VE Global

. Volunteers work in 14 different institutions including community centers, children’s homes and schools.

History

In 2004, VE Global was founded as Voluntarios de la Esperanza with a few volunteers working in Fundacion Hogar Esperanza in La Florida-Santiago. The previous year, volunteer Luke Winston had arrived at Hogar Esperanza supported by the Michael Rockefeller Fellowship. After realizing that there were many resource-poor institutions that would benefit from volunteer assistance, Winston and a group of volunteers known as “El Equipo” founded the organization in March 2004. “El Equipo” guided and supported incoming volunteers and created a network that grew from one institution to fourteen. Since the founding of the organization VE Global’s institutions have been served by over 200 volunteers from 33 nations, who then go on to work for social change upon return to their lives in their own countries.

Institutions

All volunteers who come to work with VE Global work directly with children in one of the Chilean institutions that it serves. Together the institutions serve over 1000 children, many of whom have been abused or neglected. In addition to providing volunteers, VE Global works as a network for the institutions involved. By being a part of this network, the institutions are connected with other organizations which have similar purposes and experiences.

Committees

Each volunteer is assigned to a committee which plans projects and provides a system for maintaining continuity as volunteers arrive and leave Santiago. The committees oversee VE’s long-term projects as well as allocate funding to volunteers who create short-term initiatives.

"Education"The education committee oversees several programs including a reading program called Vamos a Leer, which provides age appropriate books and volunteer motivation to encourage children to read.

"Arts, Culture and Recreation"In addition to organizing cultural events and an art’s festival several times a year, the arts, culture and recreation committee runs the Ojos Nuevos photography program.

"Public Relations"The public relations committee focuses on VE’s publicity, website, promotional materials and newsletter, all of which are integral in recruiting volunteers and fundraising.

"Sports"The sports committee organizes the Liga de Deportes for VE institutions. This event takes place once a month and allows children from different institutions to make new friends while participating in various sports and activities.

"Formation"The objective of the formation committee is to oversee the training and development of volunteers. This includes assisting them with cultural immersion and teaching them about issues of poverty. Orientation Week and a reflection retreat for each class of volunteers are organized by the formation committee.

"Volunteer Support"The volunteer support committee assists in coordinating volunteer orientation as well as planning social events for volunteers.

Global Network

Past volunteers remain a part of VE Global’s network continuing to contribute to the organization through recruitment, interviewing and fundraising. Volunteers leave Chile with a better understanding of poverty and its effects on children. Many of them continue to work to solve social problems throughout the world.

References

http://voluntariosesperanza.org

External links

* http://www.ve-global.org
* http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZfoCjOFCmk
* http://www.takegreatpictures.com/ojos_nuevos_pentax.fci