home > projects > social and economic development projects
Social and Economic Development Projects
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Join ProWorld Social and Economic Development projects through Semester Abroad, Intern Abroad, & Group Programs.
Munacuyki and Calca Warmi Woman's groups
Calca Warmi is a women’s knitting group and Munacuyki is a recently developed women’s group. ProWorld Peru is in the early stages of establishing and organizing this women’s support and business development group. Interns responsibilities could include business skills workshops, marketing support, self-esteem and personal development activities, monthly group sessions with a psychologist. As a volunteer, you will be working to empower women in the Sacred Valley by improving their economic independence and their personal and social development.
Teacher's Assistant at 712 - Education and Youth Projects
Volunteers will work in a primary school as a teacher’s assistant from Monday to Friday from 8am -1pm. You will work alongside Peruvian teachers and gain a real understanding of how the educational system in Peru works. Often class sizes at the primary school level are very large, with up to 35-40 students. Responsibilities could include designing lesson plans, organizing games during free time, designing homework assignments, supporting teachers in lesson planning and classroom management.
Los Valientes - After School Enrichment Program
Volunteers in this project will plan and execute extra-curricular activities for a group of underprivileged children in one of the local elementary schools. Los Valientes aims to help these children develop their self-esteem through creative outlets such as theater, singing, or crafts. Volunteers can also choose to develop a lesson plan based on a certain theme, such as health or the environment. This project is only available for long term volunteers of two months or more. It is important to keep continuity with this group of children to avoid disruption and encourage productivity.
Escuela Sagrado Corazon de Jesus - Teaching English
Sagrado Corazón de Jesús is a public elementary school in Yucay (5 minutes from Urubamaba) that has never had English-speaking English teachers before now! The director of the school and the staff are excited to welcome ProWorld Peru volunteers into their classrooms and hope to promote an environment of cross-cultural exchange and creative education. English is an invaluable skill to have within this area of Peru because of the tourism industry. If a young student can begin to learn some English basics, often this will open up new doors in their future.
Track and Field Program
Volunteers will assist a local track coach named Lucillo with practices held 4 days per week as part of a track program sponsored by the Liga de Atletismo Urubamba. Volunteers will assist in the morning or afternoon depending on their project schedule. Responsibilities could include leading team warm-ups, running with the team, leading field activities, supporting the coach in his strategy and organization plans.
The National Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is the leading NGO in advocating for the rights of children in Belize. While doing your internship you will be assisting in a variety of tasks that deal with regionally appropriate issues regarding child abuse and neglect.
Primary School Assistant
Foster a positive learning experience for the children of the Cayo District as a teacher’s aid. At local Primary Schools overcrowded classrooms limit a lead teacher’s ability to instruct students effectively.
Volunteers will assist with general administrative tasks, correcting school work, preparation of materials, small group instruction, and other tasks as assigned, allowing the lead teacher to spend more time on lesson preparation and instruction.
Summer Camp
Held for the past two summers, the summer camp will be for primary school children 7-12 years of age. This will be a full day camp.
Activities include games, coloring, drawing, arts, and educational activities. Field trips can be arranged.
Provide community members of Oaxaca with a vital tool for improving their social and economic circumstances: literacy. INEA estimates that the ability to read and write can be accomplished by three months of individual tutoring or eight months of group lessons.
At INEA, you will tutor individuals or groups located in communities near Oaxaca. You are also encouraged to support students’ learning by establishing cultural exchanges with students outside of the learning environment.
Cooperativa Nueva Vida
Help the women of Teotitlan del Valle fight oppression through their efforts to achieve economic independence. At Nueva Vida, women of Teotitlan del Valle handcraft woolen rugs using the time-consuming, Pre-Hispanic natural techniques of their ancestors.
The rugs are sold to support the women’s economic independence, but they often receive unfair prices. You will help contribute to the women’s efforts to receive fair prices and achieve economic independence.
Opportunities include teaching English language classes, creating a gallery or webpage, publicizing the cooperative, researching market opportunities, designing a tour, leading design workshops, as well as many others.
La Escuela de Educación Especial #14- Zimitlan
The school – directed by psychologist Odon Martinez – works with children with auditory, visual, motor and mental disabilities up to 6th grade. Many of the children are not capable of learning to read or write.
