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. 

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Preparation

March 05, 2012

Hanna Song

Attending a United World College gave me a life changing experience. Firstly, it gave me a brilliant education with students from all over the world. Secondly, it introduced me to the Omprakrash Network.Growing up with Asian parents, education has naturally been an important aspect in my life. However, growing up in a small town in Wales, school for me was just something to get through. Once rewarded with a scholarship to Atlantic College, my eyes were opened to how important education really was. I spent two years living amongst students from a variety of different backgrounds. I befriended students from the Upper East side of New York, children of diplomats, and a Malaysian Prince! But I also met students from Sierre Leone, Palestine and Guatemala. Despite all the varied upbringings...

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Plans and Preparations

March 02, 2012

Mawuvio's Outreach Programme, Ghana
Kaitlyn Gitter

Since I received the grant to travel Ghana, Africa and volunteer with Mawuvio's Outreach Programme (MOP) I have started to have weekly Skype conversations with Renee, co-founder of MOP. I look forward to these conversations and have learned so much. I have had the opportunity to meet Kwame, the other co-founder as well as many of the children that attend the school, their parents, and community members. I already feel so connected to this project and haven't even made the trip yet!One of the most exciting new developments is a project that would involve connecting children at MOP in Ghana with children that attend a summer camp called Camp Helen Brachman in Wisconsin. Renee is going to be able to be present at the camp this...

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PUT THEM FIRST = AWESOME

February 26, 2012

Put Them First, Peru
Jeten Parboo

Looking for a challenge with awesome people to volunteer with?  a place where you can make a real difference ? Crazy kids who just wont stop having fun? then Put Them First Aeruipa, Peru is the place to be!   I spent a month here and i would say it has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experience I could ever ask for.   One of the best things about volunteering here is that you are actively involved in the education of these children who can really use your help!   Ben and Emma, the 2 directors of the school are the most down to earth people I know, and go the extra mile to make sure you will settle in well into this crazy environtment.   Not to mention Aerquipa...

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How to survive a thunder and lightning storm with Quetzaltrekkers

February 25, 2012

Quetzaltrekkers, Guatemala
Robin Lattimer

         I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting but what I encountered on my Quetzaltrekker hike was an exaggeration of anything I could have imagined! I had learned of Quetzaltrekkers through communication with their partner organization, Escuela de la Calle (EDELAC) in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and knew that, if I was going to do a hike, it would have to be with them. I had heard nothing but good things. But besides the positive reviews that I heard from past Quetzaltrekker clients that I met while in the city, I was most drawn to their dedication to providing for the EDELAC program, supporting environmental and sustainable development of the communities within which they worked and the area within which they trekked. In the...

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The Final Countdown

February 23, 2012

Escuela de la Calle, Guatemala
Alyssa Hoyle

Only 10 days left until I fly south with the birds. How did that happen so quickly? These next 240 hours are looking very busy; my time will be filled tying up any loose ends stateside, packing, reviewing Spanish, and spending time with friends and family before I do not see them for a long while. Oh, and trying not to get too nervous.My initial efforts to run a marathon to fundraise were halted by an injury, and since I didn’t have a real back-up plan, I decided to try something really creative: email everyone I know and ask for money. Basically, I wrote a letter explaining in more detail Omprakash’s mission, why I wanted to go to Guatemala and work with EDELAC, and how desperate the school was for...

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Summer School - Public Policy Research Methods

February 23, 2012

Shahnaz Iqbal

 In 2012, CPPR and ACE have come together to start a pilot venture which would impart to public policy researchers from around the world, the necessary techniques to produce research that stands out for its originality of thought and approach. This has taken the form of the ‘CPPR-ACE Summer School: Research Methodology for Public Policy Researchers’. The Course will be intensive and rigorous in nature and will be paced over 27 days. Tuition fee for each candidate is $ 1500 including living expenses.SYLLABUSThis month-long course for aspiring public policy researchers seeks to equip them with the necessary tools to conduct original primary research and produce high-quality research that is not solely based on secondary data. The course aims to break barriers by introducing its participants to different research methodologies and...

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My Experience with MOPGEL

February 23, 2012

Dorbor Marvie

While working with the Liberian Refugee in Ghana (2004-to 2008), Ispent  two years  with this organization known as MOPGEL -Movement forthe Promotion of Gender Equality in Liberia, as a volunteer, whichsupports the human rights of women, children, disabled and youth.MOPGEL has an interesting story that inspired me to it. It was firstestablished by two Liberian journalists in Monrovia, Liberia-onefounder died and the other, Hisenburg Q.Togba, fled persecution fromformer President Charles Taylor and dedicated his human rights awardto start the organization in a Refugee Camp. Following peace inLiberia, MOPGEL returned late 2008 to Liberia and started activitiesin Monrovia the capital. I currently worked with the Liberia RefugeeRepatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) website:www.lrrrc.com in Monrovia as it’s IT officer but planned to joinMOPGEL next month as its Executive Assistant. During my two...

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Where You Going, Brother?

February 21, 2012

Amy Biehl Foundation, South Africa
Michael Perugini

     A much loved saying among my housemates is “T.I.A.” It’s a wonderfully versatile phrase – apt in all sorts of ridiculous situations. If your train is running two hours late, yet marked as on time, T.I.A. If you see a shirtless man running through the streets beating a large drum, T.I.A. If a young child attempts to sell you cigarettes while you’re stopped in traffic, T.I.A. It stands for “This is Africa” – and it means, more or less, go with the flow.      Something that never fails to elicit a T.I.A. is also one of my very favorite parts of South Africa: the minibus taxi.      As a mode of transportation, the minibus taxi lies, unsurprisingly, somewhere between a bus and a taxi. It’s essentially a large van...

Cape Town Station

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A dream came true!

February 20, 2012

Atelier Favela, Nicaragua
Fem Theuninck

In october, coincidental, I came here to Atelier Faleva. Now, almost 5 months later I'm still here, and I really don't want to leave anymore! From the first day I really felt like home here, all the volunteers are one big happy family together with the students, the kids, the parents,... In the afternoon I teach classes for the kids here from Ticuantepe. They only go to school in the morning, so the rest of the day they are just wondering around. Thanks to Atelier Favela they can use their time much better. The charity 'Atelier Favela' is an inspiration for young people by poverty who does not have access to good education. With art we encourage personal development. Everyone has the right for a future!I really do love it here, I love Nicaragua,...

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Volunteering Trip to Cambodia: Read before Packing!

February 18, 2012

Life and Hope Association, Cambodia
Asta Tamuleviciute

After completing my volunteering project in Cambodia, I decided to share my experience with others by writing a book. If you are planning to volunteer in this beautiful country and would like to know about its culture and people more, you can visit my personal website and access the book (incorporated into the blog) by following this link:Volunteering Trip to Cambodia: Read before Packing! 

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