Alison Lowndes › Comments

Its late here in UK - but not in New York or Cartagena, Columbia, or Belem, Brazil ! I've been discussing the upcoming Earth Summit which AmaZonArt will be attending, in Rio de Janeiro, bizarrely at the invitation of the Kenyan Government. Further to our African trip, links have now been forged with Columbian ThinkTank ICPS, www.intercips.org; who are responsible for a tri-continental dialogue between the Philippines, Kenya and the South-South countries on the eve of the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Participants include Ali Mohamed, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources of Kenya, who we met last month. ICPS´s Executive Director, Viktor Sebek, joined as adviser to the delegation of Kenya and has now been in touch with AmaZonArt due to their shared love and use of music for cultural exchange and as a medium to create dialogue. AmaZonArt is now linking with these true ChangeMakers and as I just said to Diego, we definitely met with the Kenyan government at a... - Alison Lowndes

I'm sat in Abu Dhabi airport killing time the best way - being social. This trip has been incredible in so many ways but most importantly; socially. We've met with people from all walks of life - high-rollers, the elite, local officials, children and some of the poorest of Kenya. I've heard laughter and seen tears, shed tears even. There's work to be done in putting the video together by Ama Zon Art but also in preparing for Rio's +20 Earth Summit next month. The Terra Endeavors project is now in the hands of the Technical Advisor for Climate Change of the Kenyan Government so fingers crossed we can get that one operational soon, if only to showcase it in Rio as an example of the balance necessary between material production and environmental preservation. The project is primarily Algae production which in turn produces clean-burning cooking fuel, fresh drinking water, renewable electricity, nutritional supplements, high-protein animal feed, organic fertilizer, 10+ employment ops and... - Alison Lowndes

I am so stupidly excited. So much is going on that I don't know where to start but the journey will take us right round the world. While the craziness ensues with KO2 rattling cages to effect change, much bigger projects are spawning which may well enable us to rise way above and match the ethos of Ama Zon Art and Diego Carneiro de Oliveira’s music “to plant seeds” around the world to “Change Lives". Diego's incredibly passionate team strive to "Transformando realidades através da Arte"; Change Lives through Art. While KO2 uses a different tool; zero-emission dirtbikes, and AVIF uses volunteering and technology the mission is always the same; bringing people together to learn, gain perspective and to grow as human beings. The latest collaboration is bigger than most. In a few days Diego, his cello & Filipe Parolin, responsible for the video below, will travel just under 9,500km to Nairobi, Kenya, on invitation from the Embassy of Brazil, in Nairobi, to perform in 4 separate cultural... - Alison Lowndes

Its been almost 4 years since 15 April 2008, when KO2 was incorporated as a Community Interest Company (CIC) to help support the work of AVIF. Mentored by a host of professionals from a wide variety of specialist fields, and schooled at the Yorkshire & Humber School of Social Entrepreneurs 2010/11, I still have my heart set on using bikes to inspire young people. One of my mentors was the Youth Officer responsible for Crucial Crew, which used to operate on the site at Defence Estates Forest Moor, Nidderdale, before it was sold; the perfect home for a social venture to re-engage young people. As a biker and safety marshal as well as a lone parent, I have a deep understanding of the excitement, risk and fascination motorsport holds, and its power to do good. In 2009 I was part of a 7-man (including 1 woman - me) team that raced around the whole of France One Way Round to raise money for St Johns Ambulance. At the absolute extreme; the TT Roadraces, is a powerful force to effect change... - Alison Lowndes

I've had a wonderful catchup conversation with Helene Van Der Roest of www.takafrica.org, a Kenyan-based travel company that also runs a foundation. During a stay in the Netherlands, TAKAfrica have joined forces with the dutch organization FloFlo, brainchild of designer and engineer Floris de Vos, who devised an incredible hand-drilling rig for borehole wells allowing any community to take charge of drilling for water themselves. After an accident on an oil rig left de Vos lying flat for almost a year, he researched old Chinese methods of drilling using bamboo frames, techniques dating before Christ! With support from Shell and colleagues he designed a unit weighing only 70kg in total allowing anyone, regardless of literacy or background, to drill a well for fresh water, by hand. De Vos then tested the units from Morocco to Namibia, drilling along the way for various communities. Further development has led to a heavier-weight, 250kg electrical unit which, luckily for us, can cope... - Alison Lowndes