The largest struggle for most of these children is that once they are out of the system they have no developed skills to help them fend for themselves. They often become dependent on their families and never enter the work force.
You will help find innovative ways to better prepare the children for adulthood, work on a micro-business program to raise funds for the school and teach the children practical skills, and will work with the mothers who travel 2 to 3 hours from surrounding villages to the school.
Puente a la Salud Comunitaria
Puente a la Salud Comunitaria promotes the use of amaranth, a traditional grain, through workshops. These workshops explain the nutritional importance of amaranth and provide the fundamentals of how to plant, grow, harvest, and cook with it.
Puente also promotes good nutritional practices. You can do further research on amaranth, and with a high level of Spanish you can give talks to the communities about amaranth, those with lower levels of Spanish can assist with the talks. Volunteers can also help out with office administration.
Union de Museos Comunitarios
The Union is a non-governmental organization of eighteen indigenous and mestizo communities in Oaxaca State, which have created or are in the process of creating community museums.
The museums are vehicles for unifying the townspeople and for strengthening and revitalizing community culture. It is a place that generates pride and weaves together the old and new generations.
You will focus on one of the 3-4 community museums that lie within 45 minutes of the city. Responsibilities could include: working with the community on tourism projects; setting up and executing art/craft/health initiatives with community members; carrying out a journalism or photography internship, grant writing, etc.
Patronato Estancia Fraternidad
Provide care and support for patients and their family members at Estancia Fraternidad. Estancia Fraternidad provides low-cost housing for family members of patients at the near-by general hospital, care for patients waiting to be admitted, and continuing care for patients who have been released from the hospital but are too ill to return home.
Opportunities exist to participate in fundraising, English classes, art and music workshops, kitchen duties, and nursing duties. If you have conversational Spanish, you can also provide a valuable service by making rounds and talking with patients and family members, providing support and comfort during this stressful time in their lives.
CALPULLI
Located in a poverty-stricken area, CALPULLI is a center to support children that have particular learning challenges. Most of these children are semi-abandoned, children of single mothers or children of parents who have migrated to the United States or other parts of Mexico.
The center assists the kids to improve their learning in basic subjects with a fun attitude towards learning. Participants have the opportunity to teach computer, mathematic, science, or English classes and to also interact with the children in after school and summer programs.
Clean Water Wells Building Project
This project aims to increase the availability and accessibility of water within rural villages through construction of various water-harvesting structures (wells, dams, rain tanks), soil and water conservation work and plantation activities. Rajasthan is the driest of all Indian states and its search to provide water solutions is at the heart of the city’s very design. Alongside building work, volunteers may also be required to assist in workshops, activities and support groups with the local community where help from the group is requested for income generation programs and advice.
Rural Literacy Program
This project has set up six schools (primary, secondary), eight colleges, 16 child labor rehabilitation & education centers and 17 child learning centers (CLC). Overall literacy rates in India are estimated around 65% and female literacy remains below average. During this project you will assist teachers in a variety of subjects at the education centers to provide one-on-one assistance for pupils who are falling behind and need extra help. You will also be working with those students who are excelling and need extra stimulation to keep them developing.
Child Development and Care
This project works with children in shelters, orphanages, daycares and creches, as well as mother and child support groups. It provides a host of support facilities for these children - from infants to older children - including care, nutrition, development and support for parents. Child mortality remains high in India, and in the poorest communities malnutrition and disease are identified as the key factors. During this project you will assist staff with looking after, feeding and entertaining the children, running classes and workshops and helping them with homework. With mother and child groups, interns will help educate the women in health issues that affect their children as well as provide support for them as they bring up their children in an environment with so many challenges.
Providing Opportunities to Tribal Women
Work on a project empowering women of the local tribes who have been denied opportunities in the past. Through this project you will assist the project leaders in residential education, health education, good nutrition practices, counseling, and discussion on topics that refer to women’s empowerment. Interns can also bring their business knowledge and administrative skills to this project to help educate women in business opportunities and be creative about ways to generate income.
Thailand
ProThailand's host communities face impediments to economic and social growth, such as lack of education and resources for individual growth, social support for children, women, and elderly groups, gender & ethnic discrimination, and marginalized communities.
