Greetings,

The GVN Headquarters, based in stunning New Zealand, continues to attract people from all around the globe, creating a multicultural hub and unique team of staff. We are continually learning from each other and especially love sharing our strange food habits and traditional recipes from 'home!' Tracy is famous for her Indian curry, Charisse's pumpkin pie is legendary and just recently, Viet, our partner from Vietnam, visited NZ and treated us to a Vietnamese style morning tea complete with traditional tea, coffee and sweets!

So, given today is the fourth Thursday in November, the Team felt it was time for our American friends to show us what this famous holiday called 'Thanksgiving' is all about. My understanding is that it is a time to reflect, spend time with loved ones, and give thanks for the blessings in one's life.

Everyday I receive heartfelt messages of thanks from people who have been touched by their volunteer experience. Some describe moments of deep sadness, others tell stories of pure joy, all reveal it was a life changing experience due to the courageous people they met or the unforgettable sights they have seen. I love reading them all.

But today on Thanksgiving I wish to show my gratitude and dedicate this special edition newsletter to you - the friends and family of GVN who continue to support us and our work - volunteers and interns, partners, GVN-Foundation donors, Board and staff.

You are all blessings in my life and in the lives of the people we are helping.

I am so grateful that I am able to do what I do. Thank you for sharing this amazing journey with me.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Colin Salisbury
Chief Executive Officer

Giving thanks to Volunteers and Interns - I am inspired by you everyday

Anyone who makes the choice to step out of their comfort zone, see the bigger picture and volunteer their time to help another in need, has my upmost respect. Whether you volunteer in your own community or in a refugee camp in Africa, there is someone who needs you to show them that they are not forgotten and help restore their hope for a better life. I am encouraged and inspired to see the number of GVN volunteers growing, with some of you even doing two or three placements a year. Wow! You leave your friends and your family, travel to far-flung destinations around the world and put everything you can muster into helping communities that desperately need assistance.

Thank you.

This year there has also been new energy and life injected into our New Zealand Headquarters with interns from around the globe participating in our Stop Child Poverty and Training Programs. It has been wonderful having so many interesting characters with great attitudes amongst us in the office. Each intern has brought with them fresh ideas, new perspectives and a raft of skills that have helped shape our campaigns and been instrumental to the success of our fundraisers. New projects have kicked off, partnerships have been formed and solid friendships made that will last a lifetime.

Thank you.

Giving thanks to Partners - I could not do it without you

Part of the philosophy of GVN is providing 'local solutions to local problems,' which is why we work with local community organisations in each country. Our partners operate at a grassroots level which means they are on the ground working with volunteers, overseeing projects and scoping new opportunities. I have noticed a familiar trait amongst our partners that I can only describe as bold passion. I know that many of you have seen it for yourselves and developed strong bonds with these incredible people. I am also impressed at the innovative projects partners have implemented and developed with the aim of raising funds to support their programs. The CBW Poultry Project in Ghana is just one example of a sustainable project that has evolved and is now providing financial aid to projects. Importantly, our partner organisations also are responsible for taking care of our volunteers in the field and I am aware of countless times where they have gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure volunteers feel safe, comfortable and a real part of the community.

Thank you.

Giving thanks to GVN-Foundation Donors - I am so grateful for your generosity

The GVN-Foundation continues to provide financial assistance to community projects in need and thanks to our committed donors has already raised nearly $100 000 this year - an outstanding achievement! Some of the major contributions have come from Emergency Relief Aid, the Eat So They Can Fundraiser, Sponsorship, and Fundraising Treks.

