The #ColorMyWorldPledge helps guide each volunteers focus in the lead up to their summer. From the beginning, volunteers are impressed on how important learning the language is. No volunteer needs to be fluent in Spanish to do a humanitarian trip with Color My World, but knowing a few phrases and questions really does make a big difference.

Next, we asked our volunteers to learn a little about the communities that they will be working in, and what the realities of poverty actually are. As you get to know the communities that you will be working with, you will soon realise that a poor GDP does not always equal a low quality of life. The families that you will work alongside understand the meaning of family and community. You will be able to learn so much during your humanitarian trip.

Today we are asking our volunteers to go one step further, and find a way to fundraise for Color My World. Whether collecting items to bring down on your humanitarian trip, or raise funds to help support the projects that Color My World sponsors around the world… we need your help.

By spending time in the lead up to your humanitarian trip fundraising for people around the world, you will be focusing your mind on the true purpose of the trip. If you decide to fundraise, these funds will be used on vital projects around the world. Some of these are, funding of the building of homes in Jiquillo, or the school in Islamabad, Pakistan. Whereas, if you choose to bring items to donate, you will be able to provide much needed items to communities that do not have the affluence to afford such items.

What items can you donate?

Sometimes it can be difficult to know what to collect and donate on a humanitarian trip. Check out some of the tips below from what we have seen volunteered in previous years.

Hygiene kits

Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and sanitary packs are all vital items that many families find difficult to afford in some of the communities we work with.

School kits

Pens, pencils, notepads, and translation cue cards are all items that can make a real difference in a child’s life.

First aid kits

Simple first aid necessities are items that are needed, and can prevent further issues. Band aids, paracetamol, anti-bacterial wipes, are all vital items, no matter where you live.

New born kits

multi vitamins can be vital for expecting mothers. These things are not in large supply in the communities that we work with. Blankets for new borns can also make a real differences for new mothers.

These kits can be simple and easy to gather. Whether you are able to collect 20 kits or 100, each kit will make a real difference to a persons life. Taking the time to fundraise will help you create a stronger connection with the community that you will be working with during your humanitarian trip.

Take the challenge with the #ColorMyWorldPledge, and find time this summer to fundraise.

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Below are three top tips that have impacted us as a charity, and have shaped what we do.

You will learn more than you can give.

It is common for volunteers to view these humanitarian trips as an opportunity to give of all that they have, and not expect anything in return. Volunteers set aside a week of their vacation, and pay to work. We are so grateful for these selfless volunteers, and their efforts.

One of the most special parts of volunteering is how much you learn as you give of yourself. No matter the age, or the reason for volunteering with Color My World, all volunteers leave learning more from the community that they will be working alongside than they could ever give.

Learn the value of community and family.

With the development of technology and devices, we seem to have become more recluse, spending less and less time with those we love. Whilst volunteering, you will fill your time by interacting with the community. Here you will learn first-hand the value of strong communities and families.

One simple thing that always surprises me each year, is how connected everyone is. One morning each week we will say to one of the local teenagers that we want to play a baseball or soccer game that evening. A few hours later, we have a whole community with us. At these times I wonder, if I had to get my neighbours to join me in a game, how many would I know well enough to get to join me?

Address the real needs of the community

Our views on service develop and change with each passing year. When we began visiting Central America, the most important thing we could do was plan a project months in advance that we could properly prepare for, advertise and work on.

This last year however, we learned a real lesson during our humanitarian trips that has really shaped how we have approached 2017. A week before our first group joined us in Nicaragua there was an earthquake that impacted the region where we were going to be working. In that moment, the needs of the community completely shifted, and our plans as a charity changed. Within a few days, we planned to help an orphanage in a nearby city, donating funds and effort to help them recover from the earthquake.

As a charity, we now joke around that our slogan is “subject to change,” because we have learnt that lives and needs can change in a moment, and we are there to work with a community, not for ourselves.

During your time volunteering, you will have many personal moments. These are just a few that we are a charity have cherished, and have helped shape what we do. Take some time now to evaluate your reasons for volunteering, and how you are preparing yourself for the experience.

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One month from today we will be starting the Color My World humanitarian trips in Central America. The preparation though starts today. As part of the #ColorMyWorldPledge we are challenging you to learn at least 10 phrases in Spanish. These can be simple phrases like,

What is your name?

