Youth Care & Community Development

Esta semana fue mi primer semana aquí. Me quedé en a la vida y la rutina rápidamente, aunque esta mucho diferente a Inglaterra. El personal del Fundación fue fantástico al contarme sobre la cultura y la forma de vida aquí. Durante la semana, trabajé a la escuela y quise trabajando y jugando con los niños, y los conocí a medida que avanzaba la semana. ¡En general, fue en entretenido y apasionante semana!

I am Lisa and I spent two weeks volunteering for and with Aldeas de Paz in Samanà. I was part at the youth care project. Although I was only two weeks there it was an experience I will definitely never forget. My reason to go to the Dominican Republic was because I wanted to get to know a new culture, country and lifestyle. I have choose this project because I love children and want to have kids in the future but I wanted to expierence how kids’ lifes are in an other parts of the world and what it is about to work with kids with disabilities. What I take with me is for sure is that kids in Europe/Austria who have disabilities nearly have all chances which are possible. Before I went to Dominican Republic this was nothing special for me, now I am thinking different about that and wish that this could also be in the Dominican Republic because in my opinion every child should have the same opportunities for his/her future. Besides I take with me that people in my home country are much more stressed, take things very serious and in general many of them aren’t very happy about their lifes. In my opinion there should be a mix between both lifestyles and maybe people around the world would be happier. I really liked the services provided from Aldeas de Paz! Before I arrived I was in contact with the volunteer coordinator what gave me a good feeling. I also appreciated it too that the coordinators provide a tours through Samanà to get to know the city.

I have really enjoyed my stay here so far. Working with the kids has been really nice. I enjoy practising my Spanish with them as it’s much easier than with everyone else. All the staff have been super helpful with making me feel settled in and comfortable. I also really love Samana, it’s a beautiful place full of very nice people, I just wish the electricity and water wouldn’t turn off! I am looking forward to the next few weeks to get to know all the staff and children better, and hopefully keep improving my Spanish.

During my first 2 weeks in samana I had the opportunity to see lots of things. The apartment is perfect with a beautiful view from the balcony and it is also where I spend most of my time ! I love the foundation, the atmosphere and the people there. The children are awesome and I loved to work with them ! Plus I can improve my Spanish skills thanks to the Spanish classes and the staff. The city is beautiful with awesome landscapes and beaches. We also have enough time to visit the city and discover new things. People in the city are lovely and helpful and it will be a pleasure to learn more about this place !

We visited families with handicapped children or adults. Everyone is treated with a great deal of love and a lot of respect. These visits are so important, I am really impressed. Thank you so much for letting me join you!

I’m glad I had the opportunity to do my internship in Aldeas de Paz. I have learned a lot, especially from visits to poor families and I will always carry this experience in my heart. It was enriching to know another reality and to meet many people of different nationalities and cultures. It has also been rewarding to contribute to the improvement of the environment and the education of children in the problem of plastic pollution. ""Muchas gracias a toda la team por darme la oportunidad de tener esta hermosa experiencia, gente muy amable y abierta!""

An unforgettable stay I joined the school project of Aldeas de Paz and worked as an English teacher at the Casa de los Niños in Las Terrenas for one month. Even if I didnt get much information before I departed, everything went quite smooth. ADP helped us to find a good public transport option to get to our accomodation which was rather spacious and of good quality compared to the Domenican standard. Our apartment had a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom. The welcome was very friendly and well organised. Working at the school was harder than expected. On three days we worked from 8am till 1pm and on two days from 8am till 3pm. The school is rather unorganised and chaotic. From day 1 we got a lot of responsibility as the volunteers are in charge for all the English activities without any support from a proper teacher. I made some really good memories at school: even if the days were hard and hectic, I could improve my Spanish skills and got connected with local children. Unfortunately, the motivation of the kids to learn English was very limited and I also had to learn that the kids here are very loud, temperamentful and hard to handle. Still, I learnt a great deal and loved to accept this challenge. The Domenican Republic is a beautiful country and I fell in love with the stunning beaches of Las Terrenas. On the weekends I loved chilling at the beach and relaxing after the exhausting week. Twice a week we had a 2 hours of Spanish class which was quite helpful. All in all, it was an unforgettable stay and i learnt a great deal about another culture and way of life.

