http://allnationsintl.com/blog Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:48:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Volunteer Service in the DR Today we hear much about "making a difference." It drives many people, especiially college youth, to come to the Dominican Republic and volunteer for a week or so. Tourists often write to me and ask how they can help. After nearly 20 years of working among the ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/08/06/stages-of-making-a-difference/ Embedded video from CNN Video Over the last couple days, I have been in Haiti, spending my time walking around with an adorable young gal named Deena. She is 15 years-old, and was born and raised in Haiti. Within minutes of meeting her, there were things that were impossible not to notice. ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/07/19/a-capacity-for-cruelty-is-never-justified/ Without a doubt, we are getting ready for one of the biggest challenges of our organization. From August 13th – 17th 2009 All Nations International volunteers will be leaving the comfort of their homes to serve the poor and needy communities in Puerto Plata Dominican Republic. Thanks to the help ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/07/16/outreach-trip-2009/ Volunteer Service in the DR Rescued Restavek Children Restavek is a Creole term which literally means "stay with." An accurate term in that these children do stay with their hosts, working as domestic servants in exchange for a roof over their head, some leftover food and, supposedly, the ability to go to ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/07/16/restavek-children/ Port-au-Prince.– Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said this week a lack of cooperation between Haitian politicians, aid groups and business leaders was hurting efforts to help the impoverished Caribbean nation. Clinton, on his first visit since being named U.N. special envoy to Haiti, said he was optimistic about its future but ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/07/16/bill-clinton-tours-empoverished-haiti-areas/ If parents want to raise generous children, what works? Years of looking into which youth experiences best predict giving by adults offer some clues. * Seeing an admired person who isn't a family member help others. * Seeing a family member help ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/06/28/tips-for-raising-generous-children/ There is so much trouble in the world... What difference can one person make? It may seem easier to just bury our heads in the ground and not engage, not get involved, not care. Sometimes, we are dealing with our own troubles, and feel that we don't have the resources to help ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/06/24/why-wait-for-a-crisis-to-give/ Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. --Mohammed Ali http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/06/24/muhammad-ali/ http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/06/23/bogota-colombia-may-2009/ Martha Hoffman is a mother of three and lives in a Northeastern shoreline suburb. Martha was a happy stay-at-home mom, and had no idea her call to mothering would go beyond her natural offspring and take her across the world. "It all literally started with a dream one night," Martha began. She ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/05/11/mothers-who-make-a-difference/ Some of us in the United States might be preparing to celebrate Mother's Day with a backyard party and are worried about pesky mosquitoes after rains across the country. We should consider ourselves lucky to view mosquitoes as pests: in much of the world, mosquitoes cause malaria and malaria causes ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/05/07/mothers-mosquitoes-and-millennium-development-goals/ http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/04/22/happy-earth-day/ Our mission is to provide a unique and memorable experience in every aspect of our outreach trip. The participants will have the opportunity to take in the culture and beauty of the Dominican Republic. Participants will also have the opportunity make a difference in the lives of many. Everyone will ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/04/17/dominican-republic-outreach-trip-july-30th-aug-3rd-2009/ http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/04/15/dominican-republic-april-2009/ Upon arriving in the Dominican Republic I was met by Ronald Rogers of All Nations International and we began our scenic drive through Cordillera Central, the central mountains stretching from Santo Domingo to Puerto Plata. I had met 2 of the 4 co-founders of All Nations International, Ronald Rogers and ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/04/15/kerry-norton-april-trip-to-the-dominican-republic/ Given the current economic climate, it goes without saying that many people are having to make very difficult decisions, cutting back on spending and going without anything not strictly essential. For some, that means some hard choices about charitable donations: if you're a regular or occasional contributor to good causes, ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/04/15/how-to-give-to-charity-when-you-dont-have-money-to-spare/ Professor Greta Binford from Lewis and Clark University in Portland Oregon has brought a couple of students and a husband and wife teach who have worked for National Geographic to document the collection of spiders in the Dominican Republic. Professor Binford taught the children about the importance of spiders and ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/25/university-students-and-spider-scientist-teach-in-the-barrio/ Santo Domingo.– Writer Carlos Agramonte, author of a novel denouncing the existence of slavery on Dominican sugar plantations, said he will leave the country due to constant harassment since the work was published. Agramonte, a professor of engineering at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, told the press he will leave ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/22/dominican-writer-complains-of-being-harassed/ http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/22/photos-from-the-dominican-republic/ Dr. Luis Ernesto Feliz Baez, director of the National Department for the Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (DIGECITTS), is concerned that young Dominicans are not knowledgeable about AIDS/HIV. He quotes a Program for the Education of Sexual Effects (PEAS) survey that reveals that 42% believe that HIV is transmitted through ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/14/aidshiv-awareness/ http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/10/playa-oeste-jose-manuels-house/ http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/10/playa-oeste-the-beautiful-west-beach/ There are many moments I think Oh my gosh, what have I done? Then, I am so grateful to have this opportunity. I finally feel like I am becoming the person God has called me to be. I am not saying it has been easy-far from it. But there are ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/03/06/what-is-it-like-living-here-dominican-republic/ I write to you as I am leaving Port Au Prince, Haiti. I am moved, inspired, in deep sorrow, in outrage. I am filled with a vastness of contradictions that explode the heart and bend the mind. Beauty in the mountains, the sky, the earth, the stars, the air, the ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/19/v-day-a-trip-to-haiti/ Volunteer Service in the DR http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/11/elle-richfield-doing-census-work/ Volunteer Service in the DR http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/11/census-and-feeding-of-140-children-in-barrio-san-pilipe/ Volunteer Service in the DR Elle Richfield is from London, England, and volunteering for a month in the Dominican Republic. Her focus is on early childhood education. Soon to start her Master Degree she thought she would test her life vision in a country with educational challenges. She comes from a ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/09/child-protection-volunteer-arrives/ We will be having a meeting on 2/7 from 3pm - 6pm. Location: Central LibraryOne Margaret Mitchell Square Atlanta, GA 303032nd Floor Meeting Room 404-730-1700 Topics:We will show video footage of the Dominican Republic, discuss future events and projects. Please let me know if can or cannot attend the meeting. You ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/04/all-nations-international-meeting/ Service is an opportunity that everybody has to contribute to the world. It's like breathing in and breathing out. Although we need to breathe in, it's equally important to breathe out. It's important to receive and it's important to give, and to give of ourselves in the way that actually ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/04/service-another-way-to-love-one-another/ The main school our children go to is called Chocolaterra. It is a huge, empty warehouse that has been semi converted into a school. There are 5 classrooms with around 50 students per room. No running water or bathrooms. They do have desks, but the teachers ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/03/vocational-school/ This is a start of a new year and new opportunities surround me! I get excited just thinking about it, how as one simple person I can make a difference. Now I am joined with others, we can have a huge impact on entire communities. This year ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/02/we-always-have-a-chance-to-make-a-difference-in-the-world/ "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." Rabindranath Tagore http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/02/02/service-was-joy/ "You can bring the blessings of who you are to any situation simply through your loving and compassion. Smiling at people is a great service. Bring forth that place from within you that smiles upon the world and smiles with compassion upon someone in need." John Morton from: You Are the ... http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/01/30/you-are-the-blessings/ "Joy can be real only if people look upon their life as a service, and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness" Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/01/29/object-in-life/ "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves." James M. Barrie http://allnationsintl.com/blog/2009/01/28/sunshine/