PHILIPPINES

[DUMAGUETE, PHILIPPINES] Isla ng Bata Girls Orphanage:  La Isla ng Bata House, the first major piece of the project, is a family home which can accommodate street girls and/or those suffering from physical handicaps, where these are loved and respected first and foremost for their diversity, supported in the path that will lead to a full and independent life. Isla ng Bata House property is immersed in greenery and surrounded by two streams. For this reason we have decided to call it Isla ng Bata, the “Island of  Children”. An island where though small, like in an oasis, the children can play and experience the joy of living. The family home was opened in April 2010 and is able to accommodate up to a maximum of 20 girls.  It is located in the village of Calabnugan, a few kilometers from the city of Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental Philippines. (a huge THANK YOU to my cousin Rose-Marie and the people at the Sibulan City Hall for this recommendation!)

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THAILAND

[NONG KHAI, THAILAND] The Isara Foundation was started in 2005 and provides help directly to those who are in need. The help comes in the form of free resources and scholarships for education, campaigns and tools for personal safety, and opportunities for improving environmental conditions.  Education: Isara teaches English and computers to students of all ages at our own free Learning Center, located in the heart of Nong Khai, Thailand.  We also provide volunteers to local government schools and scholarships to students in the surrounding area. In May, 2011 Isara expanded its free volunteer program to 20 more public schools around Thailand so that more students could benefit from studying English with native speakers.  Environment: Isara takes an active role in environmental issues by holding clean-up campaigns in the local communities.  Volunteers help with school presentations on keeping trash picked up and reducing waste by recycling and consuming less.   We take it to the streets and sometimes we even go on TV and radio with our messages to boost awareness. In 2010-2011, Isara built a 30 foot plastic bottle boat using more than 5,000 recycled plastic bottles and donated supplies. The boat will be sailed down the Mekong River, for part of our “Think Before You Throw” campaign, which educates people about the dangers of polluting their rivers and oceans.  Health & Safety: Motorcycle helmet safety is a big part of our commitment to the community and the people who live here.  Since 2005 we have donated more than 3,000 helmets to students around Thailand and work with local police and hospitals to educate people about the importance of wearing helmets.  We’ve even been known to go cross-country spreading the word one village at a time.  Misc/Other: Isara also builds playgrounds, rebuilds schools, provides backpacks and school supplies to the poor, and even takes orphaned children to the movies.  As always, our volunteers are welcome to help with any of these charity projects or suggest their own project.  Oh, I almost forgot, we also sing karaoke!  (Personal note from Pheonyx: They had me at karaoke… lol =)~

[RAYONG, THAILAND]  Wat Marp Jan is a Thai forest monastery established 27 years ago by the current Abbot, Ajahn Anan Akiñcano. Following from the tradition that Luang Pu Chah, Ajahn Anan’s teacher, had set up, there is a strong dedication to upholding the Dhamma-Vinaya, the monastic code and discipline laid down by the Buddha as well as keeping an environment of quietitude, simplicity and communal harmony.  In general staying at Wat Marp Jan is about a way of life. There is no opportunity for silent long retreats, but instead there is a focus for lay guests to develop themselves through living and participating within a monastic culture. Lay guests are expected to have an attitude of service towards the monastery and to the monks staying here. In participating in this service-orientated culture, Luang Pu Chah always stressed constant mindfulness in any activity and the attitude that abiding by the routines of the monastery is a way of letting go, the heart of the Buddhist practice. (A huge THANK YOU to Sage Yelm for this recommedation!)

 CHAIYA, THAILAND]  Chaiya is one of the oldest cities of Thailand. The name might be derived from its original Malay name “Cahaya” means ‘light’, ‘gleam’, or ‘glow’.  (LOL… couldn’t be more perfect! )  Wat Suan Mokkh is a forest monastery where about 40 monks live in little huts in the forest. From July to September, during the traditional three month rain retreat, the number of monks may increase to more than 70. Another part of the mon­as­tery grounds is re­served for nuns and lay women.  At one time, before 1996, a small community of foreigners lived at Wat Suan Mokkh, known worldwide as a centre for meditation. Today only occasionally foreigners will stay longer than two or three days before or after the retreat at the associated Inter­na­tional Dhamma Her­mit­age about 1.5 km to the east of the main mon­as­tery.  This hermitage attracts more than 1,000 foreigners a year to Wat Suan Mokkh, which some­times appears as Wat Suan Mok in some publications and websites that try to cap­ture the pronunciation. The visitors attend 10-day silent retreats with instruction in med­ita­tion and Dhamma. The instructions at the International Dhamma Hermitage are given in English.  (a huge THANK YOU to Marabeth Madsen for this recommendation!)

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INDONESIA/MALAYSIA/BALI

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AUSTRALIA/ NEW ZEALAND

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INDIA

[RAJASTHAN, INDIA] In 1972,  Sanjit “Bunker” Roy founded the Barefoot College, in the village of Tilonia in Rajasthan, India, with just this mission: to provide basic services and solutions in rural communities with the objective of making them self-sufficient. These “barefoot solutions” can be broadly categorized into solar energy, water, education, health care, rural handicrafts, people’s action, communication, women’s empowerment and wasteland development. The Barefoot College education program, for instance, teaches literacy and also skills, encouraging learning-by-doing. (Literacy is only part of it.)  Bunker’s organization has also successfully trained grandmothers from Africa and the Himalayan region to be solar engineers so they can bring electricity to their remote villages.  Roy says, Barefoot College is “a place of learning and unlearning: where the teacher is the learner and the learner is the teacher.”  (a huge THANK YOU to the folks at TED Talks for leading me to this information!)

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NEPAL

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TURKEY

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AFRICA

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CENTRAL AMERICA

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SOUTH AMERICA

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NORTH AMERICA

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CANADA

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Do you know of a project, organization, festival or community event looking for speakers, teachers or volunteers?  If so, let us know by leaving a comment with a link to their website below, OR send us an email at pheonyx.rizing@yahoo.com!  Just one of the many wonderful and appreciated ways you can help the project grow and help us fulfill our mission of supporting and connecting with compassion service projects around the world! Thank You, Merci, Gracias, Salamat and Namaste!

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The OCG Awareness Project 365+: One World. One Journey. Three Parts.

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About OCG + About Pheonyx + Current Projects + Services to Humanity = ♥

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