Healing Hands at Joining Hands

By Julie McNeal, Vice Chair, ForWorld Thinking

Our partner organization, Joining Hands Nepal, has a special treat this week. They are getting a visit from a small group of Integrative Manual Therapy Practitioners that are on a special Nepal volunteer trip, mostly treating patients and training interested medical personnel in the village of Kaskikot. Before heading home though, they are stopping in to spend time with and treat the kids at the Orphan home and train at the local hospital. How exciting for them all!

Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT) is an alternative medicine modality with a unique, hand on approach to functional and structural rehab. The premise is that the human body has an amazing potential for self healing when given the right support and guidance to function in this way. In today’s world, we put stresses on and into our bodies that were never meant to be on a regular basis. IMT helps the body to respond in a healthier way to these stresses and tune into its self healing capabilities more effectively. IMT looks at the body holistically and by connecting special anatomical points can affect the body on a physical, mental, and emotional level. In the United States, patient care tends to be more focused on chronic and complicated dysfunction. But IMT has many tools as well for acute situations such as fevers, infections, falls and accidents, etc. The Nepal IMT team has put together a special program to focus on the needs of the people there in Nepal. You can follow their specific blog by going to http://handovermatter.wordpress.com/.

Let’s wish them fun and productive times with the children, a great and healing experience for them all and safe travels.

An Observer's Mentality

Last night at the San Francisco International Film Festival I watched the new film by director Eran Kolirin of Israel, "The Exchange". It was a fascinating exploration of the voyeuristic aspect of human nature, and how we enjoy observing what happens to other people in a detached way. It is evident in everything from reality TV, to popular entertainment, to youtube videos, to the daily news. If we can watch any piece of the human experience, whether it be humor, love, eroticism, violence, or suffering, and feel detached from the subject, then we can feel the emotions that arise, such as joy, pain, excitement, disgust, or outrage, without feeling accountable or responsible in any way. What the film cleverly examines is what it would look like to bring that level of observing detachment into the personal life of the protagonist. As viewers, and naturally also as voyeurs ourselves, we are disturbed and fascinated by how he can behave in this manner with friends, colleagues, and his lover. These are people he is attached to, that he cares about, so how can he act in this detached manner?

By demonstrating how absurd it would be for a person to act in this manner towards those within his or her sphere of influence, the director brings up interesting questions about what responsibility we have to those outside of that sphere. There is no denying that this observer's mentality is a part of human nature and is in no way an unnatural phenomenon. So we cannot ask nor expect people to care enough about the problems of the world and the suffering of those in other countries to act simply by seeing a story on the news or reading about it on a website. A critical necessity for the pleasure of indulging in this voyeuristic part of our nature is detachment, so if the issue remains outside of their sphere of influence, they will not feel responsible to act. So to engage people, rather than try and convince them to care about something that is outside of their sphere, we must instead bring that something inside of their sphere.

What this is all leading up to is the big question: how do we bring local community issues from around the globe into the average Westerner's sphere of influence? Well the obvious best answer is direct experience. If you go overseas to a local community in a developing country and live and work with the people, it will become personal, no question. The people will enter your sphere and you will act to help them solve the problem at hand. Of course, not everyone can or will volunteer abroad and get this kind of direct experience. What is the next best thing? Someone already in your sphere of influence goes and has the experience and brings it back to share with you. But this relies on the storytelling ability of the person who had the experience and their level of commitment to selling it to you. In order to connect with their experience and make it personal for you, they have to show you their passion and commitment. What about after that? If we get to a friend of a friend, it is like a copy of a copy, and it becomes less clear and harder to become invested.

So what is the solution? How do we encourage everyone to feel responsible and accountable for the problems of the world that affect us all, whether we can see it clearly or not? First, I believe that anyone who volunteers in a developing country has a responsibility to tell their story to others and share that experience for the benefit of everyone. Second, I believe that volunteers should be trained and educated on how to tell their story so it is more effective, relevant, and compelling. Finally, I believe that volunteers should be given the tools to tell their story easily, widely, and in a variety of ways. If we begin to carry out these three steps and make every volunteer a messenger, the conversation will be raised, more people will feel accountable, and there will be a higher level of cross-cultural communication and understanding. We are all connected, all attached in the future of this world and humanity. We cannot afford to continue to be observers and to feel detached from those outside of our personal sphere.

Archives: Life At Arm's Length

By Eric Roache, Founder

Back in the days when I was a volunteer myself, traveling all over the world and experiencing different cultures and becoming a part of different people's lives, I kept a personal travel blog to share my experiences with friends and family. I continued this online journal up until the opening of Joining Hands Nepal orphanage. I thought it would be fun and enlightening to occasionally share an old post with everyone. With the first full year of the orphanage just completed, no post is more relevant than the last one I wrote before the first children were taken into the home to commemorate the experience of Himal (director of Joining Hands Nepal) and myself setting up and preparing for their arrival. Enjoy!