ProThailand Social and Economic Development Interns participate in a wide variety of social and/or economic projects, such as teaching language and arts. Other opportunities that exist are research, business administration, & advocacy.
Social and Economic Development Projects in Chiang Mai, Thailand include:
WOMEN'S RIGHTS - THE WILDFLOWER HOME
The Garden of Hope is an NGO that reaches out to women, children, and youth involved in, at risk of, or affected by prostitution, sexual exploitation and/or trafficking. The goal of The Garden of Hope is to offer comprehensive, holistic programs that bring restoration and healing to those in, at risk of, or exiting prostitution and trafficking in Northern Thailand and its borders. The Garden of Hope operates a Women's and Children's Drop-In Center in one of the red-light districts in Chiang Mai. The Women's Drop in Center offers relationships, conversational English, trauma counseling, vocational training, and life skills development to women in the bars. The Children's Drop-In Center offers childcare, tutoring, Thai and English instruction, meals, and a safe place for street children of the red-light district.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND BUSINESS - WEAVE (WOMEN'S EDUCATION FOR ADVANCEMENT AND EMPOWERMENT)
Motivated by the vision of a world where women and their children are free to exercise their human rights, WEAVE is committed to teaching women to become socially, economically and politically empowered. WEAVE (Women's Education for Advancement and Empowerment) was founded in 1990, with the intent to empower indigenous women and support their needs and basic human rights. The organization has evolved over the years, especially in the context of the influx of refugees from Burma.
WOMEN'S RIGHTS AND TRAFFICKING - CHILDREN'S ORGANIZATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIA (COSA)
The origin COSA was the result of several community groups coming together with collective goals. COSA provides education, food, shelter and care for girls who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation. They also provide shelter for girls who have been, or are maybe at risk of being trafficked to brothels etc. Additionally, they work directly with communities to provide trainings and support to prevent trafficking of women and girls.
COSA main objectives are to promote social welfare at grass-root levels to solve social and environmental issues. Working from a participatory and democratic framework with members of the community, COSA will aim to develop self-management skills in socio-economic strengthening programs. In order to ensure a focus on community development structures, which emphasize models of self-determination and community ownership, local resources and knowledge will be used in developing the programs and in turn ensuring their success.
CHILDREN - THE LIFE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
The Life Skills Development Foundation was founded as part of Save the Children (USA) in 1998 with the aim to develop the rights of children and their quality of life. They work in upper north of Thailand focusing on early childhood care development, education, life skills curriculum, orphanages, and children living with HIV. Their projects include strengthening the community-based approach to solve the problems of children living in border area or made vulnerable by HIV. They work in partner with both local NGOs and government organizations and funded by UNICEF.
JOURNALISM - SHAN HAROLD AGENCY FOR NEWS
Work with a publishing project that documents the issues and news of the minority communities of Burma and Thailand. Project leaders have been publishing reports and periodicals on the state of these communities in Shan, Burmese, English, and Thai. Write and publish feature articles such as politics and literature articles, human rights reports and opinion columns, with the goal of educating others about the issues faced by minority populations in this part of the world.
BUSINESS - HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
Heifer International is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty. It provides gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially disadvantaged families around the world.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT - THAI YOUTH ACTION PROJECT
Thai Youth Action Programs (TYAP) is a Thai Non Government Organization that works with, supports and is led by youth from the communities of Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. TYAP has been working from Chiang Mai since 1995 and today TYAP supports up to 10 community youth groups per year, as well as various media community youth groups around the Chiang Mai province. The NGO supports youth to address current issues revolving around HIV/Aids, sexual education, peer pressure, drug and alcohol issues, sexuality, gender, identity, violence and environment.
EDUCATION - BAAN BA KHAO LAM SCHOOL
A volunteer placement in Baan Ba Khao Lam is a once in a lifetime opportunity to live and work in a beautiful hill tribe village. The school is run by volunteers and funded completely by donations, but still manages to provide an education to several hundred children.