I really liked my stay in Las Terrenas at ADP. During my time I made so many experiences, which mostly were really interesting and good. I met a lot of nice people, got in touch with new customs and culture, enjoyed the beautiful landscape and learned a lot. I enjoyed working at Casa de los Niños for one month. The school is so different to the ones we know from Europe, which made my experience even more interesting. The classrooms are mostly outside, the do not have a proper curriculum for English and books/exercise sheets are only limited available. From day one on we had a lot of responsibility because we had a lot of different clases and the job to teach English. Sometimes it was hard, because we had to prepare the clases and organise everything on our own, but I learned a lot. I developed many new skills and improved my spanish. The downside of the school was, that many children were really loud and unorganised, so it was hard to teach them sometimes. But in the end everyone tried to improve their english, which made us happy. Beside from school I got in touch with many other volunteers and enjoyed my time in Las Terrenas. We went to many nice beaches, ate the tipical food, listen to dominican music and studied Spanish! All in all I really enjoyed my stay at ADP and I would recommend it to other people. Thank you for your help! I wish the fundation and all the volunteers only the best for their future!

During my placement in Samana, I took part in two different projects; NGO Management and Mama Elba. I really enjoyed working in both of them, and I think these two projects combined together are the best way to understand and experience the core of the Foundation. The NGO Management project gave me a better idea about how an NGO works, what the main challenges of this kind of environment are and how to deal with daily issues regarding not only the Founding itself, but the local community as well. The other project I was working at, Mama Elba, was definitely enriching from both a personal and professional point of view. The children and young adults attending Mama Elba are absolutely lovely, and, while my hope was to help them somehow, what I received from them was way more. I also had the chance to learn different approaches to education, special educational programs and tools, and the interaction with the students and their families allowed me to learn a lot about the Dominican society and culture. I really enjoyed living in Samana and I would definitely recommend it. I loved the relaxed and friendly vibe, the kindness of local people and of course the stunning nature. I would recommend this placement to whoever wants to learn more and get engaged in the local community, it is a great way to acquire new knowledge about another culture, different teaching techniques and the basics on how an NGO works.

I joined “Aldeas De Paz” for two weeks and it was a great experience! I wish I could have stayed longer because two weeks was barely enough to get a deep insight in the work of the foundation. On the other hand, I felt welcomed from the first day on. I made friends with the other volunteers immediately and we always planned free time activities together so it never got boring. In the Mama Elba I felt beloved by the students there from the start on and the work with them was a pleasure for me. They were all so open minded and we had such a good connection that it was so much fun to work or play with them. In the evenings I sometimes helped other volunteers with their English and German courses, which was a great experience as well, because the courses were full of ambitious people who made determined efforts to learn the language, so that it was really fun to teach them. The two weeks work with “Aldeas De Paz” helped me with my insecurities about what to study, so it wasn’t just fun but useful for my further life as well. Just like I said before, I wish I could have stayed longer so that I maybe could have started my own courses or work in other projects as well, because the opportunities are definitely given and you’re absolutely free to bring your own ideas. I can totally recommend the organisation and I am very thankful for the time I had there.

