PROJECT EXPECTATIONSI designed my summer enrichment projects 2012 in

Nepal and Guatemala to work as a volunteer in the bottom level of humanitarian organizations, seeing how money and volunteer resources are filtered from a larger scale to the individual project site. I wanted two extremely different cultural experiences, and placed added emphasis on directly benefitting the community I was working with instead of solely receiving personal growth. I partnered with the New Zealand organization International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ), which places volunteers directly with pre-existing local sites in several countries. Both Nepal and Guatemala had larger umbrella organizations (Home and Homes, and Maximo Nivel, respectively) that, in turn, supported the specific projects where I worked.

Cultural Connections for Development: Nepal and GuatemalaMadeleine Loney, Class of 2015

GUATEMALA EXPERIENCE The combination of my experiences this summer and

Leadershape defined my project expectations and goals for my Summer 2013 Enrichment Project. My experiences in Nepal and Guatemala caused me to realize how passionate I was about education for all children and adults, regardless of socioeconomic status, gender, or location; Leadershape formed this passion into a vision of global access to education with no cost.Although plans will remain open to change, I would like to spend Summer 2013 working with an NGO either in the Middle East, Africa, or Asia (depending on my study abroad plans for junior year); more specifically, I would like to investigate the connection between education and gender roles. Additionally, I would like to return to Nepal for 2-4 weeks, continuing to work with the children at the orphanage, increasing trust, and helping continue and initiate sustainable projects.

FUTURE PROJECTS(June 30-July 16)

Construction work occurred in the morning in Pastores, a small town outside of Antigua. The site was building a daycare/house for a family and an organization called “Proyecto Humanitario Proveyendo a Mi Hermano”. The first week, we filled in the walls with a finer concrete, smoothing enough to make them usable; the second week, we completely finished the ceiling. Volunteers worked with Fredy Ixla, the Guatemalan foreman, who was learning English as we learned Spanish. In the afternoon, I attended Spanish classes at Maximo Nivel (a school for ESL Guatemalan students, as well as English-speaking student learning Spanish).

NEPAL EXPERIENCE(April 28-June 13)The New Youth Children’s Development Society

(NYCDS), based in Bhaktapur (a small city outside Kathmandu), takes care of 45 children from ages four to twenty.

7 am: Hindu prayer, preparing the children for school9 am: supervising breakfast10 am: walking the children to school11 am - 2 pm: teaching computer lessons to the older children, general work around the orphanage3 pm: tutoring all children with homework, playing organized games outside7 pm: evening Hindu prayer8 pm: serving dinnerSpecifically, I spent most of my free time working in the kitchen, preparing meals, and grocery shopping; this experience fostered knowledge about the Nepali food culture and also improved my Nepali language skills. Additional work included creating a volunteer newsletter, organizing a descriptive book of all the children for future volunteers, bringing a dentist to the orphanage for oral examinations of all children, taking sick children to the doctor as needed, and preparing a working budget.

PROJECT CONCLUSIONS• Learned how one must live inside a culture, gain

trust, and then suggest positive changes while still respecting cultural boundaries and traditions

• Observed how umbrella humanitarian organizations filter their money and resources down to the organizations they support (only a small portion of the money actually goes to the organization where volunteers work, so is a “middle man” really necessary?)

• Saw that educational opportunities can vary significantly depending on cultural norms for gender and socioeconomic status, regardless of child’s level of intelligence

• Discovered that forming personal connections within the culture takes one farther than hard work alone

• Experienced the importance of language (both Nepali and Spanish) in gaining trust and completing objectives