DUBAI // As they witnessed the tragedy of Haiti's earthquake in January, three school friends in Dubai decided they could not stand by and do nothing.
Like others across the Emirates and around the world, Victor Charpy, Gabriel Gougaud, and Yasmine Canga-Valles - all 17 - decided to raise money for the emergency appeals.
But, they also realised that as important as financial assistance was, they also wanted to be on the ground, helping in whatever way they could.
Victor, Gabriel and Yasmine, who are from France and in their last year at Lycée Georges Pompidou, a French school in Dubai, started to hatch a plan to spend part of their long summer holiday volunteering in Haiti.
But, with their parents somewhat reluctant to allow their teenage children to travel by themselves to a potentially volatile country, the three friends decided to find somewhere else they could volunteer.
They looked at projects in Asia and South America, but by March, Victor, Gabriel and Yasmine had settled on spending a month in Ghana.
The three young volunteers say they had trouble finding an organisation here that would take on teenage volunteers for international projects. Instead they ended up approaching Projects Abroad, a UK-based NGO which places volunteers in humanitarian roles with organisations around the world.
What they did not anticipate was the amount of money it would cost: the three needed to raise Dh65,000 to cover their costs, including insurance. They came up with a project proposal and shopped it around to local donor organisations.
After weeks of trying to work out a way to get to Ghana, in between schoolwork and other commitments, they had secured funding from sponsors including the Al Maktoum Foundation.
"It was very rewarding, especially because we did everything to make it happen," said Gabriel.
On June 30 they left Dubai and headed for Ghana, eventually arriving at the town of Kasoa and the Royal Seed Home orphanage and school.
There they were faced with bucket showers, no running water and only rudimentary infrastructure - a far cry from their privileged existence in Dubai, where Victor has lived for 16 years, Gabriel for two and Yasmine for eight.
Before they left, the three friends organised a fund-raising drive at their own school and within the wider community, generating Dh3,000, which they used to purchase basic food items, clothes, books and water for the Royal Seed Home.
At the school, which caters for 200 children aged six months to 15, Gabriel and Victor gave lessons in English, maths, geography and IT. Yasmine assisted a teacher with a class of 25 children aged one to four years old. The three friends also helped with general maintenance and other tasks.
"At first it was very challenging," Yasmine said. "I passed a lot of time with the kids, just being with them. I took care of them when they were sick. They had very little and each one didn't have enough attention."
Yasmine said she came across lots of "shocking" stories. Kobi, seven, who is deaf, was found in a box floating down a river when he was just three weeks old and in a "very bad condition".
The three forged strong bonds with many of the children. Hannah, a quiet eight-year-old orphan, left a particular impression. She was always looking after the younger children, said Gabriel, and never complained.
"This eight-year-old came to me and she cried when we left and asked us not to leave," he said. "It was really emotional."
The trip was rewarding in many ways, said Gabriel, not least because it gave him a strong sense of independence.
"You could definitely feel that cultural gap," he said. "But the experience teaches you a lot."
While their overriding feelings about the experience are positive, Yasmine, Gabriel and Victor all faced challenges during their month in Ghana. Stark cultural differences quickly became obvious and the level of poverty was often confronting.
"I knew we would encounter this," Victor said. "But, when I came back here [to the UAE], you just think how lucky we are."
The three friends are preparing to return to the orphanage next year, after they finish their final exams and before they head to university.
"You do it once and you want to do it again and again," Yasmine said. "You feel independence and the satisfaction of helping."
They would all encourage more young people to volunteer.
"Be patient and be really motivated, because it can take a lot of time," Victor said. "But you won't regret it."
zconstantine@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
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Romarinho, Brazil
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Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
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