Pamela Wang, the local coordinator for the Center for Cultural Interchange, is seeking volunteer host families for three foreign exchange students in Kona.

Wang writes:

Of the 13 foreign students currently placed in Kona this school year, three are with first semester families. I need to find new host families for these three students ASAP. They will need their new homes by January. I would love to find families that will agree to the second semester, but I will also be happy to find families that will do it until Easter, or even 6-8 weeks.

Two students are at Kealakehe: a girl from Pakistan who just turned 17, and a boy from Cambodia who just turned 16. The other is a 16 year old girl from Mali at Konawaena. All speak very good English and are good hard working students, doing lots of volunteer work and are just really nice teens.

Hosting is purely a volunteer experience: there is no payment for hosting. Hosting means offering room and board, making sure the kids catch the bus to school, acting as a friend, mentor and parent and enjoying the cultural interchange. Families can be old or young, with or without kids, big house or tiny coffee shack. Willingness is the key criterion.

Thanks for any help forwarding this message. I can be reached via email at pamelawang@hawaii.rr.com. There is also a website: www.cci-exchange.com