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CDA Long Title Post

Volunteer Community Projects

Volunteer Abroad
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Why are community service volunteers needed?
It’s a well-known fact that the resources in the world are unfairly distributed and there are regions who can’t rely on the excellent public services, education, medical care and social security most western citizens are entitled to. Less developed regions simply don’t have access to these services and rely on external projects and aid programs for support.

Research shows that the industrialized nations of Europe, Japan and North America consume about 80% of the world’s resources which leaves very little to regions in Africa, Asia and South America.

Community service projects have limited resources and rely heavily on contributions and volunteers to fulfill their purpose, especially in the rural areas of Africa and South America. By volunteering your time, you’ll be helping out these projects in a sustainable way and making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

You will also be able to combine this with travel within the region your program is located in. Small efforts go a long way and acts of kindness are exactly what our world today needs.

If you are someone who is social, eager to contribute to a greater good and have a strong desire to travel, volunteer for community service programs abroad and you can’t go wrong!

Who can volunteer in community service?
Whether you’re a bubbly social person ready to dive headfirst into the local program and engage in community tasks or you’re a bit more laid back and prefer helping out behind the scenes of a program, it doesn’t really matter. There’s a place for every community volunteer who has a social mindset and wants to contribute to improving the education and medical care in local communities.

Volunteers Clearing the Land
Volunteers at work

We made an overview of personality traits that are highly appreciated in volunteers and may help you decide whether these programs are for you:

a social mindset
good communication skills
the ability to be a part of a team
the capacity to think on your feet and stay calm in stressful situations
adaptability
imagination and creativity
problem-solving ability
good organizational and time management skills
enthusiasm
resilience
a non-judgmental approach and respect for diversity
a professional attitude to engage yourself in tasks
a strong regard for health and safety
eagerness to travel
good physical health
Though it’s not required for a community volunteer to tick all the boxes, it’s a good guideline to take into account while considering whether you want to volunteer for a community service project.

Keep in mind that you will be confronted with some difficult situations during your volunteer adventure. Emotionally sensitive volunteers should be aware that this can be challenging at times and should read some reviews from former volunteers. However, rest assured that the positive emotions will far outweigh the negative ones during this once in a lifetime experience!

Not all projects require specific qualifications but some of them may be looking for a person with experience in the field. You will find a short description of qualifications which could be useful when applying for certain community service opportunities, below:

Childcare and Orphanages
Projects focused on childcare will happily welcome volunteers who have a background in psychology, education or counseling. Volunteers at orphanages need to comply with stricter rules as gender may play a role and it is necessary to provide a thorough background check and sometimes a medical statement before being accepted. We advise you to look at the program details on the program page to know exactly which requirements you need to fulfill for the project.

For projects in South America, it would help if you have a basic knowledge of Spanish prior to going as most locals don’t speak any English. Knowing some Spanish words would definitely help kickstart your volunteer adventure in countries like Peru or Costa Rica.

Culture and Arts and Construction
Volunteers for projects in culture and arts will have the most chance if they have a creative streak or a background in the arts. Art and music teachers are widely sought after for culture and art projects while handy volunteers will be very resourceful for projects focused on construction. For these programs, volunteers need to be of good health as they will be doing physically hard jobs.

Social Work and Women Empowerment
For projects in these fields, volunteers with a legal background or experience with social work would be a great match as both parties could benefit greatly. You can add this to your CV as valid experience while the project gets a trained helping hand.

Language requirements
It is required to speak English to become a community volunteer. Knowledge of the English language is important to be able to communicate with other staff and volunteers on your program. In some cases, like South America, it’s necessary to have a basic understanding of Spanish as English is not as common here as it might be in Africa or Asia.

There is a wide range of projects available and many community service projects are in dire need of helping hands. Many of them will warmly welcome enthusiastic volunteers with a sense of responsibility and a social mindset and will not require specific experience.

What will I do as a volunteer for community service?
There are many facets of community services but the main requirement for every program is that you care about people. Let’s take a look at some of the different fields and the types of tasks you may be doing when you volunteer abroad for a community service program:

Childcare
As a volunteer for childcare, you will spend most of your time getting to know the children and giving them lots of love and attention while teaching them some educational basics. Volunteers will engage with the children in a variety of activities aimed at building self-esteem, learning, and just having fun. As a childcare volunteer your main aims will be the following:

provide essential support to marginalized young children
Teach impoverished children important skills such as hygiene practices
Improve the future prospects of children and aid them to break the poverty cycle by supplying quality early childhood teaching
Expose volunteers, children and their families to different people and cultures
Construction
Another pillar of community service is contributing to construction activities. Many regions rely on these projects to provide impoverished families with the homes they deserve. Volunteers will assist in different areas of construction, like:

Laying groundworks for new community and school buildings
Repairing and renovating existing buildings
Renovating homes of underprivileged families
Fixing sanitary facilities in communal buildings
Improving the infrastructure of small communities
The specific tasks will depend on the local project and schedules will vary accordingly. By contributing your time and effort to the local construction activities, you will literally be building a better future for local families in need of a home. Savor the results of your hard work when you see the look of the people who are moving into the home you have helped to build.

