Click here to learn more about all of our projects in South Africa

Hopefully this will help acclimatize all of the volunteers heading to Jamaica on our programs.

Enjoy!

FC Cantonments

By Ian Birbeck, Head of Recruitment - UK

I have been out in Ghana for a few weeks and realised from my first day the passion for football amongst almost every Ghanaian. There must be more England and Chelsea shirts being worn in Accra than there are in London. Simon who has driven me to various parts of the country on my stay will turn up in the new England strip one day and another one with Beckham on the back another day.

The passion was most evident when I went to see Projects Abroad’s Cantonments team play. The pitch had next to no grass evident. The lines were marked out with charcoal. The pre-match prayer circle was something different altogether. The ability to control a football on the bumpy, unpredictable ground was amazing. I have sat in meetings in the UK moaning about there being too many weeds on a football pitch. This is a different world.

As the game started the crowd amounted to about 40 or 50. By the end there were 300-400 as word got out of the close game that was going on. The skill on both sides was remarkable. The random arrival of a chicken prancing down the left wing was a bit random. Extricating the ball from the sewer was done by the eager small boys watching. The corner spot seemed to be in the middle of a small bush. The first and only goal went in to be followed by a pitch invasion of probably 100 people. The referee did an admirable job with no linesmen to help him out.

Returning to my flat I wondered how these guys would react to the pitches back in the UK. I wonder how their silky skills would work on the flat pitches. The only critiscism I would have of my experience of Ghanaian football is their ability to shoot which is not up with the rest of their skills. This is apparently down to the need to avoid kicking it over the wall on games they play on the sides of the street.

An amazing experience which has to be seen to be believed.

Click here to learn more about our Sports program and get the chance to work with the Cantonments Football Academy

Watching the game in Accra

Click here to learn about all the different programs in Cambodia

By Cherricha Jacobs, Desk Officer & Social Manager - Jamaica

It has been just four months since the Parenting Project started in the community of Heathfield and parents are giving the project thumbs up for a great job! The Parenting Project is designed to allow volunteers to work with poor families and children 0-3 years in the community. Our volunteers demonstrate and teach stimulation activities and child rearing practices. The children are stimulated through various activities and puppets, manipulative cushions, building blocks and sometimes simple things like a key are used during the sessions. Other aspects of this project involves, improving the infants’ motor, perceptual, social, emotional and cognitive skills.

The project started in March 2009 with four children and their families. Myriam, our first volunteer on the Parenting Project, was a bit skeptical and nervous at first, but after few weeks, she began to enjoy it. The warm smiles and cheerful spirits of the little ones motivated her each day. She assessed each child’s developmental level and designed specific programme for each child. Myraim stayed one month on the Parenting Project. Her comments “I really liked my time as a volunteer in Heathfield, because I worked very closely with the people and their daily life in the country. The project exceeded all my expectations and I learned a lot about Jamaica”

Myriam (volunteeer) and Rikadia Robinson (child) in March 2009

Rikadia Robinson (child) and Kadiene Wint (parent) have been on the project since its inception. In an interview with Kadiene on July 17, 2009, she spoke about the benefits of the Parenting Project. Kadiene displayed enthusiasm about the project and was eager to share her story. She recalled that Rikadia at 1 year 4 months (at the time) was not interacting with her peers, did not know her A-B-C, could not count and her motor skills were underdeveloped.

After hearing about the project from Bridgette Barrett (Country Director), Stacy Barrett (Office and Project Assistant - Care) and Bevin Barrett (Community member), she did not hesitate to get on board.

Rikadia began showing a little improvement which was enough encouragement when the other new volunteers arrived. They were Annika Schons, Natalie White and Susanna Corke.

Susie and Annika (volunteers) with Rikadia Robinson (child) in May 2009

There were now ten families on the Parenting Project. Annika and Susie continued to work with little Rikadia and Kadiene. These volunteers visited the community twice per week to do activities with the children and parents. Kadiene spoke highly about the project as it has created positive impact on Rikadia, as she is now counting, identifying colours, saying her A-B-C and there has been remarkable improvement in her sensory and motor developments.

