Meaningful Volunteer is very happy that our fashion project is under way, but we need your help!
We've come up with a bunch of cool names and we need your opinion on them!
Click here to take the survey and lets us know what you think!
Meaningful Fashion Project.
Celebrating the many shapes, sizes, and ages of beauty.
Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce the launch of a new project in Uganda called Meaningful Fashion.
Meaningful Fashion (a provisional name) is a 100% fair-trade, sweat-shop free, fashion label based in Buyaya in Eastern Uganda. All the Meaningful Volunteer staff are hard at work behind the scenes to launch the label in May 2011.
The highlight of the project will be a fashion show in a town near Buyaya: complete with a catwalk, music, photographers, video cameras, a live webcast feed, and a myriad of models in all shapes, sizes and ages.
There will be numerous ways you can get involved in this project including on-the-ground volunteering, become a distributor in your own country, and - of course - purchasing some great fashion!
We'll be posting updates on the project in the coming months. Keep an eye out!
New Program: The Malaria Operation
Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce the launch of the Malaria Operation.
The Malaria Operation takes a systematic approach to reducing malaria in Buyaya - our initial target area.
Every step of the process is covered: All the way from raising sponsorship money with which to buy the nets, through to follow up visits to ensure the nets are being used correctly. Check out the full process here.
Malaria accounts for 53% of all deaths in Buyaya and we are going to do our best to reduce that figure.
Contact Megin Alvarez - our volunteer coordinator for more information. megin@meaningfulvolunteer.org
Water and Rice Campaign
Meaningful Volunteer and CERV Philippines are teaming up to bring some much needed water and rice to some extremely poor Filipinos in the Pampanga region of the Philippines.
We are aiming to gather enough money to repair a broken water pump, and deliver two sacks of a traditioanl rice seeds to 400 households. All up this will come to about $US488.
Malcolm Trevena to talk at the Seoul Global Study Group
Who: Seoul Global Study Group, Coordinated by Professor Layne Hartsell (SKKU)
What: NGO Hands On! Dinner with Malcolm Trevena: Service work in the trenches
Where: EcoTable (EcoPabsang) Restaurant, Line 3 (Orange) Kyeongbuk Palace Exit 4
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010
Time: 7:00pm to 9:00pm
RSVP: Via Facebook, or 010-6388-4961
We would like to extend an invitation for our upcoming dinner and speaking event. Malcolm Trevena was born and bred in South Auckland and had a successful ten year career in information technology before volunteering for six months in the Philippines and nine months in Africa. He became disillusioned with the "volunteer tourism" he saw, and founded Meaningful Volunteer so that international volunteers could make a real and meaningful impact on developing communities. Malcolm will discuss his experiences with us at this event.
40 seats available: W 20,000 RSVP and W 25,000 at door
Students/low-income: send email for scholarships seoulstudy@gmail.com
Seoul Global Study Group contact number: 010-6388-4961
Meaningful Volunteer welcomes two more staff members to the team
Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce the arrival of two new staff members to the team.
Anne Eichmeyer has taken on the role of marketing manger and will be responsible for getting as many volunteers as she can to Meaningful Volunteer's placement locations.
Anne is a Midwestern native; she was born and raised in Minnesota and received her Bachelors in Social Work and her Masters in Social Work, with a focus in Social Policy from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Anne led a student campaign against genocide in Darfur, advocated for international fair trade, and learned extensively from her travels and volunteerism in Ghana, Southeast Asia, and Central America, as well as throughout the United States. She has also advocated extensively with and for the developmental disability community and is passionate about women’s rights.
Currently Anne is the Housing Coordinator for three homeless shelters that serve families and single women in Madison, Wisconsin
Megin Alvarez is also joining us as our Canadian Coordinator. She will be coordinating volunteers in Canada, organizing fundraisers as well as helping Meaningful Volunteer to obtain charitable status in Canada.
Megin was born in Cavite in the Philippines and was raised in Canada. Megin has the best of both countries.
With a social science background she has been working with the Ministry for Children and Family Development and Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society (VACFSS) in British Columbia for the past twelve years.
She's involved in the foster care system in Canada and has developed numerous community programs in Cavite specializing in child advocacy and female human rights.
Marketing Manager Position Now Open for Applications
Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce that applications for the new Marketing Manager position are now open.
You can download the full job description from here.
The successful applicant will be responsible for all of Meaningful Volunteer's marketing with the overall goal of bringing in as many volunteers as possible.
The job will initially be voluntary and require about 2-3 hours of work a week. The position will become a paid position as the organization grows.
The Marketing Manager will be given a monthly budget to work with.
Meaningful Volunteer employs on the basis of skill. No distinction will be made for gender, age, ethnicity, religious affiliation, or sexual orientation.
Applications close of the 7th of May 2010.
Please send a covering email about why you want the position to malcolm@meaningfulvolunteer.org
New Program: The Malaria Operation
Meaningful Volunteer is delighted to announce the launch of the Malaria Operation.
The Malaria Operation takes a systematic approach to reducing malaria in Buyaya - our initial target area.
Every step of the process is covered: All the way from raising sponsorship money with which to buy the nets, through to follow up visits to ensure the nets are being used correctly. Check out the full process here.
Malaria accounts for 53% of all deaths in Buyaya and we are going to do our best to reduce that figure.
Contact Meran Chang - our volunteer coordinator for more information. meran@meaningfulvolunteer.org
Meaningful Volunteers Representing on International Women's Day
March the 8th marks (the 99th!) International Women's day. Meaningful Volunteer has always been a strong supporter of women's rights through initiatives such as hundred or so ladies who earn money through the Meaningful Shop, and the dozens of female health volunteers who have been trained through the Project Lifecycle program .
On International Women's Day, Meaningful Volunteer has three wonderful female volunteers representing on the island of Romblon in the Philippines. One is working with the Payawpao Orchids to expand the Meaningful Shop program, one is expanding the Project Lifecycle to another six or so villages, and another is working hard on environmental issues through Project Mangrove.
And let's also take this opportunity to acknowledge our wonderful staff: Eden Navia who runs things in the Philippines, Scarlet Nabwire who runs things in Uganda, and Meran Chang our volunteer coordinator.
Grassroots Uganda representing in Korea
The Wild Women’s Performing Arts Festival is a regular event in Korea to raise more money for the Korean Women’s Association United! This year the event took place on Saturday February 27th as part of the run-up to International Women’s Day on March 8th. The night will featured a fresh list of performers, poets and dancers, as well as a silent photography auction, raffle and much more!
Grassroots Uganda - part of the Meaningful Shop initiative - had a booth at this years event raise about $US900 for our wonderful ladies in Uganda!
Malcolm Trevena also gave a talk about the Project Lifecycle - Meaningful Volunteer's fertility program on the island of Romblon in the Philippines. Project Lifecycle focuses on getting a 100% natural family planning method in the hands of local people who are denied modern contraception due to religious norms and financial reasons.