Affordable Volunteer Opportunities Abroad
Africa, Latin America, Asia

Real Stories From Past Volunteers

 

" Waking up to the crisp sound of a rooster just outside the window, bike riding along the seascape, learning the art of surf, teaching English to the locals, and making an impact on the hearts of others. -

I arrived in Samara, Costa Rica with a nervous anticipation of the unexpected. I always dreamed of volunteering in a foreign land, but actually turning that dream into a reality filled me with a roller-coaster of emotion. I soon realized I must abandon any hesitations and embrace my new lifestyle.

I joined the community development project in Samara, helping with the kinder-care children in the morning and teaching english to the locals at night. On my first day with kinder-care I was welcomed, in bear-hug fashion, by seven young boys and girls, all under the age of eight. Bright-eyed and full of appreciation for the simplest things, I found myself learning more from them than they could even realize.

While I loved working with the children in the mornings, my most inspiring moment actually came one evening at night school. I was having a difficult time teaching one student the days of the week in English, but his perseverance was unparalleled to anything I had ever seen. I was completely humbled by this young, nine-teen year old boy, whose determination was completely impervious to any struggles he was facing. At that moment it clicked - this was why I came here. To see even the slightest advancement with this student filled me with a wonderfully unexpected feeling - I was making a difference in someone’s life.

In the end, the truth behind the whole journey for me was simple - the more you give of yourself to the people, the culture and the overall experience, the more you will try discover about yourself and others. The rest can be awe-inspiring if you allow it. No matter which program or where you choose to volunteer, the important thing is that you are going to make a difference. My stay in Costa Rica was short lived in comparison to the grand scheme of my life, but it is a collection of memories that will stay with me for many years to come.

I thank everyone at Volunteer Visions and look forward to my next volunteering adventure!"

Kelly Thompson, USA. Costa Rica Kindergarten Project, October-November 2007.

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" Here I am, sitting in the cold surroundings of my native country, Canada. As I stare at my darkened skin, my four office walls and the pile of work that has compiled over the last five weeks, all I can do is daydream of the life that I left behind only four days prior. These four days has seemed like years, for when you leave a place that you’ve fallen in love with, time passes with much difficulty and cruelty.

I have just arrived home from Playa Samara, Costa Rica. Costa Rica, literally translated as the Magnificent Coast , is almost an understatement. When I first set out to find a volunteer placement it never crossed my mind that I would find a position situated right on the beach, however the Beautiful , pristine, and enjoyable beach is only a small portion that contributed to my unforgettable experience.

My experience in Samara consisted of me teaching at a one-week children’s English immersion camp, and my remaining four weeks was spent giving community English classes to the local adults around the town and surrounding areas. I had never officially taught English before, however I do have previous experience as a tutor. Nonetheless, with it being my native language I found the task challenging, invigorating and very rewarding. Playing with children is always a treat and helping them learn a new skill is even more exciting. Surely there were times that I absolutely couldn’t control the wild bunch, but that’s what makes it more memorable. In fact, the troublemakers, or the class clowns, turned out to become my favorite students. After that first week of teaching kids it was great to walk down the street and have youngsters calling our my name and wave vigorously at me from across the way.

The month long lessons I gave to the adults was even more rewarding because I was actually able to see the progress in my students. By the time I left I was actually able to listen and witness them speaking so much more than when they had first started. Not only did I create a student-teacher rapport with them, but they became friends as well. Conversing with them on a daily basis you really start to get to know about their daily lives and their personalities. Some of them even invited me to their houses as their personal guest, what an honor it is to feel welcomed into someone’s home in a foreign land!

At first it was difficult to communicate with my homestay family and all the locals but after spending two weeks at a Spanish language immersion school, I was able to have small conversations and get my point across. The school try impressed me with their efficiency and organization.

