Have you ever
wanted to do something great, because you heard, read or watched someone
somewhere in the world making a difference. In an instant you are filled with a
need to contribute just a faction of yourself to the world. Somewhere in your
mind you want a sincere feeling of having done something great to make the
world a better place. That being said, you go out to find a cause that would be
worthy of your time and energy. Something that would make you want to fight for
the greater good. I, myself felt this feeling quite recently, and decided
to become a better citizen of the world. It took me some time to figure out
what truly would be the cause that’s worthy of my time and energy. I scoured
the internet looking for worthy causes preferably within the vicinity of my
home. Luckily for me, I didn't have to look too far to find a cause I would be
comfortable with.
Thanks, in part to the ingenuity of Facebook allowing
me to read posts of people I have befriended. Normally, I'm not into OPB (Other
People’s Busy), but I happened to see a post about an article about foreigners volunteering on a
“friend’s” page. The article was about volunteers coming from Seoul (South
Korea) to Asan (South Korea) helping at an animal shelter caring for dogs that
otherwise would have been euthanized. They dedicate their time, energy and
money assisting the owner
with cleaning, feeding and adopting these animals into safe environments. I
felt this cause would be something I would enjoy doing, because I'm an animal
lover. I was able to contact the person who wrote the article, and set a date
and time for when I will come and help out with whatever is needed on that day.
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| Foster Poodle (play time) |
While I have plans to help out at the shelter I took
it upon myself to help a friend who fosters and helps cats and dogs find good
homes. My first foster pet was a cute poodle I took into my home for a few
days, in which I learned a great deal from this particular dog. It was abused
and in need of love, and when I wasn't there it showed its’ true colours. It
reminded me that people need to be more responsible towards GOD’s creatures,
because like themselves they would never want to be abandoned by no one.
For those that find themselves with down time in your
temporary home country, and want to volunteer. Here are a few steps to get you
in the right direction for doing something good.
1) Internet Search: The internet is a great place to start,
because it has connected the world in such a way that information has become
easier to access. There are many articles, blogs and social networking sites to
get you started.
A. Facebook: For those with Facebook pages the best place
to start is by looking at group pages you joined. See who has posted
information about volunteering or just make a post yourself.
B. Local on-line news websites in a language you
understand: There may be an article there about a person who’s making a
difference through animal or child welfare. You can contact the author of the
article about getting into contact with someone to volunteer your time to help.
C. Volunteer Organizations: These organizations offer
short and long term tours for people to participate and there may be a chance
for you to do something local in your region.
2) Ask a friend in the same country: It’s hard not to
make new friends or acquaintance in a foreign land. Being assertive when
meeting new people and asking the right questions could yield great results.
When you are meeting new people it’s easy to get to know their hobbies or their
passions. You will find they can be involved in various projects that sometimes
need help.
3) Contact your local Embassy: Sometimes the people that
know best can be your home country local embassy. The people working there
could have information pertaining to various volunteer services that take place
within the country you are residing. These could be from language exchanges to helping
out in a devastated area.
For those that are looking to do a holiday volunteer
gig I have added a few links below for the ultimate volunteer. I hope this
helps you in getting started if you want to dedicate your time in doing your
part to help a person or animal in this world. I believe we need more good
people to show their kindness to others. Please take a step in making a
difference no matter how small to someone in need.
Note: I did notice that i-to-i.com is a paid volunteer
service with activities built in for those interested in that kind of service.
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