This holiday season, hundreds of Projects Abroad staff and volunteers are working on projects that will bring joy to others across the developing world. With more than 500 volunteers joining the organization over December and January, dozens of underprivileged communities will be receiving a different kind of gift this year: the gift of service. Volunteers will be holding Christmas parties for children, providing basic medical care, distributing food and other necessities, and much more.
In most of the countries that Projects Abroad works in, staff and volunteers are each celebrating the holidays in their own way. In Jamaica, volunteers are getting ready for Operation Krismus Smile. This is an annual event where Projects Abroad reaches out to local children, families, and the elderly, and provides them with gifts and provisions (such as rice and sugar). Volunteers help wrap and distribute gifts, as well as organize fun events and family days. This is a highlight of the year for the community, and volunteers love spreading holiday cheer.
Projects Abroad staff also embrace the spirit of giving. Recently, staff in South Africa pledged more than forty gift boxes to the Santa Shoebox initiative. Each box is filled with hygiene and educational supplies, toys, and clothing, then carefully wrapped and decorated, before being dropped off at a national distribution centre so that they will arrive in time to make a child smile for the holidays.
"It is encouraging to see so many people of all ages and backgrounds choosing to devote their time and energy to others for the holidays," says Tom Pastorius, Head of Global Recruitment for Projects Abroad. "We hope that they inspire the people around them to do the same throughout the year, both at home and abroad."
Anyone can volunteer with Projects Abroad and contribute to positive change and long-term development year-round. The organization offers a wide range of programs where volunteers can use their time and skills to serve those in need, including Child Care, Teaching, Human Rights, Public Health, Building, and more.
For information on getting involved in volunteering abroad with Projects Abroad and to see what you can do, please visit projects-abroad.ca.
