Fundación Aldeas De Paz - Peace Villages Foundation

ALdeaz de Paz es una organización muy solidaria. Llevo 2 semanas en la fundación y desde el primer día me sentí muy cómoda. Llegué aquí sin hablar ni una palabra de español, pero dos semanas después, gracias al curso de Antonio y a fuerza de practicar, empiezo a entender y a relacionarme con los dominicanos. Aún así, me resulta más fácil hacerme entender en inglés. Es una gran ayuda que nuestros coordinadores hablen este idioma. En cuanto a mi trabajo aquí, el programa de periodismo multimedia es realmente interesante. Hay mucho que hacer y mucha libertad para proponer contenidos. El programa se centra sobre todo en la comunicación. Como estudiante de periodismo, me gustaría poder hacer más contenidos periodísticos que de comunicación. En general, Samaná es una ciudad muy agradable y nuestro alojamiento es muy bueno. Estoy más que contenta de pasar 2 meses con la asociación Aldeas de Paz y de contribuir a algo bueno en la República Dominicana.

It was a nice experience to see how a local NGO works. I got a good insight in what to take into consideration when new volunteers are coming or when there are problems with the colleagues or the projects. But during my time, I met many motivated people that are eager to improve the projects and want to work on the impact of the foundation. All in all, I had a great time in the Dominican republic, met wonderful people and was able to see the work of a local NGO with all its opportunities, challenges and thoughts that are behind it.

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’ve enjoyed every day here in Las Terrenas. Thanks to the Foundation I had my „apartment“ in the middle of the city and after a few weeks I felt like I built a new home. With the other volunteers living beside me, we’ve built some great friendships. Casa Regular is (with the new kitchen equipement) a cool place to live. The owners are always happy, here to help and great people. My coordinator Nacho and the marine conservation project manager Noel both have a big heart and brought a lot of energy into my time here. They’re here for the volunteers 24/7 and are always happy to help. So a big thank you! Because I was the first volunteer in the program „Multimedia & Journalism“ in Las Terrenas I didn’t get here with a lot of work, I was happy to also join the marine conservation program because without that I would’ve had a lot of free time. However, my stay wasn't any worse because of this, it just surprised me a bit at the beginning. Obviously it’s also my fault because I didn’t come up with new Ideas or work.

On Wednesday evening I landed in Santo Domingo, where I spent a night and then took the bus to Las Terrenas the next morning. The first impression was different than expected at first and my Spanish was initially insufficient and I expected that I would get along better with English. However, Spanish could be quickly refreshed in the Spanish lessons with Bernado. In las terrenas was my first impression: It is very different from Germany and very loud. But the people are very happy and friendly. I also like the marine conservation program very much and diving is a lot of fun. The diving instructor is also very funny. However, you have a lot of free time and only go diving 1-2 times a week and otherwise have time off. I had expected more alternative programs here, especially when it rains and you can't dive for a week.

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.

Hola, me llamo Maëlle y vengo de Francia. Empece mis practicas con el equipo de gestion y administración de la Fundación Aldeas de Paz el 20 de mayo de 2024 y termino el 26 de junio. Mi primer dia aquí fue tranquilo pero muy bueno. Encontramos a otros voluntarios que nos hicieron visitar la ciudad y fuimos a la oficina para conocer al lugar y también a toda la gente que trabaja alla. También la coordinadora Yessica ya trabajaba todavía en la oficina, ya que ahora es Jorlanny. Jorlanny una buena coordinadora que escucha cuando lo necesitamos y con quien tengo una muy buena relación aunque trabajamos juntas desde poco tiempo. La fundación tiene un ambiente muy acogedor. Todos son tan acogedores, y me siento cómoda desde el primer dia. Cualquier cosa puedes preguntar al staff y van a encontrar una solución para ayudarte rápidamente. Me encanta también que el centro de los jóvenes sea abajo, así pude conocer a niños que son super monos! Me encanta pasar tiempo con ellos. Mi experiencia como voluntaria al principio estaba muy tranquila. No teníamos mucho que hacer en la oficina, entonces estábamos un poco aburridos. Pero después hablamos de nuestros proyectos con Nacho y Jorlanny que estaban muy enthousiaste. Creo que haber tenido más responsabilidades me ayudó a querer hacer mas cosas y eso me gustó mucho. También mezclamos nuestros trabajos con los del equipo multimedia lo que me hizo conocer a otras cosas. Los coordinadores están muy a favor de nuestras ideas, como por ejemplo el proyecto de grabar videos de cada programa para después subirlas en YouTube. Esto me permitirá conocer a nuevos ambientes y también a nuevas personas. Pero creo que esperaba más de esta experiencia. Porque como una voluntaria, me hubiera gustado hacer más cosas en el terreno y que las cosas hagan más rápido y también aprender más sobre el funcionamiento de una ONG. Me encanta la ciudad, es muy local y tranquila. No es muy grande pero me gusta más así. Ahora tengo mis hábitos, y me siento segura. La gente es muy acogedora y podemos confiar en ellos.

The Foundation gave me the opportunity to make a life experience even with my young age (16 years). It was great that all the volunteers lived together in one spot. The hospital program gave me a good introduction into the medical world. The Spanish lessons really helped to revise.

I was very nervous for this trip since I didn't really know Spanish or have ever traveled to the Dominican, but it was so amazing! The coordinators and other volunteers are so supportive and want you to succeed and have the best trip. I did the medical program in the hospital and being able to see the differences between US health care and the Dominican was very eye opening and I learned a lot from them. I am a student in college so figuring out how to volunteer overseas was a little difficult time-wise but the coordinators helped me in the best way they could to make sure I had the best stay. All necessities around groceries, food, and everything are very close to the apartments and you are able to walk everywhere- including the beach, which was very beautiful. The amount of memories and friends I made on this trip is something I will always cherish! If you have the chance to volunteer here, do it!

My name is Franzi and I've now been working for the Marine Conservation Program for 4 months. During that time there were plenty different things I've seen and done and I'll split them up into different sections. Accommodation: The Volunteer House at Casa Regular is nice. The owner and his family take care of the house and also clean (sometimes more often sometimes not) the rooms for us. I've slept in the four bed room during my stay and despite from some personal matters it was always a nice time and I enjoyed it a lot. The kitchen could be a little bit bigger as it's sometime crowdy when there are 10 or more volunteers. The location of the house is perfect for the medical volunteers as the hospitals are really close. For us Marine Volunteers it's a little bit of a walk to the beach but I liked it as you can see more of the city. Program: The Marine Conservation Program is, in my opinion, the best program Aldeas de Paz is hosting. You can have a real impact on the environment and take care of the corals and the sea. Even though the diving center burnt down shortly after the moving to another place, we could manage it to still go diving and continue with the program. Also we were planning and doing a lot of trips where also the medical volunteers could join us as well. It would just be nice if the foundation could manage it to make more dives a week possible as it would increase the purpose we're all here for. Coordinators: As I was staying in Las Terrenas the coordinators who were in charge of me were Nacho and Noel. When we have problems or something is wrong we can always call them and when they're not picking up the phone, they'll try to get to you as soon as they can. I would say during my stay in Las Terrenas I gained two new friends in them. Recap: My stay with Aldeas de Paz in Las Terrenas was amazing and as usual not everything was perfect but I still enjoyed it a lot. I'm glad about the experience I made and the memories I'll take with me for the rest of my life.

I spent a total of 6 months in the Dominican Republic and can generally say that I love the country. I went to two different hospitals and then to the dentist. I hoped that I would get a real insight into medicine there and that this would help me decide what to study, but I have to say that this was unfortunately not the case. There was really absolutely nothing to do in the first hospital and we sat there for four hours a day just reading. On average, we had maybe two patients a day, nobody came when it was raining, wie weren‘t allowed to do anything and the hospital was still under construction. After 6 weeks, I was allowed to change hospitals, and Nacho, the local coordinator, made every effort to make the change possible! There were significantly more patients in this hospital. Over time, I was also allowed to carry out tasks on my own and was allowed to watch a surgery twice which was really interesting. Nevertheless, I have to say that a lot is promised on the website, with various medical areas in which you get an insight and that you can help in the ambulance, in the pharmacy or in the laboratory. None of this was the case and even though I enjoyed the work, it was relatively monotonous and not what was promised. The staff at the hospitals have become friendlier over time, but especially at the beginning they didn't really pay attention to you and as soon as you didn't understand something in Spanish, they rolled their eyes and turned away. Working at the dentist, on the other hand, totally surprised me. The two dentists were super friendly and tried to explain everything. I also got to know a lot of different types of treatment, was allowed to see everything up close and was able to assist with everything after just a few days, such as a wisdom tooth operation. I enjoyed working at the dentist's the most by far! Overall, I really liked the accommodation we stayed in, as we lived in the same building with all the volunteers and were therefore able to get to know lots of great people. However, the photos on the rgv website don't match the actual accommodation at all; the accommodation shown is completely different. Nevertheless, casa regular is a nice place and the locals who live in the same building are really friendly. Overall, it has to be said that the communication between rgv and Aldeas de Paz is not really good and rgv never tells you that they are working with Aldeas de Paz so you are really confused at first. In addition, rgv gives you contact details of people who are supposed to be the local coordinators, but these people don't even exist there, only the employees of Aldeas de Paz. The coordinators of Aldeas de Paz, on the other hand, are very nice and especially the coordinator of the marine program, always organizes excursions for all volunteers and takes care of everyone. Spanish lessons hardly ever took place at the beginning, but our coordinator arranged for a replacement and since then we have had a very nice Spanish teacher who gave good lessons. All in all, it was an absolutely unforgettable time in the Caribbean, where I made new friends, improved my Spanish and learned a lot about a new culture and myself but honestly not because of the projects

- good solutions finding from the organisation or the coordinator if you need something - Even tho you sometimes don’t have much to do, the program still are consistent enough - Got opportunities like snorkeling or getting to see the other programs in NGO ´s management - Good communication with the coordinators - I was staying in a four persons bedroom and it was way too much, especially when someone was sick and everybody else was getting sick because we were always in a confine space together.

My name is Emma. I was a volunteer with the youthcare and community development program in the fall of 2021. I would definitely recommend this program to someone who is interested in volunteer work. The foundation is working hand in hand with the community to advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities as well as other disadvantaged community members. I like what the program stands for and hope that it can continue long into the future. It is good work with good people. Thank you Aldeas de Paz!

see above, one and the same review for the two girls who a friends!