Kadiene stated that she would recommend this project to more persons in the community so more parents can benefit from the work of Projects Abroad. She commended the volunteers for their efforts and time spent in their homes.

Kadiene Wint (mother) and Rikadia Robinson (daughter) in July 2009

Currently, there is one new volunteer working with nine children. Her name is Sarah Hallinan and this is her second time volunteering with Projects Abroad Jamaica

Check out the website to learn more about the Parenting Project in Jamaica and go to Facebook to see the full interview with Kadiene Wint

By Will Harper, Director - USA

Although I have been back from Peru a couple of weeks now after flying on the escorted flight with 2 week summer special volunteers, I apologize that it has taken me so long to post what is now becoming a regular tradition here at Projects Abroad, recreating Tom’s now infamous picture above Machu Picchu which has been widely used in our promotional materials and fair stands.

Here is the original

Below are Rob’s photos from his trip to Peru in 2007 of a cloudy Machu Picchu

Take 1

Take 2

Now here is my addition to the developing meme …..

Which one do you like best?

Click here to learn more about all of our programs in Argentina

Screaming Piha (Lipaugus vociferans)

By Stuart Timson, Conservation Director - Peru

Once again I have a month of hard work and adventure to report on from the depths of the Peruvian Amazon. With the lodge bursting at its seams we have been able to accomplish a huge amount and push forward many of our projects in parallel. The butterfly house moves ever closer to official opening, beach patrols have begun on the turtle project, Mauricio has returned to mist net, modifications have been made around the rescue centre and necessary maintenance has begun around the camp and reserve before the return of the rains later in the year.

Normally during these updates I mention sightings and adventures around the reserve in conclusion but I feel it is time to dedicate more attention to these encounters as the Amazon rainforest is a place of mystery and amazement and, whilst our constant work in the field of conservation is incredibly worthwhile, we should not detract from the fact that we are living in one of the world’s greatest ecosystems with the unexpected surprises and adventures that only true wilderness can provide. This month has been no exception as we have been working in huge numbers around the reserve. Trails have been cleared, bridges repaired, mist nets tended and monitored, materials collected for the newly modified animal enclosures and our regular observation hikes undertaken. It was during such an outing that we heard a huge crash as the jungle came alive with swarming bodies hurtling through the undergrowth. Whilst clearing one of the many trails we had stumbled into the middle of a herd of white-lipped peccaries. Many local guides and wildlife books will swear that wild peccaries are dangerous and that climbing trees is the only way to ensure not being mauled! The truth is they are just trying to get away from you and by standing still their amazing sense of smell means that they will never come too close during flight. Nonetheless it was a great experience for the volunteers lucky enough to feel the jungle suddenly come alive around them before returning to the facade of relative tranquillity. Another group working in a different sector of the reserve came across a huge snake in the middle of the trail, the relatively harmless yellow-tailed creibo was no threat but the loud whoosh as it took off down the trail caused most of the group to stumble back a little! Further down the trail we found fresh jaguar spoor overlaying tapir tracks- a hunt from the previous night? The truth is that the tropical rainforests around the globe are teeming with life and much of it we have yet to discover. Scientists and investigators continue to try and unravel the mysteries and complex relationships between its inhabitants and we are truly privileged to be at the forefront of such research!

Flat headed snake

This brings me on nicely to news from our own diversity studies and this month I would like to mention our herpetology research first. As volunteers and staff alike continue to check the pitfall-traps and carry out frog hunts at night it was actually a random encounter whilst walking the trails that led to the discovery a new species for Taricaya. The Flat-headed snake (Xeopholis scolaris) is a small member of the Colubrid family of harmless snakes. This is our 33rd species of snake identified in the reserve and takes our complete list of herpetology to 110 species. A few days later, there was a further snake adventure that deserves mention this month. Whilst working on some cage improvements in the rescue centre I heard shouts of snake from the Amazon parrot enclosure. I rushed over and was greeted by a large rainbow boa (Epicrates cenchria) trying to hide in the cement blocks inside the cage. It took me close to 15 minutes to finally extract it after a tug-of-war that left me struggling for breath. When I finally got the snake under control we were able to measure it at just less than 2m and its display of strength demonstrated just how effective these predators are and the relative ease with which they suffocate their prey. Once everyone had a chance to hold and photograph it I released it well away from the cages as the snake had entered the enclosure with a view to snacking on one of its residents!

