The Road to the Horizon

Let's have a taskforce !

2009-11-20T08:50:00.006+01:00

This is part of a hilarious cartoon series by Helo. Check it out.

Thanks to MF for the tip!

Driving in Rome

2009-11-19T07:15:00.003+01:00

If you are used to switching from one highway to another using four parallel lanes, a smooth gradual exit and re-entry, then you will need to adapt to real life when you visit Rome.
Driving here, is more about being creative, daring and above all: it's about being decisive.

To switch from one highway to another, this road in Rome takes you through several backstreets of an area I would not like to drive at night. It has a four meter exit at 90 degrees, and a five meter long re-entry with virtually no visibility on incoming traffic.

Snapped: Surf school in winter

2009-11-18T06:44:00.001+01:00

Taken half a mile from where I live. The remains of summer.

The Snapped Series: mobile phone shots from the hip.

Aidwork: Should you pay to volunteer?

2009-11-17T20:40:00.005+01:00

I often get questions and feedback from people who want to get started as an aidworker. Recently, I got in contact with Jose Ramirez, 30, from Barcelona, Spain. He worked for several years as an architect in several offices across Europe, before he decided to call it quits. He wanted to take his life in a different direction, doing more fulfilling work in the humanitarian sector.

As many people, he was struggling to find his way in. Where does one start? He decided to work as a volunteer, and was prepared to pay for the experience. An experience which turned out not to be what he had hoped for. I interviewed him.

Q: After your initial years in the commercial sector you wanted to work in the humanitarian world. What triggered that?
Jose: It was nothing in particular. Not "a documentary" I saw or "a terrible image in the news" which made me take that decision. It was more the lust to travel and discover. I wanted to travel through Asia, but I knew from the very beginning that I wouldn't go as yet another backpacker. I had to leave with 'a mission'. I wanted to make a difference.

Q: When you started to look for a job in the humanitarian world, what did you try, on whose doors did you knock?
Jose: I didn't try. I didn't know anything at all. It would have been very pretentious to do that since I had never been in Asia before and I didn't know if I would like it there or not. So I thought that a great introduction into the humanitarian world would be perhaps to volunteer.

Q: How did you choose the organisation you volunteered for?
Jose: I was quite lost. On the Internet, I found lots of information related to volunteering. I had something in mind: I wanted to go to Nepal. After some research and a lot of reading through load of websites I decided finally for a kiwi based recognised NGO. They work all over the world. They seemed very professional and reliable and had a programme going on in Nepal. You could pick among several kind of volunteering there: children's homes, teaching English, etc... I signed up for the community maintenance programme, although the description about the programme was very vague. I thought I could use some of my skills as an architect in that task.

Volunteer fees were involved in all the programmes/countries. As most almost all volunteering sites asked for fees, I assumed it was a normal and indispensable practice when it comes to volunteering.

Q: What was the procedure to register, to get started with that organisation?
Jose: It was way pretty sophisticated. You fill your application on-line and submit it. After they receive it and give you the 'ok', you have to pay a US$350 'volunteer fee' immediately. Once they receive your fee, they contact you again giving you 'the volunteer package': a massive amount of information in the form of emails and pdf-file, which you have to read through. If you have some doubts you can contact the programme coordinator via telephone or email. Eight weeks before departure you have to follow up with the rest of the volunteer programme payment that varies depending on the amount of weeks you stay. I signed up for 4 months and I paid US$1,722. In total, I paid them US$2.072.

Q: Plus your ticket?
Jose: Yes.

Q: What were the promises the NGO made, what were your expectations before you took up the job?
Jose: The NGO promises emergency assistance during your stay. They covered placement with Nepalese families, which included accommodation and food. They would also provide a briefing and formation once I got there. I was very excited about it although I couldn't have any real expectations since it was still unclear which specific job I would be doing.

Q: So, you arrived in Nepal. What were your immediate first impressions. How were you welcomed, briefed, set to work?
Jose: Every placement starts the 1st of every month. You are welcomed by the local branch of the NGO right on arrival. During one week you receive information about the country, basic local language classes, explanation of the programmes. You get to spend 3 days with a Nepalese family to have a first "taste" of the basic life you will be leading in the coming weeks or months. After the briefing week you are sent to your placement, and you start to work.