(Cuál es tu nombre?)

Do you want to play a game?

(Quieres jugar?)

Where do you live?

(Dónde vives?)

Each word and phrase that you learn in Spanish will result in a deeper connection with the community that you will be serving alongside. Ask any prior Color My World volunteer about their memories and experiences, and they will not tell you of how many houses they built, but of the friends they made while serving.

Why is taking the pledge and learning the language so important?

Color My World volunteers come from all over America. Each person has different talents and capabilities. But one resounding message came from our surveys of our 2016 volunteers. When asked what they wish they had done to better prepare for their humanitarian trip. Overwhelmingly, our volunteers responded saying that they wished that they had learned more Spanish in preparation. As a team, here at Color My World we realised that we had to do something about this, and help future volunteers properly prepare for their humanitarian trip.

Take the pledge and start learning a new Spanish phrase a day. The more you learn, the better you will be able to communicate with the people that you will be working alongside.

We want to hear from you, after you learn a phrase that you think you might use in Central America, why not post it on social media using #ColorMyWorldPledge. You share your phrase of the day, and we will share one of our back!

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As a team, here at Color My World, we have thought for a long time about what advice we can give our volunteers to help them make the most of their experience. We even carried out surveys with prior volunteers to make sure that we weren’t missing anything!

After a whole lot of planning, we came up with the #ColorMyWorldPledge as a way for every volunteer to make sure that they were truly prepared for their summer humanitarian experience.

What is the #ColorMyWorldPledge?

By taking the pledge, volunteers are committing to themselves and their friends and family that they are going to make sure that they are completely prepared for their humanitarian experience. The pledge focuses on 4 key areas,

learn the language

learn about poverty

keep a journal

fundraise for a day

These 4 areas enable the volunteer to make sure that they will be an asset to the community that they will be serving, whilst enabling a change in their own lives. The whole process follows the Color My World Mantra of searching inward, looking upward, and reaching outward.

How you can take the pledge?

Show your support by posting on your social media the #ColorMyWorldPledge. Use our picture and share what you are looking forward to most.

Each week we will be sharing ideas and insights into the 4 different parts of the pledge, inviting you to take part, starting on Monday 8^th May with learning the language.

By taking the pledge, we also invite you to share the pledge. We want to know what you are doing. If you learn a new Spanish phrase, share it on your social media and tag us in it, we’ll share one back! We are all in this together.

We can’t wait to have all our volunteers join us this summer in Central America, fully prepared to make a difference in the world.  

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Central to everything that we do as a charity is the volunteers that work with us.

Our volunteers have come from all over the US, and even England to give of themselves, and sacrifice their time and efforts for those less fortunate.

With the growth that Color My World has experienced over recent years, and the good that it has consistently been able to deliver, we are now looking for volunteers to help support our programs.

Become a Color My World Volunteer Team Leader for our Nicaragua 2017 sessions, running from June 26th to July 24th 2017, and be a part of a team that works alongside the communities in Nicaragua to make a real difference in the world.

How to apply

Applications for becoming a Color My World Nicaragua Team Leader open Monday October 10th 2016 and close Monday December 10th 2016. Applicants have to be 21 or older and complete the following two steps:

1. Complete our Volunteer Team Leader Questionnaire.
2. Create a 3 minute video telling us why you would be a great Color My World Nicaragua Volunteer Team Leader, and share it on our social media pages with the hashtag #CMWteamleader.  Submit your video to dantaylor@colormyworldkids.org

What we are looking for?

Over the four week period, we will be having 120 volunteers joining us in Nicaragua. We need someone that is able to connect with our volunteers, and the community that we will be working in.

We need you to;

• Speak Spanish (preferred)
• Set an example
• Have an outgoing personality
• Take responsibility

What do you get from being a Volunteer Team Leader?

As a volunteer team leader, we will cover your airfare for travelling to and from Nicaragua, and the cost of staying each week, allowing you to focus on being the best Volunteer Team Leader that you can be.

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With the 2017 season just around the corner, we wanted to share some great fundraising that has happened in previous years, and some top tips for your fundraising.

