Nursing volunteer programs

Will research on all of these opportunities later as this is one of my main reasons to be a nurse, to go abroad or go to disadvantaged communities to help people.

Source: http://www.nursetogether.com


Medical/Community Health Teams

• Medical Ministry International Interdenominational,30 countries served. *
• Himalayan-Healthcare Treking to remote villages in Nepal..for the physically fit!
• Remote Area Medical 50,000 patients treated since 1991.
• Vida
  Medical volunteers travel in teams to care for children who can not or
  will not be adopted, 10-14 day commitment, Guatemala, Columbia.
• National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Honduras, Spanish recommended. *
• Global Outreach 7-14 day trips, Belize, Hati, Honduras, India and more. *
• Medical Ambassadors International Many countries served, 14 day trips or longer. *
• M.E.D.I.C.O. In seven years, 48 trips to Mexico and Honduras treating over 51,000 patients.
• Esperanca Brazil, Bolivia and Peru, Ships and land-based. Esperanca means "hope" in Portugese.*
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Clinics,teaching. *
• Catholic Medical Mission Board Minimum 7 to 28 days.
• Direct Relief International
  Direct Relief International provides medical material aid including
  medicines, medical supplies and equipment to strengthen in-country
  health efforts around the world to improve the quality of life for the
  most impoverished people.
• FAVA/CA ,Florida Association of Voluntary Agencies for Caribbean Action
  "Short-term technical assistance and training in health, agriculture,
  social services, education and more by professionals in Florida at the
  request of partner organizations in the Caribbean and Central America."
• Global Volunteers
  Choose a volunteer vacation abroad or serve on USA volunteer programs.
  Live and work with local people on life-affirming community development
  projects for one to three weeks. Extended stay options up to 40 weeks.
• NGOabroad
  Custom-Fit International Service, clearinghouse, consultation and
  referral service that custom fits your skills, interests and goals to
  international humanitarian needs. Check out their web site for
  testimonials from individuals who have subscribed to this unique
  service.
• The Flying Hospital
  Past trips to El Salvador, Panama, Ukraine, Kazakstan, Ecuador, Brazil,
  Bolivia, and India. The Flying Hospital is the largest fully-equipped,
  self-contained airborne hospital ever built...is a wide-body,
  three-engine Lockheed L-1011-50 which features: a three station
  surgical suite; a 12 bed pre/postoperative area; an ENT (ear, nose,
  throat)/dental suite; a pharmacy, and a classroom seating section for
  67 medical professionals. Provides free medical surgical care in
  developing nations.
• Feed the Children 10-14 day committtment, volunteer covers all costs. Central America, approx. $1100 from USA, Africa, $2600.
• Adventist Development and Relief Agency minimum, 3 weeks, serve in many countries.
• Bridges to Community Teams travel to Nicarauga and Kenya. 1-2 week trips, Volunteers pay $1200 and up.
  

  * Asterisk indicates a volunteer " Faith-affiliation" is required by the organization.

  
  

