Macquarie-Led Teams
Following the success of a tsunami project in 2005, Macquarie ran two outbound volunteering programs in 2006.
In April, nine volunteers participated in a Habitat for Humanity project in Fiji; where they built a home for a disabled family in a rural area. In December, 13 students joined a team to volunteer at Know One Teach One (KOTO) in Vietnam. The students transferred skills and contributed to the training program of street and disadvantaged youth.
In 2007, a team of 19 volunteers travelled to Southern Thailand, where they contributed their time and skills to an education and a construction project run by our partner organisation - The Tsunami Volunteer Centre. In September 2007, a group of 13 participants travelled to the Philippines where they worked on a Habitat for Humanity project for 2 weeks.
In the summer break, a team of 27 delegates were sent to Mexico for four weeks, to work on three community development projects with our partner university in Puebla - BUAP.
In 2008, 15 students went again to Vietnam, to volunteer at KOTO and gave their time and skills to make a difference.
Vietnam - July 2008
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Insight into development issues in the Asia-Pacific region
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Meetings with NGOs and UN agencies
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3 week volunteer project with street teenagers in Hanoi , Vietnam
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Cultural activities in Halong Bay and Sapa , Vietnam
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Academic components: Vietnamese and culture classes
Mexico - January 2008
- Insight into Latin American issues-migration and poverty
- Academic components: Spanish course, Mexican history/culture course, workshops on development
- Meetings with non profit organisations, UN, UNICEF, Amnesty Int’l
- 4 week volunteering placement in Puebla
- Cultural and historic excursions to the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s house-museum in Mexico City , pre-Aztec pyramids, museums and cooperatives
Philippines - September 2007
- Insight into development issues in the Asia Pacific region, including urban poverty and conservation
- Meetings with AusAID, ADB, World Bank, Australian Embassy, grassroots non profit organizations
- 2 weeks volunteer program building homes alongside the locals * Cultural activities and historic excursions
Thailand - July 2007
- Insight into development issues in the Asia-Pacific region
- Meetings with Australian Embassy, UNDP, ADB, World Bank AYAD, Duang Prateep Foundation, Mirror Foundation
- 3 week volunteer project in education & construction
- Weekend in Khao Sok National Park and floating village
- Cultural and historic excursions including temples
- 26 days, 2 cities
Vietnam and Cambodia - December 2006
- Insight into development issues in the Asia-Pacific region, including urban poverty and conservation
- Meetings with NGOs and UN agencies
- 2 week volunteer project with street teenagers
- Weekend in Halong Bay , Vietnam and explore the temples of Angkor in Cambodia
- Cultural activities
- 20 days, 2 countries, 4 cities
Fiji – April 2006
- Partnership with Habitat for Humanity
- 2 week volunteer program building homes with the locals
- Cultural activities – full immersion with the host community
