Current & Past Volunteer Stories

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. 

sort by:    regions category

 

The Highs and Lows

September 15, 2012

Project Why, India
Emily Fox

 The Highs and the LowsMy last two days at Project Why have been the two most powerful days I have experienced so far in India, and for opposite reasons.Monday in the Special Education center means Arts and Crafts in the afternoon, before lunch one of the teachers asked me if I had any ideas for what the kids could do. Before I could say anything she also told me that they were low on supplies because most of what they use is recycled and reused and after seeing the actual supply closet which lacked general supplies, I had no clue what they could do. I had never had to create an art project without having hundreds of supplies. In the end, the kids cut shapes out of origami...

Read More

 
 

First Month at Mawuvio's Outreach Programme

September 15, 2012

Mawuvio's Outreach Programme, Ghana
Kaitlyn Gitter

 So I have been volunteering at Mawuvio's Outreach Programme now for about 1 month and it has been awesome!  The children are so sweet and incredibly eager to learn.  During the school day I assist in teaching KG2 (kindergarten) and after school, with the help of co-founder Renee Farwell, we have started an after school music program.  We teach flute, trumpet, harmonica, keyboard, xylophone, and recorder.  The students are extremely excited about the program and learn very quickly.  One day per week we also do an after school dance program where we teach the students dances that are popular among the youth that Renee and I worked with at Camp Helen Brachman.  This has also been a great program because while Renee and I were at camp we took video...

Charles doing "The Wobble"
Teaching "The Cupid Shuffle" dance
Breaking it Down
Learning the Harmonica

Read More

 
 

Entered a Stranger, Left With a Family

September 12, 2012 | 1 comment

Farmer Community School, Thailand
Allison Stalker

 During my time at the Farmer Community School in Plaboo, I kept a blog of my experiences, feelings, duties and any other random thoughts. I thought an excerpt from the final blog entry would serve as the perfect review for what I believe to be the most special place on Earth. Everyone said this experience would change me as a person, and I have to admit, I wasn’t sure if I agreed or not before I came. I guess I thought, how could I change that much in just two months? But I’m pretty sure I was wrong. And that is due mostly to the people I have met and lived with in this amazing country. They bent over backwards to make us comfortable, displayed such patience with our language barrier,...

Plaboo High Schoolers and Lam
Class Time
Jamming!

Read More

 
 

Special Education Center

September 12, 2012

Project Why, India
Emily Fox

 I have fallen in love twenty times over! After recovering from a bout of “Delhi Belly” (real fun stuff) I spent the remainder of the week working at the Special Education center, and now, each of those kids have a hold on me!The way the school works is very different from how the other schools are Project Why operate because none of these kids can attend State School, so, they go to Project Why all day long. Due to the unique abilities of the kids the emphasis is less on a formal education and more on life skills and enjoying their lives. If it wasn’t for Project Why, these kids would have little to no chance of making a living or being able to keep themselves off...

Read More

 
 

Wenger Whereabouts Newsletter #3

September 10, 2012

Ben Wenger

Acaraú, a relaxed city of 60,000, is known for its annual shrimp festival and for having the 2nd largest dry beach in the world. I didn’t know what a dry beach was until I looked out from our shore-side restaurant over a flat, puddle-filled, compacted-sand area with several small immobilized jangadas (small fishing sailboats). After a 10 minute walk across this windy, sand-blown beach, I reached shallow crab-occupied water that seemed to go on forever. I later found out that tides are inconsistent and hard to predict. Electricity-generating wind wheels spun in the distance – a common sight in Ceará (the state) and part of Brazil’s strong sustainable energy efforts.We arrived on a Sunday because my co-workers wanted to attend the Worker’s Party (PT) political campaign (elections are in October)....

