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About Volunteers for International Development and Aid (VIDA)

Volunteers for International Development and Aid (VIDA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization committed to undertaking capital and other projects that enrich quality of life in communities worldwide. VIDA partners with developing communities in need and deploys volunteers to create sustainable, replicable solutions to issues of poverty, hunger, access to education, gender inequality, child mortality, maternal health, disease, environmental sustainability, sanitation and economic development. VIDA aims to educate community members and develop local leadership that will maintain and, if possible, repeat successful projects and programs after completion.

VIDA partners with the community stakeholders in all phases of planning, design, construction, and community education in order to promote long term operation and maintenance of projects and programs by the recipient community. VIDA has partnered with non governmental organizations (NGOs) in developing countries in order to facilitate communication with proposed project communities. The NGOs provide guidance to VIDA involving local construction materials and methods, local customs, needs based assessments, and long term sustainability feasibility assessments for potential VIDA projects.

VIDA provides volunteer/tourism opportunities for Americans that seek fulfilling travels to developing countries in order to help raise the standard of living in the recipient community. Volunteers work alongside VIDA members, partnering NGOs, and the community to complete small scale sustainable development projects.

International Voluntary Service Activities

We anticipate taking 10-15 volunteers this year and 15-25 next year. Our trips last year were unofficial assessments taken by founding members to establish partnerships with community organizations and to scout our first projects. The following are our current projects:

1. The Tsito Awudome, Ghana Orphanage Project includes the construction of an orphanage building, a self composting latrine, a washroom, and a well. The project will immediately improve the standard of living for the children of the current orphanage. Moving the orphanage to land owned by the headmaster will free funds that will allow for better living conditions of the orphans housed both at the orphanage and foster homes. The project will also result in the potential for future site development (educational center).

2. The Nicaragua Water Program is a result of VIDA’s partnership the Las Vegas Professional Chapter of Engineers Without Borders – USA (EWB-USA) and the community of El Robledal, Nicaragua. El Robledal is a town of 250 people currently without a safe or reliable water source. Our health assessment revealed that the community is suffering from health effects due to bathing in contaminated water. EWB-USA has completed a water quality analysis which revealed a high level of pesticides in the water supply. VIDA is currently facilitating the program and anticipates traveling in December of 2010 to implement a solution.

3. VIDA is currently in the construction phase of the Manpong School Program. The community of Manpong, located in central Ghana. Currently there is no school for the more than 80 children in the area. Students are educated in a decapitated building and must halt educational activities every time it rains. Parents in the community have become frustrated with the poor state of educational infrastructure and were beginning to remove their children from school altogether. A partnering NGO alerted VIDA of the dire situation in Manpong. VIDA raised funds, partnered with the community in the planning of the new school, and recently began construction of a new school. VIDA intends to take volunteers to the community in the summer of 2010.