- The Peru Earthquake Appeal raised over $8, 600 USD and helped rebuild the lives of over 400 families in the small community of Tantara in the South of Peru.
- The Eat So They Can Fundraiser raised over $37, 000 USD for the Kenya Children's Fund.
- The Macchu Pichu Fundraising Trek raised $28, 000 to assist the children of The Hogar de Mercedes de Jesus Molina Orphanage in Peru.
- The Everest Base Camp Trek raised $21, 0000 to help purchase land for a new orphanage in Nepal.
- Sponsorship and special projects raised over $35 000

There are also a large amount of people who have run international fundraisers for our partners: to help with school construction in Uganda, to build a well and install solar panels in Kenya, and to lend emergency care for orphanages to our Vietnam partner who has suffered bad flooding.

Thank you.

I would also like to give an honourable mention to Courtney Montague, our GVN-Foundation Director who is doing an amazing job and in the past year alone has joined me climb mountains, hike through jungle, and suffer through numerous bouts of jetlag. Yet she has somehow managed to keep that big beautiful smile on her face the whole time. You are a true champion Court!

Thank you.

Giving thanks to Board and Staff - I could not ask for a better team

While laughter is a key ingredient to any happy workplace, it's not all ping pong and fun at GVN. Our Volunteer Coordinators, the Leadership Team and the Administration Team all work extremely hard to ensure we can continue to help communities in need and provide you with the best volunteer experience possible. It's not an easy job and some days it can really feel like you're taking one step forward and two steps back. The sad stories that we hearand the poverty that we see, especially when it involves children, can be overwhelming, but you keep fighting the good fight with the knowledge that you are making a difference.

Thank you.

GVN Board members Mike, Chris and Jo, through their combined experience, knowledge and plain hard work have done a remarkable job at the helm steering the GVN ship. I am so grateful for your dedication, generosity, wisdom and especially your friendship.

Thank you.

Eat So They Can Prize Winner

Courtney Montague, GVN-Foundation Executive Director (and much loved Thanksgiving dinner organiser in the office!) has a big Eat So They Can announcement to share with you all:

"It is with great joy that on this day of giving thanks I also have the pleasure of giving a very special gift. Eat So They Can Host Jeanne Sweetman, from Colorado USA, is the winner of the grand prize trip to Kenya! Jeanne will have the opportunity to travel to Kenya in 2008 and visit the children her funds will be benefiting."

Courtney phoned Jeanne yesterday to give her the exciting news and as you can imagine Jeanne was both shocked and over the moon!

"First let me say how thrilled and honored I am to have been given this gift. Thank you so much," said Jeanne.

"I read about Eat So They Can from the newsletter. It was such a great idea. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Africa, so my friends were happy to support such a good cause. It was such a good feeling to know, that in my own small way, I was doing something for these children."

"You have opened a door for me. I am very excited to see where it leads."

The Team at GVN is excited too and looks forward to working with Jeanne and following her adventure in Kenya; it is sure to be an unforgettable one.

Thank you so much to all of you who contributed to the inaugural Eat So They Can event by hosting a lunch or dinner party on October 13th. We raised over $37, 000 and are overjoyed at the success of our first event, and obviously owe all our thanks to the amazing participants and hosts. We hope you had an enjoyable time, all the while being a positive force in eradicating childhood poverty in Kenya.

Sign up for Eat So They Can 2008 now!
EAT SO THEY CAN >>>

A Christmas like no other...A special story from Nicola Corbishley, Kenya Volunteer.

Here I was about to sit down to a Christmas dinner of roast goat, cabbage & bananas and I thought how different this was to my usual Christmas back home in New Zealand. No hot ham or turkey, no Christmas pudding to devour for days on end and no presents waiting to be unwrapped. How different this Christmas was going to be but in the days to follow I realised it was the best Christmas I have ever had. I had come to Kenya two weeks earlier to fulfil a dream of volunteering at an orphanage. My husband and I had travelled trough Africa earlier in 2006 and I knew as soon as we flew back to New Zealand that one day soon I would be back in Africa to make a difference.

People will tell you that Africa gets in your heart and soul. If you ever visit there it will be a part of you forever. The sights, sounds and smells of Africa are something that you will always remember, the poverty is something that will haunt you long after you have left, yet it is the smiles of the people that will remain in your heart forever.

