In 2011 JAA will develop and launch a number of international programs. We are currently exploring communities in need in Rwanda, Cambodia and the Pacific Islands.

Volunteer NEPAL

Click here to download the application form for Volunteer Nepal 2010.

Jewish Aid Australia and AUJS sent 7 young adults to Nepal for a month of volunteer work and development education in Dec 09/Jan 2010. Below is a reflection by Volunteer Nikki Dunn.

A visit to Mahadebesi Village and it’s Blind Orphanage

It wasn’t the tiny straw shacks,

Nor the piles of stones of which there were stacks.

It wasn’t the wet girl without the towel,

Nor the toilet smell which was foul!

It wasn’t the hospitality of Utam and his wife,

Nor the little value placed on a single life.

It wasn’t the girl with the infected sore,

Nor the fact they have nothing, yet always give you more.

It was the blind kids that touched me the most,

The smiles on their faces as they showed us their posts.

It was the little girl singing and then the older boy,

The way they supported one another and reveled in each others joy.

It was their look of pure glee as biscuits arrived,

The little, slow licks to keep them alive.

It was the carer’s affection, care and love,

This oasis of peace, the image of a dove.

Volunteer Nepal participants 2009: Alyssa Kaplan, Tamara Marzcak, Jess Osie, Keren Tuch (madricha), Nikki Dunn, Anna Haber, Jon Hambur