a nonprofit in togo

after looking through different programs for volunteering, i had become somewhat disappointed.  all the programs that i have been looking at are organized by western organizations, priced competitively though still pretty expensive and after reading articles by experts in the field, i learned these programs that i have come across might not be doing that much good in the local community where the aid was being carried out.

then it finally donned on me:  i should be looking into the local nonprofits in the country i want to be working in. so i did a google search:  africa+nonprofit+volunteer, or something like that. jackpot. google's search brought a page full of african nonprofits. i clicked on the first one that got my attention, le promotion et developpement humain (PDH) or in english, the human development and promotion center. they are a very small nonprofit situtated in lomé, the capital city of togo.

 their mission:

 PDH has an open-door and non-discriminatory philosophy that strives to help anyone in need, regardless of their status or condition. That means that all sorts of people come to our centre in order to relate their difficulties: those suffering from AIDS, HIV, illnesses or varying degrees of poverty, the unemployed, orphans, children in need and victims of abuse or family problems. Our humanitarian efforts are thus unique because we are able to help those in need on a personal, one-to-one basis.

at first, i was taken by their professionally done website which i learned later was done and maintained by a former volunteer. still i couldn't tell if this was a real organization or a scam. their fees are smaller than their western counterparts so that was a good thing.  i read the testimonials from previous volunteers but i still wasn't assured of their legitimacy. i was hoping to find some reviews from previous volunteers elsewhere on the internet. what i found instead was a facebook page for the organization. i then looked through their photos making sure these were taken by the organization and what i was seeing were actually their volunteers and their daily activity. sure enough, i began to see the truth--this is a real nonprofit.

the nonprofit, as i said earlier, is very small. they have four volunteer staff and only a handful (about 10)  international volunteers a month. togo was a former french colony so the natives there speak french as well as their own dialects. i suddenly became very interested in this nonprofit. if i volunteer there, i can learn about humanitarian aid and hopefully, improve my french at the same time. being such a small organization, i felt i wanted to help them in some way. to spread the word so that they might attract more volunteers and in doing so, help them further their work by being able to help more people. so this is my first step:  sharing it here.

humanitarian and development aid

i've done a pretty good amount of research on my new career path.  read a lot.  found a lot of useful information.  just like any other career, it is going to be hard to get my foot in the door.  everybody in the field has stressed the importance of getting field experience via volunteering or interning.  only problem is these field experiences need to be done in developing countries.  i can't exactly just pick a country and take off.

i have looked into different programs by different organization that claim to give you just that but each program is a couple thousand dollars.  then i came across an article that says that not all programs do as much or help the host country as much as you'd think.  makes this whole process a lot harder.  how am i supposed to know which programs aren't actually a waste of my time and money and ends up hurting the local economy?  if finding a good program isn't enough, most humanitarian organizations require around 5 years of experience.  its an experience that is not easy to just do...however, some people have gotten a job in the field after doing 2 years in the peace corps.  unfortunately for me, i am not ready to leave for two years nor am i ready to take on the whole peace corps selection process which i've heard takes awhile.  i am up for taking off for a year.  it's one of those investments in your future you have to take.  instead of spending $30,000-60,000 on a graduate degree that may take up to 2 years, i will need to spend 3-5 years in a developing country.  the only program that sounds serious right now will cost about $10,000 for one year (incl. personal expenses, $350/month.  though i could probably survive on less.), not including round trip airfare.  if i do 2 years, that's $20,000.  this is going to be like doing a 2-part grad program.  first part is gaining field experience, and the second part is grad school.  total costs would be $50,000 - $80,000.  woe is me.

however,  there is one way i can gain the field experience without that hefty price tag.  instead of going to africa for two years, i can go to thailand.  i have relatives there.  a few of them having been doing humanitarian work in the villages off and on for many years now.  mostly with material donations.  i can still do this somewhat on my own.  though i've always felt unsafe to walk around by myself over there.  this will be interesting.  i have a lot more thinking to do...