End of an Era

In a few shorts days this house that was once so quiet will become filled with the sweet noise of children laughing, playing, learning, and growing. From 2 will become 12 and a new era will begin. I cannot help but take this moment to say goodbye to the era that is ending, and even lament a little its loss. For though all we have been working towards is about to be thrust upon us and we will embrace it with open arms and hearts, there has been something special about these last 5 weeks. It has been the two of us living alone, cooking, eating, washing, working, in the house we have made together. These days of planning and dreaming, merely imagining the day when our efforts would finally bear fruit, have been some of the most memorable of my life. It is in the journey, and not the destination, when our true character is revealed, and when we learn the most about ourselves and those with whom our lives have become intertwined. Despite the minor setbacks and frustrations, victories and errors, we have made our way together and become the closer for it. We have created our own inside jokes and spent countless hours laughing at them us two. We have developed our own language mash-up of Nepali and English that nobody knows but us and provides us endless entertainment. We have set our sights high like dreaming men are apt to do, and can only hope we shall not soar so high so fast as to meet Icarus’s fate. Today I allow the sadness for these days gone by to enter my heart and flow through my spirit freely, for tomorrow a new era begins, ready to refresh my spirit and refill my heart with love.

Celebrating the Children of Joining Hands Nepal

We acknowledged the 1 year anniversary of our wonderful partner project in Nepal, the Joining Hands Nepal family orphanage, last month and congratulated them on their milestone. However, I think this month an even more momentous and emblematic milestone was achieved: the completion of their first full year at an English language boarding school. All 6 of the children who were taken into the care of Himal at Joining Hands Nepal had never attended an English medium school, and several of them had never attended school period. At the end of 1 year, each one of them, in addition to Himal's two nieces, who are also a part of the family at the orphanage, is at or near the top of their class and passed their year-end exams with high marks. Here is the news directly from Himal via a facebook post today:

"Congratulation to Rachael, Christina, Brian, Louisa, Maria, James, Johnny and Clara. We got final result of children from school last year. They have done very well and all the children passed with good marks! We are so happy.... thank you so much to all our volunteers who helped to us and especially for my brother Eric who managed everything for us and to his mom Joan Roache for supporting us and sending books to the kids"

We are so proud to be a part of their lives and their success. A special thanks goes out to the more than 15 international volunteers who helped tutor the children throughout the year and opened their hearts and their minds to the children. And of course, none of this success would be possible without the tireless dedication and love of Himal Waiba, director of Joining Hands Nepal. I knew from the first time I met him he was born to do this work, but it never ceases to amaze me the passion and joy he puts into it every day, and it shows in the happiness of the children. Here's to a job well done for everyone involved!

A Room With A View Towards Change

By Sarah Draughon, Treasurer, ForWorld Thinking

I was always a dreamer. Every small idea was a big idea in disguise, and my youth was fueled by underdeveloped entrepreneurial spirit. When you’re young, it’s easy to plot grand schemes and believe with every fiber of your being that they are achievable. Somewhere along the way, I became mired in the American Dream instead of my own.

Promising long term relationship? Check. A home, two dogs, and a stable above-average income? Check. A big TV, a car loan, loads of crap I don’t need (and maybe didn’t even really want)? Check. The rat race a reality, I spun paycheck to paycheck, meal to meal, taking for granted the things that really mattered to me.

I think this American life is full of tiny concessions, disappointments, and nay-sayers that create a vacuum around us. There is a huge world outside, and there was a time when we all wanted to be a part of it. It is screaming to us, but we are deaf to it in shrinking glass bulbs where everything has a place and a time, but the time is never now.

For me, ForWorld Thinking Founder Eric Roache is the pick tapping at the endless window I’ve built for myself. Instead of flipping through travel magazines longingly, he went somewhere. Instead of dreaming up ways he could some way affect someone’s life, he went and did it – and it changed him for the better. Instead of knowing only one way of life and blindly accepting its values, he discovered himself and dozens of other cultures in some of the truest ways possible. He has challenged me to look up, look out, and open myself again to the experiences that give me passion.

If someone were to ask me today if I’ve escaped the tiny bubble of my daily life, I can’t honestly say that I have. I certainly don’t intend to evangelize Eric or his journey, either. What I can say is that the charcoals of my former dreams are now glowing embers, and every time they are fanned I feel more awake and alive than I have in years. Again, I know I can make a difference.

How this translates to ForWorld Thinking, and what motivates me toward the trials ahead, is that I know so many young people of my generation or younger who carry a flame inside of them. They are brilliant, they are open, they are unexpected, unwritten. If I can take part in kindling that flame, I will feel fulfilled. To spread wildfire among people who want nothing more than to love and be loved, to feel connected to the world around them, to live honestly and accept diversity – this is important work. And the first step is to help them not only see that it is possible, but to help them succeed in their efforts. Volunteers and social entrepreneurs around the globe are exposed to a thousand reasons not to move forward; it is the purpose of ForWorld Thinking, and my greatest hope, that we can show them why they should, and then support them as they realize their dreams.