En mi voluntariado yo trabaje un año en la escuela Mama Elba en Samana Republica Dominicana. Fúe muy lindo a veces difizil y duro pero con el tiempo se aprende mucho sobre los niños, el trabajo con ellos y uno encuentra las soluciones para que todo salga bien. Lo que más me gusto de el trabajo en la escuela fúe el amor de los niños. Ellos son muy dulces con todos los voluntarios y siempre se alegran mucho de vernos y de jugar con nosotros. Eso para mi es lo más valioso de ese trabajo. La organización Aldeas de Paz se ocupa de todos los voluntarios y sus necesidades. Los coordinadores siempre están disponibles si hay algún problema, a cualquier hora uno puede hablar con ellos. Nos ayudan lo mejor que pueden en todo y eso es muy importante para sentirse seguro en un país lejos de la familia y los amigos. Lo especial de la Republica Dominicana para mi es la tranquilidad. Todo se hace sin estrés y la vida es como una vacación. La gente es muy alegre, abierta, cariñosa y uno se siente bienvenido donde va. En todos lados hay musica fuerte, no a todos les gusta pero a mi me encanta. La comida Dominicana me gusta mucho, sobretodo los jugos naturales y las frutas que en alemania no hay. Ver el mar y la playa todos los días para mi es un paraiso. El malecon y los puentes son mis lugares favoritos aquí en Samana. Yo recomiendo hacer un voluntariado con la organización Aldeas de Paz porque ellos se ocupan muy bien de los voluntarios. También todos los voluntarios tienen una linda relación y son muy unidos. Son como una familia, por eso yo lo recomiendo a todos los que quieren vivir un tiempo inolvidable y una experiencia única en este paraiso tropical llamado Republica Dominicana.

During my volunteer service in the foundation I worked in the Montessori school “Casa de los Niños”. I mainly worked with a group of pupils at the age of 7 to 12 with dyslexia, which later changed to one-on-one work with a student. I created exercises based on my research on the internet and on materials given to me by the director, Susy. Furthermore, I helped the teachers, for example by keeping the children quiet, copying things and helping the students with the tasks. The other teachers and everyone who worked at the school were welcoming and lovely, and were always happy to help if I didn’t understand something, it was a great working environment! In the afternoon I did workshops, sometimes with Linda, other teachers or alone. Over the year I did a Portuguese-, decoration-, Art-, Geography- and German workshop. I created my own exercises for the workshops. Because of the workshops (and also because of my main task) I had a lot of freedom to create something and choose my focus. It was a really great experience and I learned a lot. At the end I assisted Zena and Vito by doing small tasks, I also gave swim lessons alongside three other volunteers. I had many highlights over the year; Mostly, it was a highlight when the students understood something and would do the task on their own. For example: at the beginning of the year, the one student was very slow in reading and would change the letters “a” and “o”, so it wouldn’t make sense what he was reading, but throughout the year he read with more attention and began to read faster. Also, in math there was a progress to be seen. In addition to this, I also saw the progress of our swim students, this made me really proud of them. Another highlight was meeting many different people, mostly short term volunteers from all over the world. Also the coordinators came from different countries and they were friendly and welcoming. I am really glad and thankful that I had these Coordinators (Zena and Vito). Over the year I learned a lot, not only did I gain new experiences, I was also able to learn from the people and their culture. I was also given the opportunity to learn about the gender equality project and assisted during workshops, which were really good and I got to know/ learn about new and useful things about the culture of the Dominican Republic. I think it would be more sustainable for the community/people if the organization would focus more on helping the community with certain projects, the Mama Elba school is a good example but also the gender equality project (in a way the other program are also helping the community). For that it would be better if the volunteer would stay longer than a month and could speak a bit of the language. I think if you are only staying a week or a month you are just getting to know the city you are living in, the culture, the people and the language and then you have to leave! To do more and better help you must stay longer to get accustomed to your surroundings, in this sense I think even one year is not enough to make a large impact! Even though there are these things I criticized, I enjoyed my stay and learned a lot. Thank you

During my time at Aldeas de Paz I worked in the school, participated in medical missions and gave German classes. All the experience together and the whole year was a highlight for me and I liked about the organisation that it was never static, there were always new people coming and the group was always changing. The Dominican Republic is a very special country with a strong culture. It is very different to Germany or to Europe and it gives you definitely another point of view on many things. Finally I can say that I would totally recommend this placement! Even though working in the school mostly is really hard and takes a lot of energy and patience, the kids give you so much love back. For me, it was the best decision to work at the school!

