We received another piece of negative feedback this morning about Foundation Eco-Volunteer UP. A young woman who we won’t name for reasons of privacy has been left high and dry on San Cristobal, Galapagos Islands. We have sent her details of some reputable organizations to find a replacement project at short notice.

Earlier this year we heard from another young lady whose placement had fallen through with Foundation Eco-Volunteer UP. Amazingly this young woman thought she was working through us because of Foundation Eco-Volunteer UP’s web address. As stated previously on this site, this organization made a conscious decision to use an hyphenated form of our domain name (www.volunteer-latinamerica.com) to cash in on our brand. We are in no way affiliated with Foundation Eco-Volunteer UP. This organisation was previously called Urcu Puyujunda and their original web address was www.cloudforestecuador.com.

If you would like to use the services of an in-country placement agency we strongly advise you to give Foundation Eco-Volunteer UP a wide berth. They definitely get the thumbs down from us.

The Book of Green 2010 edition has arrived and Volunteer Latin America is listed for the second successive year. The eco-living directory Book of Green is the most comprehensive guide for everybody to genuinely and easily green their lifestyles. Hard copies will be distributed throughout June and July but an online version is available from today.

Initially, this didn’t seem an appropriate time to announce the arrival of a new website but considering Thailand’s need to woo back tourists after recent rioting our timing could be perfect.

Thailand’s tourism industry is suffering from the recent 2 month-long anti-government protests, which ended on 19th May with 88 people dead and some of the capital’s most popular shopping areas in flames. Hotels across the country are reporting less than 50% occupancy after many tourists changed their holiday plans to avoid the trouble.

International tourist arrivals and revenues could fall between 10% and 20% this year. Such a decline would present serious problems for the country’s economy, which relies on tourism for roughly 6% of gross domestic product and for more than 15% of its jobs.

Despite recent events you shouldn’t give up on Thailand, it still has much to offer and is great value for money if comparing it to other countries. The food alone makes Thailand a worthwhile stop for long-haul and round the world travellers. Thailand isn’t the most popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia for no good reason.

If you are interested in doing more with your time than lazing around on picture-postcard beaches or attending full moon parties, we encourage you to checkout a recently launched volunteer orientated website. It aims to promote volunteer organizations in Thailand and help them recruit international volunteers.

Volunteer Work Thailand lists many organizations actively seeking volunteer assistance on projects such as community development, wildlife conservation, and education programs. The site offers something for everyone, whether you are seeking a long term stay or a short working holiday.

Although the site will only play a small part in helping the Thai travel business bounce back from crises, it will undoubtedly provide much needed support to a multitude of community service and conservation projects in difficult times.

If you are looking for a great way to meet locals and experience the cultures and traditions of Thailand, you know where to look first.

We sincerely apologise for all the political posts recently but feel it’s important to share some of the information not broadcast on mainstream media. If you haven’t encountered any of this before you might be shocked by the content of our articles and think we are drawing extreme conclusions. However, if you do your research you will see that the truth has been mostly hidden from you. Our opinions are based on years of research and the thoughts of many preeminent public intellectuals: John Pilger (Australian investigative journalist and documentary film-maker), John Stockwell (former CIA officer), Noam Chomsky (American political commentator and linguist), Naomi Klein (Canadian-American author and activist), Ramsey Clark (former US Attorney General), etc. People of this ilk are a beacon of light in dark times (a means to enlightenment).

Although Haiti is not one of the countries we serve, it is a metaphor for U.S. hegemony and its perpetual exploitation and impoverishment of Latin America and the Caribbean. U.S. foreign policy has nothing to do with freedom and democracy, it is about controlling the natural resources of these countries and their market place, using the people for cheap labour, and keeping the business of war ongoing. Right-wing institutions in the U.S. have already declared their intention to use the disaster in Haiti to further a corporate agenda.