The homestay family that I lived with for the five weeks was more than accommodating. My “MamaTica” was a gracious lady who always overstuffed me with food and laughed at my little jokes and mishaps. It was always a treat to sit down with her and try to have a conversation. She corrected my broken Spanish and I sat there and learned from her wisdom. By the time I left, I grew quite attached to the family, and MamaTica would call me her amor or her hijo and would take care of me as though I was her own.

Not only did I make great friends with some of the local community, but I ended up making great friends with the other volunteers from around the globe and the Volunteer Visions staff as well. I cannot express how much I felt like part of the team. From the moment I arrived in Samara, I was greeted by Lawrence, the director Volunteer Visions, who welcomed me with open arms. Lawrence and Barrett made me feel like a family member. We would even joke around and they would call me their adopted son. At times the Volunteer Visions staff would bend over backwards to assure that my stay was going just how I wanted it to be. I always felt safe and assured in Samara because I knew that I could count on them if something were to go wrong.

On the Volunteer Visions website, it states that there would be extra-curricar activities or excursions. This is true, but I didn’t expect it to be so spontaneous and fun than as it sounded. There are too many experiences to list, but some of the highlights would be making sangria and drinking it on the beach, playing card games until 2am, dancing at the nightclubs and in the kitchen, surfing, cooking lessons, biking to secluded beaches in different towns, climbing up steep remote hills in the dark to reach lively music festivals, etc, etc.

My last night in Samara, the volunteers and some of my students, held a good ol’ fashioned send off for me. A night I won’t forget, or rather I night I can’t remember! I didn’t feel as though I was surrounded by volunteer directors or students, but by good friends. The next morning was a sad one, saying goodbye to all the new connections I had made was difficult. Other than coffee, I didn’t bring home any souvenirs. What I have with me is my newly acquired Spanish speaking skills and the unforgettable, funny and uplifting memories I created while in Samara. Now, if only these memories can get me through the next six hours of my work day."

Dean Estella, Canada. Costa Rica Teaching Project, March 2007..

 

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A Volunteer Interview With Brittney Dressler, USA. Peru Health Care Project, February 2008.

1. Tell us a little about yourself

I’m 21, studying Spanish and am finishing my prerequisites for a physician assistant program.

2. What was your housing like?

I lived with a friendly Cusquena family; energetic dad, kind mom, 17-yr-old son, 5-yr-old daughter and completed with a dog and a couple birds. Our house shared our door to the street as well as our address with two other houses (it was it’s own house, but kind of had it’s own “c da sac” off the street). The bathroom was a separate room outside the house, with inconsistent water. Very Peruvian.

3. What did you eat?

A lot of potatoes and rice, haha. But seriously, the food was good. It’s more natural, and thus healthier, than American food.

4. What did you do during your project placement?

Worked with nurses or alongside physicians in a basic health center that catered to a suburb of Cusco, giving it’s services for free and the medicine too, if the family couldn’t afford to pay. Specific things I did were: to learn to exam a pregnant woman, check for various types of otitis, educate the reasons why a child is getting diarrhea, go to families homes to make sure the hygiene for the children is healthy enough, find tuberculosis under the microscope, test the psychomotor development of a child, etc.

5. What is your most memorable experience?

When Yovana, my favorite nurse, took me out into the neighborhood to the homes of families were the children were suffering from diarrhea and family didn’t score well enough on the hygiene questionnaire. We saw the actual living conditions, if allowed in, and advised on more sanitary ways of doing things. It provided more pressure onto the families to improve their living conditions, as the nurses would continue returning until their score was up to par. What made the day even cooler was since we were up the hill outside of Cusco, Yovana made a little side trip for me to show me some ruins that many of the locals didn’t even know about, telling me about medicinal uses for plants we passed along the way. Definitely a bonding moment.

6. What have you done as a Volunteer that you never thought you would?

Get a different perspective on the “indigenous” side of the community.

7. Do you have any advice for anyone considering joining Volunteer Visions?

Be patient. Peru is not known for its organization.