Long Term Medical/Community Health Teams

• NGOabroad
  Custom-Fit International Service, clearinghouse, consultation and
  referral service that custom fits your skills, interests and goals to
  international humanitarian needs.Check out their web site for
  testimonials from individuals who have subscribed to this unique
  service.
• American Friends Service Committ Quaker Information Center Extensive list of opportunities.
• American Jewish World Service Development and disaster relief.Program pays for transportation,splits other cost with volunteer. *
• Project Hope Development projects in 25 nations. Uzbekistan, Bosnia/Croatia, Poland. Most nursing positions require a Masters.
• International Medical Corp
  Working in the Balkans since 1993, training local doctors and nurses.
  Volunteers receive room and board,workers compensation and repatriation
  insurance.
• Medical Ambassadors International Many countries served, two weeks trips or longer. *
• American Leprosy Missions
  600,000 new cases of leprosy diagnosed each year, 2-3 million people in
  the world are disabled although Leprosy is curable with multi-drug
  therapy! *
• World Mission Prayer League Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Mongolia and Kenya. *
• Baptist MidMissions Bangladesh,Central African Republic,Chad,Cote d'Ivoire,Ghana, Hati. *
• Concern/America
  Volunteers must commit to at least a year. Countries served,
  Mozambique, Central and South America. Organization pays for room,
  board, transportation, health insurance and a small monthly stipend and
  repatriation allowance of $50/month.
• Peace Corp
• National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Honduras, Spanish is recommended. *
• Medical Ministry International 30 countries served, interdenominational. *
• Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Positions in Cote d'Ivoire and Brazil. *
• World Concern International Christian group specializing in relief, rehab and education, developing nations. 2-3 year commitment.
• United Nation Volunteers
  Must have at least two years expeience in Nursing, 6 month-two year
  commitment. UNV pays all travel, modest stipend, health insurance,
  repatriation allowance.
• Health Volunteers Overseas"...By teaching rather than service, HVO aims to create an indigenous group of trained health workers who can teach others."
• World Harvest Mission Uganda,summer missions last 6-8 weeks, long term 2-4 years. * *
• Seva Foundation "We promote solutions to problems that come from within individuals and communities."
• Doctors Without Borders Medecins San Frontiers The world's largest independent international voluntary emergency relief service;program pays all expenses.
• International Medical Corp
  Established in 1984 by American physicians and nurses, provides
  emergency medical services, humanitarian assistance and healthcare
  training.
• Map International"Health and Hope for a Hurting World",coordinates with Red Cross/Red Crescent.
• Medical Benevolence Foundation resbyterian organization serving South America, Africa and Asia.

Last Updated 7/14/2008 5:03:46 PM

Disaster Teams

Doctors of the World Serving disaster-stricken regions throughout the world.

Northwest Medical Teams Twenty years of sending volunteers into over 30 countries... "Reaching hands restoring hope."

World Concern
"... currently assisting the drought-stricken people of Somalia and
Kenya, the residents of war-torn Darfur; earthquake survivors in
Pakistan; families displaces by conflict in Sri Lanka; and the
survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia".

Heart To Heart
"...volunteers give our work an added dimension—a dose of people power
that reaches out and touches a hurting world and tells them that it’s
going to be all right because Heart to Heart is there to help. You can
make a difference in someone’s life. Start today. Find a place of
service."

Mission Without Borders To
raise public awareness and offer opportunities for involvement, Mission
Without Borders maintains offices in the following countries:
Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, Norway,
South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Operation USA
Los Angeles-based international relief agency providing on-the-ground
aid by sending vital life-saving supplies and cash grants to assist
communities in rebuilding. Partnering with grassroots organizations,
they specializes in reaching vulnerable populations who are in the
greatest need, yet who are often ignored by governments and larger aid
organizations.

Education/Cultural Exchanges

Many
of the following non-profit organizations offer volunteer experiences
that promote cross-cultural sharing and understanding within the
context of community. Volunteers often work in small teams,living and
working with hosts of the country. Projects may include a clinical and
community health component.
As a Registered nurse, for example, you
might prepare community health education presentations to secondary
school students on reproductive health, STD's and HIV/AIDS.

These trips can be expensive;volunteers usually pay all expenses, including air and living expenses in addition to a fee
for participation. Nevertheless, the sites are interesting and may just
be what you are looking for. Additionally, these sites usually offer
links to other site you may find useful. 

