[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Binepal_Navneet_2.jpg” caption=”Navneet Binepal “]McMaster student Navneet Binepal has always been an active volunteer, helping with numerous community and school-related volunteer activities, such as the William Osler Health Centre in Brampton, the MS Walk, 30-Hour Famine and CIBC Run for the Cure. But never has her urge to volunteer taken her so far from home, until now.

On August 5, the 19-year-old, first-year health sciences student will travel to Tanzania for four weeks to volunteer either at an orphanage or a hospital or teach English to elementary school children.

The trip is part of Cross Cultural Solutions; a U.S. based non-profit volunteering organization.

The primary purpose of the trip is to aid a community in need of global support, says Binepal who adds that part of the program is intended to immerse oneself in the culture of Tanzania.

“Cross Cultural Solutions (CCS) is an organization like no other,” she says. “Traveling to Tanzania with CCS would allow me to contribute to the global community while experiencing first hand the value of diversity and the power it has in enriching one's educational endeavours. I firmly believe that for me to broaden my understanding of the world and gain a new perspective, I must experience that perspective, feel that perspective and most importantly live that perspective.”

Binepal is excited at the prospect of broadening her volunteer experience. “This was my chance give back at the international level,” she says. “Also, the trip to Tanzania will introduce me to many other people from around the world who share my passion for international aid.”

Binepal is the only Canadian to embark on this journey, with one individual from the UK and eight others from the United States. There are also seven others already in Arusha, the city where Binepal will live.

Binepal will not find out what her job will entail until she arrives in Tanzania. She says the work of volunteers is often based on the needs of the community, and typically this involves either working in a local hospital and assisting with local medical practices or working in an orphanage teaching young children.

“One of my long-term goals is to pursue a career in paediatrics, and working with children has always been one of my passions,” she says. “Working with local children in Tanzania within or outside of a medical context would be a privilege.”

Binepal also is excited to return to her studies at McMaster this fall. “The health sciences program has played a big part in my desire to pursue a career in paediatrics and to embark on such a journey,” she says. “With its problem-based approach to learning and emphasis on collaborative efforts, being placed in a completely foreign society in which I do not even speak the native language will definitely reinforce the inquiry skills the faculty of health sciences works so hard to instil in its students, not to mention the fact that the trip will be one fun and amazing experience.”

As CCS is a non-profit organization, Binepal must raise funds for the entire trip, which includes a program fee of $3,497 and an airfare of $2,500. Most of the support she can receive is in the form of contributions toward the program and airfare. Gifts and supplies from volunteers is discouraged. If people are interested in contributing, they can visit www.crossculturalsoultions.org and click on the Program Payments Page or contact Binepal at navneetbinepal@hotmail.com.