Greetings,

Lately I have been inspired by the generosity and compassion of people that I have never even met. People I refer to as 'givers'. They give their time, they give their energy, they give themselves. They believe in a better world and offer what they can, with what they have, to those that need it most.

These acts of kindness are often very subtle and you most likely won't read about them in the newspaper or see them on TV but they can be incredibly powerful and they are happening everywhere.

You know when you come across a 'giver,' because by their sheer enthusiasm or cheerfulness they manage to fill you with a renewed hope and make you smile.

This edition has some wonderful stories that demonstrate exactly what I am talking about. One woman knits beanies for orphaned children; another woman pays a compliment to a poverty stricken family living on the street. It goes to show that while you may only be one person in this world; one act of kindness from the heart can mean the whole world to another.

We all have something to offer, something to give and as the 14th Dalai Lama once said "If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another."

How will you give today?

Colin Salisbury
Chief Executive Officer

PS - By the way, Happy Mother's Day to all the mums out there! I hope you get very spoilt -you deserve it!

Blessed by Beanies

She never imagined she would have a hand in knitting over 700 beanies for children she would never meet. But once Carol Pringle started, she just couldn't stop!

Carol Pringle is the New Zealand woman leading an army of knitters who are dedicated to providing children in need with warm woollies for winter.

GVN's Lauren McMahon interviewed Carol about the 'Beanies and Blessings' campaign which seems to be growing by the day!

GVN: Where did the idea come from to send beanies to children in need?
Carol: A group of women from St Ronans Presbyterian Church, NZ, started knitting bootees to welcome new babies at the weekly Mainly Music Program. We went on to make beanies, which we sold to the families and raised $275 for health initiatives at Nepal Orphanages. We felt it would be great if we could make beanies for the children at the orphanage as well. A beanie made especially for them. A gift for each child. We aimed to make 240 beanies, which initially seemed like a large target. We made them and kept on knitting!

GVN: How many beanies do you think you and your army of knitters have made altogether?
Carol: Since forming the group about 15mths ago we have made in excess of 700 beanies. We have also made more than 100 baby vests and about 40 pairs of baby bootees. We have just started on scarves as well.

GVN: Where in the world have you sent the beanies to?
Carol: We have sent beanies to Nepal and Kenya through the Global Volunteer Network. We have also sent three parcels of beanies, vests and bootees to Afghanistan, to a local midwife who was working with the Red Cross at a hospital in Kandahar. Plus more beanies have left today and are headed for Mongolia!

GVN: Did you ever imagine you would be knitting beanies for children you have never met?
Carol: I guess not, but it is a nice feeling knowing there are heads that are warm because of our beanies.

GVN: Is there a strong bond within the group of knitters from the experience?
Carol: There is a bond among the knitters. I think too that some have found great pleasure and purpose in doing the knitting. The non knitters at St Ronans have helped supply wool and even paid postage when we have had to mail them. I think we have all been a little blessed by the beanies.

Our beanies are offered as a gift, at the Sunday morning service. A beanie isn't a large gift, but we know it will make a difference to someone. Their heads are warm and perhaps in their hearts they know that someone far away cares about them. We have no plans to stop knitting. What we saw as a one off project has snowballed and the enthusiasm among the knitters is fantastic. We have others beyond St Ronans joining us, so who knows what will happen.

GVN: What advice do you have for others who want to do something and make a difference in the world?
Carol: Believe that you can make a difference and take that first step.

VOLUNTEER IN NEPAL >>> VOLUNTEER IN KENYA >>>

Eat So They Can Team prepares to head to Kenya!

In just a few days Courtney Montague, GVN Foundation Executive Director, will be heading to Africa to begin distributing funds to partner organisations and prepare for Eat So They Can Winner, Jeanne Sweetman's, arrival in early June.

Courtney had the following to say when we asked her how preparations were coming along:

"Last night I was lying in bed reciting what I wanted to pack for a 2 month trip to Africa: Toothbrush, walking shoes, t shirts, toys for the kids, and gifts for the partners. I have lists upon lists in my room - I am constantly teased at GVN for my 'To Do Lists' which, at this moment, cover my desk, hiding its surface from view…In my mind I'm organized… to everyone else I think I come off as a mess.
I can tell Jeanne is also a list person. Our emails back and forth consist of, "Should I bring a hundred beanies for the kids Courtney? (The answer was Yes!)", "What should I put on my visa?" "Would the kids like stickers?" "I bet the partner's could also use bandages and antibiotic ointment…."
And so on and so forth.
As we gather the band aids, stickers, and beanies the trip becomes more real for each of us. And I know I feel like I always feel before one of these trips off into the unknown- excited, nervous and determined. Determined to get there, meet the kids and start helping."

Track Courtney and Jeanne as they travel through Africa by visiting their blog:
http://eatsotheycan.blogspot.com/

Sign up as an ESTC host and you too could win a trip to Africa:
http://www.eatsotheycan.org/getinvolved/signup.php

Making Ripples: Mandy Morell

Introducing Mandy Morell, GVN Alaska Partner, great friend and world traveller!