Wir möchten gerne über unseren 5 wöchigen Aufenthalt in Samaná berichten, wo wir in einem Krankenhaus die dort arbeitenden Ärzte und Pfleger unterstützen. Unzählige Erfahrungen im Krankenhaus wie auch ganz viele Erlebnisse in unserer Freizeit - von Whale whatching über karibisch schöne Sandstrände bis hin zum wöchentlichen Social meeting- Es sind und waren so viele Eindrücke, die uns auf immer im Gedächtnis bleiben werden. Weiters dürfen wir noch kurz betonen, dass die Organisation vom ersten Tag an perfekt funktionierte. Wir hatten das Gefühl hier sehr gut aufgehoben zu sein, Jessica (Betreuerin) wie auch die anderen Volunteers kümmerten sich von Beginn an und während des gesamten Aufenthalts mit großem Engagement um uns. Vielen herzlichen Dank, Sara und Valerie

I worked in the Marine conversation program. I had no diving experience and that was no problem at all. With Daria the diving instructor, I finished my open water PADI license in 1 week. During our work, we explore many diving spots where we monitor the corals. We clean coral fragments in the nursery and learn about the eco system sea You will stay in an Appartement with rooms for 2-4 people, each room has bathroom and fridge. There is 1 washing machine and 1 kitchen for all volunteers. Las Terrenas is a small town with cute stores, sea view restaurants and beach bars. It is a very vibrant city, there is always music. Overall it is very fun. You learn a lot and meet new people. It is a great opportunity.

Overall, I had a very pleasant experience with the people who work for Peace Villages. They were kind and helped me when I had problems. sometimes you had to be aware that you are in the dominican republic as some things do not work as you think. I had a pleasant experience in the hospital and the people there teach you and let you see different things in the work of doctors. not everything worked perfectly but i really enjoyed my time here.

Mi experiencia como voluntaria en el sector de la administración y gestión de la ONG Aldeas de Paz ha sido en general positiva. Mi primer día se desarrolló muy bien, fui recibida por los voluntarios que ya estaban en el lugar, me mostraron la ciudad de Samaná, dónde está el supermercado, la farmacia, la estación de guagua y me acompañaron en los diversos trámites necesarios (tarjeta SIM, banco…). Fui a la playa de Samaná, que está muy linda. Las personas que conocí eran increíblemente amables y acogedoras, lo que hizo que mi estancia fuera aún más agradable. Sin embargo, me hubiera gustado tener un poco más de trabajo para sentirme aún más útil y, las asistencias obligatoria a las clases de español no fueron muy útiles porque tengo un nivel de español "avanzado". El equipo de trabajo es genial, muy sonriente y amable, lo que contribuyó a un ambiente de trabajo relajado. En resumen, esta experiencia me permitió descubrir una nueva cultura mientras contribuir a causas que me importan.

The staff team was great and always offered support, Nacho the coordinator was very nice and was always ready to help. The volunteering work was great but could be improved by adding consistent tasks for volunteers to complete, the hours for the work were very good since we only worked around the morning and the rest of the day we were free to do as we pleased. The living conditions were very simple but i liked that at Las terrenas all volunteers lived together so it was very easy to socialize and make friends with the others. Las terrenas as a town was incredible the beaches and the people were amazing. I loved that everything was not very far from the accommodation so it was very easy to get to the beach or to restaurants.

- opportunity - After a time we became friends with the nurses - I was glad that I was not alone :) - My spanish improved - I learned things about the healthcare system here and could do some stuff - People are friendly and helpful - Life here is just great - Spanish should be a requirement (because in the Medicine program it is very helpful to ask doctors questions)

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!"

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 !

overall i really liked the programm in the dominican republic. the atmosphere with the other volunteers was great and the diving instructor noel and nacho as a coordinator were really helpful. but i think that the diving project could improve by having more activities during the week. i also think that because on the website it was displayed that there would be 2-3 dives per week. which we only had 1 per week. i understand that the weather conditions during the season i went in where not so good but i think that there would also be the possibility to close down the diving project for the months where 2-3 dives per week are not guaranteed. other than that i really enjoyed my stay, thank you!

I have participated in the Aldeaz de Paz marine conservation project for the past six weeks. It was a nice experience and I have enjoyed the time. I could see many different fishes and Jaime has taught me a lot about seagrass and corals. Although I liked to work with him and Daria it would have been nice to meet more volunteers from this project. However it was great to see a development in the coral nursery especially when there are currently so many bleaching corals.

I spent 3 months working in the Clinica International Espezializada, Las Terrenas. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience. I learned how to inject, how to canalize and medicate and even got to see a surgery and a natural child birth. I truly liked working with the other nurses who eventually even became friends. The atmosphere at the hospital is great, everyone is very nice and open to teach and explain. The only thing I would criticize is that it was sometimes boring since there was not a lot to do. Living with the other volunteers was a great experience. It was like a big family, we lived and cooked together and often stayed up late just to talk. Apart from that I think that the volunteer Guesthouse should be better equipped…

El primer día descubrí la ciudad con el equipo de Aldeas de Paz, me mostró los lugares importantes como la estación de guagua, los colmados y los supermercados. Firmé el contrato y me explicó lo que deberé hacer en la fundación. Al principio no tenía mucho trabajo, pero mis compañeras y yo propusieron varias ideas para la fundación en colaboración con el programa de multimedia. El trabajo depende de los proyectos que nuestro coordinador nos propone. Podemos también proponer ideas para mejorar la organización de la Fundación según los programas. Me hubiera gustado aprender más sobre el funcionamiento de una NGO. El equipo es muy dinámica y amable. La ciudad es muy bonita (sobre todo la playa) y la gente aquí es muy amable y nos ayuda cuando tenemos un problema o si no entendemos algo.

When I first arrived in Santo Domingo I was very excited about our stay. I was happy that Aldeas de Paz organized our transportation to Las Terrenas. When I arrived here we have been warm welcomed by our coordinator. He showed us arrounf the city and gave us tips and insinders. The second day we went to work our first time. There our colleagues have been very nice to us since the first moment. Beside our work in the medical part we also helped the doctors and nursery with translating. In total our stay at the hospital was very nice and we could do some good work there. Besides our work in the hospital I really enjoyed our painting day with all the other volunteers. Now that my time is over I am sad that I already have to leave after five weeks, which passed very quick.

When I first arrived in las Terrenas, I was overwhelmed by all the new impressions. It was my first time being in Latin America, but I got used to everything really quick. I love the Dominican culture, the music and the people. Everybody was very welcoming and open and we met a lot of new people. Working for the foundation was fun, the only minor inconvenience was the lack of patients at our hospital.. it was pretty new tho and so this will probably change over time. The hotel we stayed at was nice and had a great outdoor-area. Overall volunteering in the DR was a great experience and I would highly recommend it. The nature is amazing, the people are nice and there is a lot to do and experience.

Dear Aldeas de Paz team, Thank you for keeping the good cause of the foundation alive by your daily work and for providing international volunteers to deep in to the Dominican culture. It was a pleasure supporting you and the beneficiaries. My time at Aldeas de Paz has been a great enrichment to myself and I met a lot of great people who made my stay in the Dominican Republic even better. I experienced the great importance of the work of a NGO and I was happy to see that the majority of the community in Samaná values our work. At the NGO Management programme we were given the opportunity to set up a new project from the scratch. I enjoyed this process and even more to put our planned actions into practice. I wish you all the best! Best regards, Jonas

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!""

Dear Aldeas de Paz team, Thank you for keeping the good cause of the foundation alive by your daily work and for providing international volunteers to deep in to the Dominican culture. It was a pleasure supporting you and the beneficiaries. My time at Aldeas de Paz has been a great enrichment to myself and I met a lot of great people who made my stay in the Dominican Republic even better. I experienced the great importance of the work of a NGO and I was happy to see that the majority of the community in Samaná values our work. At the NGO Management program we were given the opportunity to set up a new project from the scratch. I enjoyed this process and even more to put our planned actions into practice. I wish you all the best! Best regards, Jonas

I was very nervous for this trip since I didn't really know Spanish or have ever traveled to the Dominican, but it was so amazing! The coordinators and other volunteers are so supportive and want you to succeed and have the best trip. I did the medical program in the hospital and being able to see the differences between US health care and the Dominican was very eye opening and I learned a lot from them. I am a student in college so figuring out how to volunteer overseas was a little difficult time-wise but the coordinators helped me in the best way they could to make sure I had the best stay. All necessities around groceries, food, and everything are very close to the apartments and you are able to walk everywhere- including the beach, which was very beautiful. The amount of memories and friends I made on this trip is something I will always cherish!

Wir möchten gerne über unseren 5 wöchigen Aufenthalt in Samaná berichten, wo wir in einem Krankenhaus die dort arbeitenden Ärzte und Pfleger unterstützen. Unzählige Erfahrungen im Krankenhaus wie auch ganz viele Erlebnisse in unserer Freizeit - von Whale whatching über karibisch schöne Sandstrände bis hin zum wöchentlichen Social meeting- Es sind und waren so viele Eindrücke, die uns auf immer im Gedächtnis bleiben werden. Weiters dürfen wir noch kurz betonen, dass die Organisation vom ersten Tag an perfekt funktionierte. Wir hatten das Gefühl hier sehr gut aufgehoben zu sein, Jessica (Betreuerin) wie auch die anderen Volunteers kümmerten sich von Beginn an und während des gesamten Aufenthalts mit großem Engagement um uns. Vielen herzlichen Dank, Sara und Valerie

- opportunity - After a time we became friends with the nurses - I was glad that I was not alone :) - My spanish improved - I learned things about the healthcare system here and could do some stuff - People are friendly and helpful - Life here is just great - Spanish should be a requirement (because in the Medicine program it is very helpful to ask doctors questions)

- good solutions finding from the organisation or the coordinator if you need something - Even tho you sometimes don’t have much to do, the program still are consistent enough - Got opportunities like snorkeling or getting to see the other programs in NGO ´s management - Good communication with the coordinators - I was staying in a four persons bedroom and it was way too much, especially when someone was sick and everybody else was getting sick because we were always in a confine space together.

I spent 3 months working in the Clinica International Espezializada, Las Terrenas. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience. I learned how to inject, how to canalize and medicate and even got to see a surgery and a natural child birth. I truly liked working with the other nurses who eventually even became friends. The atmosphere at the hospital is great, everyone is very nice and open to teach and explain. The only thing I would criticize is that it was sometimes boring since there was not a lot to do. Living with the other volunteers was a great experience. It was like a big family, we lived and cooked together and often stayed up late just to talk. Apart from that I think that the volunteer Guesthouse should be better equipped…

When I first arrived in Santo Domingo I was very excited about our stay. I was happy that Aldeas de Paz organized our transportation to Las Terrenas. When I arrived here we have been warm welcomed by our coordinator. He showed us around the city and gave us tips and insiders. The second day we went to work our first time. There our colleagues have been very nice to us since the first moment. Beside our work in the medical part we also helped the doctors and nursery with translating. In total our stay at the hospital was very nice and we could do some good work there. Besides our work in the hospital I really enjoyed our painting day with all the other volunteers. Now that my time is over I am sad that I already have to leave after five weeks, which passed very quick.

When I first arrived in las Terrenas, I was overwhelmed by all the new impressions. It was my first time being in Latin America, but I got used to everything really quick. I love the Dominican culture, the music and the people. Everybody was very welcoming and open and we met a lot of new people. Working for the foundation was fun, the only minor inconvenience was the lack of patients at our hospital.. it was pretty new tho and so this will probably change over time. The hotel we stayed at was nice and had a great outdoor-area. Overall volunteering in the DR was a great experience and I would highly recommend it.