8. Do you have any photos that you would like to share?

Sure, check em’ out!

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"In Takaungu I live and work with a wonderful group of people from all over the country. I work with Farmers Field School, an agricultural education program, in the morning. Then, after my favorite part of the day, lunch, I teach an adult education class and an after school tutoring program. Without question the most fulfilling part of my day is the after school tutoring program. All the kids are loud, rambunctious, creative, energetic, and most of all – they just want to have fun. What continues to strike me about being here is that twelve thousand miles away from home, on a completely different continent, and speaking a language that is in no way similar to English, the children still act exactly the same."

Nick Booster, USA. Kenya Education Project.

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"By day its red dirt roads winding between white-washed, coral-brick houses beneath palm trees swaying in the currents of the ever-present Indian Ocean breeze. At night, the equatorial stars pierce the cloudless sky as the sopping moon lls her way between the baobab silhouettes on the horizons. Welcome to Takaungu. "

Franki Rolap, USA. Kenya Education Project.

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"Teresa was my project coordinator when I was on a project in Santa Cruz in January 2003. It was a 6 or 7 week placement, but I really didn't want to leave. It was one of the most fantastic experiences I have ever had. My project was with Santa Cruz zoo where I helped out with the feeding and mucking out. It is difficult to pick out a special experience during this time as all of it was really special, but I particularly enjoyed being able to observe simple veterinary procedures as this is something I would really like to become more involved in.

Outside of work, Teresa did a huge amount to make our experience enjoyable and memorable as she was always organising social events and ready to be a friend to all the 'ex-pats' She was particularly good, when I fell ill and accompanied me to the doctor, pharmacy and even went so far as to get chicken soup for me from the local restaurant when I couldn't get out of bed! She was really lovely.

Apart from looking after animals, I learned a lot about myself from the experience and about Bolivian culture - again thanks to Teresa going out of her way to immerse us in the local culture and social life and setting up Spanish lessons for us.

I would definitely recommend this project to others and indeed have done so."

Fleur Kats. Bolivia Environmental Conservation Project.

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"I learned a great deal from my placement and from spending time with Teresa. In particular she assisted me in learning the language, and about Bolivia's culture and people.

Teresa was a wonderful in country coordinator who often goes beyond the call of duty to take care of and support her  volunteers and I would not have any problems recommending Bolivia as a place to visit and Teresa as a great person to meet whilst in the country.

I love Santa Cruz and I hope to return one day!

Emma Williams, Bolivia Teaching Project .

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" Although I had been planning my trip for months and throwing goodbye parties for weeks, it wasn´t till I was finally alone on the plane from Heathrow to Bolivia that the enormity of what I had done hit me!

.... I had just given up a well paid job and comfy flat in London and said goodbye to all the people I loved, in order to come out to work unpaid for 2 months in a country I knew little about and whose language I didn´t speak! 

And I had actually paid to do this!!

Many of my family and friends thought I was a little mad...and the first few days in Santa Cruz I thought that they might be right!  I had come out here to work as a volunteer for the Bolivian tourist board - and that´s about all I knew!  It turned out my project was fairly flexible and so I decided to put my 5 years Marketing experience at BT to use and produce and implement a Marketing plan for the area...

It was no mean feat! Apart from the fact that I didn´t speak any Spanish, or have any budget - I didn´t even have a desk or a computer!!  But what would be the point in coming all the way out here to volunteer if it had been going to be easy?!

I had private Spanish classes included in my placement - and signed up for more!  I needed it! I then started researching the backpacking market and decided that there was definitely a gap to be filled.  But with no money to do anything my only option was to approach suitable local businesses (phrase book in hand!) and see if they would be interested in sponsoring the project...

Phew!!  What an adrenaline rush when the very first company I approached (an adventure tour company) said they loved the project and would be happy to pay for advertising space in my leaflet...1 down - 9 to go!