Today Ray Kurzweil announced the launch of the Abundance Book which promotes the simple message that "we're living during an incredible day and age" .. "the realization that the world is getting better at an accelerating rate". Having just watched Cool It by Bjørn Lomborg I'm totally up for the positive outlook; concentrating on what we can do right now to make the world a better place. AVIF's volunteers do that every time they get involved - they make change - and with good reason. It feels good. I haven't read the book yet (currently shipping internationally for $24 + $7.99) but it WILL make you feel good and positive about our future. The books authors are true change makers. Dr. Peter Diamandis is the Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and launching large incentive prizes to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Best known for the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for private spaceflight and the $10 million Progressive... - Alison Lowndes

Děkuji Petr z Česká republika <Thank you to Petr from Czech Republic> for this article: Petr & Jackson; liaison and community member At the end of my stay in Nkiito in 2010, I promised that I would come back. Last year I made friend with Jackson. We were in contact almost every 2 weeks and I tried to find some money before I come back to help the community more. This time I wanted to see Nkiito in green, therefore I chose to go there in November. I promised I came back and took some stuff for the school (more than half my big bag), gifts for Jackson and money for the community. My plan was to go there alone but I was happy that I came with one girl from Scotland. It is easier to go with two people. It was like yesterday when I saw Jackson again. Not like one and half year. It was amazing to see and hug him again. We arrived to Nkiito in the evening and there were nice memories of this place, but the village was quite empty because of the water. There was only half the people than last... - Alison Lowndes

Pictures tell a thousand words - from Petr & Ingie, 2 of  5 volunteers that stayed with our maasai hosts in November/December 2011. Click for more pictures on our FaceBook page. If you'd like to visit or simply to support the Water Project in Nkiito please contact us. - Alison Lowndes

The amazing Avis Mulhall has finally launched the incredible mmMule service. Sign up & post some requests for your projects here for example:   deliveries needed around the world; clothing, food, books, technology, mosquito nets help with finding volunteers   Avis has managed to partner with a number of travel blogs & had 1000+ signups from travellers already. A big delivery of 600 school uniforms was recently arranged all the way from Sydney to Namibia by the Mad Max 4 film crew [ video], then Oasis Overland brought it the rest of the way into Kenya! "..don't be afraid to put up even tricky deliveries, we'll do our best to try and find a solution" Avis says. We'll certainly be posting and telling all our hosts about the service too, mainly due to the inclusive AngelMule service "delivering happiness". Sign up to post some requests for your projects here and join the revolution. - Alison Lowndes

The extensive State of the Worlds Volunteerism Report, 2011, is now out. The full report can be found here but if you click the image you'll also be directed to the Press Release. Some favourite quotes are : "Volunteering is an expression of the individual’s involvement in their community. Participation, trust, solidarity and reciprocity, grounded in a shared understanding and a sense of common obligations, are mutually reinforcing values at the heart of governance and good citizenship. Volunteering is our first line of defence against social atomisation in a globalising world. Today, maybe more than ever before, caring and sharing are a necessity, not a charitable act." UNV (2000, November) "Volunteering is a path to social inclusion signifying a reciprocal relationship in which both sides benefit." "At the level of the individual, volunteer action can help people to overcome feelings of personal isolation and reduced self-worth. Volunteers come into contact with others face-to-face... - Alison Lowndes

Diego just sent pictures of the finished ponte <bridge> at Viviane's house (on left). After visiting Combu Island with Amazonart in October Viviane and her mother 'Nena' incredibly accommodated us in their home on the river. There are many different memories from the trip but what stands out to me are always the real and actual changes made. Meeting people and networking is important but only a certain percentage of people around the world “make change”. In our joint project with AmazonArt we really did. There is so much commitment from this young team and their obvious passion for Music is the medium they use to make change, especially here at the Combú Island School which is only a few hundred metres downriver from Vivianes house. I was invited to stay in the house of Izete dos Santos Costa, lovingly known as Nena, thanks to the thoughts of the fabulous Diego Carneiro who "thought I might like to" !!. Nena works at the islands only medical centre and was only too happy to offer her... - Alison Lowndes

