EXIS ApS

I've been in Ecuador for almost 3 months now. The school here is really good and I have learned a lot during the 4 weeks I was there. Before I arrived, I couldn't speak a single word of Spanish, and now I can get by just fine :) I know others who went to different schools and they learned less then I did in the same period, so I think the school is really good. At my work I quickly fitted in (I work with street children). The work hours are from 9 am - 1 pm. The first day was a bit scary: I walked into the centre, which is really poor and some tall black guys (22 years old) were waiting for me, just looking at me. I really felt small and bad at Spanish. But they showed me around (the centre consists of a room with table-soccer game and a television and a couch, and another room where homework assistance is offered). There's children aged 3-15 - these kids get help with their home work, or we teach them colours, numbers or teach them to read and calculate. Then there's the young kids (mostly guys), aged 16-24 years. They just hang out at the centre. There were some problems with some of the bigger guys at the centre, so they had to close it down for a while, but the problems were solved. In the beginning I didn't like the big guys very much, as they were making a pass at me, and me being blond didn't really help. But after the first week I earned myself some respect, so if they come on too strongly, I tell them off. So now I have a good relationship to them and we get along just fine. The small kids (aged 3-15) are lovely. Of course I have some favourites, and I will miss them very much. All of them are so straight-forward and at the beginning, where I couldn't talk so much with them, they welcomed me immediately anyway. I get hugs and happy smiles every day. Thre's nothing better, then when a small group comes to you for hugs - they are just so cute! You learn quickly what each individual child needs - and I sit here every day and do math for them, or practise dictation. If the future volunteers want to make donations to the home, then there's a big need for paper, colouring/drawing books and jig saw puzzles (the kids love jig saws! But not too difficult, as it's mostly the smallest kids who play with them). I love coming at the centre and I highly recommend it. I work at "La Marin" and know some of the people who work at "Terminal Terreste", which is the same project, but "Terminal Terreste" isn't near as good a place (I visited there as well). The people working there felt redundant as the kids who come there do not need them very much and the mutual relationship between the volunteers could be better. At "La Marin", where I work, there's many more children who need a place to stay and the mutual relationship between the volunteers is much better. We also said this to the school, so they can consider the use of "Terminal Terreste". My family has also been fantastic, and they took me in immediately. As they say, I'm part of the family. It's really nice, since one is so far away from home. I can only say positive things about my stay and the people from Ecuador are warm people (even though there of course are a number of bastards - but those can be found in all countries). The country/nature is incredibly beautiful, and I've been on a lot of trips every weekend with my friends down here. I gladly recommend others to take the trip to Ecuador.

I was well received and transferred to the hostel, and I was satisfied with my orientations and first week program. Hom is a very good teacher and he was good at explaining us about the historical background and the situation right now. I enjoyed classes and the sightseeing very much! The accommodation was fine. Tyson's food was great! To the upcoming volunteers I recommend to be open-minded, it will benefit them much later on. I also recommend playing cricket, it is a funny game and it helps you to learn the verbs, numbers, days of the week and so on, faster. I really liked the language class and the information about Nepali culture. The best thing was the volunteer work at the orphanage, you could feel that you made a difference and the kids were so happy. The staffs here are wonderful just as the kids. Just be there for them and be affectionate. My stay in Meg's Children home has been fantastic. I love the staffs and the kids here. I really liked that I was allowed to use my time with the kids as I liked. Give the kids a hug and show love, the rest comes naturally.

These children face not only poor living conditions, but a lack of healthcare and education as well. Volunteers are essential to the success of these programs. They need people to teach in the new schools and to assist in the various other programs. After just spending one afternoon with the children at the orphanage, I felt like I had really done something good. These programs could use skills from every area. A huge asset would be a volunteer that could speak Hindi, or a nurse that could provide basic healthcare, or a multitude of other things. But even volunteers like me, who have nothing really specific to offer, are great assets. Sometimes these women and children just need a shoulder to lean on and someone to talk to. Many of these programs focus on building their self-confidence, to give them the momentum that they need to survive on their own. This experience has opened my eyes to many things that I never knew existed. It's hard to imagine the problems that these people face when we can only see them from the television set or the newspaper. I never would have guessed how much one dollar could accomplish, but I now realize that it can accomplish a lot. I urge anybody who is interested to get involved because you won't regret it. An experience like the one that I have had will only make you want to help even more. Sincerely, Julien

