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Countries/States Served:
Venezuela
People Utilized or Employed:
Chiropractor, Allergy and Immunology, Dental Hygiene, Dermatology, Dentistry, Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Preventive Medicine, Infectious Disease, Internal Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Medicine, Ophthalmology, Pathology, Public Health, Social Work, Urology, Veterinary
Types of Students Allowed:
Medical Students, Premedical Students, Dental Students, Predental Students, Nursing Students, Prenursing Students, Pharmacy Students, Prepharmacy Students, Veterinary Students, Preveterinary Students, Optometry Students, Preoptometry Students |
Program Length:
Short Term (Less than 1 month) and Long Term (Greater than 1 month)
Language Skills:
Religious Affiliations:
University Affiliations:
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Current Volunteer Opportunities (Unpaid Positions)
Medicine & Healthcare experience and observation program needed for
6 to 12 months
Opportunity Description:
Medicine & Healthcare experience and observation programs are tailored, where possible, to a volunteer's level of relevant experience and interests. Be involved in the day-to-day running of a hospital, observing or directly assisting doctors and nurses. If you want experience in health and medicine even without special skills, or if you are a pre-university or elective medical student or a health professional, these programs need your help.
The Peace Villages Medicine project is an invaluable preparation for a career in medicine. You will experience the stark contrast between Western medical practice and the realities of medicine in developing countries. Sadly, you will also see medical conditions that have remained untreated and have developed to an advanced pathological stage uncommon in developed countries. The medical program is available for elective students, medical students with free holiday time, pre-university students and also students taking, or planning to take, specialist medical courses such as biomedical science, nursing and physiotherapy. The key requirements in a medical volunteer are initiative, enthusiasm, and readiness to work in unfamiliar circumstances - a surgery with minimal equipment or an understaffed and under resourced hospital. You can assist with duties such as bandaging, taking blood pressure, and generally caring for the patients. You will find that your new colleagues and the patients appreciate the fact that you have come a long way to offer practical help.
You will be involved in the day-to-day running of a hospital, observing or directly assisting doctors and nurses. You might find yourself, for example, watching a caesarean in the operating theatre, or working with a doctor on his rounds. You can help out in simple but practical ways, vastly increasing your own knowledge and understanding of medical practice. Your placement will enable you to broaden your medical experience in the context of medicine in a developing country.
We offer a number of placements, which are particularly suited to medical students in their first to fourth years, and for electives. You can use the skills and experience that you have already acquired and will be able to broaden your medical experience in the context of medicine in a developing country. We welcome anyone thinking of taking up nursing or midwifery or already training to be a nurse or a midwife. If you're trained, training or considering training to be a Midwife, you could work with us.
Our rewarding physiotherapy programs enable you to help disabled children and adults to lead as normal lives as possible. Rehabilitation is vitally important, and whether you have experience or not, working alongside a therapist at our attention centre for disabled children you will learn a great deal in a completely different cultural setting.
"The medical program was extremely beneficial and really gave me an insight into the Venezuelan medical system. It has definitely reconfirmed my wish to become a doctor. I saw several operations that I wouldn't have seen until my fourth or fifth year at medical school, had I not taken up this volunteer opportunity with Peace Villages." (J?rgen Weigert, Medical volunteer from Germany)
?As a physiotherapist I wanted to work in the local hospital and this was arranged as promised and I very much enjoyed running my own clinic there??I would certainly consider going back there for another experience , I enjoyed myself and met so many nice and interesting people.? (Cliff Hill, Physiotherapist from London,UK)
Total Number of Volunteers Needed:
5
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Live & volunteer with Pemon Indians needed for
1 to 3 months
Opportunity Description:
Live with Pemon Indians and teach English or initiate an environmental education program and exchange knowledge of the rainforest and savannah habitat. This special assignment is very rewarding for the caring individual, ready to support the worthwhile cause of preserving and nurturing the Pemon Indian culture and its traditions. Volunteers with a genuine interest in anthropology, cultural influences and differences will enjoy this placement.
Feel this magical world next to the flat-top Mountains, enjoy the fantastic views and discover unique plants and take pictures. This is a great opportunity for volunteers to work and live alongside indigenous people and experience life in this remote and beautiful part of Latin America.
The community of Chirikayen is a small rural village an hour's drive (by 4wd) from Santa Elena in the heart of the beautiful La Gran Sabana national park. It has a population of only 200 people and is located midst breathtaking surroundings close to the Chirikayen Tepuy (flat-top mountain - 1650m) and enjoys a healthy climate and environment. Chirikayen has a primary school, a health care station, a basic shop and a church.