Posted via email from alisonlowndes's posterous - Alison Lowndes from Posterous

Posted via email from alisonlowndes's posterous - Alison Lowndes from Posterous

I just spoke to the volunteers, all huddled in a mud hut in the village waiting for the rains to stop. Twice a year the rains fall on the Amboseli plains of Kilimanjaro, literally bringing life. Within hours the "Savanna" - the semi-arid landscape made up of grassland, plains, kopjes, and marshes - changes. There are very few trees here but those that survive have adapted well. Just like the maasai, trees have a difficult life. But they're by no means helpless! Covered in spines, needles, and hooks, trees have evolved to defend themselves. The "Wait-a-bit Acacia" has opposing hooked thorns, making untangling yourself from them extremely unpleasant. Even thorns have adapted to be able to continue photosynthesis during the dry season. The Whistling Acacia grows what look like flowers but actually hold nectar and its galls are home to a type of stinging ant which live off the nectar and protect the tree from herbivores. These trees have silver bark, galls and make whistling sounds as the... - Alison Lowndes

On the plains that roll out from the foothills of Kilimanjaro lies a remote maasai village called Enkito. Last year our volunteers Petr, Shiv and Emma spent the Summer there. Waking up to this. In just over a week Petr returns with Lorraine (UK) and a couple of weeks later Caleb & Kort from the US, to experience life as a maasai and learn how to truly live in symbiosis with nature. The main activities will be helping in the very basic school and learning the maasai customs. There will also be a hydrogeological survey performed by BWS, recommended and overseen by TAK Development and Hélène M. Van der Roest of www.takafrica.org. Hélène will oversee the training of a water committee in the village to control charging a fee for the water from a borehole well in order to maintain it after drilling. Hélène advises "its very important to set up this kind of Self help system ... When you provide water to a community you also need to make sure they own the borehole and can maintain it .... the... - Alison Lowndes

United Nations Volunteers have been working together with the internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter & UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo in a campaign to show the world why volunteering matters: This years International Volunteer Day is 5 December - a critical moment not only for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme but also for volunteering worldwide. The tenth Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10) will culminate with the UN General Assembly discussing volunteerism. UNV have chosen the theme Volunteering Matters because volunteers have the power to change lives. In order to showcase examples of volunteer action, from every country in the world, UNV are inviting people, from today until 6 December to submit photos in response to weekly questions posted on their campaign webpage. The photo voted the most compelling by UNV Facebook fans will become the UNV Facebook profile picture for 2012 and on 7 December UNV will reveal a mosaic of your... - Alison Lowndes

This video was made by meu amigo, Leo Chermont, in his studio. He wanted to record the power and the beauty of the people. As he says on the video "Trabalhar assim... nao tem coisa melhor" <With work like this there couldn't be anything better> Leo, in sunglasses in the video, is also accompanied by children and friends including surfer biologist Diogo "Santos" Lavareda. There are more videos from Leo on Algodoal; "a small fishing village on Ilha de Maiandeua, 180km northeast of Belém, Brazil, an attractive natural retreat with hard, windswept beaches and a sometimes turbulent sea", Lonely Planet states; "The island’s name comes from an Indian word meaning ‘uncountable riches beneath the sea.’ Legend has it that an enchanted city is submerged off the island’s northern tip." Leo & Diogo are just another, in a long line, of reasons to visit Belem, Brazil with us. - Alison Lowndes

Its so hard to know where to begin with this place. Belem & the islands of Brazil are intense, passionate, humble, beautiful, powerful ....... Its a place everyone needs to visit. With so many incredible experiences I have to remember the focus of this visit - to gain intel and links for our volunteers to come over and assist the valuable work that AmazonArt is doing here. The future of the Amazon and the communities that live here is integral to the survival and health of the planet. Everyone hears this - reads this and most people then switch over - watch a movie - worry about bills - go cook a meal. Life always goes on. But not for those killed by extreme weather - floods - drought - war because of lack of resources. Its all linked to the Amazon. This place and the entire delta, not just Brazil, is the lungs of our planet. Without it we can't breathe and there are a plethora of other consequences. Thats the horror - but people switch off to horror. What people love and enjoy are... - Alison Lowndes