My experience here in India has been one that I will never forget. Over the past three weeks I have spent time in one orphanage and two schools. The children have huge smiles on their faces when we come around, but behind the smiles you can see the hurt in their eyes. These children tell us of their dreams for the future, but their future looks bleak from their current situation. Before I came to India I imagined an orphanage with bunk beds, a dining hall, a playground, and a washroom in which the children could bathe. Well, I arrived to an orphanage with facilities that were far from that. These little boys and girls pile into the same beds with each other in rooms that don't even have real doors, let alone heat. The orphanage only has four rooms. One room for the boys, one for the girls, one for the adults who run the orphanage and one tiny room for the kitchen. Each bedroom is probably no larger than 12 by 12 and the kitchen is no larger than 4 by 6. There is a common area that is not sheltered. Past volunteers have built two toilet stalls that are in the common area. Each child's story is heartbreaking, and makes you only want to help even further. Today while we were at the orphanage, we talked to a lady who is staying there because her husband left her and her four children for a new wife. She hopes to live there and not only improve her life, but the lives of these orphaned children. Today was her first day there, and it was an emotional day for her also. I didn't fully understand what she was saying, but the tears streaming down her face said enough. Something needs to be done. My experience working with the women's group has been extremely rewarding. They are so eager to learn and to improve not only their own lives but also the lives of their families. They work very hard on their embroidery and show great attention to details. These sewing sessions also provide a great time to socialize as they form a wonderful bond of sisterhood. They help each other with the embroidery and make sure everyone is included. I am privileged to teach English to these amazing ladies after their sewing session. We have reviewed and continue to build upon phonetics, spelling and the use and meaning of adjectives. When they don't quite understand the meaning of the work, my humble attempt at drawing does the trick. They write down the English accompanied by the Hindi. So they can review their work at home. Many of them show what they have learned at school to their children. So not only do the lessons greatly benefit the women, they also benefit their children. We have also continued with maths, addition and subtraction in particular. My only regret is that I have such a short time to spend and to work with women. Thank you for everything!

Yesterday I started to work as a volunteer for the Nuestro Ahijados institution, just outside Antigua, about 20 minutes from Parque Central. The institution is in a little village called San Felipe de Jesus. I have been set to watch over a lot of small children, and it is just great!! Every child has a sponsor who pays 25 dollars every month, which ensures them education. The children have to come to school every day, if not they will loose their sponsor. These children really are fantastic. Yesterday I helped little Maria de Lourdes Perez Hernandez to write the letter O. When we finally finished, she felt we had become friends, and sang ovales, ovales, ovales during the rest of the afternoon. The days are divided after the following schedule. The children come at 14.00 and begin their lessons and homework at 14.15 in a building that still is not completely finished. They sit on plastic chairs and at a table made of four piles of stones covered by a plate. Even though it can be hard to make them do their homework in the beginning, they usually finish in time to start playing at 15.00. After 15 minutes break they either continue to do homework or can go to classrooms where some teachers try doing some creative teaching. The Guatemalan school system is still very much based on copying, and learning by hart, but the teachers try to change this attitude. Yesterday we tried for example to change some tin cans into music instruments, decorated them with flowers, paper and drawings. It was the last working day for one of the other volunteers, and all the children gathered with their instruments and sang a song for him. Quite touching! Especially because these children are smiling and happy all the time, they really love to play. If they don't play together they find time to give us a hug and sit with us. They always greet us with a hug and kiss, even if we only have been there for two days. It really is a good thing they have this place, so that they can forget about harsh live for a moment. Today Tina, our excursions guide Jean Pierre and I, drove in a little car with 10 children to some ruins in Antigua. We walked around on the lawn and the girls sat down and put flowers in my hair, and gave Tina a special looking hair-do. Afterwards we took them to a play ground where the children played and we watched them play on a very dangerous looking play thing. (Those things that make you sick of turning round faster and faster). Some of the shoe polish boys I know from the Parque Central joined us in our games. The children are very obliging, well-mannered, and kind, but it can be exhausting to be with them during three hours. But then I probably will get used to it. At 16.00 the children get a snack, and these days it's chicken soup, a cracker and of course the daily vitamin pill, which I have to distribute. Some of the children manage to take two and smile at me&I can't get myself to grumble at them, especially not as it is for their own health. The chicken soup does not look very tasty, some big toes are floating around in the soup, but it is strong and healthy and the children finish each drop of it. At home they probably don't get that much every day, and the mere sight of them lying on the lawn afterwards, holding their stomachs, looking up at the sky, singing a song, makes be feel confident that I will be happy working for this institution Nuestro Ahijado.