Volunteer at an orphanage in Latvia
| country: | Latvia |
| departures: | 2010: 6 Apr, 4 May, 1 Jun, 6 Jul, 4 Aug, 7 Sep, 5 Oct, 2 Nov, 7 Dec |
| price: | From £1080 (4 weeks) - £1680 (10 weeks) excluding flights, plus £100 for each additional week. We can advise on flights from the UK. Price includes transfers, accommodation, food, Latvian lessons, excursions. Min stay 2 weeks (farm renovation) or 1 month (village) |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
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introduction to Volunteer at an orphanage in Latvia
Volunteer with orphaned children or help out on our farm renovation project.
Join an extremely forward-thinking orphanage that not only takes care of children while they are young but also emphasizes the importance of preparing them for adulthood. The Children’s Village was founded in 1993 by Christophe Alexandre, who originally housed the children in a large, renovated manor house.
The project was later divided into three smaller houses providing a more personal, family orientated atmosphere. In a moment of creative inspiration the Manor House was then converted into a hotel, the proceeds of which go to the Village, and the Hotel itself gives the older children the opportunity to train in hostelry and tourism.
There are also plans to convert a barn and surrounding land into a farm that will rear Latvian breeds, grow organic produce and which in turn will attract tourists and school groups whilst also providing therapy and training for the children. Part of your fee will be a donation towards the Society and its efforts to become sustainable.
No formal teacher-training is required apart from a good level of spoken and written English to provide conversational lessons to adults and children alike. Volunteers should be enthusiastic and happy to work with children and young adults, some of whom may be mentally disabled. Anyone with occupational therapy, tourism, farming, sustainable development and construction skills/background would be extremely welcome. Prefer mature volunteers, early 20's plus who are fit and strong. You will also be given guidance on how to deal with the children.
Also included in the fee will be Latvian lessons in the village and excursions to Riga or the surrounding countryside. Children will be taken on outings and weekend trips, and you will be able to go ice skating and cross country skiing in winter, canoeing and hiking in summer, berry and mushroom picking in autumn and receive a dose of culture throughout the year.
Farm renovation: If working on the farm hard manual labour will be involved so be prepared for long days!
Join an extremely forward-thinking orphanage that not only takes care of children while they are young but also emphasizes the importance of preparing them for adulthood. The Children’s Village was founded in 1993 by Christophe Alexandre, who originally housed the children in a large, renovated manor house.
The project was later divided into three smaller houses providing a more personal, family orientated atmosphere. In a moment of creative inspiration the Manor House was then converted into a hotel, the proceeds of which go to the Village, and the Hotel itself gives the older children the opportunity to train in hostelry and tourism.
There are also plans to convert a barn and surrounding land into a farm that will rear Latvian breeds, grow organic produce and which in turn will attract tourists and school groups whilst also providing therapy and training for the children. Part of your fee will be a donation towards the Society and its efforts to become sustainable.
No formal teacher-training is required apart from a good level of spoken and written English to provide conversational lessons to adults and children alike. Volunteers should be enthusiastic and happy to work with children and young adults, some of whom may be mentally disabled. Anyone with occupational therapy, tourism, farming, sustainable development and construction skills/background would be extremely welcome. Prefer mature volunteers, early 20's plus who are fit and strong. You will also be given guidance on how to deal with the children.
Also included in the fee will be Latvian lessons in the village and excursions to Riga or the surrounding countryside. Children will be taken on outings and weekend trips, and you will be able to go ice skating and cross country skiing in winter, canoeing and hiking in summer, berry and mushroom picking in autumn and receive a dose of culture throughout the year.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Children's village: If working with the village and teaching English to the staff and children, the mornings will be spent with a couple of hours of Latvian lessons. You will then be picked up from your apartment in Cesvaine and taken to the village about 10 mins drive away where you will have lunch and spend the rest of the day teaching English or getting involved with the general day to day running of the orphanage, hotel and farm. Evening meals will also be at the village, probably at one of the children’s homes. Throughout the year trips and excursions are taken with the children, along with normal day to day sports and entertainment. TV is kept to a minimum, reading and religious education is encouraged. Farm renovation: If working on the farm hard manual labour will be involved so be prepared for long days!
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Government funded orphanages may house and feed impoverished children, but the Children’s Village attempts to go above and beyond providing basic survival, to equip these children with the means to flourish in life and learn how to support themselves and give back to the community as they grow older.
Many of the children come from abusive backgrounds, often with alcohol involved which is a huge problem in Latvia, exacerbated by the usual teenage problems. Your support, attention, and leadership can help them to realize a better life for themselves and for their communities.  The younger ones need love and care to replace the nurturing environment of a proper family. And the older ones benefit from things such as English lessons, which will help them excel in the world of Hospitality, while they develop their abilities and learn valuable skills apprenticing at the Village Hotel. If you choose to help out on the Farm, your efforts will go a long way to helping build an infrastructure to both house and teach more children in the future. The plan is to raise Latvian breeds and grow organic produce, in hopes of attracting tourists and therefore profits for the orphanage, whilst at the same time providing further training and therapy for the orphans. Your care and affection can make a world of difference and even change the lives of some of these less fortunate children. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |
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