Matt Damon in Rabat, Morocco (Courtesy of Conde Nast Traveler)

“I think many of our problems as a country would be solved if people had thick passports. There’s just no substitute for actually going and seeing things.”

Actor Matt Damon responding to the fact that only 21% of Americans have passports in a recent Conde Nast Traveler profile of him.

Your thoughts?

Kids at a Care placement in Nepal

By Will Pashley, Director – Projects Abroad Australia & NZ

As I sat at the computer ready to write an entry about my recent visit to Nepal, I was fired up with optimism and excitement. I thought I’d pen a great little portrait of a wonderful country.

I dreamt of inspiring new cohorts of eager volunteers and bringing a wistful tear to the eyes of those who have been before.

I pictured myself, in flowing prose, painting a fitting portrait of a beautiful land of soaring peaks and lush valleys.

Imagine how I felt when I read Scott’s poetic tribute to his time there. He even made each line rhyme, every time!

Well, it’s an amazing place, a real assault on the senses (particularly Kathmandu) and the projects I saw are inspiring, very worthwhile and a fantastic opportunity for energetic and proactive volunteers to really make their mark.

It is a desperately poor country, the signs of which are all around. Many of the placements reflect this, from the home for children suffering from malnutrition to the schools which offer an education to rural children which they could not dream of in their home villages.

All the projects and the volunteers working on them are being truly constructive in making small improvements to the quality of life for these Nepali children.

Working at MSPN home is a lovely setting for about 15 children who seem as energetic, mischievous and noisy as kids anywhere. It’s a shock to find out they are all HIV positive; however, while you are digesting that fact one of them is probably trying to climb on top of you while another four or five try to wrestle you to the ground…it’s every man for himself from there.

Many of the medical and physiotherapy placements are working in charitable hospitals where people present relatively simple cases which have become complicated through a lack of access to basic health care.

One typical example is people who have snake bites on their hands which could have been easily treated but through inaction have become almost useless. It is a lot of work to put right but the dedication of local staff and the help of our volunteers brings some amazing outcomes in some.

One such clinic was perched on top of a hill looking down on terraced paddy fields and looking up (on a clear day) to the snow capped peaks of the Himalaya. Not a bad spot for a tea break.

Nepal is an inspiring place. The volunteers I met were fully engaged in their projects, had fantastic host families and loved the country.

I fully intend to talk endlessly about the projects here to any prospective Australian volunteers. Be warned guys!

To learn more about Nepal, please click HERE

Projects Abroad Toronto office

By Allison Kean, Program Advisor - Canada

The Canadian Projects Abroad team will be hosting an Open House on Tuesday September 23rd from 4-8pm at our Toronto Office just south of Yonge & Bloor.

The street address is 62A Charles Street East Suite 300.

This is a great opportunity to meet the staff and former volunteers who will be able to answer questions about our projects and destination countries. We will be holding a BBQ with proceeds going towards the purchase of Braille typewriters for a school for the blind in Cochabamba, Boliva.

The previous Open House BBQ at the Canadian office was a great success. Many potential volunteers came out to ask questions and meet the staff. With the money raised from the last BBQ we were able to purchase 10 chairs and 2 tables to help refurbish a school in Peru.

For more information about the event please visit the website or contact info@projects-abroad.org.

Hope to see you there!

Some of the tables and chairs purchased from the proceeds of last year’s BBQ getting lots of use!

The crew after the cricket match

By Ian Birbeck

Last night I took a group from the UK office and our French and American marketing offices to the cricket at Hove. In amongst the cricket fans was Tom Pastorius, an American baseball aficionado and Frank Seidel, a German football fan who lives in France. Elaine Wynn and Tessa Okell from the UK had knowledge of the game at a similar level to Frank and Tom.

As we arrived midway through the first innings the first question was “Who is winning?”. Sorry, I replied difficult to tell at this stage. I was then asked “How come it takes so long?” I explained this was a shortened version of the game which was received with incredulity.

I was then asked “Why is it called an over?” which I made a guess at. “Why six balls in an over?” I rattled on about how the Aussies used to have eight ball overs but couldn’t really answer the question. Questioning was getting tough.

Stuart Timson from the UK who is the Director of our Peru Conservation programme put in a white elephant asking Frank if he had played French cricket. You can imagine the ensuing conversation if you know anything about French cricket.

I decided to go and get a round of drinks and some of the high quality cuisine on offer at the burger van. Profits were not as high as was hoped if Oko our Mongolian Director had come along. He was at dinner with our Director Peter Slowe.

A few more pertinent questions appeared. “Why do they arrange day/night cricket in September when it is less than warm in the evening?” “Why when the ‘pitcher knocks down the sticks off a free hit is the guy not out?” “What is a leg bye?”

Overall our overseas guests were pleased to have been to the cricket if not fully converted yet.

Any cricketing questions can be sent to me in the UK office or Will Pashley in the Australia office

By Peter Slowe, Founder and Director of Projects Abroad

I just wanted to tell everyone about my latest visit to London. I know that I usually blog visits to more exotic cities, but I figured that this particular trip was worth a note.

I visited Nick Wheeler of Charles Tyrwhitt, a famous internet-based shirt company. Nick was described in the London Standard as “London’s most successful entrepreneur”, because he has got masses of people all around the world ordering Jermyn Street quality shirts over the internet.

He and I met to set up a competition for new young entrepreneurs. Our Projects Abroad website will carry a page for young entrepreneurs (17-30) to set out their enterprise idea and have it judged for a prize. Nick will be the main judge. The prize for the winner will be £2,000 plus a fancy Charles Tyrwhitt shirt plus a flight to London. Judgement day will be during Global Entrepreneurship Week, 17th-23rd November 2008.

We also decided that entrepreneurs needed partners to help them, so – for business students and people with a little bit of business experience – we have created a Projects Abroad “Enterprise Volunteer” opportunity. Instead of a corporate internship, you can help a young entrepreneur in one of our destination countries. I think it’s a brilliant idea!

At the end of the meeting, we had to get our photograph taken. Outside it was a building site. Inside, the walls were covered with brightly striped shirts. Eventually, a nice secretary moved her desk and took down her notices and the pictures of her family and made a blank wall and here we are.

From left to right, Nick Wheeler and Peter Slowe