November 2008
Have Cause, Will Travel
By Nathaniel S. Berke and Jobana Soto

Five Students; Five Causes. What Young Latinos Are Doing To Help Change The World

View clipping (PDF document)
View clipping (JPG document)

Spending break under sunny skies is tempting for any student soon to face final exams. But why settle for the same old resorts when you can trek through new territories that can literally change your life and the world? We found a few awesome students who decided to use their down time for just that reason.

Tufts University grad and bachelor’s in biology recipient Jose Alfaro used his school’s connections with the Timmy Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to providing basic healthcare resources to disadvantaged children around the world. The Nicaraguan L.A. native asked to work in the Dominican Republic, spending his 2006 spring break setting up medical clinics in rural areas. Implementing medical needs over a short time challenged him to strategize for effective change.

“We had to think more in terms of how to make an impact,” he says. Alfaro made two more trips to the Dominican Republic, one of them an independent trip funded by a university grant in the summer of 2006. During that trip he was able to set up an electronic medical records system and collected the initial demographic data to get it underway. On his final visit, he served as board member and organizer of his school’s chapter of the Timmy Foundation.

Another recent Tufts alum, Amina Khawja interned in La Paz, Bolivia for the Pan American Health Organization. The half-colombiana and Pakistani was on the frontlines of preventing HIV/AIDS prejudices by surveying the level of “stigma and discrimination” towards patients. The experience helped her get over some of her own prejudices, too. “I never envisioned myself in Bolivia,” Khawja admits. “When I received the internship I thought, ‘Bolivia? Who goes to Bolivia?’” But after heading south for the first half of this year, a survey she developed and piloted became the basis of a campaign to promote tolerance towards people living with HIV/AIDS

For those frazzled by the thought of roughing it in a foreign country, University of Virginia student Anahi Einhorn says living overseas will have you forget your worries. While volunteering abroad as an English teacher last spring the international relations major had a revelations. “All these things you think are such big deals you realize are not,” she said. “It’s a humbling experience.” Einhorn, who is half-Paraguayan, lived with a family in rural Costa Rica after enrolling through the Tropical Adventures Foundation. For a fee to cover expenses, these groups arrange everything – housing, travel, documents – leaving you free from the bureaucratic wrangling. They also organize sightseeing adventures during off days, which Einhorn describes as unforgettable.

If working with established groups isn’t your style, try starting your own. Jeni Iburg turned her family’s annual trip to Bolivia, her mother’s native country, into a major project at school. Growing up, the pre-dental’s family frequently donated to the Mario Ortiz Children’s Hospital in Santa Cruz. During her senior year at the University of Minnesota she pitched the idea of working with the hospital to the pre-dental club, which was seeking a charitable opportunity. Thus began the Bolivia Smile Project. Raising over $5,000, Iburg made two trips to deliver the funds directly to patients. “Over the years of doing this with the help of the pre-dental club, I have met many amazing children,” Iburg says. “I knew from that moment that being able to help the less fortunate would remain a part of my life values.”

While there are many different ways you can pursue volunteerism, the important thing to remember is no cause is too big or obscure for you to make a difference. “Go for it!” Khawja advises. “Whatever cause you can identify with and defend is an important one.” 

SIDEBAR: Top Four Volunteer Organizations

City Year – cityyear.org
With 18 locations in the U.S. and one in Johannesburg, South Africa, you too can take part in helping those in need of education.

Gap Year – gapyear.com
Meet young backpackers and volunteers at Gap Year where you can find a travel buddy, read through other travelers’ experiences and take advantage of their message board.

The Blue Mountain Project – bluemountainproject.org
Want to set sail to Jamaica? This project seeks volunteers to help build medical clinics for basic health needs.

Global Vision International – gviusa.com
GVI sets up volunteers in various types of projects like teaching, scientific expeditions and more.