This place is so amazing - apart from a hectic schedule its an incredible journey of new experience after new experience - the river - the children - the love - the crime - the emotional tears at classical concerts - the scenery - public speaking - presentations - being behind a microphone - on camera - being interviewed - but overall this project just blows your mind. I've just returned from Ilha do Combú - Combu Island - from the Day of Children "Dia das Crianças" festivities at the island school, a half hour trip from Belém city. We spent time with the children - I gave them a lesson on the rain cycle - and also watched the Horta Suspensa workshop by an incredible NGO that aims to promote, practice, discuss and try to make the world a better place to live through the principles of permaculture. The previous night I'd been treated to a night on the river, staying at the riverside home of one of the loal medical centre staff. After the rains fell it was an incredible night with clear... - Alison Lowndes

This is such an incredible place - more words over at Travel2Change's Blog ....... - Alison Lowndes

This is what volunteering gets you ...... Travel2Change's Alexandra is currently en route to Peru to assist  "Waves for Devlopment"; a project which offers Educational Surf programs to at-risk Peruvian youth, helping them to develop healthy physical activity habits, gain an appreciation for the natural environment, and acquire needed life skills while building confidence and having fun.  "Pursuing their own, individual ‘educational careers’ is an important driver of programs"; an ethos I share with KO2 Adventures, which uses zero-emission dirtbiking to do the same, in Nidderdale, North Yorkshire. How much fun can "voluntourism" be. Contact us for more details. - Alison Lowndes

Anupma wrote to me this morning. She arrived back from the Mara and took a flight to Zanzibar in order to spend more of her "limited time" there. As a photojournalist she'd been asked to submit a story but had no idea of what was about to unfold. "..it was insane here .. couldnt stop crying at the beach and it really hit me hard that I was the only "international media" (.. till the very end when 2 AFP photographers arrived) and the only one at the Maisara grounds .. I will be back to Africa. I feel I can be of more use here than anywhere else. I am off to Dar [es Salaam] by the ferry in an hour .. just been uploading, downloading, editing. writing, and watching this tragic event unfold." Anupma's graphic album is here. Please view at your discretion. Then came news from Lamu. The attack was too organised and well planned for it to have been anything but ransom-oriented. The fact the raid went ahead though when so many bodies were being pulled out of the sea further down the coast is... - Alison Lowndes

The Uhundha Orphanage Centre Committee is now a fully registered CBO; Community Based Organisation, able to apply for funding and be audited and managed efficiently - thanks to AVIF's own Bollywood movie star, Anupma Sud ;) If this wasn't result enough, Anu has already stayed an extra fortnight to collect signatures, hold meetings and open bank accounts for the CBO and Youth Group, to aid with their donation management, and is responsible for Plan International taking on the orphanage as one of only two places they want to implement a comprehensive system to help orphans and their guardians. Our unwavering volunteer has also been busy going into the local town of Usenge to train 3 of the youth group members in using email, uploading documents to Google docs, performing searches and using Microsoft Word - she's even setting homework !! Anupma reminded me "funny how we take words like backspace, delete, spacebar for granted!" There's more; the collaboration with Sana International, for... - Alison Lowndes

I'm on holiday in beautiful, coastal Cornwall right now, surrounded by fishing villages and beaches - and rain! I'm working on the Uhundha project, assisting a fishing community on the shores of Lake Victoria. One of our volunteers, Katalin, put together a fantastic photographic archive of her trip, with details, from 2008 (feel free to add her on FB to view - with an appropriate introduction ;) I've spent the morning at the holiday cottage of one of our main donors, reading through several emails from members of the project group, who, dotted around the world have been collaborating in Australia; gathering information, technical specs for aquaculture and sharing their accumulated knowledge from years of studying sustainable development - in California; details of zero-emission algae-ethanol-electricity production - in Uhundha itself (normally California) gathering donations from friends to buy small things like trash bins to aid sustainability, and much more. My thanks go out... - Alison Lowndes

Photojournalist and volunteer Anu is currently in the idyllic community of Uhundha, on the shores of Lake Victoria, western Kenya, far far away from the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. Before she left the metropolis, however, she met with many other travelers, one of whom introduced her to the Shiriki <to share> organisation. Her wonderful blog describes the visit. I've already contacted Ras Githaka to ask about helping them in their mission, since its founding 10 years ago by Ras Lojuron, an adherent of Ethiopian-borne Rastafarianism, to unite the youth in Kibera to realise the resoures in their own environment, to understand conservation and to learn how to earn a decent living rather than waiting for handouts. Over the past decade, young people from the slum have been taught how to plant trees to provide wood, produce organic vegetables using indigenous seeds, make jewellery ans shoes from seeds, bamboo, clay & have helped transform the workspace into a bright colourful studio,... - Alison Lowndes

