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Reflecting on a Year of Impact

Dear Globalteer Community,
As we approach the end of another impactful year, I am filled with gratitude and pride for the incredible work that we have collectively accomplished at Globalteer. Together, we have continued to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those in need, and I am excited to share some highlights from our endeavours from 2023.

Our commitment to making a positive impact on the world remains unwavering, and the stories of transformation and empowerment we've witnessed are a testament to the dedication of our team, volunteers, and supporters.

Here are some key highlights from the past year:

Education Initiatives: Our education programs have flourished, providing underprivileged children with access to quality education. Through the tireless efforts of our staff and volunteers, we've expanded our reach and made a lasting impact on the futures of children.

Community Development: Globalteer has continued to invest in sustainable community development projects. From clean water initiatives to healthcare programs, we've been working hand in hand with local communities to create lasting change and improve overall well-being.

Animal Welfare: Our commitment to animal welfare this year focuses on our PAWs project in Peru where we provide neutering and healthcare to roaming dogs and village cats.

Volunteer Impact: Our volunteers continue to be the driving force behind our success. Their passion, dedication, and skills have contributed to the success of our projects, fostering a sense of global citizenship and solidarity.

I encourage you to explore our report where we focus on our initiatives in Peru and Cambodia and you can delve deeper into the specifics of our projects, read inspiring stories, and see the tangible impact we've had on individuals and communities.

None of this would have been possible without the ongoing support of our donors, partners, and volunteers. Your belief in our mission has fuelled our efforts and inspired us to reach new heights.

As we look ahead to the future, I am confident that Globalteer will continue to be a beacon of hope and positive change. Together, we can create a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

Our work in Peru

Picaflor House Children’s Project

Picaflor House is an afterschool programme for kids which was founded in Oropesa, just outside Cusco in 2010. It was intended to be a safe haven for children to go to in the afternoon outside of school hours. The need for such a project arose because in Cusco, the parents are forced to work long hours in order to support their families. The knock-on effect of this in a place like Oropesa is that once the children finished school at 1pm, the children were unsupervised, unfed, and would wander the streets all afternoon, leaving them in a vulnerable and unsafe situation. One outcome that the Picaflor House seeks to prevent is children dropping out of school and engaging in child labour, something which is common in the area.

Picaflor House Children’s Project’s work this year offers numerous services, including:

Nutritious meal: Every weekday, the children at Picaflor House receive a nutritious meal. This is not only important for physical and mental development, but acts as an incentive for the children to return to Picaflor to access the other services that we provide.

Homework assistance: The children are assisted with their homework daily in order to maintain their grades. By assisting the children with their homework every day, we also guard against parents forcing their children to drop out of school to engage in child labour due to poor grades.

Supplementary education: At Picaflor House, the children receive Spanish, English, math, and art lessons to supplement their school curriculum.
· English lessons were introduced because so many employment opportunities in Cusco are found in the tourism sector. Teaching the children English allows them to pursue opportunities in the tourism sector, which they otherwise would not be able to do.

The services above are offered daily at Picaflor House. However, sometimes, there is a need to offer services outside of this scope. One such example was this year when we offered eye tests to children in Oropesa. This is because it became apparent that some children were performing poorly academically, and that a major factor was due to poor eyesight. The children at Picaflor House were then offered free eye tests and glasses. This initiative was then extended to other members of the community in Oropesa.

It is difficult and costly for children in rural villages to access optical care and is a possible reason some children are not performing well at school. With large class sizes in government schools, kids who do not perform well are not given the attention needed.

I am optimistic that the work being done at Picaflor House and surrounding communities is not only leading to immediate, positive results in children’s rights and community development, but that this initiative will lead to long-lasting, sustainable outcomes.

The Globalteer Mobile Library

This project was created during the Covid pandemic to address the major issue of children from rural villages falling behind in their studies.

The pandemic dramatically changed the nature of learning around the world. With schools quickly shifting to online learning, children without access to the internet and computing devices were left behind. This is the case for many children in rural communities around Cusco, who were unable to access the government’s online learning platform.

We purchased a vehicle in which we can access remote villages and send our teachers along with resources to help children who were left behind in their education. The programme has slowed up somewhat in 2023 but we have been actively looking for grants to get back up to full steam in 2024.

Peru Animal Welfare Programme

The Peru Animal Welfare Programme (PAWS) initiative arose due to Globalteer’s desire to protect animal welfare in Peru, particularly in the Cusco region. There are four main reasons why this programme is needed in Cusco, and these are:

1. There are a high number of street dogs in Cusco, with estimates being as high as 40,000.
2. Female dogs are being culled in the rural villages around Cusco as a form of population control.
3. There is a lack of veterinary care available in the Cusco area.
4. There is a need to improve social attitudes towards animal welfare and care in the area.

Globalteer initially started off by supporting dog shelters in the area, but soon realised that caring for rescued animals was not enough to fully solve the street dog problem. PAWS was then established by Globalteer to have a wider scope and create more sustainable solutions. We received a grant to purchase a mobile veterinary clinic and our work started!

To reach its objectives, PAWS offers the following services:

Neutering: Free neutering and spay surgeries are offered in the rural villages in an attempt to control the dog population.