We are truly passionate about Latin America and our altruistic nature goes beyond helping grassroots organizations carry out their vital work in the environmental and humanitarian sectors. This is what separates us from other voluntary work facilitators – our willingness to speak out against injustice and corporate greed. In order to protect the environment, and help the economically, socially and politically disadvantaged people of the region, it is essential we inform people about the actions and intentions of the U.S. political and economic elite.

The Latin people for most of their history have struggled for democracy and had they been free of imperialistic interventions aided by domestic comprador, they would have achieved much more in the social, economic and political arena. Any attempt at liberation and autonomy has been forcefully confronted and decapitated. Since independence, Latin America as a region has experienced over 160 coups, and during the same period their powerful neighbour to the north often presenting itself as a benevolent imperial protector of its backyard by intervening when its interests warranted. The U.S. has maintained its hegemonic control through regional treaties, agreements and support of the elite dominated regimes nourished through social, economic and military means. Today those countries which have opted for democratic socialism or are struggling against globalization, and neo-liberalism are engaged in a desperate struggle to sustain themselves in the face of a very destructive and dangerous form of terrorism – monetary terrorism.

If you want to get informed we recommend you read ‘Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy’ or ‘Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance’ by Noam Chomsky, ‘Freedom Next Time’ by John Pilger, ‘The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism’ by Naomi Klein, and ‘Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent’ by Eduardo Galeano. You should also start using independent and alternative news networks, and seek out informative films and documentaries. For example, ‘What I’ve Learned About U.S. Foreign Policy: The War Against the Third World.’ Although now a little dated this powerful 10-part compilation is a shocking expose of CIA covert operations and U.S. military interventions since WWII. This video compilation is an excellent and invaluable educational tool that reveals the true nature of U.S. foreign policy. For those who seek to look at the bigger picture and underlying causes – this is a must-see.

Today is International Volunteer Day, a celebration established by the United Nations to commemorate the contributions and dedication of volunteers worldwide.

We would like to say a big thank you to all the world’s volunteers for the incredible work they do.

Since our inception we have been contacted by many organizations around the world asking for our assistance in volunteer recruitment. As we now have a substantial amount of information on volunteering in Thailand we have decided to do something with it. Thus, we will be creating a directory of free and low cost volunteer work in Thailand. We have yet to decide whether to build a dedicated website or post the volunteer opportunities on this blog. Please watch this space for further announcements.

We have changed our Twitter username from latinize to latinvolunteer. This should help people find us on the Twitter network.

Appearing this month on the shelves in WH Smith and Borders nationwide, new eco-living directory Book of Green is the most comprehensive guide for everybody to genuinely and easily green their lifestyles.

With the general public currently becoming more receptive to living a more eco-friendly life, this completely free guide points the consumer in the right direction – it includes hundreds of approved ethical providers in a wide range of sectors including business services, health and beauty, home and garden, green energy, travel, parenting and food & drink. All the companies in the directory are in some way mostly or completely environmentally friendly, sustainable, fair trade, organic, ethical and socially responsible.

Book of Green is intended to show everybody how to easily reduce their carbon footprint, live a healthy lifestyle and make a personal positive impact on the environment by integrating truly ethical products and services into their daily home and family lives.

Book of Green is co-founded by Sue Jueno (founder of Allthingseco) and Katie Keegan (founder of One Green Earth), whose combined experience of 6 years in the eco/ethical business arena has given them the experience, knowledge and contacts to create a guide for green living which everybody can trust.

“Being green is more than reducing the threat of climate change, it’s also about ethical trading and personal health. The companies found within Book of Green provide solutions across all sectors through their products & services to help build a positive foundation for your family’s future generations,” says Katie Keegan.

“With credit crunch in mind and a passion for promoting green shoot businesses we have made Book of Green extremely affordable to advertisers and free to the public to show off exceptional companies that are solving environmental problems and that will be leading us into the future,” says Sue Jueno.

Welcome to the Latin Lounge – the new blog for Volunteer Latin America. We promise a wide range of posts to inform and entertain our readers.