VOLUNTEERS SPEAK OUT

Some time ago I promised to share with you some of the comments – positive and food for thought – volunteers have shared with us following their volunteer experience with One! in Mumbai, India.

We do have a Volunteer Feedback Form which I try to remember to send out a couple of times each year to the volunteers who have been in India during the previous 6 months to a year.  We ask for feedback on: preparation for the experience, overall experience regarding accommodation, time with children, education children are receiving, improvement areas for the organization, advice for future volunteers and any other comments they want to share with us.

I thought I would review my notes and do a blog.  Well – I think I will need a few blogs.

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The above picture of Alysha is an appropriate way to start this series of blogs. It is an old picture taken in 2007.
Alysha has just returned to Canada from her third volunteer trip to Mumbai.
This time her trip was very special.
Alysha and her friend Jenny, both of whom are senior experienced nurses, completed a Health Needs Assessment of 216 children and 71 adults in the two school communities.  Most of the assessments were done in Nallasopara, a community with very little access to any health services. Alysha and Jenny have given One! a gold mine of health and family information which will assist in helping the families to achieve greater health and wellness in the time to come.

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On my first day at Khar school I was really nervous, would the children like me?  Would the teachers like me?  Would I be good enough at teaching the subjects?  Would anyone understand me?  It turned out my teaching abilities surprised me, I felt like although I was not there for very long I definitely noticed improvements in the children’s English language and even in the teacher’s!  The children are the funniest, liveliest, most loving children I have ever met.  Despite making my job difficult at times (like any children/teenagers) having strops and getting frustrated, most of the time they were so excited about learning it warmed my heart and made me even more determined to leave my mark on the school.  I’m not sure now that I did do that but I hope the children look back and if they do remember me that they remember me fondly as I do of them.  The Nallasopara school was another challenge for me.  Working with my best friend helped a lot!  At times it was very frustrating as we had to try and implement new strategies that the children weren’t used to, but they soon came round and enjoyed their new regime, especially exercise and drama!  I hope to return to both schools and see the improvements in the schools as a whole and the individuals within.  I will never forget my experiences with One! International, they have made me a better person; a more open minded, appreciative individual.                                                                        Lu

Lu wrote the above early in 2008 and is returning to India to see the improvements and progress of the children in November of 2011.

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The following quote was written by a young man who was 15 at the time he worked at the school.  He was visiting family in India and only able to volunteer for a short time.  He is returning to India as an 18year old this coming summer.  He is thinking that he wants to devote his future to some area of education as he has come to realize it’s importance in making changes in the world.

I am at loss of words from the brief volunteering I did.  ………..the memories and the gratitude will last a life time.  I still marvel at the genuine affection and intelligence of the children who became not only my students but also my friends and companions who were there to help and offer encouragement at any time.  One of the things I appreciated the most about this trip was that I felt that I learned more than I thought.  More than the Math and the English I taught, the perseverance and the genuine happiness they shared with me taught me something I could never learn from any teacher, parent, or even a chemistry test.    I would really like to thank you for this once in a lifetime opportunity.  ……………………………………….You have opened my eyes unlike any other thing I have witnessed before. …………I look forward to working and sharing that wondrous experience again in the near future.

Anjan will be getting his wish in the summer of 2011. This time his younger sister will also be volunteering.

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Shawn used his volunteer feedback form to make a few suggestions that have been acted on since he was there in 2009.  I think he will notice some positive changes when he returns – more full time teachers and a volunteer coordinator.

If hiring multiple full-time teachers is not possible, maybe one position should be created where one teacher is completely in charge of volunteer training.  Since volunteers are relied upon greatly to teach the subject matter the kids are supposed to learn every semester, maybe it would help if there was one full-time staff member that knew what was going on at all times and could help the transition of one volunteer to another ( in the sense that they could tell the new volunteer where the old one left off in terms of what has been taught and what needs to be taught. )……………………………….I’m Indian, so I’m biased…..but I loved it.  I’m going back to visit/teach in the school every chance I get.

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I will close this blog with Leah’s comment.  Leah went on to do a cross US bike ride fundraiser for One! We are so fortunate that volunteers continue to be actively involved with supporting One! International after they return home from their experiences. Their assistance and commitment to the children they taught helps us to make positive changes in the organization, and help more children.

I thought it was amazing, challenging, and unforgettable experience.  Far from easy a lot of the time, I wouldn’t change my decision to go there at all.