News
Andy Manley died tragically in a house explosion in 2010. Andy was a great supported of Meaningful Volunteer. We have built two schools in his honor. One in Uganda and one in Nepal.
Our school in Nepal held a puja in Andy's honor. A puja is a type of prayer that can be used for many purposes.
In this case the puja was to bless Andy and to guide his mind to a higher state of rebirth and liberation.
You can see more pictures from the Puja below
Article 24 of the Declaration of Human Rights states that:
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure [...].
This basic right is often denied to young children. They often work long hours on the farm, or caring for younger siblings, and they don't get a chance to play and just be kids.
Kate Nicholls set up to change this by biking for a thousand miles across the United Kingdom.
Kate raised over a thousand dollars to provide the School for Andy in Uganda with:
A flat section of land to build a proper football pitch
Kate raised over one thousand U.S. dollars and this will be more than enough to cover the costs.
The biggest challenge will be to flatten out some land. This is trickier than it sounds as the school resides on the slopes of Mt. Elgon.
Construction will begin once the rainy season ends.
The children were so excited about their upcoming pitch that it was decided to have a football in anticipation. Check out pictures from the tournament below.
Former Volunteer Kate Nicholls is doing something truly amazing. She is biking over a thousand miles to give kids in Uganda the Right to Play!
Kate plans to raiser over $1,000. You can donate to her ride here. There are some great perks you can claim as well.
From Kate:
On the 24th July I will be starting my attempt to bike a thousand miles spanning the UK, from the furthest southern point in England- Lands End to the furthest northern point-John O' Groats in Scotland. Check out my proposed route here.
I am doing this to try and give children in Uganda the Right to Play!
I volunteered in Uganda in 2011 where I helped to build a solar powered school. The kids we worked with and got to know were just awesome, but their days seemed to change little between back breaking labor, collecting water, tilling the land, and well... not much else!
I helped organise a football (soccer) tournament when I was over there and they just loved it! It was great that they got a chance to be kids and have fun, what all children have a right to do. With your help I now want to take it to the next level.
Here is the plan:
Volunteers are the lifeblood of Meaningful Volunteer and we love them so much!
Here are a couple of testimonies from some recent volunteers. Feel free to contact us if you want to talk to them directly.
“Before coming to Nepal my life experience was stagnant it seemed. I had a wonderful job, friends, and activities yet felt unfulfilled. There was something missing, and at the time I didn't know what it was.
Now that I have been here four months, through Meaningful Volunteer, I can tell you that it was exploration, community, and unconditional love. The people in Rithepani as well as Women's Skills Development Organization have treated me with the utmost respect and offer a sense of belonging I had never felt. The culture is oneness. They call people not by their name, but by their relation; brother, sister, son, daughter, and so on.
To share in this experience with other volunteers has made it even more rich. We have all expressed how inspired and loved we felt. I am forever grateful and will always cherish the smiles and laughs, as well as the lessons learned. My advice is to stay open and say yes, you never what where the road will lead.
If you are interested in seeing the world, and gaining a new perspective on life, this is an experience I would not pass up. Besides Rithepani, which has immense beauty (Himalayan range, rivers, waterfalls, agriculture, wildlife, foliage) there are infinite possibilities to explore. Kathmandu (Swayamboudhanath, Pahupatinath, Patan, Boudhanath, Garden of Dreams, Thamel), Pokhara (Devi's Falls, Gupteshwor/Mahendra/Chamera Caves, Sarangkot, Matepani/Yamdi Monasteries, Phewa/Begnas Lake). And if you are wanting to go to Lumbini (birthplace of Buddha) I highly recommend that or trekking through the Himalayas.
Best wishes.”
Russell Vargo
“The month I spent in Rithepani, Nepal was an incredible experience. The people of the village are generous and kind. When it came time to leave I realized how connected I felt with so many people. I couldn't tell anyone how I felt but somehow we all seemed to connect. I knew nothing about the culture before I arrived and I am still pondering the experience I had, immersed in a small village, but not far from the tourist area of Pokhara, where we could escape to for a real cup of coffee.