Mandy is currently travelling through Ethiopia and India and has just spent a month volunteering in Kolkata. Mandy is a committed humanitarian and says "the reason I travel is to volunteer, not climb mountains, not lay on a beach (although I love all of those things and try to do them as much as possible), but make volunteering the point of the trip, is because of the more.

What is 'The More'?

The problem with not being able to describe the more is that those of us who have it, want it, can't live without it, end up sounding like stuttering school children when asked, "Why are you going there (insert country name of choice here) to volunteer?" Why not go to Ghana to enjoy the splendid beaches; it's much cooler there than in a concrete box with a tin roof. Why not check out the gorillas in northern Uganda instead of shifting bricks for two days in the sweltering heat outside of Entebbe? No safari in Kenya? And what about Goa; you went all the way to India to spend time in one of the most polluted places in the universe! The pious have words for it: God, gods, enlightenment, sacrifice, humility, etc. However, those are not the words I would use to describe the more.

The more is the man on Park Street: no legs, hated me for a couple of weeks because I gave him a smile instead of money, yet every morning and every evening greeted him with an exuberant "Hello" until I learned "Namaskar, Ke mon acho?" and now the zeal with which he notices my legs among all the others coming and going, and looks up excitedly as we greet each other in the same instant; he knows I treat him like a human, not a crippled beggar. His presence in my life is the more.

The more is complimenting the family on AJC Bose Rd on their spring cleaning: they live on the sidewalk; a man, his wife, and their little son, on a 4ft X 6ft square space covered by a tarp. They got a new tarp and it's green. Being here every day, a part of a neighborhood, a street community, an auto-rickshaw route, dodging the heroine needles as I walk down our sidewalk just like everyone else that lives there, allows me to make this observation. Noticing the change in a tarp color is the more.

The more is Ganesh, named after the elephant man-god, a Punjabi who turns on the little fan as I talk on the phone in his hot-as-Hades telephone booth. The more is working with a group of women, a school, a project, for an extended amount of time; a trip can't do it. Four weeks rarely does it. Two months teases you with what the more could be. And even though I continue to seek out the more I am continually surprised at how I receive it. As I said, it is not predictable; the only predictable thing about it is how not to find it.

The reason I travel to volunteer, not climb mountains, not lay on a beach (although I love all of those things and try to do them as much as possible), but make volunteering the point of the trip, is because of the more. The More is why I am here.

VOLUNTEER IN INDIA >>> VOLUNTEER IN ETHIOPIA >>>

Mother's Day Gift Certificates

As we show our love and appreciation for our mums this Mother's Day, let us take a moment and share a thought for the children living in orphanages around the world who no longer have a family of their own. But you can give these children the gift of hope by purchasing a GVN Foundation gift certificate for your mum this Mother's day. You can choose from our orphan sponsorship programs in Kenya, Uganda, Peru, Vietnam or Nepal and know your gift of kindness will ensure the cost of one child's food, shelter, education and medical needs for one of the following amounts of time:

One Month: US $30
Two Months: US $60
One Year: US $30/month
One Year: One Time Donation US $360

Please consider purchasing a gift certificate from one our orphan sponsorship programs for your mum this Mothers Day.

As Mother Theresa said "The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather, the feeling of being unwanted.

Brighten a child's day today.

GVN FOUNDATION GIFT CERTIFICATES >>>

GVN News

Mt Everest Base Camp Trek 2008

This October you have the opportunity to help Nepali children whilst climbing the tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest! The main activities of this program are trekking to the Base Camp of Mount Everest and visiting the children supported by our partner organization in Nepal. Our partner is a local non-profit, non-government organization which runs Brighter Future Children's Home and Shining Stars Children's Home.
JOIN THE TREK >>>

GVN Foundation - Recent Grants, April 2008

This month the GVN Foundation sent the following grants to our partners around the world: To assist with the running costs associated with schools, orphanages and community based programs:

Uganda: US $5664
Kenya: US $766
Peru: US $375
Vietnam: US $2,800
Ghana: US$3,200
Ecuador: US $1667

To our partner in Kenya to help feed, clothe and provide medical care to the refugees of the recent political unrest: US $5,000.
To our partner in Nepal to assist the running costs of one of their orphanages: US $3622.
GVN FOUNDATION >>>

T-Shirts available!

Don't forget you can now order your very own GVN t-shirt straight off the web! The t-shirts not only look fabulous but they are handy for wearing at fundraising events, presentations about volunteer work and during your placement of course!
BUY A GVN-TSHIRT >>>

Teach French in Vietnam

The Vietnam teaching program has just added a new option due to a great need of French speaking volunteers to teach French Speaking, Writing, Listening and Cultural Studies at the university.
VIETNAM PROGRAM >>>