Peace Villages Foundation offers the opportunity to work with indigenous people in an isolated community. The experience is very basic, there is electricity for only 3 hours a day and clothes are washed in the river. The program coordinator and some locals speak fluent English. You will live amongst the friendly Pemon Indians and enjoy daily live in this typical indigenous community. You will stay in host family-style accommodation with locals in traditionally build houses. You will enjoy comfortable hammock sleeping and share delicious meals, traditionally cooked and served.
"This placement opportunity gives you close insight into the Pemon indigenous live and culture and is very rewarding for the caring individual ready to support the worthwhile cause of preserving and nurturing the Pemon indigenous culture."
Activities in Chirikayen:
Conservation, indigenous gardening and reforestation, recreational and creative activities with small kids and schoolchildren, teaching English to Pemon Indian tourist guides and schoolchildren, building and maintenance work on communal infrastructure, initiate an environmental education program and exchanging knowledge of the rainforest and savannah habitat. As worthwhile and fulfilling as the work you do will be, the true rewards come from the cross-cultural learning which takes place.
Requirements:
You do not need special skills nor do you have to speak fluent Spanish but you need to be flexible and willing to get involved in a range of activities. A pro-active attitude is essential and it helps to have patience. Pemon Indians are wary of losing their cultural identity. Any skills that you have in areas, from sports and music, English teaching, to art or ?handy man skills?, will be more than welcome and help ensure that you get the most out of your placement and contribute fully to it. Participation in this program requires an extra donation of US$ 15 per week (minimum) as a direct contribution to the indigenous community.
Availability:
Ongoing through the whole year
Accommodation:
You will live amongst the friendly Pemon Indians and enjoy daily live in this typical indigenous community. You will stay in host family-style accommodation with locals in traditionally build houses. You will enjoy comfortable hammock sleeping and share delicious meals, traditionally cooked and served.
Total Number of Volunteers Needed:
5
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Teaching & Tutoring ? Meet the young generation and make friends needed for
More than 1 year
Opportunity Description:
Teaching & Tutoring gives you a great introduction into the Venezuelan way of life, improves confidence and communication skills and is perfect for the outgoing person who wants an outlet for their energy and creativity.
English teaching:
English teachers are a precious resource and always welcome. You could lead the classes in improving the pronunciation and conversational skills of young children and adults. On this conversational English teaching project, you can pass on a valuable vocational skill that will help Venezuelan teenagers: the English language. You can let your creativity run wild with songs, games and role play activities in classes of about 6-12 pupils. As our children are from 4-14 years old, they will learn English immediately without Spanish accent. Therefore you do not necessarily need to speak fluent Spanish neither at our day cares nor at your classes as a teacher. To prepare yourself you might like to absolve a TEFL course at home and receive supplemental teaching aids. This gives you the confidence to face your first class and practical skills to use throughout your work placement. However, you will be accepted as a teacher even if you do not have the corresponding certificate.
Different Teaching & Tutoring opportunities:
Teach at the local music school or assist teaching arts, craft and ceramics or help with computer classes for children and teenagers at the local computer centre with internet-connection or teach sports and help with homework. Assist with Play Therapy or recreational, developmental and educational activities with our new mobile school and help organize special events. These teaching programs give you close insight into the culture and are very rewarding for the caring individual.
Requirements: From little previous experience to experts required
Availability: Ongoing through the whole year
Total Number of Volunteers Needed:
5
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Youth, Care & Community needed for
1 to 3 months
Opportunity Description:
Come and help us enhance the lives of children and teenagers. We cannot pretend to remedy serious social and economic conditions but the youth care work placements make a difference to children and young people who would otherwise lack opportunities for one-on-one social interaction. Youth, Care & Community programs give you close insights into the needs of our young generation, foster community spirit and also will give you many memories to cherish
As a youth care volunteer working with children in our attention center for special need kids you would be helping to teach life-skills and by getting involved in the day-to-day running of a care centre, paying them personal attention. You are helping to shape the lives of young people, preparing them better for life. Sport, art, music and drama are always popular on these placements. Start a choir, put on a play or organize general fun activities!
You might like to be part of a team working on Community projects such as painting classrooms, community centers, or playgrounds or decorating the children ward and generally lending a hand where it's needed. Community projects are typically under-funded and under-resourced, so volunteers, and our resources, are always welcome.
Youth, Care & Community volunteers don't need to be qualified or have previous experience - enthusiasm, a willingness to get involved and patience are the vital ingredients. Let us know if you'd like to work with children or on a practical placement. You could even do a bit of both!