Selling baked goods

Friends, family, work colleagues, just about everyone loves to eat cakes, cookies and treats… especially if they are homemade! Last year, we had one volunteer raise all of the funds to volunteer in Nicaragua for one week by just selling cookies. We had another group of girls from Utah raise funds by making cakes and selling them in their neighbourhood.

Arts & Crafts And Dress Making

With all fundraising ideas, the best projects come when volunteers use their unique skills and talents. This summer a volunteer from England made dresses and outfits for children in Central America, and sold them to people in her community to raise funds for volunteering in Nicaragua.

Valentines flower delivery

One great way to fundraise is by providing gifts and treats during the holidays. On valentine’s day we had one of our volunteers in Baltimore deliver flowers and other gifts. With all of the upcoming holidays throughout Christmas and New Year’s, there are plenty of opportunities to fundraise.

Gofundme pages

Every volunteer who raises funds for Central America makes a fundraising page online. It is now easier than ever, find the best fundraising page that works for you, fill out your details, share an emotional video and story of why you want to volunteer, and share with your friends and family. Frequent updates, and sharing online are the key principles of successful fundraising campaigns.

As a charity, we encourage everyone to consider volunteering, to give of their time to work alongside others in need. With the fundraising opportunities now available through the internet there is no better opportunity to raise funds to volunteer.

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The town of Jiquilillo is home to so many of our volunteers because of the connections and bonds that are formed with the community.

One of the members of the community who’s name will never be forgotten by any Nicaragua volunteer is Alvaro, a 17 year old from Jiquilillo, and a best friend of Color My World.

Throughout Alvaro’s teenage years he has followed the same career path as almost every other man in Jiquilillo, fishing. Night and day fisherman will travel miles out to sea, searching for their food and income for the day. With the ever increasing numbers of fisherman in the Pacific Ocean, boats have to travel further out and disrupt the ever diminishing fish eco systems that are struggling to stay alive.

With schooling in Nicaragua only going to age 11 for 80% of Nicaraguans, people like Alvaro have very little opportunity to choose which career path they want to follow.

As a human family, it is up to us to support each other. Each day Alvaro would help volunteers in Nicaragua learn Spanish, and answer questions about the country, helping us to integrate with the community, and not just be visitors looking in.

The decision was made while in Nicaragua to sponsor Alvaro in school, paying for the tuition fees, and assisting him in deciding what he wanted to do for his career.

Now Alvaro goes to school every week. While the cost of tuition may be covered, each day he has to catch a bus that takes 2 hours to get to Chinandega, he has to buy school supplies, and food for each day that he is in school.

By working together, we can support those  that want to support themselves. Help sponsor Alvaro. Whether $10 or $50, any amount can make a difference.

[give_form id=”2722″]

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Volunteers are eager to prepare for their time in Central America, by creating hygiene kits, donating money, and making outfits for the locals and families.

One of our volunteers this year has decided to go above and beyond in her dedication to serving the people of Nicaragua. For the last 3 months Alison Taylor, and a team of helpers have made dresses and shorts for the children of Nicaragua.

The decision to make the outfits originated from wanting to do something for the orphanage that Color My World works with each year, the idea was to make an outfit for each of the children in the orphanage. This original project was sponsored by Ashley Grange Nursing Home in Downton, where Alison was employed. After Alison began making the dresses for the orphanage, others wanted to get involved. Soon what began as a single volunteer and a sewing machine became a team of eager sewers.

With just 2 weeks until Alison goes to Nicaragua to deliver the outfits, the last outfit has just been finished making the total 80! Many of these dresses are yet to be sponsored by donations.This number of outfits well exceed the goal of dressing the orphanage, it enables new dresses and shorts to be given to the children and families of the Villa Esperanza house building project.

When Alison reflects upon the project she says :

“I have enjoyed sitting up late in the night sewing away on my machine picturing in my mind the children that will wear the clothes that I am making, I know that this is the feeling of my friends too, there have been many emails and calls from people eager to help that i do not know, the excitement in doing this project has been just wonderful”

The value of these outfits will not be lost on the children of Nicaragua. To enable the Nicaraguan people to take pride in themselves by what they wear, the Nicaraguan Government has asked that humanitarian charities do not give away second hand clothing. The vision behind this is that no child or family feels second class through what they wear.