Q: What were your tasks?
Jose: During the briefing, we, the community maintenance volunteers, learnt we would be helping in the construction of a brand new orphanage that was about to start right after we arrived. After knowing what we would be doing I couldn't be more excited, after all, I was an architect. It looked very challenging work. Even though I knew that I would be mainly doing "labor" work, I hoped to bring some input in the tasks. Local and experience workers were doing all the 'real' construction work supervised by a foreman and a local architect. Our tasks were merely to assist with some 'extra' work, work not budgeted and 'easy' to do by non-experience Westerners. That work included clearing off a bamboo "forest", building a bamboo hut for storage and the construction of a boundary fence. These were "crumbles" in my opinion.

This was the most ambitious project that this NGO had ever done, so they were quite focused with the fundraising, and unfortunately not really with the volunteers on site. We were left sometimes for a week without feedback from the NGO. We were working with broken tools. The jobs we did, were needed for sure and I believe we achieved a very good result. But i wondered many times if that work couldn't have been done faster and better by local people.

Q: What did the NGO cater for?
Jose: The NGO works with some Nepalese families. These families are used to have foreigners and can speak some English. They provide accommodation and food under basic conditions. I learned after, they were paid US$60 per a month per volunteer by the NGO. Some of the families had up to 4 volunteers.
They provided as well the tools, gloves, etc...

Q: what work was the NGO actually doing. What projects did they have, who did they partner with?
Jose: The NGO was involved in several projects besides the construction of the new orphanage. They were sending volunteers to several children homes in different areas of Kathmandu run by local management. They helped help with teaching English and supervisory tasks. There were some health programme going on as well, which were carried out by volunteers with some medical training.

Q: You worked with colleague volunteers. What was your impression of them: "well willing", "adventurers", "lost souls"?
Jose: Another thing I was very excited about was to meet different people from different countries coming with the same purpose. The reality was way different from that. I was so disappointed to realize most of them were kids in their twenties. They were not focused on the job, at all. Most had come there because their parents paid the volunteering fees. I realized that those kids were probably attracted to volunteering because they didn't have to pay the expenses, themselves, which is quite sad. I met some good apples amongst the rotten ones. I still keep keep in touch with them.

Q: Even if the work itself were you able to use your presence there,"in the field" to network, to make contacts with other organisations, with other aid workers?
Jose: The aid workers network is very big in Nepal. Maybe too big and too corporated. I met some interesting people though and made some contacts I hope to use in the future.

Q: Your experience was rather negative. In how far is this a generalization?
Jose: I would rather say "not absolutely satisfying". I was unable to share my negative impressions with most of the volunteers since they didn't pay the fees themselves. I met some other people and volunteers on the way and I did share this with them, we all agreed that is not certainly the way to go when it comes to volunteering.

It would be naive if I would say that money is not necessary her. It is if you want your aid project to reach somewhere. But there are different ways. If you accept money from volunteers willing to help, people that have crossed half the world in a very expensive flight, but don't put them to good use, you are a soulless NGO. No matter if you are using the money for a good cause.

Q: How did you end your assignment with them. What did you do after that?
Jose: Construction takes some time. I worked in several tasks on the building site during my stay. When I left, the construction was still going on. After that I spent some months in Nepal, did some trekking and thought of my next move. In the end, I did another volunteering task in Thailand. But this time with there was no money involved whatsoever.

In those months in Nepal, I had the chance to meet some amazing Nepalese people. They were completely astonished when they learnt we had paid US$2.000 to 'do labor work'. That really enhances the idea we are spoiled Westerners, willing to give up so much money to end up dirty with mud and with blisters in their hands. They thought nobody should pay to do that kind of job, volunteering ot not.

Q: What is your advice for those trying to enter the aidworld or who want to volunteer?
Jose: Volunteering, is a job or task that should be done honestly. It is understood you are not getting paid for it. It is very sad nowadays you HAVE TO PAY for it. No way. We have to stop the way this is working. What happens is that NGOs are relying more and more on volunteers. Not to do the work, but to fundraise for their projects. The goal is honest but the way this is done, is not.

My advice is simple: "Don't pay to volunteer". When money is involved, the word loses its meaning. Instead, I would advise people to travel to the country were aid is needed and once on site do some research. My second volunteering experience in Thailand showed me this is still possible.

