Development Education news

EIL staff team: Caterina Totaro

Caterina Totaro, Development Education Co-ordinator at EIL Ireland, presents herself and her duties at the Cork based not-for-profit organisation.

"The voice of the returned volunteers is more powerful than anything else in promoting interest and familiarity with development issues here in Ireland..."

Global Awareness Programme: Lynda Piper-Roche Volunteer in South Africa

Lynda Piper-Roche is one of the winners of EIL Travel Awards 2009 and will spend two months in South Africa as part of the Global Awareness Programme. We asked her some questions about her expectations, motivation and her feelings before she leaves this month. This is what Lynda told us during the interview.

"I have wanted to go to Africa for a long time now and EIL has helped me to do this. I am really excited, I cannot wait to go over..."

Global Awareness Programme: Ciara Cunningham Volunteer in South Africa

Ciara Cunningham is one of the winners of EIL Travel Awards 2009 and will spend two months in South Africa as part of the Global Awareness Programme. We asked her some questions about her expectations, motivation and her feelings before she leaves this month. This is what Ciara told us during the interview.

"Personally, I am expecting a challenging and mind broadening experience and potentially life altering as some previous volunteers have described it..."

Support Ciara’s African work at local coffee morning

On June 26, 2009 The Roscommon People covers Ciara Cunningham's story in the article Support Ciara’s African work at local coffee morning. Ciara is one of the winners of EIL Travel Awards 2009 and will travel to South Africa as part of EIL’s Global Awareness Programme.

In July, Ciara will travel to Athlone, a community to the east of Cape Town, for nine weeks to work with children living with HIV and AIDS...

EIL staff team: Anton Kieffer

Anton Kieffer, responsible for Volunteer Programmes at EIL Ireland, presents himself and his duties at the Cork based non-for-profit organisation.

"I’m aware of the positive effects on volunteers and on the communities they will be a part of. Volunteering helps people gain another perspective of the world" .

Minister presents EIL Travel Awards

Mr. Billy Kelleher TD, Minister for Trade and Commerce presented the EIL Travel Awards 2009 at a ceremony in Cork on Monday June 8th. At a cost of over 50,000 euros 32 young ambassadors will travel to Japan, South Africa, Ecuador, Argentina, Hong Kong, Mexico, the USA and Germany in 2009.

April Network Weekend 2009

During the last Network weekend, EIL members participated in a workshop on "Working for Trade Justice and Fairtrade" facilitated by Orla Quinn, Education Officer with Trocaire.The workshop helped EIL members appreciate the need to examine the impact of policies, political and economic decisions made in one country or region on

EIL at the Volunteering Information Fair - Irish Aid Centre, Dublin - Sept 26th

EIL will be represented at the Volunteering Information Fair in the Irish Aid centre in Dublin on Saturday the 18th of April.

I will be there at the EIL stand from 10am to 5pm. it is an opportunity to meet face to face and to discuss about our different volunteer programmes abroad. A wide range of other organisations will be represented as well.

If you want to learn more about the event visit the Irish Aid website: http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/centre/events_detail.asp?eventID=305

G20 Summit, London, April 2: know more and take action!

On April 2, 2009, world leaders from the G20 countries will gather in London to continue a conversation they started in November 2008 in Washington, D.C. The G20 is a collection of some of the most powerful industrial countries, as well as some of the leading emerging economies such as China, Brazil and South Africa.

A Second Chance for a Happy Life – Stories from Khayelitsha, South Africa

I have come to a school in Khayelitsha, the largest ‘township’ in Cape Town, to look for five-year-old girl called Zola. After an hour of searching along rows of shacks I would have been lost only for my companions, two social workers who were working on this child’s case.