Activities include:
Play and take care of underprivileged children, bringing joy and love to local day care centers or promote integration for children and teenagers with special needs at our attention and training center ?Tucusito? (From no previous experience to professionals required)
Total Number of Volunteers Needed:
5
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Mission Statement: (See Web Site For Updated Information)
The Peace Villages Foundation is a registered grass-roots volunteer charity based in Santa Elena de Uair?n, located near the border with Brazil and Guyana, South America. We support communities and their members in the process of achieving sustainable development, social justice and peace. We promote the "Culture of Peace" through increased cross-cultural exchange and voluntary community service whereby additional educational and recreational opportunities for an underprivileged young generation are created. We aim to empower young people, mostly members of local Pemon Indian communities, and enable them to develop their potentials and improve their own lives, fundamental elements for a more harmonic, solidarity and just collective social reality. Our volunteer work and internship opportunities are a mix of community service, educational opportunities and recreational activities and the unique first hand experience of the regions Pemon Indian culture. We are verified by Idealist.org, and unlike many volunteer programs do not work through a volunteer placement agency. Therefore we can keep volunteer costs to a minimum, typically half that of most agency-organized placements. Our programs are both beneficial to the community and rewarding for the volunteers who enjoy working side by side with locals in the small town of Santa Elena (15.000) as well as in small Pemon Indian villages and stunning locations within the La Gran Sabana national park which with its fast savannahs and virgin forests represents a biologic reserve where prehistoric mountains (Tepuy) are like ecological islands. It is one of the oldest geological sites on the planet known as "The land of eternal spring". Yet more than its near perfect climate, it is the local people who are the true source of its beauty. By joining Peace Villages and working side by side with locals you seize the chance for an unforgettable experience. Immerse yourself in the Latin and indigenous culture, make life-long friends, learn new skills and study Spanish. Explore one of the world?s most striking landscapes and help us to make a difference, while becoming an agent of positive change in the lives of others and yourself.
Mission Statement
The Peace Villages Foundation supports communities and their members in the process of achieving sustainable development, social justice and peace. We promote the ?Culture of Peace? through increased cross-cultural exchange and voluntary community service whereby additional educational and recreational opportunities for an underprivileged young generation are created. We aim to empower young people and enable them to develop their potentials and improve their own lives, fundamental elements for a more harmonic, solidary and just collective social reality. We promote empowerment through challenging community development projects in humanitarian, educational and environmental fields and we support and contribute to the psychological, emotional, physical, cultural, social and vocational development of children. We emphasize voluntary community service as an effective means of intercultural and ethnic education, understanding and exchange to people of all ages, races and nationalities who are committed to the shared values of peace, justice, tolerance, cross-cultural understanding and global cooperation, to the preservation of indigenous cultures, traditions and ecologies, and to the enhancement of the quality of life around the world.
Requirements
We are happy to place any volunteers wanting to work with us regardless of age, experience or background as long as you have an interest in any of the following: working and playing with children, ecologic building and maintenance, health and nutrition, organic agriculture and gardening, environmental conservation, meeting people, learning to speak Spanish, working with the Pemon indian people of La Gran Sabana, organizing events, teaching or assisting with conversational English, computer, sport, art and craft, ceramics, music, play therapy or recreational and developmental activities. We welcome family and group participation. Most of our international volunteers have no previous experience and very little Spanish, which is never a problem, as we provide full support and 24 hour back-up from our local staff. Typically Peace Villages Volunteers are dynamic, motivated and enthusiastic about their work, flexible about the kind of work that they do and able to adapt quickly to a new environment and new people. Any necessary skills will be learnt on the job. You don't have to speak fluent Spanish, but may want to combine volunteer work with Spanish language study a local institute. It is quite possible to volunteer and learn Spanish in parallel. Our programs suit all age groups and cater for all needs and are truly the microcosm of a world where people join together giving priority to improving life for humanity and promoting a Culture of Peace as a practical way to both prevent and resolve conflict. You will immerse yourself in the unique local indigenous culture and take part in challenging community projects. By participating as a volunteer, you?ll help sow the seeds of peace. We hope that you will join us in this effort!
Program description
Medicine & Healthcare experience and observation programs are tailored, where possible, to a volunteer's level of relevant experience and interests. Be involved in the day-to-day running of a hospital, observing or directly assisting doctors and nurses. If you want experience in health and medicine even without special skills, or if you are a pre-university or elective medical student or a health professional, these programs need your help.
Accommodation
You can choose Host Family (includes 2 meals per day), self-catering Volunteer Guesthouse or Camping accommodation
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