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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Kevin Doyle
Aired April 20, 2002 - 09:19 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if you want more from your time off than just a little fun and sun, you might consider a volunteer vacation. Joining us now from New York to explain, Kevin Doyle, who is the senior editor of "Conde Nast traveler." Hi, Kevin.
KEVIN DOYLE, "CONDE NAST TRAVELER": Good morning. How are you, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Good. When I was reading about this, what a wonderful idea. I'm just curious to how many people really respond and do a volunteer vacation?
DOYLE: Well, thousands and thousands, actually. Organizations that run these programs are reporting a record number of volunteers this year. So clearly, there's increased interest. A lot of people for whatever reason are feeling a need to give back or volunteer in some way. And these organizations allow them to use their vacation time from, say, one week to three months to go abroad and to volunteer and to really become intimate with the foreign culture this way.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk about some of the neat trips. Habitat for Humanity, where you can go and build homes in Africa. This is one, right?
DOYLE: Yes. You can build homes all around the world with Habitat. Their mission is to wipe poverty housing off the face of the earth, and they have built 115,000 homes worldwide. They have programs -- a program called "Global Village Trips," and these are about two to three weeks in length. Africa, Asia, Europe, all over the world.
Right now, they're looking for volunteers for Jimmy Carter Work Project, the first week in June. That's June 2 through 8. They're looking for volunteers right now. And then they have a number of programs in Kenya throughout the summer. And these would range anywhere from, say, $1,800 to $4,000, including travel expenses, depending on the length of time.
PHILLIPS: That was my next question, for people that may really want to do this, but might not have the finances to do something like this. What type of incentives are there, honorariums or anything?
DOYLE: Really, the only incentive is the reward of the experience. Now, these are non-profit organizations, and you have to be willing really to pay to work for the experience, to give back. Some of them -- some of the domestic programs started at about $500. The average cost is $1,800 for two week -- again, not including travel expenses. So it's not an inexpensive proposition.
PHILLIPS: You can find raise, though. We all have good friends, right?
DOYLE: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: All right. What about this archaeological dig in Pompeii? Tell us about Earth Watch.
DOYLE: Earth Watch Institute is unique in that they pair volunteers with scientists doing original field research. So you can be working on an archaeological dig in Pompeii, as you mentioned, you can be observing dolphins off the coast or New Zealand or snorkeling a Bahamian reef to monitor its health.
I actually participated in Earth Watch community health project in Cameroon in Africa for two weeks, where we lived in huts in the bush and helped eradicate intestinal parasites in the local population. So...
PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh.
DOYLE: It's an incredible experience.
PHILLIPS: Yeah. How did that change your life?
DOYLE: I'll tell you, it really makes you realize how much we have. Just to have hot running water in your house. So I felt really that we -- it sounds like a cliche or corny maybe, but really blessed with the riches that we have here.
PHILLIPS: No doubt. All right. You had a couple other ideas in here. If you're elderly, you can go to Romania and take care of kids at an orphanage. Or you can go to China and teach English.
DOYLE: Yes, two other groups. There's another organization called Cross-Cultural Solutions. That's good for people who have a little more time. Their trips are, say, three weeks to three months. They do a lot of work in orphanages, clinics, schools and hospitals.
And Global Volunteers is another that has programs all around the world. You can work in a Romanian orphanage. If you're a business person, you could share your business expertise with a budding entrepreneur in the Cook Islands, or you could even build a playground on a Blackfoot reservation in Montana.
The possibilities are really limitless, and for more information, there's a great book called "Volunteer Vacations" by Bill McMillan. Very comprehensive. Otherwise, you can visit any of the Web sites of the organizations I have mentioned.
PHILLIPS: And also, if you have medical qualifications, you've got ideas in there for maybe doctors or nurses that want to help out. DOYLE: There is a fantastic organization called Interplast. And they look for plastic surgeons, operating room nurses, anesthesiologists, to go to developing countries, and they perform surgeries on children who are born with cosmetic birth defects, like cleft palate or maybe benign tumors. Because these children are kept indoors, out of the general population, really hidden from sight. And after just a few hours in the operating room, their whole lives are transformed. And for -- you know, for physicians, plastic surgeons, people who are qualified, it's a real deal, because you only pay $325. The rest is taken care of, but you do give two weeks and all of your abilities.
PHILLIPS: Yeah. No doubt it changes the life of those who volunteer, too.
DOYLE: It's incredible.
PHILLIPS: Oh yeah, what a great idea. Thank you so much.
DOYLE: Thank you very much, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right. Once again, that book is "Volunteer Vacations." Pick it up.
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