Greetings,

I have just finished reading a book that has had a profound effect on me. It is called The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs. In the book he outlines a roadmap to ending poverty by 2025. He states that "for the first time in our history, our generation has the opportunity to end extreme poverty in the world's most desperate nations." This is a very exciting book and one you definitely should read.

In this months newsletter we outline a range of opportunities for you to join us in helping communities in need. So read on...

Thanks for reading and being a part of the GVN community.

Colin Salisbury
Executive Director

Welcome Home Mt. Kilimanjaro Climbers!

I'd like to extend a big thank you to the people who spent seven tough but exhilarating days climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in this year's Fundraising Climb. Your efforts raised an amazing $30,000 to help build a secondary school in Uganda. The children, along with everyone at GVN, are grateful for your strong legs and big hearts!

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Construction of children's home in Nepal

Thanks to all of the climbers who raised funds in the Mount Everest Base Camp Climb last October, construction has begun on the Brighter Futures Children's Home in Nepal. The foundation is being built and our vision to create a safe and happy home for orphan in Nepal is being realized.
> Photos of the progress

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Climb Mount Everest Base Camp (September-October 2006))

You now have the opportunity to help Nepali children while climbing the tallest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest. The Global Volunteer Network has created a fundraising trek to the Base Camp of Mount Everest in order to help poverty stricken children in Nepal.

As a participant of this fundraising trek to The Base Camp of Mount Everest you will have the opportunity to visit ancient temples and palaces in Kathmandu. While on the hike you will visit the highest Buddhist monastery in the world, observing Buddhist prayer rituals as you acclimate to an altitude of 12,687ft/3,867m. You will then hike over glaciers and snow capped rocks as you ascend to the Base Camp of Mount Everest at 17,998ft/5,486m. Upon descending you will visit Sherpa villages, see the famed mountain yaks of the Himalayas and visit the hospital Sir Edmund Hilary created for the people of Nepal. This once in a lifetime experience will not end upon your descent to Kathmandu. Once you have returned to civilization you will then have the opportunity to visit various projects designed to assist Nepali children. You will see the faces of the children your funds will benefit.
> More Info

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GVN Children's Campaign � Stop Child Poverty

While GVN offers many opportunities for volunteers to work with children, we are now creating an initiative whereby you can work directly to stop child poverty. The Stop Child Poverty campaign will raise awareness about the plight of children worldwide and how everyday world citizens can make a difference in their lives.

This is where you come in! GVN needs people who share this same goal and who would like to be part of the solution in creating a better future for suffering children around the world.
> More Info

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Saving the Environment in New Zealand � An Update

The New Zealand Nature Program's Team Leader Toby Malcolm is enthusiastic about the work being done to keep New Zealand clean and green. He writes:

2006 has arrived and our projects are in full swing again. �We started the year with our regular predator control project in East Harbour Regional Park, revegetation project at Otari-Wilton, predator monitoring (indexing) at Bushy Park, and our summer stream projects and seal monitoring.

I'd like to thank Alex, Mat, Adrian, and Kristen for doing such a great job in the first couple of weeks of the year. We had a few volunteers less over the Xmas season, but these guys kicked in and got the jobs done with a smile and a laugh. Thanks guys � you're a real hoot to work with!

Our reinforcements in the middle of January came in the form of Lisa, Amrit, Nikki, Christoph, and Margaret. We travelled to our very important project in the Coromandel where we are helping to protect one of our national icons, the kiwi (the bird, not the fruit!), from predation from introduced predators such as rats and stoats. The weather was great in the first week, but we had the excitement of enduring a rain storm which closed the general store (our nearest retail outlet at 30 minutes drive away!) and resulted in a civil defence warning of high rainfall. It didn't turn out to be as bad as it sounds. We had a few power cuts, our water stopped running for the afternoon, but all returned to normal by bedtime. The project coordinators gave us a Powerpoint presentation of the project since it was too wet to work outside. We even got to watch The Frighteners (a NZ film by Peter Jackson). A few went horseback riding along the beach and thankfully the weather cleared up just in time! By the time we left, most had come to love the 'woolshed' where we were staying (yes, it is indeed a woolshed, with shearers' quarters and a table tennis table).

January was a successful month for our conservation projects, and February has started well with Thomas, Helen, Andrew, Susan, Katie, and Zoe joining us at the beginning of the month. We started the month by potting grasses in the Kowhai Volunteer House nursery for the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary. With a full team of volunteers this took just one morning. We then completed our check of the possum control line in Jubilee Park, a short walk from the volunteer house. The week ended with two days working with the Otari-Wilton project and at Makara Peak. This week we have a seal survey, and continue our work at Bushy Park monitoring for introduced predators. February is here and it's off to a good start!
> Other Volunteers' Journal Entries

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Join the New Zealand Nature Program!

We have 2 - 12 week placements available on our NZ nature program team from April 2006.� If you would like to join a group of enthusiastic individuals doing their bit to preserve and restore the NZ natural environment, please visit the New Zealand program page.
> New Zealand Program Page

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Opportunities Available in Romania

The Global Volunteer Network is currently looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our Romania program from August 2006 onwards. We have placements of 6 weeks to 3 months duration available. Volunteers have the opportunity to work alongside a Christian Mission which cares for disabled orphans. There are five group homes, and volunteers will work with orphans aged from ten year old children to young adults. The children have suffered so much at a young age, but with your help they will see a brighter future.

Each home is run like a family unit, where volunteers will act as a mother, father, brother, or sister. There are opportunities to teach, counsel and help with feeding, cooking and cleaning, depending on your skills and experiences. There is a huge focus on the children having FUN, being happy and enjoying the rest of their lives. This is in real contrast to the devastating conditions they have experienced in the state run institutions.
> Romania Program Page

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GVN Article: Checking Expectations at the Door in Uganda

Amber Burridge volunteered in Uganda for six weeks, where she taught in a primary school and trained HIV/AIDS counselors. The world she encountered in Uganda, was, indeed, like nothing she had ever experienced.
> Amber's Experience

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