A World of Possibilities

By Jodi Helmer

Jason Mitschele was about to graduate with a degree in international relations from the University of British Columbia when he learned about a government-funded program that offered volunteer-abroad projects for recent graduates. Mitschele quickly realized he could benefit from international experience and the opportunity to develop relevant job skills, and in December, 1997, he applied for the program.

Less than one month after filling out his application, Mitschele was accepted into the program and assigned to work in South Africa through the South African Environmental Project. For six months, Mitschele, who is blind, lived and worked halfway across the globe, writing position papers on environmental issues and presenting his findings to the South African parliamentary committee on the environment.

“I was the first person with a disability to participate in the program,” he says. “People thought I was crazy, but it was a great accomplishment.”

Canadians of all ages and abilities are playing a vital role in international volunteer projects around the world. From building orphanages in China and studying wildlife in Costa Rica to meeting diplomats in South Africa and working with disability organizations in Jamaica, opportunities to volunteer abroad are becoming increasingly accessible to people with disabilities.

“There are a lot of organizations that are really open to providing accessible opportunities,” says Pamela Houston, public relations, outreach and training coordinator for Mobility International USA, an organization that has published “A World of Options: A Guide to International Exchange, Community Service and Travel for Persons with Disabilities.” According to Houston, increasing numbers of organizations are willing to provide additional support to participants with disabilities to ensure their international programs are accessible.

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Canada, a worldwide organization that has been coordinating international volunteer projects since 1958, assists volunteers with disabilities with accessible housing, transportation, adaptive equipment and translators whenever necessary.

“We have made a commitment to supporting the needs of volunteers overseas,” says Barbara Hogan, the deputy director of VSO Canada. “If a volunteer has a disability, we will do everything we can to make the project possible.”

Mitschele admits volunteering abroad was challenging. “The equipment that I would consider basic to do my work wasn’t available,” he says. Fortunately, Mitschele was aware that access to computers with adaptive technology would be limited, and brought his own equipment with him to South Africa. “You have to be prepared,” he says. “But with a little ingenuity, it is possible.”

Mitschele also had to research the local laws pertaining to guide dogs. “One of the first things I considered before I agreed to go was whether my dog could come with me,” he says. His research paid off: Mitschele discovered that the laws in South Africa were similar to the laws in Canada, and his guide dog accompanied him on the trip. “Researching the country where you are going to be volunteering really helps you to be prepared when you get there,” he says.

“Volunteers should learn everything they can about a country before they go,” agrees Francine Arsenault, who has participated in dozens of international volunteer projects over the past 20 years. “In order to understand the people, you have to know how they live.”

Arsenault’s commitment to volunteering abroad earned her an honourary doctorate in law from Queen’s University. “I played every role there was,” says Arsenault of her 20-year involvement with international volunteer projects. “No role was too big or too little.”

Arsenault began crisscrossing the globe in 1986 when a friend invited her to coordinate a project between Kingston, Ontario, and Kingston, Jamaica, through the Canadian Executive Service Organization (CESO). During her four-year tenure with CESO, Arsenault made several trips to Jamaica to deliver supplies and information to disability organizations. Though the wheelchairs, canes and crutches she delivered were invaluable, Arsenault says what she brought back to Canada was much more important.

“In the Caribbean, we learned to dance and engage socially with each other,” she says. “I had forgotten about the importance of having social networks and having someone to talk to who knew what I was going through.”

Arsenault admits that volunteering overseas was not always easy. “It is really difficult for a severely disabled person to live in the conditions you have to live in,” she says. During her travels Arsenault slept in houses with no electricity or running water and put her personal safety at risk.

“You have to go into an international experience with an open mind and be able to weather tough situations,” she says. “But when you go home, you see the world in a different way than when you left.”

Mitschele agrees, adding: “The problems we have in Canada are miniscule compared with people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from and are living in corrugated cardboard shacks, if they have a roof over their head at all.”

Both Mitschele and Arsenault were fortunate to have their costs covered by sponsoring organizations, but many organizations do charge participants program fees to cover the cost of their overseas projects. Volunteers who accept overseas placements through VSO Canada incur no out-of-pocket expenses, but Hogan warns: “Volunteers have to be sure that they are ready, personally, professionally and financially, to go overseas. They have to ask themselves if this is the right time in their life to volunteer abroad.”

The experience of volunteering in South Africa had such a positive impact on Mitschele that he returned in 1999 three months, working with a disability rights group. Says Mitschele, “The opportunity to go back was just too good to pass up.”

(Jodi Helmer is a Canadian freelance writer and editor. Visit her online at www.jodihelmer.com.)

CHOOSING A PROJECT THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU

The range of opportunities to volunteer abroad is limitless... from environmental projects, teaching, archeological digs and small business support to disability advocacy, building churches and health care projects. “If you can dream it, you can do it,” says Mobility International USA’s Pamela Houston.

But before you sign up, there are several key factors to take into consideration. Houston suggests asking yourself the following questions:

- Is there a specific country or region where you wish to volunteer, or are you open to going anywhere?
- What length of time are you willing to dedicate to an international volunteer project?
- Do you wish to work as an individual or as part of a group?
- What are the costs to volunteer abroad, and how will you pay to participate?
- What are your goals for the experience? Is there a specific role you want to play, or are you simply interested in the experience of volunteering abroad?
- Are there any special arrangements that will need to be made to accommodate your participation? Is the organization willing to assist with these arrangements?


Resources for Volunteering Abroad

“A World of Options: A Guide to International Exchange, Community Service and Travel for Persons with Disabilities”
Christa Bucks, Editor

“A World Awaits You: A Journal in International Exchange for People with Disabilities”
Annual Journal

Both publications above by Mobility International USA, www.miusa.org

“How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas”
By Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, and Zahara Heckscher
Penguin Publishing


On the Web:

Global Citizens for Change
www.citizens4change.org

Transitions Abroad
www.transitionsabroad.com

Canadian Crossroads International
www.cciorg.ca

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Canada
www.vsocan.com