• Cross Cultural Solutions
  "Cultural immersion" focused on health care, education and social
  develpment. Three week opportunities in Africa,India and
  Peru,$1850-$1950 to participate,not including airfare.
• Food for The Hungry
  "How do you feed a hungry world? One person at a time, one family at a
  time, one community at a time." A Christian relief and development
  organization dedicated to meeting physical and spiritual needs around
  the world. An example of their nursing opportunity: Cambodia Community
  Health Coordinator,responsible for developing and implementing the
  health component within FH/Cambodia's CSP Program, requires a degree in
  public health, nursing, nutrition, or related field.
• Global Volunteeers
  Colin Salisbury founded the Global Volunteer Network (GVN) in December
  2000 after spending time volunteering in Ghana, West Africa, and
  noticing the tremendous difference volunteers could make in helping
  local organizations achieve their goals in the communities. They work
  with local partner organizations in over 19 countries worldwide,
  largely in Africa, Asia, and Central/South America, to connect
  volunteers with communities in need. Last year, GVN placed over 2000
  volunteers worldwide, and is hoping to increase this to 2500 volunteers
  in 2006.
• NGOabroad
  Custom-Fit International Service, clearinghouse, consultation and
  referral service that custom fits your skills, interests and goals to
  international humanitarian needs.Check out their web site for
  testimonials from individuals who have subscribed to this unique
  service.
• Life Wind
  Life Wind is the new name of Medical Ambassadors International, for
  over 25 years a leader in integrating evangelism, discipleship, and
  community health and development. They are involved in greater than 70
  projects that involve teaching people how to prevent common diseases
  through health education, clean water, agriculture and proper
  sanitation.
• Peace Work
  Typically involve the construction of houses, schools, orphanages, and
  clinics, or work on agricultural, educational, and health care
  projects; assist indigenous relief agencies with existing development
  projects; Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El
  Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Russia, the Ukraine, the U.S. and
  Vietnam. Vary in length from 1 to 4 weeks ...interesting site!
• Go Abroad Offers jobs, volunteer opportunities, language schools, adventure travel and great links!
• Operation Crossroads Africa
  "...looking for volunteers who are interested in Africa and Diaspora
  with good communications skills...a desire to establish meaningful
  contact with people of other cultures; and a willingness to respect
  different lifestyles, beliefs, and values." $3500 to participate, 6-8
  week experience.
• Visions in Action
  Visions in Action is an international nonprofit organization committed
  to achieving social and economic justice in the developing world
  through the participation of communities of self-reliant, grassroots
  volunteers. Their organization offers tips and support to assist with
  fundraising.
• Transitions Abroad A wonderful magazine providing information on study abroad, internships, senior travel language schools and adventure travel.
• Amizade This
  organization encourages intercultural exploration and understanding
  through community-driven volunteer programs and service-learning
  programs. They offer a rewarding combination of exploration, service
  and understanding in communities around the world. Service-Learning
  Programs offer undergraduate and graduate credit to students interested
  in challenging academic and service experiences.

the 101 blog

Apparently, after I imported this blog into facebook, I now have over 100 posts on my blog. I suppose I should celebrate as I promised myself that someday I would actually write regularly and live something for people to remember me by.

I do doubt whether this should be imported into facebook though. A lot of my tortured thoughts are in it. Likely currently I'm feeling really depressed because I still haven't been able to get my draft proposal done for my paper on the recent milk powder disaster in China finished. Or the fact that probably due to the lack of sleep, I feel just exhausted and missing China again. Something in me just wish that I could drop all of this and curl up with a book that I want to read and sleep as long as I want. Or that I could go back to when I was carefree....although it's a bit difficult to think back to a time like that, it always seems like I've been goal-oriented.

I just sincerely wish from my heart that I could be happy and hopeful. A cloud of darkness still surrounds my soul somehow and the only time it has seen light was when I was in China. I may perhaps have left my heart in China.

A look into a soul is a scary thing, tread lightly upon this blog.

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Conflicts

Yep, I am actually turning to the Bible for blog posts now.

So today we were reading Colossians
Colossians 3
Rules for Christian Households
18Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Colossians 4
1Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

I think this was one of the passages used in the antebellum period (before the American Civil War) by Christians to justify having slaves and it really made me sad. A friend explained to me that it was telling the slaves to endure and work for God instead. It just frustrates me that we're being told to endure and just live with all the evil in the world, I mean currently there are still human-trafficking (modern day slavery) going on and people don't seem to care. It


Romans 7:
14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

It seems that we do indeed have a dichotomy of a struggle between good and evil.

Too Idealistic?

So yes, I had a marathon of "Heroes" this weekend (all 23 episodes of season 1 and skipped around in season 2). So season 1 sort of lived up to expectations, I would have to say that the people I relate to the most would be the Petrelli brothers. I relate to Nathan because at one point he is told that he acts like he doesn't care because he cares too much and I can relate to Peter because he's a nurse and also able to love unconditionally. Though that might be a too biased view of myself (wait, how can we have an unbiased view of ourselves?)