... E V E R Y O N E !! Partners Travel 2 Change have announced the winners of their Ideas Challenge and we're thrilled that AmazonArt are included. A year ago (July 7, 2010) Nidderdale High School hosted the Brazilian Ensemble, an "Amazonian" folk and classical fusion trio of cellist Diego Carneiro de Oliveria, accompanied by Carla Ruaro Pires on piano, and Felipe Karam on percussion and cavaquinho (a small high-pitch guitar). The event was funded via the Harrogate International Festival and Live Music Now.During the day the trio held workshops with the students then a concert in the evening. My son, Ben, learnt a special technique using the triangle, which combined with tamborine had the audience in the evening concert clapping along. The concert ended with everyone congo'ing around the room to the final piece! Normally found playing cello in various concerts around Europe, Diego Carneiro comes from the city of Belém in northern equatorial Brazil, the area more widely known as... - Alison Lowndes

Sabrina, Juli and Maria have been hard at work in Eshibanze, NW Kenya, at the Canadian-born Tumaini Centre. Joined now by Canadians Ainslee and Danielle, the Health and Hygiene Program was re-started just yesterday. It instructs the children (and adults) in simple methods of washing hands before meals and after using the washrooms. Using soap, water basins and jugs sponsored from school fees, brushing teeth every morning before arriving at class is now mandatory. Toothpaste was sponsored by the volunteers; Stacey, Maria, Ainslee, Danielle (all from Canada) and Juli & Sabrina from Germany. About 100 toothbrushes and a basic first Aid Kit have also been provided through corporate sponsorship. The volunteers are also ensuring the kids have access to drinking water in the classroom to ensure they drink enough during the day (water canisters were sponsored by the volunteers, and will be filled up by the groundsman regularly. The girls have been very busy organising administration and... - Alison Lowndes

I just learnt that Tumaini's fantastic volunteer manager, Stacey, has had to cut short her 2nd semester in Shibanze and return home to Canada to be with her family. I truly hope Papa Helliker recovers well but have to thank Stacey for still finding the time, despite the worry and distress, to send me an update on Sylvia ! Maria from McGill University and Juli and Sabrina from Germany are currently pushing forward with administrative improvements for the teachers and school, as well as all the other projects initiated by our volunteers, especially Stacey, who has been tirelessly working within the community since January 2011. Stacey has been in charge while Amanda returned home with her baby daughter to open 2 new Kuku Hut shops, selling Kenyan crafts to provide an income stream for the overall project. A few weeks ago we heard that Sylvia was still struggling to socialise and become integrated into the baby class so Stacey organised a few things to help her along. Stacey reports "She... - Alison Lowndes

I wanted to share this with you after Carolyn sent it, in a final response to the disappointing news that our project to send medical equipment to Kenya had failed. Speaking at the independent TEDxMileHigh, Obura Tongoi, a young Kenyan US Air Force Academy grad and Co Founder of Africa Redefined, advises us to .. "let blatant audacity be our hallmark - let us dream beyond our capacity to imagine - let us set unobtainable goals and hold ourselves up to unattainable standards - let us commit to an impossible task - and then - lets go out and FAIL until we lose the fear of failure - lets be naive - after all we're still too young to realise that certain things are impossible - so lets do them anyway"... The medical project started over 3 years ago when the Motorsport Medical Services on the Isle of Man donated 11 boxes of TT Marshalling medical sundries to the ArrowWeb Hospital in Kayole, Kenya. I then met the wonderful Mary Wright who went on to become a Trustee for AVIF after I lost my... - Alison Lowndes

Juli and Sabrina have now been fully initiated into Kenyan life. As well as work outs with Canadian-inspired Kenyan ingenuity they've completed the chicken house and also helped improve the acoustics of the school classrooms, under the experienced guidance of Stacey, volunteer manager at the Tumaini Centre near Bungoma in NW Kenya. See Stacey's blog for more detail of the adventures with bats, sugarcane and community collaboration; all in a days work for the AVIF volunteers. - Alison Lowndes