Culture and Arts
Being able to enjoy culture and arts is a privilege often reserved for communities which are better off. Fortunately, there are programs in place which teach and introduce arts to communities in Africa, South America and Asia that simply don’t have the resources to indulge in the arts. The projects available will focus on the introduction of following items to the community:

These initiatives allow communities to learn how to express themselves in a different way and in some cases apply these skills to gain an extra source of income. Volunteers eager to contribute to a culture and art project will naturally be creative souls with a passion for teaching.

Orphanage
So many children in developing countries wind up in orphanages due to parents being too poor to take care of them or growing up in abusive surroundings. Resources are limited and there is always a shortage of hands to help out in the orphanages.

In many cases, the orphanages are single-sex meaning only women are allowed to assist at girls orphanages. Volunteers will be supporting the main caretakers at the orphanages and their tasks will vary depending on the orphanage ranging from:

Interacting and engaging with the children
Assisting with hygiene
Teaching English
Doing arts and crafts
Playing games and sports
Supporting the local staff with maintenance
Social Work
With large numbers of less fortunate people falling victim to unfair treatment such as abuse, domestic violence and discrimination, there’s a strong need for volunteers in social work who are eager to facilitate, provide counseling to these parties or provide legal support.

Volunteers with a legal background would be an asset and volunteering for social work could be an excellent opportunity to gain practical knowledge in the field. Some of the tasks you can expect as a community volunteer are the following:

Supporting on research projects or writing articles about current topics
Court trips
Accompanying professionals to family visits
Organizing Seminars and Workshops
Assisting staff members in their day to day activities
Women Empowerment
Although there’s still a long way to go before we reach equality on a global scale, fortunately, there are already a number of women empowerment organizations and projects in place in the world. Women in many developing countries are still victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and physical and/or sexual abuse on a regular basis. Volunteers who choose to assist in this area can make a difference by:

Teaching important topics like health and hygiene
Teaching business skills
Guarding children while they study within a protected environment where they can work Approach an improved future
Best places to volunteer for community service
The best place to volunteer for community service is basically anywhere! There are so many organizations worldwide who are looking for help and support from enthusiastic, socially aware volunteers. Consider all third world and developing countries but also some developed countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe.

If you have always wanted to travel to Africa, there are plenty of programs available in South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and other interesting African countries. If South America sounds intriguing to you, how about joining community service opportunities in Argentina, Brazil or Peru? Or what about Asia? There are many programs available in India, Cambodia or Nepal.

Select a culture or region that intrigues you and set out to touch the local people’s lives. If traveling to distant places like Africa or Asia is not your thing, you can opt to aid at a program closer to home. There are community service opportunities in developed areas such as Europe as well that also require your support as a volunteer and are equally important.

Top 5 benefits of community service volunteering abroad
Most people will agree that helping other feels great! Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of community service you may enjoy as a volunteer:

1. Happiness
Research shows that the act of contribution makes people feel happier as it gives them a sense of purpose along with a focus beyond themselves. You’ll be contributing to a greater good if you decide to volunteer for community service opportunities. Rest assured that you’ll be touching more lives than you initially thought!

2. Future Opportunities
Volunteers looking to pursue a career in childcare, social work or law can benefit greatly from being a volunteer in community service. The volunteering experience could count as an internship if it is acknowledged by your university or college. Volunteer experiences are always highly appreciated by future employers as it portrays a willingness to contribute along with a strong social awareness and sense of responsibility.

3. People
You’ll be surrounded by other volunteers from your program and locals who are passionate about the same thing you are. The shared experience is bound to forge meaningful relationships that last even after your time in Africa, Asia or South America has ended.

4. Self Empowerment
Getting out of your comfort zone will give you a sense of empowerment which will push you forward in life. The new experiences will also give you a different perspective on life and you will benefit from them in the long run.

5. Travel
If you’re an adventurer and love to travel, nothing will stop you from discovering your surroundings. Volunteering abroad for services work will lead you to some of the most interesting destinations. Africa, Asia or South America? You decide!