Thanks to Aldeas de Paz, I was able to reflect and implement my previous knowledge from my profession as a social worker and my theoretical input from my master studies. Not only could I gain more knowledge in my professional growth, but also had I the chance to challenge myself by developing my own project idea and, with help, to develop an adequate project plan. For me, working with the Dominicans was one of the greatest experiences so far. Intercultural work makes you learn so much more about yourself. It makes you understand your own living system and the best of it is creating more interpersonal connections and even amazing friendships. What I found amazing at Aldeas de Paz was this internal band and the will to make a difference and help the community. Still learning to walk as a young organization, Aldeas de Paz is making big progress with the new team of coordinators. The base of their vision is the connection of education, environment and health. Believing in the intercultural discourse and working with the Dominican community will help the progress. One of the highlights during my 2 month stay was helping out at the Mamá Elba school. Working with these amazing children filled my heart. They brought me so much joy and made me work harder and help them so they can have education and therapy to bring them closer to an autonomous life in their society. I think everyone who has the motivation and gets the chance to be part of this should do it. Giving so little from us can make a big change for some others! We live in a global world now and we should all be aware of our global responsibility. Each human being is so special and amazing and we all deserve the same chance in life.

During my stay in Samaná, I did work in the Mamá Elba school, which is a school for children with special needs. I really liked my work there and for me it was interesting to see how every child acts differently in the same situation. Furthermore, they get to know you with the time and became less shy. The most amazing thing was to see the developments the children made when they suddenly started to count or know new colours. Even though I only stayed for a short time, the children grew close to my heart very quickly and I looked forward to seeing them every day and playing with them. I like the aim of the organization Aldeas de Paz, but sometimes the communication didn‘t work properly and it was a little bit chaotic. But the coordinators are very helpful and there for you at any time and help you with every problem you have. I quickly fell in love with Samaná. It is a nice little city close to the beach. I love the culture of the Dominican Republic – they are always happy, listening to music and ready to dance. The whole mentality is very easygoing without any stress. I would recommend this volunteer service to everybody who wants to experience an adventure, is willing to help people and wants to get to know himself better. In my time here, I learned more about myself and noticed that you don‘t need much to live. Already one little thing can make a big change in your life. All in all, I really loved my work here and would do it again at any time.

I feel like I’ve had some highs and lows, making it a great learning experience in a short amount of time. First off, it doesn’t get any more beautiful than the view. The first few days were overwhelming meeting all the other volunteers and kids at school, while not yet knowing where to find anything in town. Being in an apartment definitely comes with its pros and cons as well. I didn’t like that the majority of other people were in the shared apartments and particularly at night couldn’t safely get to hang out with them. This has gotten better making plans in advance to have a travel buddy. I love how welcoming everyone is and no one is shut off or out of any group or activity. Once I knew people had been here for months, I feared it would be hard to make connections quickly when so many friendships have already been established. I was happy to find that is not the case at all and everyone is always included. Having basically no prior Spanish knowledge, I feel like this has made a unique experience. It has been difficult communicating with Dominicans, especially at school. However, it also has been cool to overcome that barrier. I’ve had to quickly learn some key phrases and feel like I can successfully order food. Kids have been patient and we have tried to teach each other Spanish/English words. No matter where you are, kids are the same and have a great spirit about them. They have been fun to play and learn with. With the scheduling changes and addition of Jessica, it is a cool time to see the transition and growth in ADP. I’m excited to see the progress even once I leave! I am looking forward to comforts of home (water not turning off, air conditioning, not loud to sleep), but the atmosphere and people make this a special place that I hope to return to.

My name is Fabienne and I worked as a volunteer in the Mama Elba School for one month. I really enjoyed the work with the children and I was able to gain a lot of useful experience for my future. When I arrived here I couldn’t speak Spanish. First, I was a bit worried about that. But over time I learned the important things in Spanish because of the free Spanish lessons and the work with the children. During the time here in Samana, I was living in a guesthouse apartment with two other volunteers. I was really happy with this kind of living, because I like to have people around me. Furthermore, the organisation of my stay here was well planned. This included also the pick-up service, which worked very well. All in all, I enjoyed the time here in Samana with the organisation Aldeas de Paz. When I got time, I will come back for sure.

