My Road to an Omprakash Volunteer Grant

April 11, 2012

Lumana, Ghana
Michael Hromadka

 Hello all,I wanted to share with you where I will be going this summer and how it was made possible. I’ve been pretty busy since moving back to Dallas from Buenos Aires. I started working at a real estate finance company, applied to graduate school, continued my weekend tradition of officiating at the Town North YMCA and applied for an Omprakash grant to work in Africa this summer. It is the last item on this list, the Omprakash grant, that brings me to this blogging platform.Omprakask, or Omp for short, is a non-profit organization that builds partnerships with grassroots health, education, and environmental projects around the world. Omp connects these “Partners” with volunteers, donors and classrooms that can learn from and support their work. Omprakash’s goal is to...

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A Roof for a Classroom

April 10, 2012

European Disaster Volunteers, Philippines
Joe Gonzalez

My non-profit, The Project Solution,  had the opportunity to help provide the funding for the construction of a roof over a classroom for the Foyer d'Orelph Orphanage in Haiti.  This project was managed by European Disaster Volunteers (EDV).  The EDV team worked at a record pace to get the new roof constructed and provide protection from the elements to the students at their school.  In addition, we addressed drainage issues which can be a major contributor to cholera and other health issues from poor drainage and standing water.  The project was a great success and we were happy to be a part of the collaboration with the EDV team....

New roof

Drainage repair

Thanks to TPS

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Coming Home - My Return to Pisco

April 09, 2012

Pisco Sin Fronteras, Peru
Julian Hatfield

Hola amigos... and welcome to the first monthly edition of the Pisco Sin Fronteras updates. Since arriving here 4 weeks ago there has been so much going on that it's been difficult to find time to sit down and take a breather. The emotional roller coaster that was my return has started to settle and now it is back to business like usual. After arriving in Santiago a month ago i spent the minimal amount of time there getting adjusted to the jet lag and time zone and then i was back on the bus and making my way to Pisco. The decision to take a bus directly from Santiago to Pisco was something i anticipated as being treacherous, but i definitely underestimated how draining it would be. All up...

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Leaving in a month!

April 08, 2012

Abriendo Mentes, Costa Rica
Amara Stuehling

 Today is April 8, 2012 and I found out that I received the Omprakash grant a few weeks ago. A lot has happened in those few weeks and I’m still kind of in disbelief that I’ll be volunteering in Costa Rica for 3 months this summer. Currently I’m finishing up my own classes for the semester, grading and preparing for the Overseas Project Workshop in two weeks at work, completing student teaching in 4th grade, and trying to not put any of that stuff off because planning for the summer is more fun at the moment. I’m excited about the trip, but there’s a lot to do before I go. I bought tickets yesterday though, so that’s a start!I’ve been putting off writing this first story for the website because...

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Settling down back home

April 07, 2012

In ten days, it will be two months since I got back home to India. Time has flown! And it has gone even faster that it did when I was in South America. I think it is because there is nothing new happening every single day, no travel plans being made, no new destination being explored or new people met everyday anymore. Life has settled back into my pre - travel routine and on some days now I even forget that I went on a five month life changing trip to Ecuador and Peru.Soon after I got back home, I experienced some withdrawal symptoms. I wanted to go out and walk around town everyday, I could not identify with some things that were happening around me and the safety of...

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Volunteer Experience with Healing House Cusco

March 12, 2012

Healing House, Peru
Marissa Gandelman

I traveled to Cusco, Peru, to volunteer my services as a massage therapist last year and worked with Nicole Coate and the Healing House to do this. I spent a significant amount of time working with the local population, offering them a service they would otherwise never experience, as massage therapy is not regularly considered "therapy" in developing countries. The Healing House offered me a beautiful and welcoming space to work and I was able to connect with a lot of locals as well as travelers passing through. It truly was an unforgettable experience and I can't wait to return.

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Healing House Cusco

March 12, 2012

Healing House, Peru
Maria Gallo Prieto

My time in Cusco living at the Healing House was an experience I will never forget. I learned many new personal and professional skills, including Reiki training, that have been very helpful and transformative for my life path. The communal living was on of my favorite parts. There was always someone to talk to when you needed it or if you just wanted a friend to laugh and cook with. It was great because the people in the house were usually from many different countries. The programs at the Healing House were a very enjoyable experience for me. It was great to get to know the children of Cusco during the weekend arts program. These children don't have many opportunities to play instruments, paint, draw or be creative in their...

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Healing House Experience

March 10, 2012

Healing House, Peru
Jessica Huntington

My time volunteering with the Healing House changed me forever. I hold the space, people, and experiences close to my heart. I stepped into the Healing House in search of something deep and powerful, what i found was an inspiring experience that refocused my direction in life, reconnected me to the world, and provided me with a deeper knowledge of healing arts techniques that will help throughout my life. Living in the Healing House, I was privy to all it had to offer; yoga, Reiki, massage therapy, meditation, music, movement, ceremonies, and art. I loved my time holding art classes with the local Cusqueñan children, providing a safe space for them to create, release, and explore their inner artist. Seeing kids come back week after week, continuously excited for the next...

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Volunteering at the Healing House

March 09, 2012

Healing House, Peru
Cecilia Tolone

Volunteering at the Healing House is amazing. Everyone is so kind and generous. One of my favorite programs at the House is the kids art lessons. Once a week a group of local children come to do art projects and other fun activities. We always create something for them to take home but we also do yoga, play games and sing songs. They have such a blast and are so incredibly creative, they never fail to surprise me or make me smile! Another great program is our yoga classes for locals. They are always in Spanish and are geared toward all levels of ability. I love introducing people to yoga and watching their weekly improvement. I also love the fact that we have a free treatment program. When someone in the...

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Inspiring Huangtian

February 12, 2012

VillageLink, United States
Ned Levin

I worked with VillageLink founder Abbie Zamcheck from Beijing as he began to take this very promising project off the ground. With Abbie, I promoted the project among the design, academic and development communities of Beijing, most memorably in a meeting with Li Hua and TAO Architects. I researched and negotiated the logistics of shipping Huangtian Tea internationally and will remain engaged in this problem once VillageLink reaches significant shipment volume. The story of Huangtian is inspiring--a rural community coming together to try to dictate the terms under which it engages with markets and development. Vistors stand to learn much from Teacher Su and other members of the Huangtian community about their development model and philosophy while enjoying this beautiful and seldom-explored corner of China. ...

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