How do I get started?
You’re determined to become a volunteer for a community service project and you’ve found some programs you’re passionate about. What’s next? Let’s take a look at the first 3 steps which will send you on your way to volunteering in a construction program:

Check whether there’s a match between the project and your skills.
Take a look at the location of the project and decide whether it would be a location you are willing to travel to.
Get in touch with the organization and see whether your expectations and the schedule of the program match.
Once you have decided on your project, there are two important steps left:

Make sure you have a valid passport.
Take into account the visa requirements for your destination.
Once this is settled, you are on your way to volunteering for community service programs and ready to embark on a life-changing journey. Travel safe!

Categories
CDA Long Title Post SDG

Nigeria : Problems and Prospects of Community Development

Problems and Prospects of Community Development In Nigeria

Courtesy : Info Guide Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION AMD MEANING OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

According to the United Nations (1948) community development is viewed as that practice of coming together by Persons in the community to undertake group action and proffer common   resolutions to challenges and difficulties facing the community.

It constitutes   the  action taken by community   leaders, advocates, concerned citizens and experts to elevate the standard of life in the community with a view to building a strong and  improved  local communities. The process of community development is to foster both social and economic development for the entire people in the community through the community’s   active involvement and full initiative.

The International Association for Community Development consisting of international network of scholars and community development experts defines community development, as a profession   and academic field which   enhances   people’s collective participation and right, social justice equality, economic opportunity, and sustainable development by the process of   organizing, training and empowering   people within their communities, in urban and rural locations.

 SIGNIFICANCE

Community development plays a special role in overcoming poverty and poor living standard in the community,

It unites the community at the grass root and enhances a strong democracy.

Community development is used as a technique by Agencies ,NGOs etc. as an approach to reach communities for the implementations of their projects  Agendas  and Programs for the wellbeing  ,progress and development of  communities

Community Development Exchange defines community development as:

1      The important   purpose of community development is to elevate the standard of living of people in communities fundamentally on equality, justice and mutual respect.

2     Community development creates and enhances good   relationships between members of the community such as relationship between ordinary people and people

3    It fosters group participation in proffering solution to problems confronting the community

4    It operate on the premise that within any community lies great potentials which if utilized can help build communities

5    Community development experts collaborate and   work with  people in communities to  build relationships and identify common interests.

6   They provides communities the opportunities to learn new skills through various empowerment initiatives

7   Community development experts facilitates social inclusion and equality through building of teams and group action

Community development approaches are recognized internationally. These methods and approaches have been acknowledged as significant for local social, economic, cultural, environmental and political development by such organizations as the UN, WHO, OECD, World Bank, Council of Europe and EU.

 PROBLEMS

1 The mechanistic nature of decision taking and non-involvement of the community in decision making process for project initiation and implementation incapacitates the potentials of the communities. According to  Musa (1995) and Adefila (1995) top-down approach  of decision making and project initiation typifies not only donor-driven, and limited in nature , but tend to undermine the  benefiting communities. Particularly communities  are hardly involved  at the policy design or implementation stage, thereby excluding them as  participants and stakeholders in such plans programs and projects

2     The problem of vandalization   and abandonment of projects occurs when communities do not understand the project as a result of non-inclusion in the decision making process of initiation   and implementation of projects and programs.

3       Problem of loss of control over development process do occur because of lack of understanding and utilization of the project by the benefiting communities

4      Many community development projects are without adequate planning. They lack the needed proper cost  estimate and structural designs.

5    Many communities    do not   understand    the socio-environmental consequences or implications of the projects that they initiate. As such many of such projects do not survive

6 The impact of projects on the community is minimal as a result of poorly implemented projects that do not survive thereby leaving the people in excruciating poverty.

7 The income level of people in many communities is low .As a result the ability of the people to generate funds to sponsor projects is greatly affected. Thus many envisioned community projects remain unattainable.

8 Sometimes Leadership crises exist in certain communities such as, fund misappropriation thereby impeding the progress and further development of community projects.

9 The lack of expertise in maintenance services often renders some community projects diminished in value and dead. Thereby leading to a waste of resources.

 10 Political considerations often affect the siting of some public projects and also affect public support for some community projects. The  Implementation of the development programs itself is also affected by politics.

11 The problem of implementation. Arising from poor supervision also exists and constitutes one major problem to community project execution. Obot (1989) asserts that many development policies are poorly implemented due to poor supervision. Thus  some  water taps project  in  many communities remain unfunctional  since after  their installation.

12    Armed conflicts  in certain communities ranging from ethnic, communal, and religious issues also hinders many community projects .It creates the absence  of an  enabling environment  sustainable development in such communities .

