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Alternative Break Trips 2012:
Building Education in Indigenous Mayan Communities in Guatemala (Spring)
Site Leaders: Lindsay Dacuan and Natasha Dua
Alternative Breaks Guatemala will be working in Xavier — a rural village two hours away from Guatemala City comprised mostly of an indigenous population. The goal of our trip is to build to wall out of recycled materials, to protect the safety of the children who play there. Furthermore, another project will be to educate primary school children on the issue of recycling. We hope our combined efforts will broaden our horizons and transform us into active citizens committed to lifelong service to the world.
The Invisibility of Disabilities in Indiana (Spring)
Site Leaders: Christine Calabio and Ray Jang
Building Empowerment in the Philippines (Spring)
Site Leaders: Fernando Picazo and Kim Vu
Poverty is a complex issue – one that causes hunger, sickness, and hopelessness. Through Gawad Kalinga, we will work alongside the community to build empowerment, brick by brick, towards the ultimate goal of ending poverty for 5 million families by 2024.
“Land for the Landless; Homes for the Homeless; Food for the Hungry.”
Building Empowerment in the Philippines #2 (Summer)
Site Leaders: Spencer Nguyen and Abby Avila
Forest Conservation and Sustainable Rural Development in the Amazon Forest, Ecuador (Spring)
Site Leaders: Derek Bangs and Rebecca Nassimi
This trip will be going to a 6,200 acre nature reserve in the Napo Province of Ecuador between the lower slopes of the Andes and the lowlands of the Amazon through UBELONG. Participants will be working 6-8 hours a day on the reserve, on basic construction, reforestation and trail maintenance assignments. Additionally, they will also work on maintaining medicinal gardens, working in tree nurseries and participating in activities like cacao harvesting, compost maintenance and seed collection, and helping raise animals like capybaras and caymans that locals can use as alternative protein and income sources.
Cherokee Community & Environmental Cultivation in Tennessee (Spring)
Site Leaders: Brian Vu Phan and Nicole Mark
One of two Alternative Breaks national trips is to Maryville, Tennessee. This trip will be working with the non-profit Once Upon a Time to addess the social justice issue of environmental cultivation and Cherokee poverty.
Possible Service Projects: Working with the “Snowbird” Cherokee community in homesteading projects, Cleaning and revitalizing the Natahala National Forest, Snowbird Child Development Center etc.
Dates: Arrive on site March 24th, Leave April 1st.
Forest & Marine Conservation in the Coastal Forests of Ecuador (Spring)
Site Leaders: Albert Le and Jennifer Ma
Sustaining Education for Future Generations in Nicaragua (Spring)
Site Leaders: Elaine Chen and Kelsey Wong
AB Nicaragua will be working with the non-profit, Panorama Service Expeditions to assist at an elementary school called Elim at Monte Tabor, a rural community near Managua. Through education lessons, our group will empower the community and create a positive impact on the quality of life of the children in the community.
Nutritional Education in a Malnourished Population in Peru (Spring)
Site Leaders: Edward Chen and Stella Chen
Members of Alternative Breaks who will be traveling to Cusco, Peru during Spring Break 2012 to care for children ages 3-16 through the nonprofit program UBELONG. They will be in Cusco to offer these children, who come from low-income families with less educational opportunities, a safe environment to learn and grow with individualized attention and care, particularly in the issues of malnutrition and education. As members of Alternative Breaks, members of AB Cuzco aim to make a positive, cross-cultural impact as active citizens to tackle a range of social issues in the global community.
AB Dominican Republic #3 (Spring)
Site Leaders: Justin Javier and Jennifer Yanga
Rural Education in a Developing Country in the Dominican Republic (Spring)
Site Leaders: Sarah Calara & Mimi Su
Non-Profit- Center for Global Volunteer Service
Service Project- Teaching the youth of Najayo,Dominican Republic and
opening their eyes to new knowledge. We hope to inspire them by helping
nurture their interest in education and empowering them towards the
self-determination of their future.
Expanding Education in a Developing Country in the Dominican Republic (Summer)
Site Leaders: Maria Cuevas and Rishi Parikh
AB Dominican Republic will be traveling in the summer of 2012 to help a small community by promoting education. Najavo children have hardly any school supplies and have to walk miles to even access a school. Oftentimes this deters them for pursuing an education at all. Instead the young boys turn to baseball in the hopes that this will be their key to rising from poverty. It is this lack of enthusiasm for education that we are gong to attempt to combat. We are going to run a summer camp for the children of najayo and intend to raise funds for supplies and create lesson Plans to get the kids excited about the possibilities available to them with an education. We are all incredibly excited aboutour trip and greatly look forward to utilizing the skills we have to promote education in the Dominican Republic.