(Image courtesy of worradmu)

Volunteer Testimonial: Joining Hands Nepal

By Baukje Tuinman, Netherlands, Volunteer at Joining Hands Nepal

In January to February of 2012, I stayed for three weeks in the orphanage together with another volunteer, Nirmala. On our way to the orphanage Himal told me he told the children that 'Grandmother' would come. I was surprised...grandmother. I don’t feel like a hajuraamaa (grandmother) at all! But it was so nice to have 8 grandchildren all at once. They really did make me feel so welcome because they were so friendly, helpful, and cute. The singing and dancing, playing cards, telling stories to Tomke (my puppet), eating together (with the younger ones having problems to stay awake during dinner), talking English together, it was all great. Sometimes it was hard for them to concentrate on their homework, because other things always seem to give them more fun.... The longer we stayed, the closer we got to the children. It was also very interesting to go to school with them and be a guest at the worshipping ceremony of the Goddess of Knowledge. I learned a lot about the life in Nepal and the culture. I especially appreciated the kindness of the Nepali people. Most of them were always willing to help us and to talk about their life. I think Himal is doing a wonderful job with the childern and I hope their dreams will come true! Now I’m back home and I miss my 8 grandchildren and my 'nephew' Himal. I’m thinking of you every day and I really will come back sometime...

With love, Bijaya

Global Citizenship: Making Local Global

Yesterday I came across a very interesting discussion of global citizenship, what it means, and how it fits into international volunteerism. The post by Brittany Edwardes over at Volunteer Global had a very astute and important point to make on the subject which we really want to stress and advocate for here at ForWorld Thinking. Here is the excerpted quote in question:

Volunteerism has the unique ability to bring people together from around the globe to solve local problems. If volunteers are able to embody the ideals of global citizenship and realize that volunteering is about making the connections abroad and at home, the possibilities of volunteerism are endless. We must think, as we do our service, not as volunteers working for a cause, but as people working for people.

Global Citizenship

One of the tenets of global citizenship Brittany mentions is understanding the value of local citizenship and community engagement. It is our assertion that the only way solutions to major social problems can be developed and implemented is through community engagement with local citizens driving the change. Sustainable social change must always come from within. The second major tenet of global citizenship Brittany mentions is understanding the ability of a person to be engaged with global issues. We are turning into a global community, there is no denying or stopping this fact. We can no longer hide from the truth that each one of us is equally responsible for the future of this world, so we must educate ourselves about the major social issues around the globe.

Volunteerism

But we can do more, we can get involved and help through international volunteerism. Here is where it is important to consider why we are getting involved, and how we can best do so. This is where I think Brittany has made the most salient point about volunteerism: that it needs to be people working for people, not for a cause. Usually people pick volunteer opportunities because of a cause they believe in or a country they want to visit. This is wonderful and necessary, because you can't really choose based on the people if you have never been to the country before. However, if you go abroad to volunteer with idea that you want to make connections with the people and learn about their struggles, their beliefs, and their culture first and foremost, an amazing thing happens somewhere along the way: suddenly you are working for them and advocating for them, not just some cause. This is the magic of international volunteerism, and we need to do a better job of educating people on the human connection aspect of doing service abroad. Because the reality is that we work tirelessly and advocate on behalf of people, not causes.

Making Local Global

Our next great push in the near future will be the idea of 'Making Local Global'. If the first part of global citizenship is understanding the importance of local community engagement, and the second part is getting personally involved in global issues through volunteerism, then to me, the third part is bringing the knowledge gained back to the global community and educating others. I firmly believe that anyone who goes abroad to volunteer and engages themselves in a local community, learns about the local problems, and participates in implementing the local solutions, has a responsibility to share that experience and any knowledge gained with the greater global community. Those connections you made, those people you worked for, upon returning home it is time to advocate for them. Encourage others to educate themselves about the local issue by sharing your personal stories of the people you worked with and how they changed you. Maybe, just maybe, you will inspire another to go volunteer and make connections of their own, which they will share with even more people. This is how we make local global and build a global community. That, I believe, is the essence of global citizenship.

To read the full blog post on global citizenship by Brittany Edwardes, head on over to Volunteer Global.

(Image courtesy of Vlado)

Volunteer Guest Blog: Joining Hands Nepal

One of the lovely volunteers currently staying at our partner Joining Hands Nepal and teaching the children on a daily basis has been kind enough to write a guest blog post about her ongoing experiences. She has been there now for 1 month, and is staying a couple more weeks. We are happy and proud of the progress she has been making with the children in her time at the home. Here is an excerpt from her blog post:

I’ve been here for one month now and it’s been wonderful. It’s so nice that there is enough time to spend a whole week on the same subject. We spent seven English Conversation Classes talking about the world. What is the difference between a country and a continent? Where do I live? What do we know about North & South America? Which countries are in Europe? We talked about the tango from Spain, Mexican food, polar bears in Alaska, the Eiffel tower in France and snorkeling around the Maldives. For the younger children it was a bit difficult. The last class I was very happy and proud because they remembered a lot. Even Venezuela, Suriname and Cambodia, all hard to pronounce.

To read the full blog post, and learn more about Joining Hands Nepal and how you can get more involved with the work they are doing in Nepal, visit their website: joininghandsnepal.org