 PROSPECT

Community development cannot be achieved in isolation. In view of the importance of the people it is essential that the community be involved in every phase of the project ranging from the initiation, planning, decision and execution phases of the project. They must be deeply involved in their community development.

The government  should provide Community education  holistically for  the development  of communities  rather than concentrate only on  rehabilitation of physical structures in  such  area  as agriculture, , health, adult education,  environmental , cooperative and enterprise development.

The provision of empowerment to the people is essential through skill acquisition, etc. to enhance the growth in people’s capabilities and productivity.

Government must provide a good communication   network with the communities’ .Such as communication channels with town and village unions, women and men groups, youth groups, cooperative societies and other community organizations etc. This will promote fast and effective spread of information regarding community programs and project between it, the community and external agent.

A Bottom –Up Strategy such as Participatory Rural Appraisal should be employed to enhance the full participation of communities in problem identification, solution, planning and implementation in identifying communities‟ problems and proffer appropriate solution to facilitate sustainable development.

For community development to be attained it is essential that community projects generate employment and fair income distribution. Therefore, each project should provide for the effective use of the manpower of the community so as to provide the people the power   to earn good living and improve their living standard.

The environment of the community should also be protected from harmful waste and pollutions so as to avoid the degradation of the community as a result of community project implementation.

NOTE : All the contents above are found to be true. The Publisher of this magazine platform has been the Chairman of a Community Development Association in Nigeria for more than five (5) years and knows many of the bottlenecks encountered in carrying out community development projects.


Categories
Business Long Title Post Market

China-Africa bilateral trade data overview

Leidanett was living a life of almost unfathomable despair a year ago no one knows (1995)

 

1. CHINA-AFRICA BILATERAL TRADE DATA OVERVIEW

China-Africa bilateral trade has been steadily increasing for the past 16 years. However, weak commodity prices since 2014 have greatly impacted the value of African exports to China, even while Chinese exports to Africa remained steady. Our data includes North Africa.

  • The value of China–Africa trade in 2018 was $185 bn, up from $155 bn in 2017.
  • In 2018, the largest exporter to China from Africa was Angola, followed by South Africa and The Republic of Congo.
  • In 2018, South Africa was the largest buyer of Chinese goods, followed by Nigeria and Egypt.

China Africa Trade Feb2020.PNG

2. CARI TRADE DATA COMPILATION

While U. N. Comtrade and Chinese government sources do not report the exact same trade figures, the two sources are very close. For consistency, we provided all Comtrade data for users to download. We also included U.S. trade with Africa for comparison. CARI only provides data as reported by the Chinese government in order to maintain consistency. Trade reports from African governments are less consistent in both their frequency and reporting standards.*

3. DATA

3.1 Official data

The General Administration of Customs of the PRC compiles and reports quarterly and annual bilateral trade statistics on their website. The Customs is the first to report the most updated trade data, and usually does so in both English and Chinese. However, there are several caveats to using their data. First of all, while the figures reported are denominated in US$, they are either in ten thousands of US$ or hundreds of thousands of US$ (wan or yi), instead of the more familiar millions. Secondly, the reports are only available in PDF instead of data-friendly formats such as comma separated values file. Finally, the China Customs’ data only goes back 2 years.

China Statistical Yearbook (CSY) is another source for trade data. CSY receives their information from the China Customs, and their records go back further. Since it is published annually, there is a one year lag in their data, and their data cannot be retroactively updated. Though most of their files are available for download in Excel, the formats of the datasets vary from year to year, including the order of countries.

U.N. Comtrade’s trade data are based on reports made by individual countries or downloaded by Comtrade from official sources. Comtrade data closely matches that of China Statistical Yearbooks and China Customs. Comtrade data is continuously updated.

3.2 Other data sources

Currently there are no other sources that are more reliable than those provided by the Chinese government and the U. N.

*Note: Figures for Chinese imports from South Africa as reported by the Chinese government are much larger than those reported by the South African government. It is believed that this disparity is caused by differences in valuing mineral goods. For Chinese imports from South Africa, CARI uses figures as reported by the South African government. Please be aware of this if you are using the dataset for research purposes, and please contact www.sais-cari.org if you have any questions.

Categories
Long Title Post Travel

Tourism Tips About Dubai

What you need to know about Dubai

Photo by Dubai T
Get ready
Get there

Travelers’ pro tips for experiencing Dubai

AlanF
Dubai’s most popular restaurants are usually booked up quite far in advance. If you are only visiting for a short period, it’s advisable to book them as soon as you arrive in Dubai.

uaomo
There is no eating in public during the Ramadan months until evening time. So if you must eat, do it in your hotel room!