I have participated in the Aldeaz de Paz marine conservation project for the past six weeks. I could see many different fishes and Jaime has taught me a lot about seagrass and corals. Although I liked to work with him and Daria it would have been nice to meet more volunteers from this project. However it was great to see a development in the coral nursery especially when there are currently so many bleaching corals.

I worked in the Marine conversation program. I had no diving experience and that was no problem at all. With Daria the diving instructor, I finished my open water PADI license in 1 week. During our work, we explore many diving spots where we monitor the corals. We clean coral fragments in the nursery and learn about the eco system sea You will stay in an Appartement with rooms for 2-4 people, each room has bathroom and fridge. There is 1 washing machine and 1 kitchen for all volunteers. Las Terrenas is a small town with cute stores, sea view restaurants and beach bars. It is a very vibrant city, there is always music. Overall it is very fun. You learn a lot and meet new people.

The Foundation gave me the opportunity to make a life experience even with my young age (16 years). It was great that all the volunteers lived together in one spot. The hospital program gave me a good introduction into the medical world. The Spanish lessons really helped to revise.

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.

Being in the Dominican Republic and being able to intern at the local clinic has been a blessing for me. In so little time I've gained so much experience and knowledge professionally and personally. My life has changed tremendously and I leave the Dominican Republic with kind regards and special thanks to Aldeas to Paz.

To all future volunteers around the world: After 15 months spending with Aldeas de Paz, my stay comes to an end.So it's an occasion for sharing my experience, point of view and recommendation. My place abroad was Las Terrenas on the peninsula Samaná in the Dominican Republic. I worked mainly in the cities public hospital. It' been a long time. 1 year and 3 months is an extensive period spend abroad for a volunteer service, but for all that everyday was worthwhile. Conception of time in the Dominican Republic is different to the ones a foreign person is used to. Schedules do not work out flawlessly nor appointments will always take place at the exact planned day and hour. Gradually the progress is made. Hence you, as a future volunteer should have in mind: the longer the stay the better! You can not rapid start work in the Dominican Republic from day one on, neither will you see a terrific change and colossal impact during your stay. This can be arduous to an arriving volunteer filled with creative urges, ideas, motivation and expectations. During your stay you will face challenges. Nevertheless you will grow with each and learn about yourself and others. By and by you will master a new language, meet various people from around the world, exchange and put things into perspective and experience. Which I had the great opportunity to. Likewise myself, the organisation was growing and still is. Aldeas de Paz is a sprouting and forthcoming NGO. I am more than thankful for the opportunity of being a part of this Fundacion. It is a chance of expansion of your own horizon - and for both sides for though the dissimilar living environments and - maxims plus savoir - vivre can fertilise one another. Exceptional thanks to Vito, Coordinator of Las Terrenas, more of a friend, for always being amiable, available and keen.

I stayed in Samaná for about 6 weeks working at the local hospital, where I helped in the obstetric and pediatric ambulance, assisting the doctors by fulfilling small medical tasks or recording the patients´ medical information. Working in an hospital with a leck of medical resources and getting to know in how far the medical system is related to cultural impacts has been an enriching experience that will definitely also help me while working in the medical sector in Germany. Besides working at the hospital, I really enjoyed the living together with the other volunteers, a group of young and open-minded people who all came to the Dominican Republic to make new experiences and friends. I was welcomed very hearty and friendly and especially liked living at the volunteers´ flat share, where we often spent time cooking, chilling and chattering together. The highlight during my stay was the medical mission at the general hospital in El Limón, where a medical team from Michigan assisted the Dominican doctors by doing surgery, dispensing medicine and treating patients. Together with two other girls from Aldeas de Paz we worked as translators but also had the chance to gain a lot of medical experience like observing surgeries. Moreover, I really liked the free time activities such as the diving classes or our trips to Cayo Levantado (the `Bacardi Island´) we did together with all the other volunteers on the weekends. Even though I sadly had to fly back to Germany earlier than actually planned for medical reasons, I enjoyed my stay in the Dominican Republic. I met lots of wonderful people and new friends, gained medical such as personal and cultural experience and also improved my Spanish skills, wherefore I am very thankful to have had the chance to be part of the Aldeas de Paz-Team.

During the 6 weeks I spent with Aldeas de Paz in Las Terrenas I have learned a lot. At first, I was a little disappointed because it was really different to what I expected. But after a while I realised that my expectations simply weren’t realistic. The foundation has only been in the Dominican Republic for three years which really isn’t a long time. That means there is still lots of work to do and room for improvement. But that’s not a bad thing it simply means you have the possibility to help shaping the foundation. My work in the NGO management team taught me a lot about all the little but important things that need to be done to keep the Foundations growing. Like searching for foundations or universities willing to support our cause. Looking back, the experiences I made really had an impact on my life and assured me that working for an NGO really is important and something everyone should do at least once in their life.

During my time in Santa Barbara de Samaná, I worked as a hospital volunteer, school volunteer at Mama Elba, as well as initiated my own project at the school Mama Elba. Although it was a short 5 weeks, I learned so much during my stay. Along with really experiencing the difference of healthcare that is found in Dominican Republic, as well as for the first time experiencing what it is like to teach, I learned a lot about myself and the culture of the Dominican Republic. Aldeas de Paz, more specifically Sebastian, did an amazing job making sure my trip went as smoothly as possible from the time before arrival all the way until the end. I really appreciated his support with everything and admired how hard he worked trying to make sure the foundation was running smoothly for all volunteers involved. My time in the Dominican Republic, is truly indescribable. The food, the people, the music and the tranquility of the town really causes you to fall in love with the country. Creating the special connections I did with some of the hospital staff, my host family, and the students of the school really tied me to Samaná and has made my Dominican adventure unforgettable. The town is easy to grow accustomed to and to really meet and enjoy the company of the community members and local population. I would recommend either hospital placement or school placement because not only will you learn a lot about Dominican life, but the students and patients you see will teach you lessons in life and patience that no other job or university class will. Thank you so much Aldeas de Paz for an amazing time in Samaná, but I can assure you that I will be coming back soon.

I‘ve been in the Dominican Republic for 2 months and worked in NGO management. It has been the best experience of my life and I can only advise you to do such an internship or volunteer work abroad. It is an enrichment not only for your working experience but also for your personality. Additionally you come to know a lot of people from different countries and in order to this, gain some language skills, especially in Spanish. I lived in a really nice apartment in Las Terrenas and went on some awesome trips on the weekends as they most of the time are for free. The organization is always there for you if you have questions and helped me with the transportation from the airport and back. Sometimes there are some communication problems between Samaná and Las Terrenas but I guess it’s totally normal as the organization is still improving. However I also saw a lot of progress and new ideas, but that’s why the organization also depends on the volunteers as they can bring a lot of experience from other countries and different schools, universities or companies. Thanks especially to Vito who works really hard to further improve the organization and is always there if you need something. Everyone was just so nice and I am so thankful for this special time. I will remember it para siempre :)

The time with Aldeas De Paz is one of the experiences you will never forget. You get to know the country in a totally different way than just doing a holiday. And you are working on something, that makes a difference to other people's lives. The good thing about Aldeas De Paz is, that you really have a lot of different opportunities to volunteer and work on projects you like. Wether you want to work with kids, animals, the ocean, or experience the work place in a local hospital. Even if you choose one specific project, you have the chance to get to know other projects and places as well. I worked for one year in the NGO program in Las Terrenas and was one of the first volunteers in this location. ADP in Las Terrenas is still developing its work and things take time in the country. So to volunteer here, you have to realize that you won´t find a lot of standard processes and typical everyday’s work, for now. But that also means that you will have a lot of opportunities to bring in your ideas or develop your own projects. The Foundation is still small and you get to know each other very fast. And that´s where it comes to the other fun part: the weekends. Here you have really a lot of options to spend them. Beside of visiting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, you have enough opportunities to have a very good time after work. You can do boat trips to islands, mangroves or whale watching, or you rent a quad and visit the peninsula or even the whole country with the local Guaguas. But even if you want to stay in town you can spend the time, like most of the dominicans, drinking beer, ron or having a dinner at a comedor or a restaurant if you want. When it comes to this, you have to decide in which location you want to volunteer, both are very different. The main things in Las Terrenas, where I was located, are the many beautiful beaches and the good restaurants you have here. You can take a walk on the beach in the morning or at lunch and go to an italian restaurant in the evening. But also if you volunteer in Samaná, you can visit on the weekends or meet the other volunteers. Anyway you will have enough opportunities in both locations to meet each other sometimes. The biggest benefit in Samaná is the interaction with the dominicans. Because Las Terrenas has a lot of europeans and americans, you are more treated like a tourist. In Samaná you will experience more the typical dominican life and be in touch with the locals. Both Locations have its benefits, but it is for sure, that you will enjoy your stay. The coordinators do their best that you can enjoy your trip, while working on multiple projects to keep the foundations work growing. Especially with the Mamá Elba School in Samaná and its different side projects, ADP and all the volunteers and employees, really do a difference to the local community. The country is very beautiful but there are a lot of things to work on, and the whole foundation is doing its best to help and to the most as they can. In total, volunteering at Aldeas De Paz will be an experience nobody will never forget.

I had the chance to work in the public hospital ”Dr. Leopoldo Pou“ in Santa Barbara de Samaná for one year. Sent by the German Red Cross I helped out in different areas of the hospital where they needed help. That gave me a great opportunity to see how the medical system works in the Dominican Republic. I helped out for six months in the laboratory doing administrative work and helping improve procedures and the workflow. Then I had the chance to help for a few months with the digitalization of the patients' records at the HIV Station, to assist and observe a pediatrician and to assist the doctors and nurses in the Emergency Room. While the services of the doctors and surgeons from the United States took part three times while I was here, act as a translater for them and assist in surgery. That was a great opportunity and one of the highlights of my voluntary service. There were not just surgical services for humans but also for animals where I could participate in several times by assisting in the recovery station after the animals came out of surgery. Beside my work in the public hospital (mostly in the morning), I gave first aid classes to tourist guides, members of the Dominican Red Cross, disabled children, vounteers and teachers in the Mamá Elba School. I also gave a computer class once a week and English classes twice a week to the community. Regarding the organization itself, I really liked how our coordinator Sebastian supported us with everything. He was always there for us and motivated and willing to help. I really had a great year here with Aldeas de Paz! I learned a lot of things, not just of medical nature. I would say that this year in the Dominican Republic helped me become more open-minded, more mature, able to integrate myself in another culture and able to live without having access to everything I am used to. It was a great enrichment for my personality. That is why I can warmly recommend doing a long-term voluntary service at Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic.

