Community Partner since 2007.

Teaching, Gardening, Building and Crafting in Cuba

Both the gardening and maintenance teams set out for their work locations at 8:00AM, and the English teaching volunteers were off by 9:30AM for the Community Center. Sandy and Bill hoisted buckets of sand, gravel and concrete by means of a rope to the rooftop of the Church  – where their project manager applied a second […]

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Teaching Projects in Ciego de Avila, Cuba

Our inaugural conversational English classes in Cuba were tremendously successful for volunteers and students alike!  Working with a Cuba English language teacher and his students, we provided their first opportunity to work in small groups with native English speakers. The number of students varied from 15 to 45 – more in the evening than the morning.  Their ages […]

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English Teaching in Cuba

Our first destination this morning was ICAP: Cuban Institute of Friendship with People. Tears immediately sprang to my eyes as I saw a group of beautiful Cuban students in their identical red school uniforms. After we gathered, we were each approached by an individual child and given a hand-colored picture of the Cuban flag. Songs […]

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Landmark Cuba Volunteer Program Begins!

After a quick one-hour flight to Santa Clara, we’re off to Ciego de Avila with our gracious hosts, Eduardo and Ramon. We arrived at our wonderful hotel (Hotel Ciego De Avila), got our room assignments and had dinner at a nearby restaurant. On Sunday, we had the privilege of joining Eduardo for his Church service. […]

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“We’re Willing to Roll up Our Sleeves”

Traveling to Cuba is surprisingly easy.  After a short flight from Miami, we were met at the airport by our Cuban liaison – who reminds us of an old friend. Most of the Cubans we meet with are very educated, and excited to speak English with us.    They’re curious about our lives, and happy to share […]

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“Be an Agent for Peace and Justice”

The direct flight from Miami to Havana is disarmingly brief, as I discovered during my first trip there on a Global Volunteers People-to-People program in 2012. After our ascent, we enjoyed just a few minutes at “cruising altitude” before the captain announced our descent into Cuba. It shouldn’t have been surprising since we were only […]

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New Service Program Announced!

We’re thrilled to announce that beginning in May, Global Volunteers will send volunteer teams on two-week service programs to assist children and families in Ciego de Avila, a rural community in the island’s interior, on projects for conversational English, cooperative farming initiatives, and building painting and repair.  Other work projects are expected to be added throughout 2015. […]

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New Opportunities for Americans in Cuba!

In December, President Obama announced a series of actions aimed at easing travel and trade restrictions between the United States and Cuba. With these changes, Global Volunteers is prepared to begin a new relationship with our community partners in Ciego de Ávila. Highlights of the changes being made in U.S.-Cuba relations include: Once relations are re-established, […]

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“I Can’t Wait to Return”

In December, when President Obama discussed ending an outdated foreign policy with Cuba,  all my family and friends had an opinion.  But not one of them had actually spoken to anyone living in Cuba under Castro’s regime.   I spent a week in Cuba with Global Volunteers’ People-to-People program.  The group and I had spent hours talking to students […]

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54 Minute Flight From Home

As I live in Florida, I feel as if I my 2013 journey to Cuba with Global Volunteers was an homage to my Cuban American friends and colleagues. Cuba is beautiful, deteriorating, and complex. The people are warm and welcoming. Everyone dances, sings, and/or plays instruments. The old are survivors and resourceful. The young are […]

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Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

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