The Road: Jose, thank you for your blunt answers. I wish you the very best.

If you think of starting as an aidworker, here is my advise to you.

Read more interviews on The Road

Snapped: Sunset at the Belgian coast

2009-11-17T06:09:00.002+01:00

I was born and raised here: Oostende on the Belgian coast.
Have you read my shortstory about Le Plat Pays? It's an ode to my roots.

The Snapped Series: mobile phone shots from the hip.

PS: Doesn't my iPhone make smashing pictures?

Snapped: Signs of fall in Rome

2009-11-16T06:05:00.000+01:00

Every season has signs of beauty. Fall is the season of colours: Trees in the centre of Rome.

The Snapped Series: mobile phone shots from the hip.

More signs of fall(us)

2009-11-15T14:01:00.004+01:00

Snapped: Fall phallus symbol

2009-11-14T12:14:00.006+01:00

As the palm trees in my neighbourhood get trimmed for the winter, a friend of mine said: "Peter, it looks like you live in the middle of giant phallus symbols".

The Snapped Series: mobile phone shots from the hip.

Science Fiction: Read a newspaper online (1981)

2009-11-13T19:35:00.005+01:00

A video from 1981 tells us from the 2,000 to 3,000 home computer users in the Bay area about 500 considered reading a newspaper online. "We can copy it and printing our own copy".
It took two hours at $5/hour to download the main articles...

Discovered via Weird News Files

More blogging aidworkers

2009-11-12T15:25:00.002+01:00

I have found four more blogging aidworkers:

Denise in Tajikistan features astonishing notes and pictures from some of the most isolated places in the world: Voyageuse Mondiale
Nathalie in Cambodia always amuses me with her witty writing: Nathalie Abejero
Matthew is an aidworker in Bangladesh and writes mostly about self-development: iDevelopWorld
The last blog is "someone" writing from "somewhere" in the field: Straight out of the Jungle

I have added them to my aidworkers blogroll in the sidebar. The list has now grown to a total of 71 blogs. This must be the most exhaustive list of aidworkers' blogs you can find anywhere...

Take your time to browse around these blogs. They provide a unique view into the daily life of a unique brand of people I am happy to call "my friends and colleagues".

I automatically post update summaries for each of these blogs on AidBlogs (updates via Twitter: @AidBlogs).
If you want to follow the updates mixed with the "wider humanitarian news", then Humanitarian News might be your thing. The latter broadcasts updates @HumanityNews on Twitter...

Picture courtesy Voyageuse Mondiale

The Wild West of Pakistan

2009-11-11T22:51:00.005+01:00

There are plenty of things I have seen in my travels around the world, I can unfortunately not write about. However, when I come across a video or an article that reminds me of some experiences, I surely can post them.

Here is an intriguing video from the tribal areas in Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan.

Video courtesy VBS TV

Picture of the Day: Shot and Charred

2009-11-11T05:24:00.000+01:00

A charred bulletproof vest lays in the burnt-out UN Kabul guesthouse, which was attacked last week. (Full)

More Pictures of the Day on The Road.

Picture courtesy Peter Nicholls/The Times

My angels

2009-11-10T23:56:00.006+01:00

I was home, in Belgium, for the weekend. It is at those moments I realize how deep a father's love runs. Lana and Hannah are 15 and 12 now.

Picture of the Day: Malaysia floods

2009-11-10T09:57:00.004+01:00

Cows and abandoned vehicles stranded on a tiny strip of land surrounded by flood water in Jeram Perdas northeast of the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. (Full)

Have a close look at that picture. Surreal...

More Pictures of the Day on The Road.

Picture courtesy Reuters/The New Straits Times Press/Fathil Asri

"Honey, look what I bought you for Xmas!" or "There are digital pictures... and then there are digital pictures..."

2009-11-09T20:59:00.010+01:00

I love to take pictures. It feels as if I can experience the things around me much more intensively when I take pictures of it. It is only then I discover details I would have overlooked otherwise. Even when I review a picture, months or years later, I can revive the feeling I had when I took it. And I love a good picture.

Since my 15 year old analog (that's right: using film!) Minolta reflex camera died ("Sorry sir, we don't repair cameras older than five years"), I have not had a decent camera. Most of the pictures on my blog are shot using a nine year old Fujipix digital camera, Tine's small Sony Cypershot, Lana's newer compact Nikon Coolpix P80 or my cellphone (recently upgraded to an iPhone).