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

My name is Leonard Bargfeld and I was working in a public clinic, with Aldeas De Paz, for one year. In Las Terrenas I was living in a flat with another volunteer which was perfectly fine for two persons. Even though powerouts appear time by time, welcoming colleagues, dream beaches and perfect weather indemnify such situations. Getting used to the Dominican culture was at first not easy for me. Norms and values are not the same as in western countries, resulting of different circumstances. I had a couple of problems to deal with. However, I learned that a problem is there to be solved. Comparing cultures is not the solution. After some time I realised that no culture is better or worse than another, there is just a difference and if you understand that, it will become easier to deal with all the things you normally could not deal with. I’m grateful that I met so many people from all over the world, which were interested to broaden their horizons, like me. Additionally I gained a lot of experience, which is the most valuable thing to take back home. The project in the UNAP Clinic in Las Terrenas was really interesting, the doctors and nurses were really welcoming, even though we had some communication problems in the beginning. During my year not only my Spanish developed but my knowledge about medicine and the health system too. As you are able to discover the whole country I would recommend a stay of at least two month. The organisation is still developing and tries to implement lots of projects. Everyone is really committed and passionate about their work. I gained a whole variety of experience and I want to give a special thanks to: Vito (coordinator Las Terrenas). He is a hard working coordinator and helps out whenever help is needed. Vito tries to improve the organisation every day. My friends and I had a wonderful time with him and I ́m really grateful that I had this opportunity in my life. Thank you Aldeas De Paz!

I spent nearly 12 months in Samaná working in the medicine and healthcare program. Because I stayed here such a long time I got to experience various workplaces. At first I helped at the HIV station of the local public hospital “Dr. Leopoldo Pou” and I gained an insight of how HIV treatment is organized. In the afternoons I started to accompany a dentist in the beginning in the local hospital and later in a private practice. During the second half of my volunteer service I worked in the private clinic “Los cubanos”. My work was very varied. Most of the time I supported the medical staff as far as I could. Sometimes I was even allowed to assist during a wound treatment or I translated for the doctors when a foreign patient came. Having the opportunity to stay in a foreign country for such a long time was great luck for me. Even now I do not have the feeling that I fully understand the Dominican culture but I definitely learned a lot here. Not just about the Dominican Republic, I was also able to improve my Spanish and I gained a few medical experiences. Already these benefits would have made the year unforgettable. But in addition the Dominican Republic offers a beautiful nature. It starts with the view of the Samaná Bay right in front of our apartments. Around the Samaná peninsula are furthermore various paradisiac beaches and at some point it became a luxury problem having to decide to which beach to go on the weekends. All in all I am really happy that I volunteered here and grateful for the opportunity. The advantage of being a volunteer with Aldeas de Paz is that you can profit from numerous contacts which could help you for instance if you want to initiate a new project. Moreover our coordinators in Samaná were always available for our problems and very supportive. And last but not least you can profit from other volunteers! In the last 12 months I met very interesting and friendly people who broadened my horizon and with who I made a few unforgettable experience. And what else could you wish for than an interesting country, beautiful nature and amazing people?

For the past year, I worked in the multimedia team for Aldeas de Paz in Samaná. I had such a great time living and working with the ADP family! During this year, we had the chance to participate in different projects, cooperate with other NGOs and supported the community in Samaná. My highlight during the time here was interviewing the locals. For example, we collaborated with the organization ISER Caribe. Our goal was to use interviews to promote awareness, understanding and sensitivity with regards to the endangered fish: The Parrot Fish. It was an amazing way to connect with the local community and work together for a greater cause. Additionally, it was very interesting to see and be a part of Aldeas de Paz’s transformation throughout the year. Particularly, the way the organisation has flourished, the development of new projects we initiated and developed and how we as volunteers became more involved and in touch with the locals. I also appreciated meeting the international volunteers that joined Aldeas de Paz throughout the year. Everyone brought their own unique ideas, perspectives and culture to work here which helped to enrich the group dynamics and togetherness. Sometimes the communication between the branch office in Samaná and Las Terrenas didn’t work very well making it challenging to distribute tasks. But I think it's normal for a growing organization to have difficulties as well. With that said, outside of working hours, we were able to enjoy our free time here in the Caribbean! During the weekends we visited some of the most beautiful beaches, mountains and we visited different cities. We were therefore able to see and embrace most of the country throughout our year here! I am very grateful for the experience that I have gathered here and I can recommend this a volunteering experience to everyone!

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!

I stayed in Las Terrenas for three months and I loved every moment of my time there. I worked on the NGO management team and I learned so much about the inner workings of a nonprofit organization. As an assistant director for the Aldeas de Paz Foundation, I developed strong managerial skills. For example, some of my main duties were to review financial statements, perform quantitative analyses, budget, correspond with third-party stakeholders, conduct fundraising campaigns. My duties required meticulous organization and writing skills, and the ability to convey complex ideas clearly. I prepared dozens of documents and I am humbled to say that I contributed to a great. I am so thankful for this wonderful opportunity. It was life changing and I will remember it for a very long time. I’m looking forward to returning. I like to give a very special thanks to Manfred for believing in my abilities and for always encouraging me to do my best. I would also like to thank Vito who because a very close mentor of mine. Vito is one of the hardest working people that I have ever met, and I cherish the opportunity to have worked beside him.

All beginnings are difficult… and in the Dominican Republic, they are even more difficult. Although I came here with a bundle of ideas, I had to slow down to the local pace (which is partially good and already kind of cultural exchange) and even then to face the limitations of my activities. My conclusion is that one should not expect or try to initiate new projects/ collaborations in one month only. We (Sebastian, the coordinator, was extremely supportive!) tried a lot of different options, and it may appear only bits and pieces in the end, but I still hope that I have left a footprint behind me, which I guess is all you can expect - and it would be sufficient! I enjoyed, though, learning about the Dominican people, their way of thinking, their priorities and of course the surroundings of the peninsula, a pleasant place to work and do sightseeing… Aldeas de Paz is investing a lot of effort, so I wish them lots of success!

My experience with Aldeas De Paz has been nothing but enjoyable. The program was extremely exciting and full of new opportunities to learn and be active on a daily basis. All the volunteers I have met throughout my program have been nothing but friendly and always great company. The Dominican Republic itself has so much to offer and is one of the most naturally beautiful places I have ever been. I would highly recommend this organization for a great volunteering experience and my only regret would be that I did not stay longer.

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.

My name is Ümmühan and I’m 22 years old. I participated in a medical project from the organization Aldeas de Paz in the Dominic Republic. I worked in a clinic, which is called CLINICA ESPECIALIZADA INTERNACIONAL in Las Terrenas for 6 weeks. I’m currently doing an apprenticeship in the 3th semester as a nurse in Germany. I thought it would be difficult to change the way I work in the hospital because of the have different guidelines in both countries. For example: In Germany we have to use disinfection solutions after each contact with patients. But that doesn’t exist in the clinic, so you have to wash your hands with soup after each contact with patients. The nurses showed me everything in the first few days. After that it was easy for me to work, I gave injections, prepared medicine etc. I didn’t only learn the work in the hospital, I learned to think and act like a Dominican. And I liked that. The whole personnel of the clinic were like a family to me. They cared about me every single day. It was a good feeling. I can only recommend being a part of this Project. I got a lot of experience and I improved my Spanish skills as well. These were the goals, that I reached. I want to thank the clinic, Aldeas de Paz, the director and the coordinator, ¡Gracias por todo!

My name is Caroline Neite. I worked with the organization Aldeas de Paz in Las Terrenas for six weeks. I worked there as a volunteer in a private hospital because I participated in a medical project. In Germany I am currently doing an apprenticeship as a nurse, so I can to study medicine afterward, therefore I saw the project as a great opportunity to improve my medical knowledge and to get more working experience in the professional field. What I can say after six weeks in the hospital is that I really learned and saw more things, which I did not learn or see in Germany before. It started with measuring blood pressure and later I was allowed to give intramuscular and intravenous injections. In addition to that I could assist in small operations, most of the time caused by accidents with “motoconchos“. When I had questions the Doctors and nurses always helped me a lot. That’s the reason why I have learned so many things about the effects from medicine and of course I could improve my Spanish a lot in speaking with the staff. My highlights definitely were to see bigger operations like a c- sektion or an ablation from an uterus. Of course the standards are a little bit different in comparison to Germany but the clinic is very modern and the methods they are using in the hospital are working very well. About the organization I can say, that they always had time to help me when I had something I wanted to speak about. Additionally I really enjoyed the time with the other volunteers and that we all had our apartments in the same house. Every week on Monday we had a group meeting to speak about everything that is going good or bad. I liked that kind of exchange with the group and I would work with the organization again anytime. But not only the people I worked together with are really friendly, also the Dominican people are really openhearted and try to help whenever they can. I am sure that I will come back to Las Terrenas one day. Thanks for the great time!

I arrived in Samana on the 16th October 2017. As soon as I got off the bus I was welcomed by my ‘buddy’ (A volunteer who introduces you to Samana for the first few days) and one of the coordinator’s. This friendly welcome helped me to settle into the Dominican Lifestyle which is drastically different from the United Kingdom. I was introduced to the NGO team who I would be working with for the 8 weeks and the other volunteers who were volunteering with the charity. I realised very quickly that the coordinators and volunteers were all extremely passionate about their work as they knew that this was having a direct impact on the children of the Special Needs school which the ADP run. I was assigned multiple tasks ranging from researching new agencies that promote the charity to translating text into English. This was a great chance to develop my team working skills, time management and skills working independently. I was given the opportunity to teach English to the Dominicans which I took straight away. This was a great chance to assist with their personal development and wellbeing as it would help them get jobs in the booming tourism sector. I thoroughly enjoyed planning and presenting these lessons and watching their English progress I was never worried about being bored, there was always work to do and at the weekends we would go to a beach or to a local excursion. These were perfect to conclude a week of volunteering and gave me a chance to see more of the Dominican Culture and the countryside. In my 8 weeks here I have had the chance to work with disabled children, learn about veterinary, teach english, gain experience and help with the management of a small NGO, learnt (somewhat) how to dance the Dominican way, found out how to exit a hammock after multiple failed attempts and met a fantastic group of volunteers who I will be sure to see again sometime in the future. I couldn’t have asked for a better 8 weeks and I will be sure to miss the children, the volunteers and of course, the sun.

I worked for 2 and a half Months in the NGO Management in Las Terrenas. I had a lot of different tasks during my stay. For example, Managing the publishing of Job offers on Listing Websites or ranslating texts for the Website and many many more smaller tasks. My highlight was a trip with all of the Volunteers to a rented Villa with a perfect view and a nice atmosphere. But it was just one of many beautiful trips we did together. Aldeas de Paz is a very familial organization. It´s not too big and you get to know every coordinator on site. The coordinators are really kind and take care about every need the volunteers have. The Dominican Republic is obviously a very hot place and you need to get used to the climate in the first days. Most of the Dominican people I met were really friendly and always open for a conversation. I always wondered about the loud music, which is played at every corner every day. Sometimes it can get annoying but most of the time it´s very enjoyable. I can really recommend you to travel to Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic, because you will make a lot of experiences for your future. It is also a good way to get out of your „normal“ life and get to know a different culture.

I had such a good time here in the Dominican Republic. Mainly due to the many nice people I met and friends I made during my time with Aldeas de Paz. They all amazed me by their incredible heartwarming attitude. My workplace at the hospital was really interesting because I had the opportunity to work with HIV patients and experience the medical system of a developing country. The only disadvantage was the fact that there was sometimes not enough work for me and my coworker because we did not have any qualifications a nurse or a doctor would have had. However, the people we worked with were very supportive and willing to get in touch with us and because of that I made some good friends in the hospital. I also enjoyed the free time activities we did together. There are so many things to do, especially going to the beaches and the bars! A huge thank you to the Foundation which gave me the opportunity to be part of a great team and also to my coordinators who treated us like friends and supported us during tough times. Greta

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.

