Volunteer at children’s center in Bolivia (part II)
This article is the second part of the interview with Emma, one of the founders of the childcare center in Bolivia ( the first part is here.
Emma tells about her experiences and the impact the project and the volunteers have on the local community in Bolivia and how volunteers are needed here.
Can you describe what your overall experience is with volunteers?
We notice that the first week can often be overwhelming for the new volunteers. The children are all asking for your attention and almost no one of the local people speaks English . After two weeks or so, the volunteers are feeling more at home, they understand how everything works, the routines and activities. What also gives them a positive feeling is that they start to realize that the volunteer work they are doing is very helpful. For us it is important that they stay at least one month or longer, because too many change of faces will not have a good effect on the children. But, many of our volunteers decide to extend their stay. We are very often inspired and moved by our volunteers, and we really appreciate it that they are willing to share their time and talents with us. Their presence really creates true benefits for us and also for them. They do great work in our childcare center and they can improve their Spanish language skills while volunteering here in Bolivia.
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