Over the weeks I visited various hostels, vegetarian restaurants, travel agencies, money exchanges etc to get more on board.  At times I really wondered if I was ever going to get it done - everything just seemed to take 5 times as long as what I was used to!

But my co-ordinator was very supportive and encouraging.  She let me manage the project, but was always on hand if I needed her for any type of support...and of course if I fancied a night out she knew the best places to go!  Teresa and her family were very welcoming to all the volunteers and I spent a good few Sundays round at her parents’ house singing karaoke with her Dad and trying out the local delicacies - like calves hooves and spicy tongue for example!!

In the end I succeeded in my task and 5000 of my leaflets are now being distributed all over Bolivia - all containing discount vouchers for Santa Cruz and encouraging backpackers to come to this vibrant city!

3 months ago back at my desk job in London I would never have believed what I was capable when I put my mind to it. But through volunteering I know have a renewed confidence, good grasp of Spanish, change in career direction and whole load of Bolivian friends to come back and visit some day!

I will however never quite get into karaoke like the Bolivians do! So if you are thinking of coming out to Santa Cruz to volunteer I definitely recommend it!  Its a fun city with lots to do, warm welcoming people and only a couple of hours from the jungle for lots of trekking and outdoor activities!

Venga!"

Karen Horsburgh. Bolivia Teaching Project.

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"Hi, I’m Oriane, 21 years old. I just finished my 8 weeks volunteer trip and had an amazing time. I feel like learned more in these past 8 weeks than in the past 6 months! I will never forget what I have done here."

Oriane, France. India Community Development Project.

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"Hello, My name is Jenn , I'm from Colorado, United States, 22 years old. I came to India for about 2 months and I had so much fun. It is great working with the kids and I had an incredible experience.

Jennifer Lindgren, US. India Street Children Project.

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"I ‘m Victor Roy from New Jersey, United States. My experience in India was a very enriching. The organization is a grassroots level family type that allows you to work at very personal level. The times you have in India will teach you take initiative and you will form a relationship with the entire organization."

Victor Roy, US. India Street Children Project.

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"I came to India for 3 weeks and had a great experience!! I worked with the street children project and although challenging at times, I had a wonderful time. The kids are wonderful and working with Kamala was fantastic."

Rashmin, USA. India Street Children Project.

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“It was a busy clinic with varying degrees of healthcare (from prenatal to screwdriver in the head). I have had the opportunity to see a variety of cases mixed between the expectant mothers. With that being said 90% of the patients are in for prenatal care. There are no closed doors in the clinic; I am free to see anything and everything I like. This has given me a very welcome feeling that allows for a positive learning environment.”;

Jennifer Coverdale, Canada. Ghana Health Care Project.

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“When I came to Ghana I did not know what to expect. I had no experience in social work. But in three months time my life has changed completely, and I have learned so much about what is important in life. No matter what, attitude is what improves your life. I saw how important the personal relationship to the client is to them. As a whole, the money we support with is only a fraction of the goodness we bring in to their life.”

Lena Gilliland, Norway. Ghana Community Development Project.

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“I feel very happy that many children who never had an experience of using the internet have been introduced and those who had are now able to use the internet for more useful purposes. Over the first 3 weeks we had some discussions about what is the internet. Dry-marker pens are always in short supply! So I wrote the questions once at the beginning of the week and only the answers are wiped clean/re-written for every lesson. It was a great experience. Dora, Romeo and Mercy were not my host but my true family. It was a great experience I must say, and I have no complaints about the accommodation. Jennifer (Berdo's co-volunteer and housemate) was also very nice. She is someone who presented things in a blunt and honest manner and she was a good experience. The cost of taking the students to the internet café was covered by the organization and that was good to have because the school could not pay.”

Bernardus Robinson, UK. Ghana Teaching Project.

