To All My Dear Friends, Family, And Loved Ones Otherwise:

May 2, 2011

Dear Loved Ones,

As most of you well know. I have spent the last year volunteering for the national organization AmeriCorps. This has meant my participation in a wide range of projects and activities. I’ve learned many valuable skills in fields that I might never had had time to explore otherwise, including conservation and ecology, volunteer recruitment and coordination, literacy outreach, invasive species removal, habitat restoration, and education.

Having learned so much, in the company of many other driven, accomplished and compassionate people, I feel that it is time to take my knowledge and use it to its best effect elsewhere. “Where is ‘elsewhere’?,” you may ask.

After researching for weeks, an organization called the Sudanese Volunteer Programme came to my attention. SVP is based in London, UK and serves mainly universities and schools in Khartoum, Northern Sudan. Their mission is,

“…the exchange of cultures and the forging of life-long links is our main objective. Improving the standard of English amongst Sudanese is but a useful and welcome by-product of our endeavours!”

Volunteers are housed at their affiliate universities, but can spend time in the homes of their students and colleagues, who live outside Khartoum in Sudanese villages. There is also an Arabic language exchange between volunteers and villagers; being fascinated by languages, I would love the opportunity to learn Arabic. SVP provides a stipend equivalent to a local teacher’s salary. This is not much by American standards, consisting of $130 Sudanese dinars, but it is enough to purchase food, clothing, etc. during the stay. According to SVP’s staff and former volunteers,

“The people are genuinely lovely in Sudan and welcome you into their homes with a generosity that is embarrassing. We seem to have lost this generosity in the West where we tend to be suspicious of the ‘foreigner’. In Sudan, it’s what makes the whole experience worthwhile.” (from SVP’s volunteer blog)

It sounds like we will be well taken care of and welcomed as members of our Sudanese communities. SVP employs volunteer teachers for a minimum of 6 months. At the moment, as discussed with SVP’s director, David Wolton, I would like to depart for Khartoum in October of 2012. This gives me just over a year to prepare.

While there is no cost to the volunteer (save for recreation) while in the Sudan, if I am to make this journey, I will need to raise money for airfare. Currently, tickets from Seattle to Khartoum, where I will be met by SVP staff and taken to my university, cost around $1500. There are very few secure ATMs in the Sudan, nor can American credit cards be used there, so I will also be saving money for exchanging on arrival in Khartoum-this will help purchase appropriate clothing in the local style, toiletries and food until SVP’s stipend kicks in. SVP helps its teachers store & safeguard personal items, paperwork and valuables while in Sudan.

I’m sure the question of security and safety is foremost in your minds. Let me assure you that Khartoum and the Northern Sudan are a far cry from the Darfur Region. SVP provides traveler’s insurance for all of its staff, and the people of the Sudan are, as mentioned, friendly, helpful and peaceful. One of the goals of this project is to foster cultural awareness between the West and the people of Northern Sudan; it is very important that the global community understand the situational differences between the regions. I hope to contribute by lending my skills and an open ear to the people of Sudan, then by passing what I’ve learned there on to my friends, family, peers and community here in the U.S.

So, why am I writing to you?

In order to ensure that I reach my fundraising goals, I’ve decided to reach out to my loved ones for donations. I feel that working with SVP for 6 months will help me immensely in the future: jobs in teaching English as a second language, overseas, and in community services and activism will become easier to obtain. I will have precious knowledge of cultural practices, customs, and the Arabic language. Most of all I will have been able to contribute to the global community in a meaningful way.

If you are able and would like to help me get to the Sudan, please let me know. I will be writing/emailing with updates as often as I can. Regardless, you all have my appreciation for your unending support. Thanks for being with me while I prepare for another adventure!

With Love,

Michele