I volunteered at Upendo Children's Home near Muranga, about an hour and half from Nairobi. Nothing could have prepared me for the wonderful welcome I received when I arrived, I could hardly believe I was here in Kenya at an orphanage, 40 beautiful faces looked up to me and said "Hello Miss Nicola, how are you?". This was the beginning of an experience of a lifetime.

The days were spent entertaining the children and helping out the house mothers with the mountains of washing and cleaning that only 40 children could produce! As Christmas drew nearer I asked what happens on Christmas Day? I couldn't believe the answer from the children, "We get to eat meat; we get to eat meat, yummy". Can you believe that these children only got to eat meat, something I eat nearly every day here in New Zealand, on special occasions such as Christmas Day? I asked the cook what meat we would be having, "Maybe some mince or bones" was the reply. I could hardly believe my ears; a treat to these children was going to be mince! This was something we regarded at home as the "budget" meat. I vowed then and there to make this a Christmas to remember for these children. I asked around about buying a goat, the only "meat" available in the area. By Christmas morning the goat had been delivered and was being prepared to the chants of "Yum, yum, we get to eat meat".

By lunchtime we were ready, the goat was cooked and together with boiled cabbage and the great African chapatti, Christmas Day lunch was served. Unbeknown to the children and staff I had also purchased chocolate bars and cordial in Nairobi to be given out after lunch as a surprise.

Wow, the looks on the faces as the children devoured the meat was priceless. They got 2nds and 3rds and were in heaven. I could hardly believe the happiness that a US $50 goat had given to so many!

Following lunch I bought out the "presents" for the children. No these weren't your standard Western Christmas present of an Xbox or remote control car; this was a chocolate bar, a cup of cordial and half a banana. I could hardly see the children's joy through the tears in my eyes.

I think that was the moment that it really hit me, I had given these children the best Christmas that they could have had and I had made a difference. No matter what it had cost me to get there, no matter how hard living without a shower or toilet was, no matter how much I missed my family, I had made a difference to these children's lives and that was all that mattered.

By the time I arrived back in New Zealand I had changed. Volunteering in Kenya certainly changed my whole outlook on life and I now know that together we can all make a difference to this world we live in. I believe I gained so much more from my experience than I gave and I can only thank GVN for their assistance and of course the beautiful children at Upendo, you will be in my heart forever!
VOLUNTEER IN KENYA >>>

Giving With True Meaning This Holiday Season

As we give thanks today for what we have, let us not forget those living in extreme poverty who don't have - food, clean water, medicine, a home...

The GVN Foundation allows you to give a gift of hope with true meaning by purchasing a GVN Foundation gift certificate for one of our sponsorship programs in Kenya, Uganda, Peru, Vietnam or Nepal. Your gift of kindness will ensure the cost of one child's food, shelter, education and medical needs for:

One Month $30 ($1/day)
Two Months $60 ($1/day)
One Year $360 ($1/day)

Please consider purchasing a gift certificate for the ones you hold close this festive season.

As President John F. Kennedy said "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter the words, but to live by them."
GVN FOUNDATION GIFT CERTIFICATES >>>

Mum Gives Thanks!

Introducing Nancy Kelly, Pennsylvania USA - Mum of Zach, Tanzania volunteer.

My son Zach was in Bagamoyo this summer through Global Volunteer Network and thanks to you and your organization had an amazing experience helping to open a school there. That's him looking at the little boy on the Tanzania page of your website. I just want other parents to know what a wonderful opportunity you provide for college aged kids to go across the world and contribute something of themselves to help others less fortunate. That month was worth more than four years of college tuition and will help to influence and shape the rest of his life. Your staff were accessible and helpful and the program in Bagamoyo is well run and inspiring. I have recommended this program to everyone I know who wants their sons and daughters to realize their potential and nourish their souls.
Respectfully,
Nancy
GVN TESTIMONIALS >>> VOLUNTEER IN TANZANIA >>>