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“My greatest moment was the day I distinguished between the identical twins I lived with in my host's home. Everything was great, the Antwi family, the volunteer work, the food and the community. In the first week, I was confused because Single parents could not work with the timetable I had. Then I understood the system, insufficient funds so you get to know what the organization can do the next day or week depending on what money is available. I had such a nice time with the HIV/AIDS counseling and the Orphans monitoring. The Doctors at St. Patrick's went round observing the patients and explaining things to me. Visiting the orphans in school was something I always would wish to do. The staff was wonderful. I am glad to come back after school. Ghana would always be my favorite destination.”

Lena Walther, Germany. Ghana HIV/AIDS Orphanage Project.

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“We spent the majority of our clinic experience at Bernice Clinic and maternity at Yeji. Much of our time was spent observing due to our inexperience and the language barrier. We believe had our stay been longer, we could have had a more "hands-on" experience. We did take blood pressures, learnt how to palpate &, learned how to start an IV, observed deliveries, IUD implantations, Norplant removal and became acutely aware of the signs and symptoms of malaria. In contrast to midwifery in the United States, Bernice health center also catered for family medicine. Overall, we were exposed to myriad illnesses, treatments & patients we would never have seen in the States and we found the spirit of the health workers undeterred by the problems they face. The children found our light skin entertaining, chanting "obruni" everywhere we went, yet our safety was never questionable wherever we went. We appreciate the very warm and personal experience volunteering gave us. We felt incorporated into the lives and community of Yeji and its people. 'YEJI IS A TOWN EVERY VOLUNTEER should OPT FOR!!'” "

Amy, Gaby, Jill, USA. Ghana Health Care Project.

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“Ooo! Everything was great. It was a good feeling teaching my fellows at the Daniel Vocational training school. The standard of the students is very low so I had to start from the basics. Because the books supplied were not enough to give to each student, I had to create smaller groups and at times had to teach them in groups. I think it is really important that this project is seriously empowered with more volunteers. Definitely the students had such a good feeling and were familiar with some of the stories in the books already, as told them in folktales by their parents. This made teaching and sharing the stories a fun for them. The town was cool. My partner Moses who was teaching introduction to computers, ended up teaching the community in the local presbytarian church block. We had this nice cottage as our host house and we really enjoyed every moment in Boaman.”

Joy Dariye, UK. Ghana Teaching project .

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“What a great experience were the last 14 weeks it went by incredible fast, too fast if you ask me.

During my stay here I made lots of new friends who I want to thank for making the stay here so pleasant.

The whole alto choco area is one of the most Beautiful places I’ve ever seen and probably ever will see. The combination of plants and streaming rivers and densely populated forest is a great Beautiful experience to see. I can recommend it to everybody.

Most of all I won’t forget the warmness of Milton and Ines they welcome everybody so warmly it really feels like home. It was great fun to take part in this volunteer work here with this organization and it makes me feel very good when I think back of the time here.

To all I met during the few last weeks thank you very much, and hopefully I will return some day”

 Niels van Beelen, Netherlands. Ecuador Conservation Project.  

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“Having just completed a month at my project, I am so sad to be leaving! When I arrived back in Quito and I had a month before going home, I decided I wanted to do something with my time, so I looked around for volunteer possibilities to see if there was anything I could do. The coordinators at the project in Ecuador were extremely friendly, helpful and efficient and quickly put me in touch with the Central Social Semilla, a small preschool organisation, which helps the poorest families with day care, so the parents can safely leave their children and work to support their families.

I was made to feel very welcome and quickly became part of the team. My work included helping at mealtimes, teaching in the classroom, playing with the children, and generally getting stuck in! The children were so lovely, and didn’t seem to mind my dreadful Spanish, playing and fun apparently can cross any language barrier! I learned so much about Ecuadorian life working at the centre. After a time I started to get to know the children, and learned about their lives, it was far more than just voluntary work to me, it taught me a different way of living. If you want to really experience city life in Ecuador and not just observe, I can think of no better way to do this than to work within the community in Quito. In the West we have so much and the children have so little, but it didn’t matter a bit, their sense of adventure and fun was what made this project so special to me and I will never forget their little faces or the fun I had.