To start, during my stay here I had the chance to work with kids with special needs in the school. I enrolled that particular project because I wanted to gain experience in my field of studies. I really enjoyed working with everyone in the school, but mostly the kids, who greet you everyday when you arrive in the school. They are all just very adorable. I had the opportunity to work with a variety of children with disabilities, which is what I was mainly here for. Also, changes and improvements are being done in the school which I think will greatly benefit the kids attending. Finally, I was able to contribute to the school with a project involving pictograms that will greatly help these children, more so the ones that have language disabilities. In addition, I had the chance to be in contact with Kim, an amazing Canadian that has been living here for over 30 years and is taking the rights of animals here to heart. I had a chance to work hands on with the animals, mostly dogs, and actually had the opportunity to start a totally new project in association with Aldeas the Paz. I really appreciated the encouragement and interest expressed by the coordinators and volunteers. I am very proud of my contribution and participation, which turned out to be more than expected. Aldeas de Paz is the only organisation that I saw that had a good variety of projects to work on, which provides a lot of flexibility. I was able to participate in a lot of different acitives and programs such as the english classes and café intercultural. For a month was able to give intermediate english classes to dominicans, as well as dancing classes in the café. The responsibilities really encourage us to participate in a variety of projects and the options are really there for us to explore. The organisation has a really great team of coordinators that work really hard to make our experience here the best it can be, even if there job is not always easy. It was my second time in the Dominican Republic and more specifically Samana. I really wanted to come back here because the first time I really fell in love with the spirit of the people, the culture, the dancing, the music, the scenery and saw that there was a need for volunteers. I wanted to make sure for my second experience that I was to be part of the community, the people and meet different Dominicans. I have so many good memories with the volunteers and dominican friends I made. I found it very important to have an interest for the people here and an open mind. By doing so, I was able to know, see places and have experiences I would of never had if it were not for my dominican friends. Also, when spending time with them it was the perfect occasion to pratice and learn more spanish, which was one of my goals when coming here. We did so many great trips and activies that really made my time here that much memorable. I can say that I fully experienced Samana and the DR and would do it again without a doubt.

I spent four months volunteering with Aldeas de Paz and I enjoyed every moment of it. Originally I signed up for the NGO management project but then I also joined the youth care & community team which is working in a small school for children with special needs and learning difficulties. I had loads of fun working with the kids in school even though at first I wasn't sure if I would be able to work well with them. After more or less one week all the kids had adjusted to me as a new teacher and started to trust me which really made me more confident. Even after a short time I saw a change in the children's learning progress which was very rewarding. On top of that we do a parents reunion with all the teachers and the children's parents once a month, where we exchange our observations and thoughts about the children. This is also a great possibility for the volunteers to hear from the parents directly about the difference we make in their children's lives. One mother told me that for the first time in her life her 27-years-old mentally disabled daughter has had the chance to go to school and learn something. She is now able to read numbers and write some letters, the girl’s family and their friends had all seen a positive difference in her daughter's social behaviour. This was one of the situations where I realised that we really do have an impact in the kid's life no matter if we work there for only a few weeks or for a few months. Another aspect of Aldeas de Paz that I truly enjoyed was that even though it's a small NGO there were so many international volunteers who I got to meet and who I became friends with. I had loads of fun with them in the evenings and on weekend trips that we did regularly. I believe that in those four months I lived in Samana I made friends with not only volunteers from all over the world but also local Dominicans who I'll hopefully stay friends with for a long time. Naomi

Going to a new country as a volunteer is an eye-opening experience, both personally and culturally. Furthermore, it allowed me to reinforce my desire to apply my skills and knowledge to help others. The accommodation and guidance from Julia and Manfred made the trip really comfortable. I have learned a lot from Manfred, he has great ambitions for the organisation. Aldeas de Paz is having a real positive impact in the local community and it is rewarding to know that you have contributed somehow. I met so many amazing people and had so many intense experiences along the way, working with the children from Mama Elba school remains the most wonderful experience of all. I have truly enjoyed my time with Aldeas de Paz and would definitely recommend the NGO to anyone. Thanks again for everything and I will be back again some day!