This is a sponsored post on PCDN
DanDlion is a Colombian non-profit organization that supports volunteers from different parts of the world in their desire to be agents of social transformation mainly in the city of Medellín, Colombia.
We help connect volunteers to meaningful and high impact volunteer opportunities to help foster positive collaborative social development. Our work is based in ethical learning service philosophy where transformational change is a two-way street. We seek volunteers who have both skills but also humility and are eager to learn from the people and culture where they are based. We also strive to facilitate strong placements where local organizations can best utilize the skills of our volunteers( to learn before to serve learningservice.info).
Medellín is one of the most important cities in Colombia and attracts significant attention from foreigners due to its pleasant climate (an average of 24 ° c in the year), its delicious variety of food, the warmth and friendliness of its people, its record of innovation in addressing urban and social challenges and as a place undergoing rapid positive transformation.
Medellín has a complex history and was once known as a city with one of the highest rates of violence in the world. However, over the past 20 years the city has undergone a radical change (there is still a way to go) and has become a place with innovative social policies, infrastructure development, community based groups advancing positive change and is becoming known as one of the hubs of innovation in the global south. We want people to see with their own eyes the transformation process that this city has undergone, a transformation that is born of the drive and resilience of its people, citizens who go out every day to work hard to provide a better well-being to themselves and their own family, people who treat you as if you were part of their family, people who give you smiles everywhere, people that when you ask for an address they not only give you the instructions to get there but also they accompany you to look for it, people who share with you even things they do not have abundantly.
One of the main reasons why DanDlion develops its social purpose in this city is because we believe that accompanying the empowerment of people and enhancing their skills will help foster even stronger results and foster greater leadership and impact by community members.
DanDlion manages the entire volunteering experience in the city of Medellín, including NGO placement, selection, training, preparation and accompaniment from the beginning to the end. Our services include: pick up at the airport, accommodation, volunteering management and support, experiential induction, city tour, welcome kit and so on. We offer packages from 650USD to 800USD (the first month) and from 490USD to 640USD onwards depending on the type of accommodation the volunteer prefers. The funds are used to support the NGO sustainability and to enhance the volunteering projects with our allies foundations.
For the placements, we have more than 20 NGO partners in Medellin, Colombia with the following types of opportunities
Our central goal in the partnership we develop is to foster community empowerment and advance long-term change. We offer programs of various lengths. If a volunteer only wants to do a one month trip we focus on learning trips. I this case they should come prepared to learn from the community and offer some support and not seek to impose values or solutions.
When the volunteer comes from a longer period of three months or more this when we believe transformational partnerships and action can result. After a in-depth learning process, the volunteer is better able to understand the community needs and expectations and put on the locals’ shoes in a better way. At that time, the volunteer could be prepared to contribute with more complex functions related to his/her area of expertise, always learning, sharing and validating with the local partners as a team.
To date we’ve hosted volunteers from over 5 countries such as England, United States, France, New Zealand and Germany.
We hope you will consider joining us Medellín, Colombia. We know that for you this will be a wonderful experience and look forward to collaborating. You will enjoy a lot learning, sharing and generating a real impact in our lives just as the experience will do in yours!!!
For more information or have questions. Get in touch at: www.dandlion.org
