Want to know what it might be like to volunteer abroad?
Omprakash volunteers have been posting stories, photos and even videos from their time abroad since 2007. We now have an extensive collection of personal stories from volunteers who've worked with our partners abroad. You can browse through the most recent stories below or use the category selection tool to narrow your search. Alternatively click on the Stories tab for each organization we work with to see specific accounts from a particular organization. Be careful - you might lose a couple hours of your day in here! Happy reading.
From spectacle to humanity: day 3June 20, 2013 Deep Jyoti, India
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sarita vihar metro station
I arrived in Delhi two days ago. I can't believe how different the city feels to me compared to the last time I was here. I can walk casually, somewhat, down the street with a sense of calmness whereas before I couldn't walk five steps without my brain exploding. At first this difference surprised me; I was afraid but also intrigued at how easily I can become densitized to the conditions in which so many people live here. Whereas before my confrontation with this was felt at a visceral level, my feelings now are somewhat more abstract and conceptual. This transition is something I've thought about quite a bit in fact as I think it...
LAUNCHING IMPACT ZONE – 5 STAR ACADEMY, KANGEMI May, 2013June 19, 2013 Lifesong Kenya, Kenya
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LIFESONG GIVES BACKJune 18, 2013 Faith ShikangaAs part of involving IMPACT ZONE members from the various schools in our project we visit Joykids, an informal school in Kayole. So far two members of Impact Zone from 5 Star Academy have been involved. On that day we visited the school that targets children aged 2 – 10 years to donate books, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, tissue paper and chalk to them. The children danced, sang and recited poems. Looking at their happy faces you wouldn’t tell they lack nothing in the world. We asked the two children accompanying us to give a motivational speech to the young ones. We are planning to hold such visits with every school in our project so they can appreciate what they have back at their school and home. This will teach them gratitude... |
CALLING PARENTS - May 31, 2013June 18, 2013 Lifesong Kenya, Kenya
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Last-Minute Pre-Departure ThoughtsJune 18, 2013 Expand Peru, Peru
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The Hidden Border of CultureJune 17, 2013 Pankaj Lalwanihttp://balloonkenyablog.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-hidden-border-of-culture/ On this programme we have people from the UK, the US, Israel and myself from India. This has been both a challenge and a learning opportunity with so many people from different backgrounds working together. There is an intangible force that keeps people together that I can call Trust. It keeps the team motivated throughout and plays a vital role in the success of any project. On this programme one thing I have realized is that this inclination to Trust can be highly dependent on national cultures. “Similar” cultures tend to approach tasks, relationship and time in a similar way. So building Trust demands effort. For a multi-cultural project team to succeed people must strive to understand and grasp each other’s basic needs, interests, and worldviews. Here are a few observations from my 8... |
The Hidden Border of CultureJune 17, 2013 Pankaj Lalwanihttp://balloonkenyablog.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-hidden-border-of-culture/ On this programme we have people from the UK, the US, Israel and myself from India. This has been both a challenge and a learning opportunity with so many people from different backgrounds working together. There is an intangible force that keeps people together that I can call Trust. It keeps the team motivated throughout and plays a vital role in the success of any project. On this programme one thing I have realized is that this inclination to Trust can be highly dependent on national cultures. “Similar” cultures tend to approach tasks, relationship and time in a similar way. So building Trust demands effort. For a multi-cultural project team to succeed people must strive to understand and grasp each other’s basic needs, interests, and worldviews. Here are a few observations from my 8... |
The Hidden Border of CultureJune 17, 2013 Pankaj Lalwanihttp://balloonkenyablog.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-hidden-border-of-culture/ On this programme we have people from the UK, the US, Israel and myself from India. This has been both a challenge and a learning opportunity with so many people from different backgrounds working together. There is an intangible force that keeps people together that I can call Trust. It keeps the team motivated throughout and plays a vital role in the success of any project. On this programme one thing I have realized is that this inclination to Trust can be highly dependent on national cultures. “Similar” cultures tend to approach tasks, relationship and time in a similar way. So building Trust demands effort. For a multi-cultural project team to succeed people must strive to understand and grasp each other’s basic needs, interests, and worldviews. Here are a few observations from my 8... |
The Hidden Border of Culture -June 17, 2013 Pankaj Lalwanihttp://balloonkenyablog.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-hidden-border-of-culture/ On this programme we have people from the UK, the US, Israel and myself from India. This has been both a challenge and a learning opportunity with so many people from different backgrounds working together. There is an intangible force that keeps people together that I can call Trust. It keeps the team motivated throughout and plays a vital role in the success of any project. On this programme one thing I have realized is that this inclination to Trust can be highly dependent on national cultures. “Similar” cultures tend to approach tasks, relationship and time in a similar way. So building Trust demands effort. For a multi-cultural project team to succeed people must strive to understand and grasp each other’s basic needs, interests, and worldviews. Here are a few observations from my 8... |
The Hidden Border of Culture -June 17, 2013 Pankaj Lalwanihttp://balloonkenyablog.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/the-hidden-border-of-culture/ On this programme we have people from the UK, the US, Israel and myself from India. This has been both a challenge and a learning opportunity with so many people from different backgrounds working together. There is an intangible force that keeps people together that I can call Trust. It keeps the team motivated throughout and plays a vital role in the success of any project. On this programme one thing I have realized is that this inclination to Trust can be highly dependent on national cultures. “Similar” cultures tend to approach tasks, relationship and time in a similar way. So building Trust demands effort. For a multi-cultural project team to succeed people must strive to understand and grasp each other’s basic needs, interests, and worldviews. Here are a few observations from my 8... |