Anyhow, I think I'm being idealistic of wanting the world being a better place. Like the old vanguards of the heroes group (with Lindeman, Petrelli and Kaito etc) it all turns into personal gains later and the world goes kaboom unless you had the skills to go back in time. Distrubingly, I realized what Lindeman said was true about how people usually united in grief/mourning/shock after devastating/unexpected disasters (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Sichuan earthquake etc). This tendency for cohesiveness through suffereing is a rather interesting phenomenon.

I am probably too idealistic with my socialistic leanings of wanting a greater authority taking care of the people, perhaps that's one I'm so spiritual, I really wish that there was a greater authority watching over us. I want there to be justice and love in the world. I really liked how Charles in heroes said that it had to be Peter because in the end, love is all that matters and I liked what Peter said about at the end of our lives we realize that it is how many people we've touched in our lives that makes our lives great. Thus, when I die I hope it is going to be a big funeral. (I'm being morbid). That seems like a good place to end this post as any although I'm not sure it really was about idealism.

Heroes

Watching "Heroes" first season, you know that episode with Mr. Lindeman saying that people are usually united after tragedies.
Also in episode 23

Egomaniac or I-phila

I just realized that most of my posts begin with I.
Whether it is in the world like "interesting" or "it" perhaps I just happen to like that letter, or perhaps I am just an egomaniac.
Perhaps I am being too hard on myself. Anyhow, as for posting, I think I usually post things I would not post on facebook on here because somehow I feel that it is more private. So here's the plan, next year I think I will try to do some new things.
Such as:

Martial arts
Writing for the newspaper
Joining a frat
*lol* yep, it cracks me up too that I am attempting to do new things.
But first I should probably ask my adviser if I could go on the International Honors Program the spring of my Junior year. Or maybe it would be better to go during my senior year, though I don't know how that would work out.

Anyhow, my heart is pretty set on being a Nurse educator, ever after hearing that there is a dire need of them. Currently the nursing field suffers more from the lack of nurses who can teach others how to be nurses than from people who want to be nurses. In fact, it seems that the U.S. is in such a need that people from all over the world are being recruited, which seems awfully unfair to the developing nations that needs nurses themselves.

Well, I suppose I need to think of more than just self-reflections sometimes, but isn't that what a blog is suppose to be for? I could try to gather my thoughts on my idea about suffering. Hold on, let me put that into another more coherent note.

It is very hard being Linda sometimes

went to penn symphony orchestra last night, it was great hearing swan lake. I love the part with the harp solo. I really want to play on a harp someday :)

This was from yesterday:
So currently sitting here judging for debate and being kind of miserable. Don't get me wrong, I love debate to death but mostly I love it when I'm coaching and interacting with kids, the judging part kind of sucks, especially since I'm doing this for free. Also, its not as much as I don't like debate tournaments, it's just that I hate being ignored. My depression extends from there. Being an only child, I adore attention and hate it when I am left alone.
I actually do have other things to do, such as that history paper on west philly. What exact am I suppose to say about institutional building? I really don't have that much to say.
So anyhow, I was going to say that yesterday while I was writing my parents, I started crying. I think I'm get way too emotional lately. I was also being pretty egotistical so I wrote 1000 some words about myself when it only required 300-500 words. It is very hard being Linda sometimes.
Recently I also want to dance, play the piano and practice martial arts, things I haven't done in a long long time.
I seriously need to advertise for myself more. I am multi-talented, I know how to do all kinds of dance, folk, modern, Chinese traditional and belly dance. My mother enrolled me in dance since I was six years old. I can draw pretty decently as I taught myself since middle school. I'm also a very compassionate person, or else I would not have signed up to be in all those volunteer clubs. But then again, I can't get along with everyone. I also suffer from the blues. So it is really hard being me. I love how that went from good to bad.

Arabilious

That means morose, dejected. All of a sudden I realize that I cannot remember the last time I have laughed. I realized that I have not found a field that I am enthusiastic about yet. It suddenly felt like I was just going with the motions. I have no idea where my mind is most of the time. I have a horrible time concentrating. It's like I'm not really there. I guess this morning I felt like I was alive where sitting in church, but then it feels like that I was totally lost again. I really thrive on drama, don't I? I feel indifferent and extremely sensitive all at the same time. It always feel like I was an outsider looking in. Like nothing makes sense.