The environment around Rithepani is amazing. I had never seen land like this. There is a river that carved a canyon through the valley and the village sits at the edge of the upper edge of this canyon looking across the valley. The first few days we were overcast because we were at the end of monsoon season. One day a snow covered rock appeared sitting on a cloud. As the clouds cleared the entire horizon filled with the Himalaya mountains. It looks like you could just walk over to them, but they are three days drive away. They are so immense they are hard to comprehend. They are just there, and beautiful.
My host family were very concerned with my welfare, and I felt no threat or concern with my personal safety from anyone in the community. It took a while for some members of the community to ask questions. Considering I didn't speak their language I was surprised that I connected with as many people as I did and I was impressed with how many spoke some English, enough to have some meaningful exchanges.
Living with a family in their home was a new experience for me. I really had no idea what to expect. I found out we eat Dal Baht and was surprised at the variety I was served. I was always served meals first and it was strange for me to have to be ready for my meals on time so the family could eat on time. I learned how to use a squat toilet. I didn't think about it before I got there but it was the first question I was asked, if I had any problem using one. I learned. I wasn't able to communicate all that I wished to, but I was able to accept things like being served toast in the morning even though I really didn't want it. I had a room to myself with a lock on the door, and felt the lock protected the family from me accusing someone of theft more than it protected me from any theft.
I think the community was very curious about this American walking around with his camera. I felt that there was very little time that I spent alone, even when I was alone. The music from the speaker at the temple is still playing in my head. I still have more stories to to learn. I am still reviewing the video and photos I shot and someday soon there will be a story about my experience in Rithepani.”
David Evans
Two German brothers decided to dedicate two months of their lives to helping the villagers of Buyaya, Uganda.
Johannes and Thomas Reinhart, both from Großrinderfeld Germany, are currently on site in Uganda and working very hard.
They are helping with the harvest, doing some maintenance on the school buildings, and helping to run classes in the school.
Click here to see more pictures of the great work they are doing.
Keep up the great work guys!
The recently completed solar powered school in Nepal now has it's women centre under way!
The computer classes are full of women who are first learning typing, then onto exploring the internet.
See more photos below
A special thanks to Hema Gurung for all her wonderful work in getting this up and running.
A small group of mothers in Salem, Massachusetts decided to make a meaningful connectionacross the world by raising money for the School for Andy II in Nepal.
A big thanks to Leah ONeill, Jessica Bookman, Tracey Balthazor, Michelle Rohnke, Sara Reemtsma, Orla Perry and Steph Gallagher! And there children of course: Brianna, Dylan, Julianna, Colin, Matt and Scarlett.
Check out photos from everyone involved!
The money will be used to purchase educational toys for the children in Nepal.
We love connections like this at Meaningful Volunteer. It keeps us happy and motivated to continue to strive to make the world a better place.
The briquette project we announced back in December is finally away in Buyaya.
The briquette project provides a fuel source for the people in Buyaya by taking cassava and charcoal remains (or other garden waste) and mixing them together and placing them into a mold before compacting the mixture in a press.
The resulting briquette (once dried) makes a excellent fuel source.
Thanks to the wonderful Esther taking the lead on this project.
Thank you so much for your generous donation to Meaningful Volunteer.
Once again we are appreciative with your continuous support of our non-profit organization to empower women and children in Uganda, Nepal and Philippines.
We want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and thank you so much for donating to Meaningful Volunteer.
The school in Buyaya, Uganda, Africa will be holding their Christmas Party on January 3rd. We are waiting for one volunteer to arrive from U.S. so she can take part in the celebration. The pre-school kids and their parents will receive a small gift. There will be enough food for everyone.
With your donation, we will also be starting a fuel briquette making project for the women in the village.
The Legacy Foundation will be teaching the women. The donation will go towards the start up costs of the project. This project is sustainable and cost effective.
We are also opening a new school in Nepal - Januray 2014. Your donation will go towards purchasing school supplies, desk and computers for the students.
I will keep in touch and we will send you photos as the project progresses.
If you have any question please feel free to contact me.
Thank you so much for your support!!
Below is a video of the fuel briquette project for you to see if you are interested.
Sincerely,
Megin
Longing for a spirit-filled celebration to welcome 2014 for a good cause?
Bringing together diversity in our community with our own, neighbors, friends' family...
Meaningful Volunteer is putting on a New Year's bash to support our solar powered school in Nepal.
Featuring live music, food, dancing, games and raffle prizes.
Check out the Facebook event page here.
Special thanks to the Florentino family!