An der Busstation in Samaná angekommen, wurde ich herzlich empfangen und mir wurde gleich die Stadt gezeigt. Diese ist sehr belebt, hat viel Verkehr und die meisten Menschen fahren mit Mopeds umher. Aus allen Ecken ist dominikanische Musik zu hören und überall gibt es etwas zu essen zu kaufen. Samaná ist eine sehr schöne Stadt mit äußerst netten und friedlichen Bewohnern, in der ich mich sehr sicher fühle. Ich bin für den Bereich Multimedia zuständig. Die anderen Freiwilligen arbeiten im Krankenhaus, im NGO Management, im Bereich Youthcare. Da wir alle in so unterschiedlichen Bereichen tätig sind, ist es sehr interessant, sich mit den anderen auszutauschen. Noch dazu kommt jeder Freiwiliige aus einem anderen Land, wodurch uns auch ein kultureller Austausch untereinander ermöglicht wird. Die Arbeitszeit wird hier sehr flexibel gehandhabt, ich habe mich hier aber dem Zeitplan der anderen Freiwilligen angepasst, die von 9 Uhr bis 12 Uhr und nach der Mittagspause nochmals von 14 Uhr bis 17:30 Uhrarbeiten. Meine Arbeit hier ist sehr vielfältig und ich habe die Möglichkeit, mich individuell auf die Dinge zu konzentrieren, die mich interessieren. Ich muss aber auf jeden Fall sehr viel Eigeninitiative mitbringen, denn es wird mir kein Plan vorgegeben, was ich zu tun habe. Zusätzlich zu meinem eigentlichen Projekt arbeite ich zwei Tage pro Woche in der Sonderschule von Aldeas de Paz, dem Herzstück der Organisation. Die Schule ist dienstags, mittwochs und donnerstags jeweils von 14 Uhr bis 17 Uhr geöffnet. Hier werden etwa 12 Kinder unterschiedlichen Alters mit Behinderungen, die nicht einmal diagnostiziert wurden, von zwei Lehrerinnen unterrichtet. Schon während meines ersten Besuch dort, fiel mir auf, wie viel hier verbessert werden kann. Wir bekommen sechs Stunden pro Woche kostenlosen Spanisch Unterricht. Da ich keine Vorkenntnisse hatte, war es für mich zu Beginn sehr schwer, mit anderen zu kommunizieren. Der Spanisch Unterricht hat mir dabei sehr geholfen, sodass ich mittlerweile einiges auf Spanisch verstehe und auch besser mit den Kindern arbeiten kann. Von der Organisation vor Ort wurde ich sehr gut betreut. Es war rund um die Uhr jemand erreichbar und egal welches Problem auftrat, ich wurde stets unterstützt. Ingesamt kann ich sagen, dass ich durch dieses Projekt viele neue Eindrücke gewonnen habe, viel erlebt habe und eine wundervolle Zeit in Santa Bárbara de Samaná hatte!

During my stay at Aldeas de Paz I was involved in the NGO program and in the Youth, Care and Community Program which focuses on the Mama Elba Especial Escuela in Santa Barbara de Samaná. In the NGO Program, I completed a variety of tasks from creating projects that should be launching in the coming months, updated listings, and attended meetings. In the Mama Elba Especial Escuela, a school for children with a wide range of disabilities and you truly wouldn’t know it from their energy and excitement they show to be in school and interacting with their peers and volunteers. While living in Samaná, I lived in one of the Guesthouses and I immensely enjoyed the living situation as a whole and wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Throughout my time at Aldeas de Paz, my roommates had been from the UK, Germany, and Italy. Living in the Guesthouse and meeting people from around the world is such an interesting experience and easy to replicate but impossible to duplicate with the same results as I have experienced during my time at Aldeas de Paz. You should try though, it won't disappoint! On the weekends, you’re able to go wherever you want to go and normally the volunteers will plan the weekend day trips and anyone is invited to join! My favorite place to go while I have stayed here in Samaná is Cayo Levantado, which is only a short boat trip away from the harbor, it is paradise. If you’re interested in volunteering with Aldeas de Paz, or even anywhere where you have never been, try to go with no expectations because that will make your experience more enjoyable and it won’t hinder your stay and you’ll find your experience far more enjoyable. I am going to miss many things such as the kids at school, my walks into town, my housemates whom we shared many nights on the terrace just talking together. It was an incredible experience and it’s made possible not only by Aldeas de Paz but by the individuals that volunteer and create that environment. I am happy with my time and experiences that I have had here in the Dominican Republic and I know I will be back again!

I am not the average volunteer for Aldeas de Paz because I came to Samaná with my husband and two children (ages 8 and 10). I am a nursing student and ADP was one of the few organizations I could find through which I was able to volunteer in a hospital without already being a fully trained medical professional. During our 2.5-month stay, my husband worked at his regular job (online from our apartment). Our kids had a local Dominican nanny in the mornings and I home-schooled them in the afternoons. Overall, we enjoyed our time in Samaná immensely! We loved exploring the town and surrounding attractions, eating Dominican food, meeting the friendly local people, and improving our Spanish. Manfred and Julia were very responsive and helpful with any issues we had--whether small (the electricity was out) or large (a brief hospital stay for my husband due to Dengue Fever.) I highly recommend ADP! It turned out to be a fun, safe place for our family to be immersed in a different culture while I was able to volunteer and gain valuable experience in the medical field.

My experience in Samana with Aldeas de Paz has definitely exceeded my expectations in a couple of different aspects. First, by working as a dental assistant through the dental care program, I was able to work with a dentist side by side, directly interact with patients, and closely observe the reality of dental care in a developing country. The Staff at the hospital including my dentist were very nice to me which made it easy to adapt and become part of the team. It had been a valuable experience that I wouldn’t be able to experience elsewhere. Next, I got to meet amazing people here – other volunteers. Open-minded people with great hearts come here to volunteer and it was great to spend time with them by working and traveling together, sharing stories and lives. I am blessed to have these friendships. Overall, it was a tremendously enriching experience!

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

My volunteer work here in the Dominican Republic has been an absolute amazing experience. It was everything I imagined it would be, if not more. This trip was ultimately supposed to be the answer to my career choice. It became something so much more than that. Not only did I decide that working in a hospital, helping and caring for people is what I want to do for the rest of my life, the people have been nothing but good to me. I was able to exercise my Spanish speaking skills and in return was appreciated for the help I was giving and my capability to communicate with patients and the locals. I've made special bonds with these local people here. Such amazing bonds that I will continue to keep in contact with them and eventually return to visit. Working in the hospital is rewarding. I believe the most important part of volunteering was knowing the things I was experiencing or witnessing were things I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see in the United States. The conditions the staff works in is absolutely mind blowing. As I mentioned before, this trip has satisfied all of my desires. I am so grateful I had this opportunity and got to meet so many incredible people. Thank you Aldeas de Paz! Katie

I was on the NGO programme and I enjoyed it very much. I particularly enjoyed having direct exposure to the overall running of the organisation. It was interesting to see how the coordinators overcame challenges that are often presented in a grass roots charity. I enjoyed these meetings, especially been part of the team that would help come up with different solutions. I also helped at the school and the English lessons for the doctors, both which I enjoyed immensely. The children were always happy to be there and it’s clear the school is an important part of the community. When I first arrived, I definitely experienced a bit of a culture shock! Not speaking the language made it more difficult and probably added my initial anxiety. But after a couple of days, I began to really immerse myself in it. I enjoyed going to the market with the other volunteers to buy food for lunch - the fruit and vegetables were amazing!! After a couple of Spanish lessons I slowly started to get a bit of a feel for the language and if I was struggling, one of the other volunteers would always be there to help. I stayed in the volunteer house which was really lovely, the kitchen was more than substantial and there was plenty space to relax. There is a lot of support amongst the volunteers and always somebody to talk to. Finally, the country itself is incredibly beautiful, there is so much to see and the scenery is truly idyllic. I would really recommend the organisation! Victoria

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!

Organisation: The organisation is very welcoming and does its best to make you feel a part of the group, even before entering the Dominican Republic. For example, I was invited to the organisations WhatsApp group a week before arriving, so that I could get to know the other volunteers and understand the latest information occurring in the Dominican Republic. During my stay, staff members, were very helpful and attentive to my needs and any concerns that I had, which I greatly appreciate. I also believe that the weekly group meeting was good in making me feel involved and I felt that I could easily talk to someone if I was not happy about a particular event that occurred during the week. Hospital: Working in the hospital as part of the Healthcare Placement, was interesting for my first week as I had the opportunity to shadow a US doctor, who played a role in consulting patients and prescribing drugs. It was interesting to see certain diseases which are less common in a developed country, in addition to this, it was very busy during this period, so there was a lot to observe. My second week in the medical sonography department was much less interesting, as it is not a busy department to work in. One advice I could suggest is perhaps, the organisation could inform the directing manager of the hospital to monitor the departments which are the busiest, and only place volunteers in the busiest areas. This is so that time is not wasted. My last weeks involved me working in the Dental Department, in which I was more satisfied with, as staff tried their best to give me tasks to do, despite the language barrier. Also, I would say to benefit from working in the hospital the most, a conversational level of Spanish would be much more useful, as there is no hospital staff who can speak English. Volunteers: The other volunteers are very friendly and welcoming, I believe that it is great that all the apartments are very close to one another, which makes it easy to meet up and socialise. The weekend often involves visiting other towns in Samana, sometimes overnight, which is great if you also enjoy exploring and seeing new places. Living in Samana/ Culture in the Dominican Republic: Samana is beautiful province with a great tropical weather. However, I would advise new volunteers to bring an umbrella or raincoat, as when it rains, it is extreme! Additionally, due to being in the Caribbean, these objects are not as readily available. Locals are extremely friendly and the particular place where we live has everything you need in a short distance to one another. It is a great place to reside in, I will definitely miss the place when I am back in the UK.

