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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 All Asia Africa Middle East Latin America United States Europe Online opportunities category All education health environment women's empowerment construction economic development disaster relief

 

One Week Down February 01, 2012 Amy Biehl Foundation, South Africa Michael Perugini      It’s been about a week since I touched down in Cape Town, and I have been having an incredible time so far.       South Africa is a truly amazing place – very different from the States, but in good way. The people here—both the locals and other international travelers – are incredibly friendly and accommodating. I am very fortunate to be staying in a lodge in Observatory (a suburb of Cape Town) with plenty of other students and interns from around the world. They have all made me feel quite welcome. My first night here, a number of us had a braai (Afrikaans for barbecue), and since then we have gone surfing in Muizenberg, clubbing in City Center, and wine/cheese tasting in Franschhoek. There’s so much to do here! It’s... Read More

 

 

CREAR knows how to love January 20, 2012 Asociacion CREAR, Costa Rica Katie McDonald My experience with CREAR leaves me with nothing but happy memories and an admiration for those who run this incredible organization. The passion and drive behind CREAR leave the kids of Playa Samara truly believing that they are creative and important little people that have the potential to do great things. One of my favorite fundraisers for CREAR are the surf tournements through C & C Surf School. The whole pueblo gathers for local food and modest waves to compete for the prize money...the winner always ends up giving most of it to CREAR! Samara has a such a strong sense of community and I feel that CREAR has a very unique place in it...they represent an advocate for the youth of Samara and constantly remind... Read More

 

 

Acosiacion Crear, Samara, Costa Rica January 19, 2012 Asociacion CREAR, Costa Rica Fabiana Giger My name is fabiana giger, i lived in samara costa rica for about 7 months and i worked most of my time there with the acosiacion crear. Most of the time i helped andrea and johannah preparing and giving classes to the kids and get new ideas of what we can do with the kids and organize everything to do it. Crear is a great Organisation and everyone, most the mothers and in general the ticos are so thankful for what crear does with the children. I come from switzerland, here it is just normal to paint whenever we want to do that, to use computers, to play games and just to be a kid but in costa rica it is really different. For these kids every crear class is... Read More

 

 

There's only 1 women's recovery center in Tanzania and this is it! January 14, 2012 Women's HOPE Recovery Center, Tanzania Christine Mathwes I recently became a volunteer with the Hope Center due to the opportunity to really make a difference with an organization and project that was in its infant stages. I provide consulting services for the center while the center continues to build its infrastructure. I also help serve as a communication channel, informing on world wide organizations that are dedicated to improving the quality of life of individuals in disadvantaged countries. When I was made aware of Omprakash it seemed like the perfect fit and it is also giving me the ability to see how I can serve other organizations while I help the Hope Center. The Hope Center is truly unique in that it is the only one of its kind in the country of Zanzibar. The determination of... Read More

 

 

Helping Women in Tanzania. January 14, 2012 Women's HOPE Recovery Center, Tanzania Fatma Mausa I have been a volunteer for the HOPE Center for a little over a year now and I am very pleased with the progress of the organization. What I really like about the founders is that they saw a need in the community and they addressed it. Sober homes have been established all over the city for several years now but they all focused on men. This organization serves women only and is the only one of its kind in the region. This project is still in the beginning stages. Because I came on as a volunteer in the beginning I have been able to help establish a great foundation for women to truly recover in a safe setting. However, we are in need of more dedicated people with... Read More

 

 

Engage Brain, Body and Soul volunteering at Alterna January 11, 2012 Alterna, Guatemala Reid Lustig About a year ago I set off on my bicycle from my home in Colorado in search of an opportunity to establish myself in a community, work for its betterment and learn by doing. I was incredibly fortunate to discover an organization which satisfied my desires. Located in the lively city of Xela, nestled 7000 feet high in the Guatemalan Highlands, is an organization which strives to create a positive change in this world. Alterna is a small international collective of volunteers working hard to develop and disseminate appropriate technologies aimed at conserving resources, saving money and simply making life a bit sweeter. When I arrived as a hairy ragged traveler, I was welcomed with open arms and immediately began to take on essential rolls within the organization. I quickly... Read More

 

 

Volunteering at Alterna January 10, 2012 Alterna, Guatemala Rebecca Martin I thoroughly enjoyed my internship at Alterna in the summer of 2011. I am a graduate student at the University of Michigan, pursuing a career in International Development. My internship with Alterna provided me with great hands on experience working at a clean technology startup in Guatemala. I was able to travel to pilot sites in rural areas where Alterna's technologies are being tested and ask people about their experiences using the products. My manager assigned me interesting projects where I was able to learn how Alterna's products work and apply skills I learned in school to analyze the market potential for them in Guatemala. Specifically, I developed financial statements for their efficient cookstoves and wrote a section of the business plan for their biodigesters. The staff at Alterna is... Read More

 

 

NLCO January 29, 2012 New Life Center Organization (NLCO), Cambodia Anna Prestage NLCO is a relatively new orphanage in Siem Reap, Cambodia where it first began in January 2011.  I first came to this orphanage in March 2011 with the intention of delivering some rice and a few study materials; however, after just a few short hours I knew that I wanted to come back again.  Now it is January 2012 and here I am.  The center has made some amazing progress in the past year and thanks to the dedication of the founder Mr. Ratha as well as the hard work of the children, I know things will keep improving.  They have started several new projects in the past few months...They have rented extra land behind their property and have begun a fantastic 9 bed garden with cucumbers, lettuce and spinach. ... Read More

 

 

My two weeks with Expand Peru January 25, 2012 Expand Peru, Peru Max Frew I could only work with Expand Peru for a short two weeks before I had to return to school. When I arived in Huancayo late at night, Bernabé (The founder) and Ingrid (The coordinator) were waiting for me. They brought me to a local restuarnt that had amazing food and we quickly got to know each other and what I would be doing during my time there. My bad spanish mixed with Ingrids decent english made communcation easy. I learned that above anything else, school supplies, building supplies, etc, they needed more volunteers. I spent my two weeks doing a variety of work ranging from construction to playing soccer with the kids. As my time was ending I apologized to Bernabé for not being able to stay longer, but he... Read More

 

 

How volunteering changed my life! January 24, 2012 Intag, Ecuador Ankura Ranade It was in February last year that I heard from a friend that she was going to volunteer in South America. It was from her too, that I heard about Omprakash. I had been feeling restless in my job for a while then and so when she told me about her travel and volunteer plans, I instantly knew that I wanted to do the same. It took me six months after that to be able to get visas etc in place and leave the country. I was headed for South Am too.A few days before I left I met some expats living in my city and working with NGOs there. One of the girls said to me ´You´re going to have a great time!´ I knew it too but I... Read More

 

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The Omprakash Foundation is a tax-exempt non-profit organization registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
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The information on this website is being provided as a general resource for individuals planning to travel and volunteer abroad. The Omprakash Foundation and/or its representatives assume no liability based on the information contained herein in the event of accident or illness, or for damage or injury to person or property of any nature whatsoever.