My last day was very emotional and I was so sad to be leaving, but I feel very lucky that I found this project and spent some time there. I would like to say thank you to everyone in Ecuador and the staff at the centre, who have made my last month in Ecuador so special.”< p>

   Amanda Collett, England. Ecuador Child Care Project.

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“An unforgettable time for the rest of my life. The beginning in the first week was not so good because of our lost luggage. But the country and especially the Alto Choco reserve did forget this problem very fast. I love the country and the culture what did feel me very comfortable during the last three months.

Living in Alto Choco is one big adventure with every day new experiences. The most Beautiful things in Alto Choco are the cloud forest with his waterfalls, rivers and plants. But not only the cloud forest is something nice, also the contact with other volunteers is perfect. I have now many new friends. And the contact with Milton, Alfredo and Ines is wonderful, I’ll never forget one of these people. I feel very sad leaving this reserve but it will be for ever in my mind. Thanks to everyone I worked with in Ecuador but especially Milton.

We where here for a school project, redesigning the Botanical garden in Alto Choco. For 15 weeks we worked in the reserve on this project. And we liked it very much. I hope the plans we made are become real in the future.

I have nothing more to say, only that I´m sure I want to come back in the future for at least Ecuador or maybe for the Alto Choco reserve for say Milton and Ines hello.

Thanks a lot everybody for the great time.”< p>

Luuk Arts, Netherlands. Ecuador Environmental Conservation Project.

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"When I had decided to do volunteering in South America I was very glad to find a competent organisation to work with. Not knowing any Spanish they helped me with all occurring problems such as transportation from the airport, a hostel to stay at, Spanish lessons, a suitable volunteer project, and they always had a ear to lend me when it was needed.

My work at the local school close to the town of Aloag was great fun. The kids were so amazing, excited and interested in what I had to teach and tell them. Although my Spanish was not the best we still had a great understanding, which was a mixture of English and Spanish. So I could teach my school kids English, while they would correct my Spanish. Besides the normal school work we also started some ecological projects. We cleaned streets around the school and put up signs to tell the community in English and Spanish that the school would like them to help us keep those streets clean and Beautiful . Thanks to the Hacienda La Alegria we got also some horses involved in our project which made it unforgettable especially for the children.

In addition to my wonderful experiences at the school I was able to live at the Hacienda La Alegria where the family of Gabriel Espinosa gave me a wonderful home. I was able to help out with the horses whenever I wanted and could enlarge my knowledge about Ecuador in various ways. I will miss those times a lot."

  Jana Karwinkel, Germany. Ecuador Environmental Conservation Project.

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"I’ve spent 3 months in Ecuador and two months volunteering. From my initial contact with them they have been a most helpful organisation and have been quick to respond with any information needed or queries I had . On my arrival I was picked up at the airport and taken to my accommodation, I felt very well looked after arriving in a new country with not much grasp of local language . The atmosphere at the agency is friendly and relaxed, and has a family feel to it. You are well looked after from the time you get here and you feel valued . I was very happy with both the projects I worked in: poor children care and street children project; and was able to choose times to volunteer around also learning Spanish . The time you spend here is flexible but to get the best out of it I would recommend that you volunteer for a minimum of 2 months. I would also highly recommend learning some Spanish before you get here to get the best out of the volunteer work and the people you will meet. I have had a wonderful experience here and can recommend volunteering in Ecuador very highly for the project professionalism, and the care and attention they give you as a valued volunteer. " 

   Mijanou Blech, UK. Ecuador Urban Education Center Project.

