Full training presentation for all Sustain Haiti volunteers, Summer 2010

1. Sustain Haiti Pre-Departure Training

4. Project Expectations

14. General Disclaimer : Everything is subject to change according to circumstances/projects/partners/local needs & demands ... determined in Haiti as events occur. Just be ready to roll with the punches. It’s going to be great .

16. Pre-Departure Requirements

18.  Emergency money – $50 recommended (don’t carry a lot of cash on you in Haiti)  Fundraising Efforts ($2,000 in 3 weeks prior to departure)  Attend Training Meeting (good job)  Copy of your plane ticket  Copies of documents for Volunteer Coordinator in US & Haiti In-Country Manager: - 2 photocopies of Passport - 2 photocopies of airline ticket - 2 photocopies of driver’s license - 2 photocopies of credit card (if using in Haiti) - 2 photocopies of international coverage health Insurance For International Students: 2 copies of your special documents

20. You really need to get immunized – the consequences could be unpleasant

26. Personal Preparation for Living and Working in Haiti

27. Warner Woodworth April 2010 WORKING EFFECTIVELY OVERSEAS: Training for Volunteers

28. Objective: Help volunteers to identify ‘best practices’ for living and working effectively in Haiti

29. The Effective Overseas Volunteer

35. LIVING AND WORKING OVERSEAS

36. Many of the challenges volunteers have will fall under one or several of the following categories: Personal Issues (Pre-departure) Family Friends Big Issues (Pre-departure/In-country) Security Health Politics Religion Culture Shock (In-country/re-entry) (see following slides)

37. FINANCES, HYGIENE, etc. Finances -Budget and Plan your expenses, keep track of expenses and exchange rates. -Don’t carry large amounts of cash Hygiene -Keep yourself clean, healthy and pleasant -Volunteers who are not healthy can’t work. Other - Your country managers will take care of transportation - Uphold transit laws when you’re a pedestrian - Dress appropriately (you won’t need to dress up in Haiti)

38. CULTURE SHOCK: 4 STAGES Honeymoon - Great expectations and positive outlook Anxiety stage- Homesickness, Boredom, withdrawal (need to build a new social structure to replace the old one you left behind) Rejection or Regression stage- Things don’t work! Anti-social, rude Some people never get past this stage, even after many years in-country Adjustment stage-You find a ‘middle ground’ and ‘bicultural perspective’ *REMEMBER: The intensity of each stage varies and with every person differently.

41. LESSONS LEARNED FROM VOLUNTEERING OVERSEAS 9. Humor, Patience and Adaptability are helpful. Flexibility does not mean volunteers can do their ‘own thing’; flexibility is adapting to changing conditions and opportunities within the context of the project for which volunteers were brought to the country to work. 10. Volunteering takes commitment. All involved have invested a great deal of time, energy and resources in developing this project, recruiting volunteers, establishing partnerships and coordinating efforts.

42. Any Questions? Sustain Haiti!