Description

A community project will enable you to fully immerse yourself within the community, and by the end you will feel like one of the locals.

*Teach Out of School Children and Adults

Founded to educate individuals and offer them the chance to take an Accreditation and Equivalency Exam that can accelerate them with a qualification as recognized as an Elementary or High School Diploma. In addition to this the program also offers a Basic Literacy Course as well as a variety of different livelihood projects.

*Help Improve the Futures of Abused Women

Help the empowerment of the women by creating livelihood projects, engaging them in social activities such as team building and womens rights. Additionally volunteers can also create fun activities, teach music, dance and games to help break up the mundane daily routines of the women.

*Improve Nutritional Standards

This project was created to oversee the food intake of numerous families in local barangays (communities) and monitor the malnourished children throughout a targeted area of Tacloban City.

*Work in a Young Offenders Rehabilitation Centre

Reach out to those who've had a trouble past by helping them change their attitudes and give them a chance at a new way of life. Then volunteering in a Rehabilitation Centre for male youths could be for you. This centre cares for and rehabilitates boys between the ages of fourteen and twenty two, who have committed crimes as minors and are waiting for their cases to pend in court. These youths are often victims of circumstance; committing crimes in self defence and out of no other choice. Volunteers who become involved in this project act as role models for the boys and assist the centre by engaging in non-formal teaching, organizing sports events, teaching music, creating team building exercises, assisting with livelihood projects and sharing any other special skill they may have.

*Home Building Project

Help build a house for the poorer communities. Housing in the poorer communities of Tacloban city often constitute little more than single-room makeshift shacks. Work alongside skilled carpenters on numerous community building projects around the city making renovations, repairs and even new builds to the houses of a collection of underprivileged families in our local community, as well as schools and community centres throughout the island of Leyte and Samar. This is a rewarding project with immediate visible results, volunteer satisfaction guaranteed. What better way to help a developing country than by providing the basic comfortable living requirements which every community member deserves. Whether its building from scratch, or fixing roofs, building walls or constructing toilet facilities for a more hygienic lifestyle; the result will be the same: the communities here in the Philippines will be grateful recipients.

*Media and Photography Project to Support an NGO in the Philippines

Volunteer for this grassroots NGO and help to raise awareness of the socioeconomic issues which face local Filipinos. This organisation has many established social welfare projects which act as a support line for many disadvantaged people in the local community. This is a great project for volunteers with a passion for photo journalism, social media, and documentary style news reporting as well as those interested in social development. Material collected and edited by volunteers will be used to populate the organisations YouTube Channel and Facebook Page as well as other relevant literature, providing volunteers with the opportunity to really get the message out there.

*Work with Sexually and Physically Abused Girls in the Philippines

Volunteer and help provide better lives to sexually abused children in the Philippines. Sexual abuse, crime and abandonment can often lead to many young girls in the Philippines living without their families. As a result Homes For Girls were created to shelter and care for girls coming from a multitude of different backgrounds and situations.

The Home For Girls acts as a shelter for female youths, providing them with accommodation, meals and support whilst social workers tackle each case to find the best course of action to facilitate their futures. At this centre the girls live in a communal environment and perform various activities such as non-formal education, livelihood programs and recreational activities.

*Support Community Development Projects in the Philippines

Volunteer and work at the heart of community programs by assisting staff at a local community centre based in a housing project outside Tacloban. The centre is the central hub of the community here and many rely on the centre for its help in bringing up families and supporting them in getting work. This is a multi-faceted placement and volunteers will be able to engage in numerous different activities. Volunteers are needed to assist friendly local staff in organizing and developing social welfare services for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, assist with supplementary feeding for undernourished preschoolers. Aside from this volunteers can also assist with several other community development projects such as assisting a micro-financing project for low income local mothers, organizing activities for adolescent peer groups and assisting with the long term developments of a project which rehabilitates children working or previously working in Tacloban City dump.

Highlights

Made up of more than 7,000 islands, this Southeast Asian nation is one of the most diverse countries in the world, boasting rain forests, volcanoes, mountains, and coral reefs - as well as what some say are the friendliest people and the most interesting food.

Unfortunately poverty remains a significant problem. Around 1 in 3 Filipinos live below the poverty line and just below 30% of the population live on USD 2 or less a day. With the help of volunteer projects those in greatest need can look forward to a better future.

*Climb Mount Mayon:
Mount Mayon last erupted in 2001 and is considered one of the world's most perfectly cone-shaped volcanoes. It stands at 2462m and takes a moderately fit person two days to scale. Between March and April are the best times to climb, as other times of the year are quite hot and rainy.

*Canoe the Pangsanjan Rapids:
Riding the rapids of Pangsanjan River during the wet season from August to October, when the water flow is high, is quite exhilarating and not for the faint of heart. Along the 1½-hour route are stunning waterfalls, towering cliffs and superb scenery, some of which was pictured in the film Apocalypse Now.

*Swim with Whale Sharks:
Donsol, a village on the Luzon peninsula, is one of the best places in the world to swim with the largest fish in our seas. To swim with these gentle giants, which grow up to 18m in length, is an unbelievable experience and highly recommended if you have time to explore. Peak months to see these great fish are between February and March.

Volunteers are essential for these projects. Some placements gives wonderful first-hand insight into the difficulties facing the health-care system in a developing nation and, as a volunteer you may be involved in teaching social education and environmental awareness.

Qualifications

Experience and passion for working in the community and interacting with the people are needed. Participants must also possess enthusiasm and a willingness to learn about the environment and the place's culture.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

Please visit website for details.

Cost Includes:

• Excursions
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees

Program Fees Include:

* Accommodation: Single or shared room in a homestay.
* Food: 2 meals a day (Breakfast and dinner)
* Airport: Pick up and Drop off
* Training: Pre-Departure information sent before leaving for the project, in-depth local orientation and project orientation conducted upon arrival.
* Support: 24 hour support from on-site coordinators, access to office in Tacloban City (including free WiFi)

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

A Kaya volunteer shows enthusiasm, spirit and life to stimulate and bring something new to the residents; love, patience and a listening ear for the people; and a good motivator with a positive and optimistic attitude.

Age Range

Please visit website for details.

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Participants Travel

Independently or in Groups

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network

Kaya Responsible Travel's Mission Statement

Kaya's mission is to promote sustainable social, environmental and economic development, empower communities and cultivate educated, compassionate global citizens through responsible travel.

Year Founded

2008