The outfits that Alison and her friends have made encapsulates the Nicaraguan vision. No outfit has ever been worn before, but instead made completely from scratch. Emails have been sent back and forth from England to Nicaragua to discover the different sizes of the children, and their favourite colours and designs. What started off as a nice idea and good intentions has flourished into a project that will make a difference in many children lives.

When planning sustainable projects, the first hurdle to overcome is to ensure that the impact will remain long after the volunteer leaves. Just as snow disappears in the spring, and fills the earth with much needed nutrients, so too should any volunteers effort that is given. The name of the volunteer may be forgotten, but the difference made remains.

As a charity, we are overjoyed by the efforts and dedication of our volunteers in looking for ways that they can help make a difference.

If you would like to donate towards an outfit for the children of Nicaragua, then fill out the form below, and help us make a difference in Central America.

[give_form id=”2722″]

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While the activities vary each year according to needs, the supporting of the rising generation is always a constant focus.

Color My World is proud to sponsor schools and community centres in Jiquilillo, Nicaragua and their English programs. Each year we have volunteers work in local community centres and schools to help increase the opportunity for learning in these rural communities.

In a recent article The World Bank highlighted that 80% of all 25 to 39 year old Nicaraguans have a primary school education or less, with that percentage growing in rural areas.

Over recent years Nicaragua has received attention from the travel and tourism industry from its untouched natural habitat, and continued reductions in crime. This attention will require a workforce capable of speaking a variety of different languages, with English being one of them.

This fact hit home last year in our 2015 humanitarian trip when one of our Nicaraguan friends that we had been working with for several years became a tour guide for the hotel where we stay.

So what is it that our volunteers can expect to do while in Nicaragua? The answer is simple,
reach out and share what you know.

We do not expect our volunteers to have teaching qualifications, or to take away from the skilled teachers that they already have in Nicaragua, but instead to help and support in the rural areas that are in need.

With every volunteer comes a more authentic way to learn a language, instead of reading from a book, the locals have the opportunity to practice their skills through conversations, and learn the intricacies of the language.

When it comes to charity work though, every volunteer soon realises that they receive more than they can ever give. We see this happen every day in Nicaragua, and the classroom is no exception. As soon as volunteers arrive they practice their Spanish with the locals, learning from the very people that they came to serve.

Color My World has noticed how important this is, and has hired one of the local mothers to teach Spanish to the volunteers each week, focusing on just one of the many things that the volunteers learn from the people of Nicaragua.

What is the result of the Color My World Education Program? For everyone to be changed as a result, the volunteer and the local by learning from each other.

“The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives”Robert M. Hutchings

Donate to help keep our education programs operating in Nicaragua!

[give_form id=”2722″]

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From the very first day of volunteering with Color My World, you will build relationships and bonds with the locals that you will work alongside. Often in broken conversations of part Spanish, part English, and a whole lot of gestures, you will learn of their lives. Without exception, every volunteer returns home from their trip committed to apply what they have learned from their friends in Nicaragua, to appreciate family more, to be grateful for everything they have, and to remember that happiness is not based upon possessions.

Kelli Ferre, a volunteer from our Nicaragua 2015 program shared her #Nicatakeaway on how spending a week with the people of Nicaragua changed her life, she said;

“Nicaragua is my favorite place in the world, and I am so grateful I got to serve there for a week last summer. It was so humbling for me to experience poverty first hand. What impressed me the most was how happy they were. They have almost nothing, but they were always smiling and so cheerful. This serves as a good reminder to me that I can be happy in any circumstance, and that we don’t need much to find joy. I love the people of Nicaragua, and I really hope to go back one day.”

We love every single one of our volunteers, because we get to be a part of their life changing experience. To see a volunteer arrive in Nicaragua at the beginning of the week, unaware of the what to expect, and return home with a piece of their heart left in Nicaragua is a humbling, special experience.

To return to the question of who gains most? It really is no question. We may supply the money and manpower to build a house, or to feed a community in poverty, but the people of Nicaragua, our friends, have the power to change who we are, and the direction that our lives are heading.

When volunteering, give your all, don’t hold anything back. Become a part of the community. By so doing, your life will be changed in ways that you never thought were possible.

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