It is worn around the waist or the chest, on the head as a head wrap or to hold a child in a baby sling.
El día domingo fue de maravilla, muy contentos nos preparábamos para conocer El Bramadero, un lindísimo pueblo enclavado en un verde valle. Allí nos estaban esperando el resto de nuestros compañeros de Progressio ICS para enseñarnos su comunidad y el trabajo que habían realizado. Nos dio gusto ver el reconocimiento que tienen los voluntarios en El Bramadero. Este viaje de intercambio fue muy oportuno porque nos permitió compartir como equipo fuera de la rutina en Parcila y conocer otras zonas de nuestro país.
It’s been a week of all things new in Parcila. There was much excitement on Monday when a two-metre-high cardboard box, sitting on a wooden cart pulled by two heaving bulls came into town. The monstrosity was unloaded and sat clumsily in the living room as we stood in anticipation waiting for the grand unveiling. As news of the new box spread, the living room started to fill with ardent viewers, all giggling and smirking cheesily.
“Es muy bonito.” “It's very pretty” were the comments when the new contraption was finally revealed.