During my six weeks in Samana I worked at the school “Mama Elba“ and in the hospital as an english teacher for the doctors and nurses. I remember my first day at school. I was really nervous because of my missing Spanish skills. But when the first kids walked through the door, asked me about my name and were just happy to meet someone new, I started to feel comfortable and really enjoyed class. I got used to the course of a school day and started to tackle with teaching methods and the Montessori concept the school is working with. My aim was to learn more about how to teach children with special needs and what could be interesting for them. With the help of a kindergarten teacher from my hometown, I compiled a list with different ideas and activities, especially for the two kids with a mental disability. She also explained the concept of basal stimulation, the concept the ideas based on, to me and I began to investigate the topic. I got more and more interested in this subject. For the beginning I decided to start with something small. I bought pegs and used a jump rope we already had at school. The exercise was to fix the pegs on the jump rope and I thought this could be interesting for maybe 15 minutes - but I was wrong! It was not something small and it was not something interesting for 15 minutes. The girl I worked with did it for an hour and it war great to see her progress! At the beginning she didn't know how to do it but after a while she managed! She was so proud and had a lot of fun, she even found other things to put the pegs on and worked really concentrated. During the following weeks I introduced some of the other ideas at school and it was amazing to see how the children changed and improved! The other part of my work was teaching in the hospital. This was easier than school because I already had experiences with teaching english. It also helped that their english was on a good level so that communication wasn't a problem. This and their enthusiasm for learning made it pretty easy to enjoy the lessons. We talked about different topics and I learned more about their hobbies, their work in the hospital and life in the Dominican Republic in general what was very interesting for me. As a counter we prepared a lesson about Germany, typical food, favourite sports and the culture. Teaching in the hospital was not only teaching english, it also was an intercultural exchange! A big part of my life in Samana was spending time with my host family. From the first day on I felt really welcome and like a real family member. I joined them to family parties, trips or to visit friends and was always welcome to go to church with them. Because of their help I improved my Spanish very fast and was able to communicate with them. They were patient teachers and always proud when I learned something new or understood what they said. I also learned more about their culture and typical food what was very interesting for me because I love cooking. On the one hand they showed me how to prepare a typical Dominican meal or my favourite foods and on the other I made some cakes and explained them how to do it. During my stay my host brother and sisters had university vacation so that they stayed at home for three weeks and I got to knew them and we did a lot of family activities. I really enjoyed this. Because of my family I really felt home in Samana and I am going to miss them a lot!

I joined Aldeas de Paz for 6 weeks and have had the most exciting, enjoyable and rewarding experience. I came to volunteer but also to add my own ideas and experience to the organisation and Aldeas de Paz allowed me to do that. The organisation accepts open minds allows everybody to contribute to improve the charity. I was able to use my guitar in the school and we planned our ow english classes to teach at the local hospital. This environment I found to be very relaxing and stress free which allowed me to be more creative. The area where we volunteered also had a very 'tranquilo' (chilled) vibe and we all organised regular weekend trips away to explore beaches, waterfalls an snorkel which were amazing experiences. Aldeas De Paz offers so many programs but I spent most of my time at the school which was such a wonderful experience. A lot of the children have special educational needs and at first I thought it would be hard to develop their skills in the 6 weeks I was here. But the differences in the children and the changes in their confidence were amazing. I felt so rewarded with these changes and it just shows that any amount of time you can spend here is valuable for them.

My time at Aldeas De Paz has been amazing. I have spent 6 weeks here and got to experience a range of projects. I worked in the youth, care and community project and being able to see the change in the children in such a short space of time was really rewarding. Also seeing how much they enjoy school and really want to learn puts a lot of things into perspective. They all arrive everyday with smiles on their faces, sometimes mischievous, but they will always make you laugh. I also helped out teaching English at the hospital which is something I didn't expect to be doing but really enjoyed. It challenged me to do something different and be creative planning different classes each week. The doctors all really appreciated this, especially when it involves games and competitions. On top of this I volunteered in the NGO management program which was really insightful in seeing how a grass roots organisation is run. I was able to shadow Julia in her daily tasks and it showed me that everyday is different and unexpected. To make the most of your time here you have to be open minded and absorb and live in the Dominican culture which is a very relaxed and slow paced way of life, perfect for me. If I could change anything about my experience here I would have wanted to know more Spanish before I arrived so I had more of a base to build on and was able to connect more with the locals. However it has not hindered my time here, it has made me want to work harder to learn Spanish and continue learning when I get home. Outside of volunteering I met a lot of amazing people from all over the world that I will never forget and hopefully will stay in contact with. We had some incredible weekend trips to see more of the Dominican Republic, one of the highlights was swimming with turtles in Sosua. So thank you to everyone and to Manfred, Julia and Junior for making the time here so special. Aldeas de paz is doing amazing work in Samara and I believe it is only the beginning.

My general experience I have been working at Aldeas de Paz for 2 months from June to July 2016. There are many opportunities of careers with the diversity of programs and many possibilities to share and develop new skills even if you are not qualified for a specific field. Great chances to learn professionally and on many aspects of a stay in a foreign country. Hours are flexible. Aldeas de Paz is a small organization with very good contact with volunteers, local partners and host families. Manfred and Julia are like a "bridge" between the locals and the volunteers. They are flexible and very helpful. The organization has an excellent Spanish teacher, Elson and a very good learning program for kids with special needs, especially thanks to the Program Manager Yunior. Thank you very much for allowing me to experience this amazing adventure !!!! Things to improve Give much more information before the arrival. It would be great to give more details about the weekly schedule or a typical week at ADP (no work on Friday, compulsory meeting on Friday...) for example. A Skype interview would be great in order to reply to all the questions possible. This is also a very way to test the Spanish level of the volunteers. It would be nice to put a section on the website where we get to know Manfred, Julia, Yunior, Elson... "

El proyecto principal en el que iba a trabajar durante estos dos meses , Junio y Julio, era acerca de los estatutos de la fundación. El cual desarrolle en el primer mes, no obstante al mismo tiempo he ido colaborando en otros proyectos como en la escuela, en el hospital junto al voluntario Christopher, ayudándolo también a traducir su trabajo y también en una previa investigación sobre el zika, para que otros voluntarios la sigan llevando a cabo en el mes de agosto y siguientes. Sobre los estatutos, realmente se llego a firmar el 11 de Julio el acta de la asamblea constitutiva, por lo que me siento satisfecha de que haya sido útil mi ayuda. El trabajo consistió en reelaborar los antiguos estatutos que pertenec’an a la fundación de Venezuela, ajustándolos a la ley de la republica Dominicana y tomando como ejemplo una organización de Santo Domingo. Con ayuda de la doctora Olga. El trabajo sobre la lactancia materna, en primer lugar fue la traducción del trabajo elaborado por Christopher, y una vez corregido y con el visto bueno de la Doctora Flor, elaboraron una serie de preguntas con el objetivo de entrevistar a las madres para verificar un poco la información que manejan del tema. Por ello en segundo lugar, dentro del proyecto de la lactancia materna esta las entrevista que realizamos a un conjunto de madres, con las preguntas sobre el trabajo, para que Flor pueda obtener un estudio con las respuestas. Y sobre el proyecto de la escuela, consist’a en una reunión de preparación cada lunes as’ como la propia preparación y participación en las clases de la escuelita en los d’as Martes, Miércoles y Jueves. Este es el proyecto en el que he estado trabajando más tiempo, desde la segunda semana de Junio hasta la última semana de Julio, antes de irme. Y sinceramente con que he disfrutado mas. Igual porque al estar con los niños uno recibe mucho cariño y ven que ellos buscan mucho afecto o como responden cuando uno es amistoso con ellos. La escuela trabaja con niños especiales, aunque en este último mes han venido mas niños pues hab’a vacaciones. Ha sido un placer trabajar con las profesoras nativas y estoy muy agradecida por cómo me han tratado. Creo que la escuela hace muy buen trabajo, pero es importante que se siga trabajando en ella, poner ilusión en este proyecto porque de verdad puede ayudar mucho y mas aqu’ que se ve cierto desinterés de algunos padres con los hijos que tienen problemas. Espero que los próximos voluntarios que trabajen en la escuela pongan ilusión y se den cuenta cuento aprecian los niños su presencia. Realmente ha sido un placer poder participar en el proyecto. En mi tiempo libre as’ como los fines de semana, he visitado un montón de sitios de la republica dominicana, playas incre’bles como cascadas y excursiones, he ido tanto por el norte como ha santo domingo , punta cana....realmente ha merecido la pena moverse y ver todos estos lugares. Y aqu’ en Samana, la verdad es que no ven’a con expectativas de estar tan cómoda en el apartamento como he estado, no puede quejarme de nada. He recibido un buen trato de Manfred como de Julia, en cuento me he encontrado mal, en cuanto quer’a otro proyecto, han estado pendientes y aprovecho ahora para agradecer, pues habéis hecho mas fácil la experiencia no solo por la comodidad sino por saber que se puede contar con vosotros ante alguna dificultad. Y también he tenido much’sima suerte con los demás voluntarios, han estado muy abiertos, muy generosos y ha sido un placer compartir esto con ellos. Ha sido una gran experiencia, estoy bastante agradecida con la gente que he participado y espero poder volver.

A few weeks from when I wrote this, I stepped on to a small budget airliner and made my way across the Caribbean to the Dominican Republic. Before this experience I had never left the United States, and I was unsure what my time in Samana would be like. Needless to say, it was an absolute blast. I volunteered in a small dental clinic in Las Pascualas, a small, sleepy city on the outskirts of Samana. Volunteering in the clinic opened my eyes to some of the difficulties associated with public health care in a developing country, and it allowed me to look at public service through a different perspective. The dentist I was under was very nice, and incredibly accomidating; an absolute joy to volunteer under. This trip also allowed me to meet people from around the globe, and develop friendships with people who I would have never come across in daily life. The other volunteers really helped make this trip worthwhile, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with each one of them. Overall, Aldeas de Paz is a great organization to be apart of. The volunteers work hard to help the people of Samana, and the program director, Manfred, is very enabling. He will go out of his way to make sure you are getting the most out of your experience. I stayed in Samana for 28 days, and the time has honestly gone by very quickly. I have learned more than I had hoped to on this adventure, and I definitely recommend it to others.

My volunteer work here in Samana has been a time that I will never forget. Prior to coming, I had very little experience in nursing, so I was eager to see what my work in the hospital would consist of. Rather than working in one specific area, I was able to experience many different areas of the hospital, which allowed me to see and learn an immense amount. From taking the blood pressure of diabetic patients to being taught what muscles were being cut in various surgical procedures, I truly enjoyed my time in the hospital. I also learned how to measure a pregnant belly (and interpret these measurements), properly give a shot, and analyze a newborn baby. Additionally, I taught you English to the medical staff at this same hospital. We introduced basic terms needed for everyday day life, as well as useful medical vocabulary and grammatical principles. This was one of the more rewarding experiences I had while in Samana, as these doctors and nurses continued to progress quickly and were always eager to learn and improve. For a week and a half of my months stay, I spent the afternoons working in the Mama Elba school for special needs children. Having a special needs brother myself, this is something I have always been passionate about and loved doing. Through helping them learn how to read and write and playing educationally stimulating games, I formed unique and fulfilling relationships. My time in the Dominican has been an unforgettable experience and one that I am grateful to have.

I chose Aldeas de Paz as my first trip out of my home country the United States and I am so glad that I did. It was an eye opening journey that taught me a lot about the experiences of those living in a third world setting and a lot about myself as well.  I worked in the dental clinic of the hospital in Samana. I was given the amazing opportunity to work as a dental assistant there within the first three days of my arrival which was more than I was expecting! Everything here is learned in a very hands on manner, so that even in just a month of being here I feel that I have learned and done so much! The staff of the hospital, and all the local people of Samana for that matter, were very patient with me and accepting as I don't speak very much Spanish. Having to adapt to the language and cultural differences only made the experience richer. The rest of the volunteers were also an enormous help in getting me comfortable in the new environment and seeing that leaving my comfort zone was the most valuable part of this journey. I will never forget the people I met here. I made friends from around the globe, and I will carry these friendships with me the same as my experiences in the Dominican Republic. Overall it was an amazing adventure and has only fueled my fire to experience more of the world! I would definitely recommend Aldeas de Paz to anyone looking for the same.