James F
Be polite to service staff in restaurants and take interest in the people who serve you. They are tuned in and can also offer great advice about a myriad of subjects in Dubai.
In the words of those who’ve been there before …

sellsMiltonKeynes
Dubai is an amazing experience. You will never be bored. It has everything, desert dune buggy trips, ballooning, parachuting, cruises, art and culture, even skiing.

Andrea_Detto
Dubai is simply a City of Wonders that is in continuous expansion and development.

Chakraberty
This city will never fail to entertain… and entertain all kinds of visitors — the thrill seeker, the shopaholic, the foodie, the beach lover, and the nature lover!

What is the best way to get there?
Flying:
Dubai is served by two international airports: Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.

Do I need a visa?
Visit Dubai’s Department of Tourism website to determine visa eligibility and criteria.

When is the best time to visit?
Winter (November to March): Dubai has a hot desert climate with two distinct seasons. The winter months have the most pleasant weather, ideal for outdoor activities. The average daytime high is around 27°C with lows of around 17°C.

Careem BIKE offers pedal-assist bike hire through its bike-share app.

Train
The Dubai Metro, run by the RTA, operates 2 lines — red and green — which run from about 5:00 a.m. to midnight Sunday through Thursday. On Fridays, the service operates later — the red operates from about 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. and the green line operates from about 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Bus
Dubai’s public bus service, run by the RTA, operates local buses on more than 120 routes.

Taxis
Dubai Taxi Corporation operates government-licensed taxis 24 hours a day and can be hailed in the street, picked up at taxi stand or booked by phone. They are recognizable by their red roof.

Tram
The Dubai Tram makes 11 stops with trams running from about 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday to Thursday and from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday.

Boat
Abras are motorised traditional wooden boats linking Bur Dubai and Deira across the Dubai Creek via two routes.

Ferry
The Dubai Ferry operates 5 major routes on a limited schedule.

Ridesharing
Uber and Careem are available in Dubai on your smartphone.

Categories
Lifestyle Long Title Post Technology

Tesla is recalling 30,000 Model S and X cars in China over suspension problems

Tesla is recalling around 30,000 vehicles in China because of suspension problems.

The electric vehicle company is recalling imported Model S and X vehicles made between September 17, 2013, and January 15, 2018, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement on Friday.

This accounts for most vehicles Tesla sold in China over that period, Bloomberg reported.

The company issued the recall because of two different suspension defects, the authority reported, per Bloomberg, and some vehicles potentially have both defects.

The recall doesn’t include any vehicles made in China, where Tesla began making Model 3 vehicles in early 2020. In May, Tesla’s global vice president estimated its Shanghai factory would be able to produce more than 150,000 cars a year.

Tesla did not immediately reply to Business Insider’s request for comment.

The news comes as the Chinese electric vehicle industry rebounds after an almost year-long slump.

Categories
Long Title Post News

Swiss Court and Uber Taxi

A court in canton Vaud has confirmed an earlier ruling that a former Uber driver was an employee of the ride-sharing firm, not an independent contractor, and that the man had wrongly lost his job.

This content was published on September 16, 2020  – swissinfo.ch with Keystone-ATS

The cantonal appeals court judges said in a verdict published on Tuesday that the man had been sacked in an “unjustified manner” and that he should enjoy the same rights as a taxi driver who has a contract with a taxi company.

The driver had worked for an Uber subsidiary, between April 2015 and December 2016. His account was disactivated at the end of 2016 due to complaints against him as a driver, prompting him to launch legal action.

In April 2019, a labour court in Lausanne ruled in the driver’s favour, saying he had lost his job without just cause.

Legal battles

Uber is fighting multiple legal battles against being classified as an employer of any kind – with all the obligations and rights that would entail.

Legal experts and trade unions have hailed the latest ruling as a “landmark decision”.

High salaries aren’t what they seem in Switzerland

If you are a male banker, a Swiss diplomat or a foreign CEO in Switzerland, chances are you are living quite comfortably.

According to the driver’s lawyer, this is the first time in Switzerland that a cantonal court, ruling as an appellate authority, has ruled that the Uber Group must behave like an employer.

However, Uber can still take the case to a higher court.

The decision comes on the back of a court ruling in neighbouring canton Geneva in June 2020 when judges ruled that the meal delivery service Uber Eats is an employer and has the obligation to hire its drivers.

The company has appealed against the decision at the Federal Administrative Court, but a verdict is pending.