But I lacked something of my own, where I could take real high quality pictures. With the help of my friends Diego and Scott, I finally made up my mind and bought a Nikon D90 (above) with a 22-200mm lens. I can tell you: after all these years, I had simply forgotten what a decent camera feels like, and what a serious quality picture looks like.

Like a small kid sitting by the Christmas tree, I opened up the boxes, put the lens on the camera, switched it on, zoomed at something randomly, pointed, focused and shot... My first picture with my new camera was a bottle on a table in an ill-lit room. I just pointed and shot with the built-in flash.

The picture looked like this (I converted the picture to low resolution for this blog):

It was not until I looked at the picture in the actual resolution that I saw the real detail, and the real quality. Look at the play of the light and colours on the bottle neck:

Look at the condense droplets inside the bottle (this is the actual resolution):

Here is the original picture (3 Mb, though!)...

So, in short.. expect more pictures on this blog ;-)

Picture camera courtesy Gear Patrol

Snapped: Italy in a nut shell

2009-11-09T07:21:00.000+01:00

This can just as well be "Italy in a nut shell": Water, mountains, quaint villages as hidden treasures around almost any counter. The greenery, clean water, the people...

Snapped is a series of posts with pictures taken with my mobile phone.

Snapped: Lake Bracciano

2009-11-08T19:16:00.000+01:00

40 minutes away from where I live, in the center of Italy lays a lake with memories.

Snapped is a series of posts with pictures taken with my mobile phone.

Snapped: Never enough of a sunset

2009-11-07T07:48:00.000+01:00

I live 100 meters from the beach here in Italy. I try to -at least once per week- to catch the sun setting over the Mediterranean. Which is really more like a pond than a sea, but we will leave that discussion for another time..

Snapped is a series of posts with pictures taken with my mobile phone.

Snapped: Italian Tuk-Tuk

2009-11-06T07:55:00.000+01:00

I think Italy is the only country in Western Europe where the "Tuk-Tuk" or "Treewheela" (as they are called in many places around Asia), are still widely used. Here is one at a traffic light in the center of Rome.

Snapped is a series of posts with pictures taken with my mobile phone.

Snapped: This way !

2009-11-05T08:03:00.000+01:00

A traffic sign just around the corner from my house.

Snapped is a series of posts with pictures taken with my mobile phone.

The Silent Twilight

2009-11-03T10:08:00.005+01:00

Sitting in the silent twilight
The purple half light
Of the twilight

Wrap the night around me
Blanket of black on my back

I feel safe in the darkness.

From "Purple", by Crustation

Picture taken from Parco d'Abruzzo, looking towards Lazio (Italy, 2009)

10 seconds standing still

2009-11-02T02:44:00.000+01:00

Sometimes, it is worth while to stand still for a few seconds and just admire the world around us.
A shot of a garden by the beach close to where I live, near Rome.

Wrap-up of our Philippines fundraiser

2009-11-01T22:48:00.003+01:00

After the Philippines was hit by two consecutive typhoons, I started a project to raise the awareness of both the scale of the devastation and the impact it had on individual people. At the same time, I wanted to mobilize people to issue microfinance loans to entrepreneurs in the Philippines.

I described the devastation and outline the project on the kickoff post, asking people to comment. I committed to raise $5 per comment left on that post. Little did I know how it would take off.

Last night was the fundraising deadline. In about 11 days time, the post received 1,211 comments (!). That is good enough for US$6,055. Needless to say that on the 1st anniversary of Change Starts Here, The Road's social project, I could not be more proud...

It probably could not have been more timely, as sadly this weekend, a third typhoon hit the Philippines.

While, for the Philippines project, we allocated already over $4,400 new loans (check here, here and here), in the past year the 76 members of our Kiva lenders team issued US$21,000 in microfinance loans to 520 different people all over the world (check the score card).

To change is possible! Why don't you join our Kiva Lenders team too?

Picture courtesy WFP Logistics

Snapped: Another road to the horizon

2009-11-01T09:18:00.002+01:00

I snapped this "Road to the Horizon" yesterday, while walking on the beach...

More in The Road's Snapped! series.

10 seconds in the life of a leaf

2009-10-31T13:04:00.001+01:00