GPE Thailand, comprised of three FSU volunteers and one volunteer from Santa Fe College, spent about six weeks working with the Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia, in Northern Thailand in May-June, 2009.
The volunteers lived at Harbor House, a shelter for girls who have been victims of sexual abuse, and are at-risk for human trafficking. The volunteers worked closely with the six girls living at Harbor House, conducting art, dance and self-esteem workshops with them, as well as cooking, gardening and befriending the girls. The volunteers also worked with Thai children from the girls’ school, teaching English and Geography lessons weekly.
The other main project undertaken by the volunteers was working at a local school for hill tribe children. Because these children are not Thai citizens, they cannot legally obtain schooling, so DEPDC, a school and community center, was built in Mae Sai, Thailand. The volunteers taught English classes and conducted the same workshops for about 80 children there.
Additionally, the GPE volunteers were able to raise the funds to provide a housing structure for the water pump on Harbor House’s property. This pump shelter prevents rain from rusting the water pump, and the project was a goal of COSA that GPE undertook. This was GPE’s first venture to Asia and it was a great opportunity to learn more about the Thai culture and establish close ties with a new NGO.
Isabel Callejas, the director of GPE’s Bukomero program in Rwanda, was recently awarded the Boren Scholarship. Isabel, born in Miami and raised in Nicaragua, joined GPE’s team in 2007. She plans to use the scholarship to study Kiswahili in Tanzania. This prestigious scholarship provides unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to add [...]
On assignment from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Douglass Casson Coutts is a Distinguished Visiting Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, College of Human Sciences at Auburn University. He is developing and teaching Auburn’s first undergraduate course on “World Hunger: Causes, Consequences and Responses,” assisting in designing a Hunger Studies Minor area [...]
The Global Peace Exchange has decided to suspend its Guatemala project due to the devastation caused by the recent Pacaya volcano eruption and passing of tropical storm Agatha through the country. The country is trying to recuperate from these events and it is not a good time for GPE volunteers to engage in a project [...]
Tuesday April 6: 7:30 pm Peace discussion meeting in Dunlap Success
Center, Rwanda Genocide vigil to follow on Landis Green around 8:30
Wednesday April 7: Tee Off For Toilets 10-2 on Union Green: Fundraiser for the new toilet sanitation project in Rwanda with games, an obstacle course, and bake sale.
Thursday April 8: Amnesty concert featuring Dave Tieff, Union Green
from [...]
There are now two separate components to the GPE project in Guatemala, each with its own goals and volunteers. The first of these consists of an exchange program for two FSU graduate students from the College of Education, who will spend a total of six months at the Proesur campus of Universidad Del Valle de [...]