Effective local impact of volunteer organizations
With the worst of COVID-19’s global impact behind us, I began a search for travel experiences that were outside the more popular paths. In this way I discovered International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ), a non-profit non-governmental organization based in New Zealand.
I investigated whether there might be volunteer opportunities at IVHQ for me that might take me out of my comfort zone and test my commitment to helping local impoverished communities. I found such an opportunity in Tigman Village, a rural community located in the municipality of Aborlan, a province of Palawan, in the Mimaropa Region of the Philippine Islands.
At its activity center in Tigman, IVHQ partners with The Green Lion, another non-profit NGO that focuses on travel-based volunteering. The partnership proved to be highly effective.
Based on information supplied by The Green Lion, IVHQ’s website provided a wealth of information about volunteer opportunities in Palawan. It accurately described the kind of service volunteers could opt to provide; it gave a clear picture of housing and transportation features we would encounter, and it offered a glimpse of activities of interest to visitors, things to do and places to see during our off-duty weekends.
During my two-week visit the Green Lion volunteers were engaged in medical support, environmental protection, teaching and daycare services, and – in my case – construction services. For me, that meant working with Rodel, a seasoned landscaper and builder who taught me how to mix cement, sand, gravel, and water to make concrete used to build a section of an “eco wall” – a wall made with bricks that were 1-liter plastic bottles packed tight with waste plastic and junk food wrapper trash.
Over the past three years Green Lion volunteers have erected a six-foot perimeter wall surrounding a daycare center, painting the bottles in bright primary colors while creating a safe space for the children and staff at the center.
During my two weeks at the center, I was part of the debriefing conversations where all the participants shared how they spent their day. Health care professionals reported on the screening and vaccinations they were able to administer; daycare and elementary school volunteers shared how their classes went; and environmental volunteers described the projects that they completed in the village. I was the only construction volunteer, and I reported daily on progress Rodel and I made creating the eco wall forming the perimeter around the daycare center.
My takeaway points: The Green Lion excels at creating a safe and fulfilling environment for its volunteers. There were maybe 20 volunteers when I arrived, and several of them described their experiences (these were volunteers who were scheduled to depart later that week). I heard repeated testimonials describing the positive impact their service had on their lives. They described the friendships they made with Green Lion staff members. They described the feeling that within their cohort of volunteers, they formed true and deep friendships and expressed the respect they felt towards The Green Lion and IVHQ. I was truly blown away by the empathy these young men and women expressed, for their colleagues, for members of the staff, and for the villagers they served. If you want a meaningful experience helping those in need, this place and this experience more than meets the need.
Some tips, based on my own experience: don’t forget shampoo, bar soap, bug spray, and sunblock. If you want to spice up your bottled water, bring powdered electrolytes. Bring some liquid Benadryl.
Don’t expect to have access to alcohol – it’s strictly forbidden on site (but there’s a bar a ten-minute walk from the activity center). Don’t expect hot water showers (from personal experience, by the second day I didn’t miss heat; I just wanted to get the concrete dust out of my hair).
Accept that when being transported locally you’ll be riding shotgun to a motorcycle tricycle – no seat belts. Plan activities for your weekends. Go somewhere, do something, meet people and enjoy their company. If time permits, take the cultural course offered by The Green Lion before diving into your chosen volunteer activity. I did so and learned how to carve out a coconut bowl and turn it into a planter, how to weave nipa leaves for use as a roof thatch, how to cook spring rolls, how to count to 100 in Tagalog, and what a local massage therapist can do for the aches in your back.
And finally, if there’s more than 30 years between you and most of the volunteers, be respectful and understand that their lives are a lot more interesting and fun than yours, but that they’re very nice people anyway. And it helps if you appreciate Taylor Swift.