Paula Newton is a freelance writer and management consultant. The editor of V!VA Travel Guide to Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands, she has an insatiable thirst for off-the-beaten-track travel. Paula has traveled extensively in Europe, Asia and Central and South America. Those volunteering in Ecuad[...]
Archive for the ‘Tips & Resources’ Category
Eco-Giving & Responsible Gifts
In this season of giving, I tried to focus on giving presents beyond the sheer materialistic exchanges that entrap many in the United States but also here in Guatemala. Giving canbe inspired, creative, and ecologically friendly. I tried to pursue traditional eco-giving- but with a twist. The twist[...]
‘Tis the season to be… Giving
Thinking on the best ways to give and donate in this season of generosity, I wanted to follow on from Amanda’s final comments in her post about her observations in Honduras, with particular reference to this point: ‘…it is almost always better to donate money rather than objects. Shipping [...]
A Do-Gooder’s Guide to Responsible Giving: Kiva Cards
In the United States, it was ushered in on Friday the 25th of November in the wee hours of the morning. Here in Ica, Perú, it is manifested in the towering polyethylene Christmas tree and tinsel-adorned telephone booths in the Plaza del Sol shopping mall. Around the world, in many forms, it’s upo[...]
So you’re thinking about the Peace Corps?
My journey into the field of international development was bred from a mix of wanting to be like Indiana Jones and a champion for world peace. I also really liked the idea of getting paid to travel around the world and interact with local people. That being said, I didn’t always want to be a P[...]
La Vida: Teaching English in Quito, Ecuador
First off, thanks Rob for the recent guest series on various volunteer and development opportunities. Your experiences and incites were concise and objective, great advice to the budding idealist in Latin America. While reading your entries and others on the site lately, I have been deeply consid[...]
Guest Post: To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow, Eso e’ la pregunta. (Part III of III)
Today’s guest post comes from Rob Gradoville, a current Kiva Fellow, Rotary Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow in Cusco, Peru. Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity[...]
Guest Post: To Kiva Fellow or not to Kiva Fellow, Eso e’ la pregunta. (Part II of III)
Today’s guest post comes from Rob Gradoville, a current Kiva Fellow, Rotary Scholar, and Fulbright Fellow in Cusco, Peru. Since 2005, Rob has been thinking about the best way to provide the basic services that rural folks in the developing world want and need most: clean water and electricity.[...]