My name is Christopher Murray, I am entering my 4th year of University in Canada hoping to become a doctor someday, and I have just finished a 12-week volunteer placement in the Medicine and Health Care Program. My intentions with this program were to get some clinical volunteering experience unique to a developing, rural setting as well as to spend some time outside of my comfort zone. After 12 weeks, I am very satisfied with my experience after achieving what I wanted and more. When I originally decided to come here, I had 4 months to prepare for the trip. Being from Canada, I had almost no exposure to Spanish prior to my decision so that was a major insecurity for me. Coming here, there is a major shock of having to operate in a completely foreign language but that is quickly subdued when you see that the locals are some of the most welcoming, understanding, and patient people you can meet. Many of the shop owners know some level of conversational English so when they realize you are not exactly a tourist, they are more than happy to exchange some conversational tips and practice with you. All you have to do is ask. There are also 4 hours of Spanish class at both beginner and intermediate levels that are offered and they are absolutely superb for training your ear and building your Spanish grammatical base. Specific to my program, I felt very accommodated to which I am so grateful for. Dr. Flor and Manfred both made sure that I could function properly wherever I was assigned and most importantly, they reciprocated being available and open to any feedback and ideas I had. In that environment, I felt that I was effective and helpful which was very rewarding and made me waking up on the work days very excited for what was to come. Living in Samana has been an absolutely wonderful experience. Experiencing Samana reminded me of my docile home town but with a Caribbean twist. As I have mentioned before, the locals are extremely welcoming and nice which quickly made me feel comfortable and welcome. During the weekends, there was always something to do whether it was an impromptu trip to one of the local beaches, dancing at an outside discotheques on the Malecon, or an adventure exploring the island. One of the best aspects about participating with this organization is having volunteers here from all around the world to share experiences with. I absolutely loved the cultural exchanges that took place within the organization and I will always remember the friendships I made here. 10/10 would recommend.

Before coming to the Dominican Republic I was very nervous. I was worried how life would be here and what kind of conditions I would find. I was scared for my safety and thought there would be danger everywhere. What I found was the opposite of every preconceived notion I had in my mind. Manfred made everything really easy for me when I arrived. I knew Marcos would pick me up at the airport, and I would not have to worry about the language barrier because he speaks English and he would buy my bus ticket. Arriving is Samana was so easy for me. This helped put me at ease even before I arrived in the country. Initially, when I booked my placement, I booked a private apartment. I am so glad that I did not end up staying there. I ended up living in the cooperative living apartment and I loved it. Being with two girls from two different countries was so much fun and made living here an amazing time! I never felt any culture shock. I quickly became comfortable with my living situation and the culture because of this. Having other people to do everything with makes adjusting much easier. We also did things on our own and that was ok too. There was mutual respect between everyone. Another important aspect is diving right into the culture. Immediately I went to the beach, ate the food, explored the town, this made me feel more comfortable with my environment. Another easy way to adjust is practicing Spanish, even if you are not fluent. While we do have Spanish classes, the best way to practice Spanish is talking with people. Soon people began to recognize me around town and would speak to me. Everyone was quite friendly and patient. They are interested in you just as you are interested in them! Being busy with my volunteer position helped me feel at home fast as well. Being NGO management I was included in many activities with Manfred. I was able to visit a prison with a doctor hoping to start a clinic, go to a cooperative producing coconut oil, attend meetings with different local residents, and have a better understanding of the running of an NGO. By having these different experiences, I kept busy and was able to see a more intimate look into a culture I knew very little about. Overall, I was impressed with the amount of programs the organization offers. I think it is wonderful that you can become involved in any area you choose, either to apply your skills or gain more. I hope Manfred continues to expand the programs. I think this is a great opportunity for an individual, a group or friends, or even a family to come experience the culture, a beautiful country, and do some hands on work that will benefit a community that deserves it! No matter what age, or from what country you come, you will have an amazing experience here.

My name is Kevin Murton and I have just finished my 7 weeks in Samana, Dominican Republic, volunteering for Aldeas de Paz helping with the Multi Media output. As everyone would be, I was a little nervous about how the experience would turn out for various reasons, particularly in relation to my age and lack of intermediate Spanish ability. I quickly realised I didn't have to worry on either account. Although I was encouraged to speak Spanish whenever I could, particularly in the Spanish lessons, I felt comfortable at all times that my English would get me by, and that was the common language we generally used in any meetings I was involved in. In relation to my age, genuinely I felt no difference in my relationships with the volunteers as the younger ones did with each other. Having a young open mind and respect for each other was plenty for everyone to generally get along. I offered my unique set of skills, capabilities and energies and others did the same. I suppose you kind of adopt a role within a temporary family setting, which obviously changes as people come and go. So when I initially arrived, I had an amazing welcome from Manfred and the rest of the volunteers. I made sure I had no expectations as to the place I was coming to and made myself aware of the fact that cultural differences would be inevitable. A mindful, moment-to-moment approach, without too much judgement, helped me through those initial few days. Bit-by-bit I felt more and more comfortable with any security concerns I may have had. A healthy awareness of what was going on around me, like I do in London, and common sense decisions became part of my everyday living. It feels very safe here. Getting used to the heat, changes in diet and the variety of nature that you see (from experience a clean room and a spray every month of insect repellant deters anything that may want to come inside), can all be viewed positively, and some may not be concerned with these changes at all, but if you are, taking the initiative to find the best way you want to deal with these issues quickly is a good idea. Eating the Plata del Dia or buying vegetables at the local market or the colmardos near to the apartments can make food here quite cheap, but be aware of buying too much at the 'gringo' supermecado. Food can be very expensive here and a lot of it doesn't have the price on it. It may take a while for the local gift shops to realise that you aren't a tourist, so you will be an amigo/a to all of them. It's a good way to practice your Spanish if nothing else. The Multi Media work I did here was very enjoyable and working at the school, the hospital, at the Ayuntamiento, interviewing the Mayor. It feels very rewarding having produced film that can only show Aldeas de Paz in a positive light and perhaps create opportunities for future grants. There is some amazingly beautiful scenery here on the Samana peninsula to explore. Whale watching during February and March, El Salto de Limon (waterfall), the amazingly beautiful Playa de Cayo Levantado and Los Haitises are some, but every so often you catch the beauty shown by the people; typically on the beach, with Bachata music playing as couples dance, as others play table games and still others lay back in the sun with a Carribbean kissed cocktail ready to sip, wrapped in not much more than the hot breeze drifting off the gentility of the ocean. I have experienced a few of these kinds of cultural immersion trips now and felt genuinely emotional about leaving a group of people, whose heart tells them they want help a society, which at the moment is not able to give the same chances as most of us have back in our own countries. Manfred is a great man and I have a lot of respect for him. He makes a lot of effort to help make your experience a useful and happy one. I came here to have an adventure, learn more Spanish and help a very worthwhile charity. I leave feeling like a better person, with what I have accomplished. Thanks Manfred, I have had an amazing experience, which will stay in my memories for a very long time to come. I hope our paths meet again in the not too distant future! Bye I'm off to Costa Rica.

Hi, I’m Tim from Germany. In order to gain practical experience in the field of Management I started considering different options globally and decided to go for NGO-Management with Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic. Within my studies at university I was already able to gain useful theoretical experience which I wanted to put into active use. And let me just say this, it turned out to be exactly what I was pursuing, I was right at the center of the organization and could experience the restructuring of the organization first hand. As most of you probably already read, the organization had to move from Venezuela to the Dominican Republic in early 2015, and building up all the structures proves to be a long progress. Many things are already done and set up, specifically the school and housing structure, but other parts need further improvement. Working within the Administration means working with human resources, financials, school and program administration and generally everything regarding the organization. Right from the very beginning there was a need to structure every single day, but I soon got into it and after a few days of work I looked forward to every new day and the new challenges. Apart from the work, there was also more than enough time to plan trips around the peninsula of Samana for the weekends and other fun activities in or near the City of Santa Barbara de Samana, which could be done after work during the week. It is surely amazing, how many different things you can explore right where you live, right where you feel like you know every corner after living there for a week. This is something, that I can recommend everyone to do, no matter where you are, there is not always a need to travel far away. But back to the work experience: as I’ve said, I was part of the NGO-Management program, so I’ve surely had another point of view on the programs. But from organizing and overviewing the different programs and the volunteers working in it, I can already tell that there is so much to do and every single person can have such an impact within the community. It is amazing to see, how a person new to a country, a culture or maybe even the language can be integrated, the general spirit of this peninsula and the country overall is to welcome everyone and work together – always tranquilo, but steadily – on developing and executing the ideas for the different programs. Plus, they are always open for new programs, but be prepared for a nice bit of discussion, that is something that most people are very good at! But then again, this just boosts your language skills furthermore, learning by doing just is the best way to learn! In general I can recommend everyone that’s interested to go volunteering and for sure, Aldeas de Paz was exactly the right choice to learn about the management of a small grass-root NGO trying to find its path in new territory. If you are specifically looking for a small NGO, that focusses on bringing one particular community forward, this is the place to go to. If you are looking to experience volunteering first hand, but want to be in a safe environment to learn how it works, this is the place to go. And if you have the chance, stay longer than the one month that I was only able to stay there, because I’ve just been getting started when I had to leave. If you are willing to dive into a different culture with all the misunderstandings and different work ethics, you will find a place, where every bit of work that you do is highly appreciated, as every single step is a step forward! Now go and see it yourself and join us in our mission to make this world a little better day by day!