This small village in the mountains is surrounded by pristine jungle, typical of South-East Asia. While beautiful, the area lacks consistent electricity supplies, telephones and easy access to the rest of Thailand. Nonetheless, it is increasingly affected by tourism as people go trekking, bamboo rafting and elephant riding. The negative effects of these activities have significantly impacted the lives of the villagers. The school and the community leaders hope to address these issues by teaching the children to take their future into their own hands, through improved management, communication and other skills. The community of Baan Ba Khao Lam is seeking to make tourism more sustainable and use it as a way to secure the future of their village. Volunteers here will have an amazing opportunity to help this community move forward as they work for these important goals.
EDUCATION - MAE DTA MAN SCHOOL
The volunteering position at Mae Dta Man School provides a unique opportunity for ProWorld Thailand volunteers to work for the environment and social and economic development. All volunteers at this location will be housed at the Thai Elephant Home where they will have the opportunity to support the camp mission of providing a sustainable and environmentally friendly elephant program to all their customers. The camp also maintains and replants local community forests, all volunteers will have opportunities to support this work and live and work side by side with the elephants and mahouts (elephant trainers) here.
The village school in Mae Dta Man educates more than 200 children from kindergarten until the age of 14. The students here represent the diverse make up of surrounding villages and include Thai, Karen, Lisu and Lahu students. The school headmaster and the local authorities have realized that these children are growing up at a time when a number of outside influences are affecting their communities. As such the school seeks to empower all their students with extra skills and abilities that will enable them to take control of their future. ProThailand volunteers provide an essential service by teaching the students English. Students with good English skills will be empowered to work more effectively with tourism and tourist businesses in the area and or work in other areas.
EDUCATION - TEACHING ENGLISH TO MONKS AT A BUDDHIST UNIVERSITY
This fascinating project works with a University established by His Majesty King Chulalongkorn, Rama V as an institute for Tipitaka studies and higher education for Buddhist monks, novices and laypeople. This university has a strong commitment to be the leading international center educating people, conducting research, developing and integrating Buddhist knowledge with the sciences and providing Buddhist academic services that lead to the balanced and sustainable development of human beings, societies and environment. The university is attended by Buddhist monk.
Brazil
Arts, Dance and Music School
In an environment where children are recruited by street gangs into a life of violence and theft, the project aims to provide an alternative focus and provide support and encouragement to the children to develop ambitions and hope. Groups learn, practice and perform dance, music and theatre productions, produce their costumes and make sets for their performances. Volunteers with skills in arts, dance or music are encouraged to teach the children. The intern will be involved in choreographing dances, making costumes and sets, teaching the group any new approaches, skills or techniques and organizing performances in the community.
Youth Sports Project
Interns work with at-risk youth on sports training to show them an alternative to gangs and violence. Classes are combined with workshops called ‘citizenship classes’ where they learn about respect, cooperation, equality, peace and non-racism. Interns will help organize and teach the children to play soccer and basketball. Interns with Portuguese skills or other skills can teach citizenship classes, the arts, music, theatre, and more. Energy and enthusiasm are a must for working with these children.
Work with Orphans and Underprivileged Children
This residential institution provides a home and full time care for orphans and children abandoned by their families. Interns will work under the guidance of the staff at the orphanage to aid in feeding and changing the younger babies, playing with the children and organizing activities that are both entertaining and educational. Interns help the older children with their homework and hold English language classes, as well as get involved in arts and crafts with the younger children. No specific skills are required, although any skills in nutrition, psychology or physical therapy are highly valued.
Youth Development through Environmental Education and Art
At this project, children from the favelas (shanti towns) and other impoverished areas of the city learn about plants and species from their home country and how they can learn from and survive off the land. The use of art, crafts, painting and modeling, as well as dance and music helps the children absorb what they learn and provides them an environment that takes them away from the crime and the gangs of the streets that they come from. Those wishing to teach English classes also provide the children with a skill that can help them find work later in life.
Teaching Preschool and Children’s Day Care
This Preschool and Day Care Centre provides childcare and learning for children aged 0-6 while their parents work to feed their families. Interns will be involved with helping to change and feed the babies in the nursery, help the children with painting, arts and craft, organizing games and activities for the children, cleaning up, teaching basic classes and providing a stimulating and happy environment for the children. Interns who work on this project should have a basic level of Portuguese or Spanish. Any experience with children or teaching is a bonus.