Rainbow Boa

On a different herpetological note we have also begun our monitoring of Playa San Francisco; the beach allotted us by the government for collecting the eggs of the “Taricayas”. These freshwater turtles (Podocnemis unifilis) have been struck hard by the freakishly stormy dry season and the associated high water levels. If that was not enough, the rains were followed by a seasonal “friaje” (cold weather front from Patagonia) where temperatures dropped to 12 degrees Celsius for almost a week. As the river finally starts to drop and the sun shine we have only encountered two nests so far in the first ten days of monitoring but I am confident that the female turtles have been patient in waiting for ideal laying conditions and that August will see me reporting on yet another successful collection phase that will reward the hours spent wandering the beach at night.

Taricaya Turtle with mark from 2005 hatchlings

The butterfly house is almost ready to receive our first study species as the plants that we transferred have taken root well and are producing new shoots and foliage. This is essential as these particular species have been selected as primary food sources for the caterpillars. Adult butterflies will happily feed on fermenting fruit and nectar but their respective larva can only digest certain plant toxins and so the appropriate plant species needed to be identified and transplanted. In August the government official responsible for the permits and license will visit us and give us the green light to proceed with the project and the introduction of our first specimens will follow directly after this.

The animal rescue centre continues to flourish and our young arrivals from last month are progressing very well. The baby jaguarundis (Herpailurus yaguarondi) have quintupled their weight and are becoming a handful already. The young spider monkeys (Ateles chamek) are growing quickly also and their fur is starting to shine with a healthy diet and treatment of vitamins. However, the growth of these youngsters coupled with a continued lethargy from the Peruvian government in producing release papers for some of our older residents mean that we have had to modify some of the existing cages. The problem lies in the fact that we are using the quarantine area for animals that should be in larger enclosures. As a result, we have made some adjustments to existing enclosures and built new partitions to create a row of three cages for our smaller cats (margay and three jaguarundis) and as soon as the coatis are released next month we shall reshuffle the remaining residents and free up the quarantine cages again. July also saw us receive a new species in the rescue centre, INRENA, the government branch responsible for the environment, called and left us a juvenile Striped owl (Pseudoscops clamator). This magnificent bird of prey is usually found in open grass lands or abandoned farms where it feeds primarily on rodents. The bird is doing well on a diet of fresh beef and when it moults leaving the adult plumage we shall have to locate and appropriate release site as we have yet to come across this bird in the wild around the reserve.

With the return of Mauricio Ugarte we have been out mist-netting again and this time the nets were located on the eastern border of the reserve. The first few days have been very successful with some great captures including the aptly named and very vociferous Screaming Piha (Lipaugus vociferans). This mid-canopy bird is renowned for its distinctive call that pierces the forest at all hours during the day but its drab colouration makes it very hard to spot and we were all excited by this capture. Our bird list is now at 417 species and the three new discoveries this month were the Ladder-tailed nightjar (Hydropsalis climacocerca), Blue-crowned manakin (Lepidothrix coronata) and the Rose-fronted parakeet (Pyrrhua roseifrons). Mauricio will be with us for the first week of August also so I am sure that there will be more new findings to report on next month.

Before signing off this month I would just like to thank all the volunteers who have been with us during this very busy period. I should mention this every month but the results we achieve speak volumes on their own but the work ethic of the team never ceases to amaze me and with a mix of nationalities, ages and backgrounds the morale on the project is fantastic and enables us to achieve so much. This coupled with the continued dedication of all the staff members means that we move from strength to strength and as both our project and recognition grow it is looking very bright for the future here at Taricaya.

Click here to learn more about our Environmental Conservation program at the Taricaya Reserve