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"Working with the Community of Santa Ana and living in the jungle was an amazing experience. Everything was arranged for my arrival and I was given all the necessary information. I felt well prepared in what to bring and what to expect from my volunteer experience. I taught English to the children of the community, helped with various projects within the community, learned lots of interesting and useful things about plant and animal life in the jungle, helped to cook the traditional foods (platanos, yuca, cheecha, fish, and chicken), participated in afternoon sports (soccer and volleyball), learned some Quichwa dance, songs, and words, and most importantly was able to be a part of the daily life there. I recommend this project to anyone who is interested in a unique experience in a jungle community."

 Hillary Mefferd, USA. Ecuador Indigenous Development.

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"Why should one do volunteering in Ecuador? Well, first of all, let's face the facts; volunteering is probably one of the fastest, and definitively cheapest, ways to improve your Spanish skills. Second, and that's the real point that you won't really realize until returning to your home country; besides improving your human skills in a different culture, getting self confident handling surprisingly new and exciting situations and achieving unique skills for a future career, you'll actually get to improve the life of a handful of children. Depending on your skills but, most importantly, your efforts, you will have the chance to really do a difference for a change in your life.

Imagine... It cannot be described, you should just take a deep breath and sign up for volunteering, ok? Besides, Ecuador rocks! The volunteer staff is highly skilled and experiences working with foreign volunteers. This means that they will accept you as you are and give you quite a freedom to choose where you can do the most but, at the same time, they will always be there for your in every sense. I can so much recommend doing volunteering!"

    Peter Clausen, Denmark. Ecuador Child Care

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This project is a great opportunity to reach out to those who are less fortunate, and to become immersed in a completely different culture. Coming into this project, I was afraid that I would not gain the trust and respect necessary for teaching, because of my skin color, nationality and intermediate Spanish ability. This was evident in the first week, but I remained patient and calm, and soon the children began to treat me as a friend and respect my knowledge as a teacher. The frustration that I felt for not being able to communicate well with then in Spanish was completely overshadowed by the satisfaction a felt teaching a child something new in a given subject. Though the children fought often, they were all genuine and friendly on the inside, and I will miss them so much.

I recommend this project to even the most elementary of Spanish speakers, because no matter what your level is, the experience is so rewarding. "

Brian Gattis, USA. India Street Children Project.

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Working with the street children was one of the hardest things (mentally) have ever done, but also the best. It was rewarding every day when the kids confided in me or just gave me a really long hug. Leaving will be very hard. I wish I could stay for more than a month, because they finally trust me and listen to me. It was an extremely rewarding receive more sincere gentle love than I ever imagined possible what the kids need, more than anything really is consistency and love. They are intelligent and wonderful kids who have had absolutely terrible lives. All their problems are directly due to bad childhoods. They need people to let them see that the world really can be an okay place. They are still young and endlessly hopeful, so a little love goes a long way.

They are the most resilient people you could ever meet, and fun and Beautiful l and sweet besides. They are actually really incredible.

Certainly I learned more from them than they did from me.

I recommend this project to other volunteers because the project needs as many volunteers as it can get !"

Bayley Laurence, USA. India Street Children Project.

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"I had a really wonderful time working in India. The kids at Happy home and Sealdah brought me a lot of joy .I been very fortunate that I met with these kids, other volunteers and the family here. I won't forget them.

Christy Durrant, Canada. India Street Children Project.

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"Hi Jenny,
Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you life has been a bit crazy since arriving home.
First of all I would like to thank for the amazing safe experience Nicole and I had in Peru. Our host family was really nice and welcoming. You were very kind and organized.
We had amazing time at the orphanage n really enjoyed working with the children i would defiantly recommend this experience to anyone.

There were just a few things that I would advise you for the future.
I would not recommend Lima for too young participants; we found it really hard and stressful how this city is.

Jenny, go ahead with this project!!! Thanks once again Jenny I hope all is well in Cusco!"

Sarah Blanchard, USA. Peru Health Care Project.

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