A YEAR OF CHANGE
Join us on a journey around the world!
Picture this. It’s mid-morning and you’ve just arrived at a rural village. After spending the morning getting to know local community members, you’ll join them to volunteer on a development project that will help remove the barriers to education for children. The project will continue long after you return home, but the impact you contributed to will last for generations.
This year, groups of young people set out on trips across the world to immerse themselves in new cultures, all while taking part in Free The Children projects as part of Free The Children’s holistic and sustainable development model. Together with local families and governments, Free The Children is working toward a world where all communities can fulfill their children’s right to education, clean water, health care, nutritious food and a thriving future.
From Ecuador, to India, to Nicaragua, join us on a journey around the world to see what ME to WE Trip groups have been up to this year!
First stop: A minga in Ecuador
This year, groups joined community members in Ecuador for many mingas, a traditional gathering where people of all ages come together to work on a task for the benefit of the whole community. Participants helped to dig trenches for a new clean water project that will help provide hundreds of community members with access to clean water.
In the regions ME to WE Trip groups visit access to clean water can be limited, forcing people to walk long distances to collect water from communal sources. Often, these water sources are contaminated, leaving people vulnerable to waterborne diseases. Illness is also commonly spread by water collected in dirty containers.
With access to clean water, children can stay healthy, making sure they never have to miss a day of school due to illness.
On to Nicaragua: Laying a foundation for education
ME to WE Trips groups were certainly busy in Nicaragua, working with local community members to build new classrooms. In the areas we visit, primary school dropout rates are high, largely due to poor educational facilities, a lack of access to quality health and sanitation facilities, and a high incidence of child labour. By building and rehabilitating classrooms in partnership with communities, we help ensure children have the facilities and resources to attend school close to home, empowering them to pursue their dreams.
Next: Working on an anganwadi in Rajasthan, India
In India, groups got to take part in a project unique to the region! Most rural communities in this area have a government-owned anganwadi, a health resource centre and daycare that offers basic medical care and support for new mothers. Free The Children’s projects include rehabilitating and reconstructing anganwadis, since a major struggle in the region is a lack of access to proper health care and child care while parents are at work. Older children are also often kept out of school to help look after their siblings.
With these new anganwadis, young children in rural areas will have a safe place to spend the day, freeing their older siblings to attend school. And with a government-employed nurse and Free The Children community mobilizers regularly visiting the anganwadi, the incidence of illness will be reduced, helping children and families stay healthy.
Our final stop: Building a choza in the Amazon
The final stop on our journey is the Amazon, where a women’s group weaves traditional jewellery from pita, a type of leaf found in the rainforest. ME to WE Trip groups loved immersing themselves in local culture, and even got to try their hands at making jewellery themselves! They also spent time working on a choza—the word for hut in the local indigenous language of Kichwa. This choza will be a place where the women’s group can meet and work on their crafts. This group was started as an alternative income program in partnership with Free The Children. The women will be able to sell their work at local markets, earning a sustainable income to support their families.
Where will your own journey take you?
These were just a few of the projects ME to WE Trips groups got to take part in this year! Now, it’s your turn to join the movement and play a role in creating lasting change for communities all over the world. Learn more and start your journey at metowe.com/trips.
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