Veterinary care: Free veterinary care, including routine vaccines, is offered in order to ensure both the health and wellbeing of dogs.

Education: Paws runs public information campaigns where children and members of the community are taught about animal care in order to change social attitudes towards animals.

An example of our education campaigns was when PAWS went to Picaflor House to conduct an animal wellness workshop. The rationale for this is because children are often the main caregivers of family pets, and they are the ones to show the family pets the most love and affection. Our hope was that the workshop would not only give the children information on animal welfare, but that the children would pass that information on to members of their families and communities, as societal education offers the best prospects for sustainable solutions.

So far in 2023 we have provided healthcare to 1,512 roaming dogs and village cats.

Our Work in Cambodia

Helping Hands School

The Helping Hands School began in 2006 in the rural village of Prasat Char, around 25kms from Siem Reap. This was in response to the lack of access to education and healthcare many in the community faced. Although Cambodia offers free public school for half the day, many children are still unable to attend due to not having school uniforms and scholastic materials such as pens and paper. The inability to buy these materials means that although public school is free, many children are still not able to attend school which continues cycles of poverty in the country.

Helping Hands School is an afterschool programme whose aim is to protect and promote children’s rights in the following areas:

Education: Helping Hands provides children with an education with the intention of giving them knowledge and skills to help them develop personally and professionally.
· We teach up to 300 students between the ages of 4 and 20. Our curriculum includes Khmer literacy, numeracy, English, health and hygiene, and life skills.
· Additionally, we also provide children with school uniforms so that they can attend public schools.
· Finally, we provide university scholarships for young adults. For those not seeking tertiary education, we rely on our partners for vocational training at numerous hospitality and training schools in Siem Reap.

Child Safety: Our Child Safety Modules contain eight modules of key safety issues for children. The intention is to teach children how to keep themselves safe in various scenarios, ranging from how to cross the road safely to which parts of their bodies cannot be touched by others.

Healthcare and Nutrition: Adequate nutrition is crucial for children as it contributes to their physical and mental development.

· At Helping Hands, a healthy and nutritious breakfast is provided for the children. The food for the breakfast is sourced from the on-site organic garden and is prepared in alignment with the guidelines issued by the United Nations World Food Programme.
· The students also receive toothbrushes and are encouraged to brush their teeth daily to promote oral hygiene.
· Dental care is also provided for students.
· For those who require urgent care, we provide transportation to the free children’s hospital.

Social Care: Dedicated social workers are provided in order to maintain our relationship with the learners and their families. A trusted relationship makes it easier to work through issues such as low attendance, and it ensures that students are more likely to remain in government schools and the Helping Hands School.

The work that Globalteer does in Cambodia is not limited to the beneficiaries we serve, but it extends to the community at large. This is because Globalteer is invested in the community as a whole and does not want to create an island of prosperity in a sea of poverty. The Clean Water Project is an example of this. Here, we installed a new water tank at Takam School, ensuring that the children and staff have access to clean water throughout the day. Access to clean drinking water is crucial not just for hydration and development purposes, but for sanitary purposes to avoid diseases.

Globalteer Sports Programme

The Globalteer Sports Programme is our initiative which seeks to empower children through sports. We, at Globalteer, believe that sport does not only promote physical development, but it can be used as a tool to teach children about teamwork, fair play, social issues, and to develop leadership skills. This initiative is very popular with the children as over 2,000 children have enrolled for this programme for 2023.

Physical education and sports is seriously lacking in rural schools in Cambodia so this project fills a much needed gap in part of children’s development.

The Globalteer Sports Programme is founded on the following five principles:

1. Physical Education: Physical education is used to educate children about the human body, and how to handle and maintain it. The children are taught about stretching and warming up before engaging in sports.

2. Sports Festivals and Yearly Games: Here, the aim is for the mass participation of all genders and abilities, be financially inclusive, and be fun for the children.
2.1. We have had approximately 1,000 children participate in the Games, and the hope is that this number will improve over time.
2.2. The Games are similar to the Olympic Games in that they begin with an opening ceremony and include traditional sporting codes such as running and jumping, along with activities such as tug-of-war and three-legged races.

3. Goals for Girls: This programme is aimed at specially selected girls between 16-19 years old who are brought together for a series of leadership workshops. Over the course of a year, sports will be used to teach the girls leadership skills, how to be role models, and the role of women in the community in the hopes that they transfer these skills to everyday life.

4. Sports Coaching – Rural Focus: Although access to sports is limited to young people around Siem Reap, it is more inaccessible to young people in rural areas. Our aim is to expand this programme to remote communities, and we have partnered with local schools to achieve this goal.

5. Sports for Social Impact: Although sport is primarily about learning the skills and rules of a particular sport, sport can also be used to impart social messages. Here, sports will be used to teach children about children’s rights, the environment, gender equality, alcohol/drug abuse, and corruption and fair play.

The overarching aim of this programme is to bring sports to children who would otherwise not have access, along with empowering them socially along the way. We am pleased that our work in Cambodia seems to be bearing fruit, and we look forward to the continued growth of this programme in the future.