Read More

 
 

36 Hours Old

September 10, 2012

Jordan Garfinkle

We landed in Liberia, Costa Rica early yesterday afternoon and we’re already in love with the region! My experience traveling has taught me that in the first hour, two or three important things can be expected not to go according to plan, and today was no different. Upon arriving, I was hoping to send a quick text message back home on my internationally capable cell phone. This was my first lesson: If your cell phone can be activated to work internationally, don’t be fooled into thinking this means you’ll actually be able to use your phone here. As I found out the hard way, some phones don’t work at all in this part of Guanacaste. Apparently it depends on the phone and the provider (and Verizon users in particular seem...

Read More

 
 

Here we go!

September 09, 2012

Asociacion CEPIA, Costa Rica
Krystin Harper

I leave for Costa Rica tomorrow morning! Though I am familiar with the wide range of emotions that usually comes with a new adventure overseas, this trip feels different. Unlike any of my previous experiences abroad, I have put my heart into developing a project that I believe can truly improve the lives of children struggling with poverty in Huacas. I am eager to implement this project, truly collaborate with Omprakash, and finally meet the CEPIA volunteers that I have been communicating with for the past several months.When preparing for this journey, it seemed as through there was a never-ending list of things to do. From packing an extra toothbrush to stuffing my sleeping bag, I always felt as though there was something that I could easily forget. To ensure...

Read More

 
 

Adentures in the Mountains

September 06, 2012

SECMOL, India
Briana Peterson

 Ladakh was a beautiful region with even more beautiful people.  The locals are compassionate and make you feel very welcome - the school itself overlook the Indus River, near the village of Phey where the cows may sometimes stray.  The school is also fairly close to the town of Leh, which volunteers and students may go to on one day of the weekend (the weekend voluneers and students have off).  The students are 17-20, and very friendly and curious - during my stay I was lucky enough to be invited back to several villages to stay with the students and their families, and it was a very rewarding and unique experience which let me see the more intimate details of life in the high mountain areas.The school is working towards...

Group shot!

Read More

 
 

SKIP and Me

September 05, 2012

SKIP - Supporting Kids In Peru, Peru
Sam Webb

 Supporting Kids in Peru (SKIP) is an education and community development NGO based in Trujillo, Peru. SKIP has been working in the impoverished outskirts of Trujillo since 2003 and uses a holistic approach to development, fostering “the capacity of children and families to be the principle agents of change in their own lives.” I worked at SKIP from May 2010 to March 2011 and since leaving I have kept in constant contact, helping out where I can and following its development. It has been fantastic to see the organization go from strength to strength; growing in scope and developing its variety of programmes. Now, over a year later, I am planning on returning to Peru to be involved in some stimulating projects and help contribute to SKIP’s continuing success.There are...

Read More

 
 

CLINICIAN

September 05, 2012

David Katumba

My Name is David Katumba, a clinician  by profession, and Ugandan by Nationality. Iam aged 33 years, and working in a rural health facility practising general medicine,however, my interest is working/treating children although you find yourself working on both,the children and Adults.I work in a Rural District of Lwengo,found in South-Western Uganda.And we healthworkers are transfered from one place to another.So,before a transfer is given to you,you cannot know that People are suffering else where.In 2010 I was given a transfer to work in a Health Centre IV, and I discovered a lot things that till today need a follow up.At this health facility,we run a number of clinics (we attend to specific cases on particular days in a week) like HIV/AIDS clinic, mental clinic, Epileptic cllinic, and other clinics.I...

Read More

 
 

As a registered user, you can share stories, media and resources
with organizations and volunteers throughout our network.

Register with Facebook Register without Facebook Login close

* Are you a non-profit leader? Apply to be an Omprakash Partner.

Terms of Use

As a registered user, you can share stories, media and resources
with organizations and volunteers throughout our network.

Register with Facebook Register without Facebook Login close

Register with Omprakash

* Are you a non-profit leader? Apply to be an Omprakash Partner

Terms of Use

As a registered user, you can share stories, media and resources
with organizations and volunteers throughout our network.

Register with Facebook Register without Facebook Login close

Sign In

Login with Facebook

Or sign in with your Omprakash password:

Forgot your password?

* Are you a non-profit leader? Apply to be an Omprakash Partner

Terms of Use