Help this Peace Corps Volunteer!!!!
Donation protected
Greetings and thank you for your generous support you have given to the many worthy causes that are found on GoFundMe. Welcome to mine! My name is Thong Do and my goal is to continue volunteering for an additional 2 years once my Peace Corps service is completed. I plan to do a total of 4+ years volunteer work with NGOs (Non Governmental Organizations) serving orphanages, impoverished youth, education programs, disaster relief, teaching English, and animal and forest conservation.
In 2002, I served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Transylvania region of Romania. I had the opportunity to be assigned to a UK charity, Hope and Homes for Children, and worked with the local orphanages for children and young adults with special needs. This was one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences of my life. The fact that I could witness the misery and poor conditions of these orphanages and then see the children placed in loving and caring homes was extremely moving for me. Seeing the joy and appreciation of those receiving a small act of kindness has forever humbled and motivated me.
After my Peace Corps service, I continued my education and pursued my M.A. and got a career in the government sector. After nearly seven years in the government sector and 14 years since I first joined the Peace Corps, I have decided to become a Peace Corps Volunteer again. I decided to join again because I missed the hands on work and working directly with those in need. I made the decision to do this now because I’m currently middle aged and unsure if I would have the opportunity to do this at a later time in my life.
In March of 2016, I will fly to Armenia and will serve for 2 years and 3 months. I will be working in the Community and Youth Development program and where I will be assigned to a local NGO once my training and Swearing In ceremony is completed. My job title will be NGO Advising Volunteer and as with many former Soviet republics the concepts of NGOs are still a new concept and much expertise as well as experience is greatly needed in this area.
My Peace Corps Armenia service will be completed in 2018, but I would still like to continue volunteering afterwards. I plan on working with private volunteer organizations throughout a total of 20 Asian and African countries. The type of volunteer work will range from natural disaster relief, working in orphanages, teaching English, construction and renovation of needy schools, and animal and forest conservation.
The Peace Corps will provide me a re-adjustment allowance of $8,000 USD for my 2 years and three months volunteer service. They also provide room and board, medical care, and transportation during my service. However, unlike the Peace Corps, many of these private volunteer organizations I plan to join require their volunteers to be fully self funded. Therefore, I am hoping to fundraise through GoFundMe an additional $20,000 during my Peace Corps service. Your generous donations will cover my transportation costs, mandatory health insurance, vaccines/inoculations, and visa fees.
In addition to $8,000 USD I earn from the Peace Corps, I plan to spend $17,000 of my personal savings towards my volunteer goals. My goal is to spend at least 1 month volunteering in each of the countries I plan to work in. The $25,000 USD that I contribute will go towards the program/administrative fees, room and board, and language lessons.
The countries I selected include Mongolia, China, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Kenya, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papau New Guinea, Australia, and Fiji.
To see the financial costs involved with these programs visit:
IFRE Volunteers
http://www.ifrevolunteers.org
International Volunteer HQ
https://www.volunteerhq.org
Involvement Volunteers International
http://www.volunteering.org.au
Love Volunteers
http://www.lovevolunteers.org
GapXperience Asia
http://www.volunteerforasia.com
Frontier: Conservation, Education, Exploration
http://www.frontier.ac.uk
I will have a blog where I will be logging in all of my volunteer efforts for the next 4 years. You can track my progress at www.theiconichand.com
Thank you for your generous donations towards my cause and please include an email address so I can share the photos of the people who will be impacted by your act of kindness.
Sincerely,
Thong Do
In 2002, I served as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Transylvania region of Romania. I had the opportunity to be assigned to a UK charity, Hope and Homes for Children, and worked with the local orphanages for children and young adults with special needs. This was one of the most rewarding and satisfying experiences of my life. The fact that I could witness the misery and poor conditions of these orphanages and then see the children placed in loving and caring homes was extremely moving for me. Seeing the joy and appreciation of those receiving a small act of kindness has forever humbled and motivated me.
After my Peace Corps service, I continued my education and pursued my M.A. and got a career in the government sector. After nearly seven years in the government sector and 14 years since I first joined the Peace Corps, I have decided to become a Peace Corps Volunteer again. I decided to join again because I missed the hands on work and working directly with those in need. I made the decision to do this now because I’m currently middle aged and unsure if I would have the opportunity to do this at a later time in my life.
In March of 2016, I will fly to Armenia and will serve for 2 years and 3 months. I will be working in the Community and Youth Development program and where I will be assigned to a local NGO once my training and Swearing In ceremony is completed. My job title will be NGO Advising Volunteer and as with many former Soviet republics the concepts of NGOs are still a new concept and much expertise as well as experience is greatly needed in this area.
My Peace Corps Armenia service will be completed in 2018, but I would still like to continue volunteering afterwards. I plan on working with private volunteer organizations throughout a total of 20 Asian and African countries. The type of volunteer work will range from natural disaster relief, working in orphanages, teaching English, construction and renovation of needy schools, and animal and forest conservation.
The Peace Corps will provide me a re-adjustment allowance of $8,000 USD for my 2 years and three months volunteer service. They also provide room and board, medical care, and transportation during my service. However, unlike the Peace Corps, many of these private volunteer organizations I plan to join require their volunteers to be fully self funded. Therefore, I am hoping to fundraise through GoFundMe an additional $20,000 during my Peace Corps service. Your generous donations will cover my transportation costs, mandatory health insurance, vaccines/inoculations, and visa fees.
In addition to $8,000 USD I earn from the Peace Corps, I plan to spend $17,000 of my personal savings towards my volunteer goals. My goal is to spend at least 1 month volunteering in each of the countries I plan to work in. The $25,000 USD that I contribute will go towards the program/administrative fees, room and board, and language lessons.
The countries I selected include Mongolia, China, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Kenya, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Papau New Guinea, Australia, and Fiji.
To see the financial costs involved with these programs visit:
IFRE Volunteers
http://www.ifrevolunteers.org
International Volunteer HQ
https://www.volunteerhq.org
Involvement Volunteers International
http://www.volunteering.org.au
Love Volunteers
http://www.lovevolunteers.org
GapXperience Asia
http://www.volunteerforasia.com
Frontier: Conservation, Education, Exploration
http://www.frontier.ac.uk
I will have a blog where I will be logging in all of my volunteer efforts for the next 4 years. You can track my progress at www.theiconichand.com
Thank you for your generous donations towards my cause and please include an email address so I can share the photos of the people who will be impacted by your act of kindness.
Sincerely,
Thong Do
Organizer
Thong Do
Organizer
Indio, CA