Ich bin 20 Jahre alt und komme aus Hattstedt, Schleswig-Holstein in Deutschland. Nach meinem Abiturabschluss wollte ich gerne mehr von der Welt sehen und mein Spansich verbessern. Außerdem war ich mir mit meinen Zukunftsplänen noch nicht sicher, interessierte mich aber für ein Lehramts Studium. Das Angebot einer Freiwilligenarbeit in einem Land das weit entfernt von mir ist, kam mir also sehr gelegen. Durch die tolle und schnelle Vermittlung von „StudentsGoAbroad“ und „Fundacion Aldeas de Paz“ kam ich in den Kontakt mit Manfred Mönnighoff, der mir ausführlich ,freundlich und schnell die Informationen über das Projekt und notwendige Dinge gab, die ich in der Dominikanischen Republik brauchen werde. Für meinem neunwöchigen Aufenthalt wählte ich ein Schulprogramm für Kinder mit besonderen Bedürfnissen und unterrichtete Englisch für Schüler aller Altersklassen. Das Projekt war anfangs schwer für mich, weil mir die Verständigung und Übersetzung in Spanisch schwer fiel, man sich an die neue Umgebung gewöhnen musste und die Kultur einfach sehr anderes war. Bei meiner Arbeit mit den Kindern bereitete ich mich mit den anderen Lehrern auf den Unterricht vor oder wir dekorierten die Schule die zu der noch nicht sehr Lebhaft aussah. Der Englischunterricht war für mich interessanter ,als die Arbeit mit den Kindern, weil ich selber die Sprache lernte, obwohl es anfangs sehr grundlegend war. Jedoch gefiel mir das Unterrichten von Woche zu Woche besser und ich hatte nicht nur tolle Lebenserfahrungen in der Schule, sondern auch beim Zusammenleben mit den anderen Freiwilligen und Freizeitaktivitäten mit den Einheimischen gesammelt. Dadurch, dass ich als Freiwilliger mich selber und das Projekt mit organisiert habe, lernte ich fiel über eigenständiges Arbeiten und den Umgang mit anderen Menschen. Mir hat es einerseits gut gefallen das Projekt aufzubauen und mich zu engagieren, andererseits ist es manchmal unorganisiert gewesen, was aber an ungeschulten Personal und der unzuverlässigen Gesellschaft lag. Neben meinem Projekt habe ich gerne auf der Straße Basketball gespielt oder bin ins Fitnessstudio gegangen. Außerdem habe ich mit den anderen Freiwilligen an einem Projekt für die Wiederverwertung, Organisation und Einführung von Mülltonnen gearbeitet, die für Santa Barbara de Samana notwendig sind. Da das Projekt der Müllverwertung ein langer Prozess ist hoffe ich das die kommenden Freiwilligen es weiter führen können. Im großen und ganzen hat mir meine Zeit in Samana sehr gut gefallen und mir eine neue Sichtweise auf meinen weiteren Weg gegeben. Nach meinem Aufenthalt in der Dominikanischen Republik nutze ich die Zeit um durch Mittel und Südamerika zu reisen.

Three months ago, I decided it was time to leave home and experience the rest of the world, but the question then became, where do I go? My original thought was to go to a country in Africa, but after talking with my family about this possibility, the idea would be shot down for two reasons. First, it costs a lot of money to go to Africa. Second, the culture shock may have been too much for me to manage, as I’ve never travelled alone before. My next thought was to travel to Central America; it’s close to home, and relatively affordable. The next step would be to find an organization in Central America that is not only reputable and safe, but also where my actions would have a positive impact on the people in the community. After quite a bit of online researching, I came to the conclusion that I would head to the Dominican Republic and volunteer with Aldeas de Paz (ADP). What really solidified my decision to volunteer with ADP was their belief that “learning through service prepares our volunteers to be role models for change worldwide.” Knowing that my heart and this volunteer organization were both in the same state of mind allowed me to feel comfortable making the decision to leave home. After two months of awaiting my departure date, the time had come, and I was headed to the airport. Prior to beginning this trip, I told myself that throughout this journey I would make sure to never have expectations. The reason behind this logic is my belief that without expectations, you enable yourself to adapt to the culture far more easily. With this in mind, I said goodbye to my family, pulled my luggage out of the trunk, and headed to my flight, but while boarding the plane to Samana, flashes of doubt began to surface and a nervous feeling began to grab hold of me. My mind raced as I thought about how I was about to leave my family for an entire month and spend it in a country I’ve never been to before. Even more terrifying was the fact that I knew very little Spanish, and had no clue what the culture would be like in Santa Barbara de Samana, the town I’d be volunteering in. Nonetheless, I kept my composure, cleared the negative thoughts, and carried on. After two plane rides, a taxi to a bus stop, and a 3 hour long bus ride, I would arrive in Samana. Shortly after arriving, I would be picked up by the director of the organization, Manfred, and driven to my new home. After dropping off my bags and meeting my new housemates, Henrik and Christian, they would take me to the Malecon to get pizza, as well teach me about the town and culture. The key point, or should I say word, they stressed throughout our dinner conversation was “Tranquillo”, meaning tranquil. This word is not only the normal greeting between men in the Dominican, but also describes the lifestyle of the people. They stated that everything here moves tranquilly, which in Dominican terms meant that everything moved at an incredibly slow pace. This slow lifestyle would prove to be my greatest challenge. During the first days in the program, I created a schedule with many activities I wanted to do throughout the week. While the amount of activities planned may have been normal in USA time, it was completely unrealistic in Dominican time. It wasn’t that I couldn’t move fast enough to get to each activity, it was that each event involved the local people, who were living the tranquillo lifestyle. This first week would be my learning week, not just about the pace of the town, but other cultural aspects as well. Much different than the US, here there are very few people that drive a car, instead everybody drives motorbikes. While the motorbike aspect seemed sound, the part that seemed strange to me was the fact that nobody wore a helmet. After some research, I found out that the single greatest cause of death in Samana is motorbike accidents. Another part of this culture that is completely different than the United States is the friendliness of the entire town. Everybody here greets me with “Hola!”, and nobody ever seems mad or upset. The inhabitants of this village always seem to be happy. With the average salary here of $120 a month, it just goes to show that money does not buy happiness. Without the friendliness of the people, I don’t think I would have been able to adjust to the slow pace of the village. While the culture in Samana may have surprised me at times, the one thing I knew would have a familiar feeling to home would be practicing medicine. In the United States, I work as a scribe in the Emergency Department of my local hospital, and love the environment associated with the fast paced work. I actually enjoy it to such a great length that Emergency medicine is something I am really considering pursuing once accepted into medical school. With that in mind, it was quite easy to select the program within Aldeas de Paz that I wanted to volunteer with; the medical volunteering program. I figured that this would allow me to be able to keep the fast paced lifestyle I had at home; I was mistaken. I would volunteer at the “Dr. Leopold Pou Hospital” in the heart of Santa Barbara de Samana, where the Tranquillo lifestyle had taken a firm hold, and medicine moved at a pace that reminded me of the blobs of wax rising and falling in a lava lamp. While not as fast paced as the US, medicine in the DR was still quite amazing to say the least. To compensate for their lack of modern medical technologies, they used their fingers and eyes as medical machines that could locate medical problems with each patient. Also different than the United States, here patient medical history is a huge component of the doctors’ medical decisions. Since many inhabitants of Samana are very poor, they cannot afford x-rays or ultrasounds, or even proper labs for that matter. For this reason, a patient’s history is crucial to the doctor’s decision to prescribe certain medications or have the patient carry out certain orders. While observing the Dominican patient-doctor interaction was an incredible experience in itself, the most extraordinary part of my medical volunteering experience was helping the American Medical Mission Group who came to Samana to give free medical care to the community. For one week, they provided free surgeries and free consultations for children and adults; during this week my encyclopedia of medical knowledge would grow far beyond what I had ever imagined. Throughout each day, I was able to watch and scrub into various surgeries such as Hysterectomies or cyst removals, as well as help examine patients in the pediatric consultation center. At the end of the week, we must have had seen every single inhabitant of the town. I’m extremely fortunate that this group had come down to help the people of Samana, for they further confirmed my desire to pursue a career in medicine. In addition to the medical aspect of this volunteering experience, I also got to help with something I never would have thought was so rewarding; construction. In the earlier weeks of my stay in Samana, the hospital was still being built, therefore most of the work in my first days here involved assisting the construction workers in the building of the hospital. This was quite possibly one of the most meaningful jobs of the entire trip, as my life goal is to build a hospital in a community in the United States which lacks adequate medical care. After hours of volunteering, I began to realize the extraordinary amount of time, effort, employees, and patience it takes to build a hospital. Throughout the construction, the director of the hospital would show me newly finished areas of the hospital, and with an almost childish like gleefulness in her smile, tell me how happy she was to see her hospital transforming into a beacon of hope for the entire community. After the construction was complete, the president of the Dominican Republic held a massive induction ceremony, and thanked Flor, the director, for all of her efforts. He was so proud of her and the entire staff for working tirelessly in their pursuit to make Santa Barbara de Samana a great place. Not only did I get to help with the construction aspect of the hospital, shadow Dominican physicians, and assist and shadow the American Medical Mission Group, but I also got to help create a patient record documentation system for the hospital. Previously, the hospital lacked any organization involving patient records. There was one single room filled from top to bottom with folders of patient’s records that were mostly covered in cobwebs and dust. My job throughout the process was to help create a computerized patient record, so that if a patient returned to the hospital, all we had to do was enter in their name or social security number and we would have all the information of the patient at our finger tips. While this seems quite standard in the United States, this concept was brand new to the DR. With over 30,000 patient records, I did not get to finish entering in all of the data, but I’m sure that this will be completed soon, which will allow them to be one step closer to a paperless future and a greener hospital. While my passion in the Dominican was medical volunteering, I also found it quite joyful to assist the other volunteers in teaching at the Mama Elba School for special needs children. Although the school was founded to help special needs children, some of the students had other medical conditions, and were considered outcasts to society. Unfortunately, some these kids were not attending the regular community school because other children may pick on them, or simply because they cannot be taught in a similar manner as most other kids. Fortunately, at the Mama Elba School, we are more than happy to assist these children, and strive to make them want to learn. Each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoon, I would go to the school and assist Henrik and Christian in teaching lessons about the environment, Dominican Republic Independence Day, as well as other various topics. You could tell from the joy on the children’s faces that they were incredibly happy to be here. This school provided them with time to be free and creative, as well as to laugh and learn and play. One student in particular, Yanet, was very interested in learning math, but because she was deaf it was difficult for her to understand the lessons taught in school. I decided that if her school doesn’t want to take the time to teach her, then I will. After a few quality hours, she was an addition and subtraction master. She was incredibly happy to be solving all of the problems she once struggled with, but I was even more overjoyed for two reasons. First, I was happy to see Yanet was smiling as she was completing math problems, second, I had just taught a little girl a skill that she will use for the rest of her life. Helping people like Yanet is the reason I choose to volunteer. The whole experience provides me with a priceless joy that is unlike any other feeling. Although I may have come to the Dominican Republic to learn more about Central America and how medicine is practiced, my time here has also given me the opportunity to learn more about myself. One of the most important things the Dominican has allowed me to discover about myself is what drives my happiness. In the States, it was becoming difficult to decipher what made me happy. After being away from Maryland for some time, I realized my happiness stems from my family and friends, as well as my work and research. Through the Tranquillo culture, I also came to realize that I had little patience. Everything at home was a rush and each day had to follow a plan; it seems as if often times I would not get to fully enjoy one activity because I was in a hurry to get to the next. Fortunately, my time here allowed me to recognize that not everything in life is a race. Sometimes in life, you need to take the backseat and watch events unfold, rather than always try and run into the storm. As I leave Samana, I hope to carry these lessons, as well as all the memories, with me as I grow into adulthood. One day, I will return to Samana, but this time as a changed man because of the teachings in happiness, medicine, and life Samana has taught me.

We are two 20 year-old girls from Germany. Although we had different reasons to do this volunteer work in the Foundation Aldeas de Paz for half a year, we have the same aim: we want to do a useful work. Useful for the society and also for our personality. Further we want to get to know an other culture, different ways of living and working, improve our spanish knowledge and learn how to deal with problems that people have here. The organization is really at the beginning (1 year) in the Dominican Republic and everything is still in a process of development. To be part of this process has advantages and disadvantages, of course. On the one hand we had to recognize that nothing is perfect and that there is still a lot of work to do and that this won't be easy. Furthermore the life in this country is slower and in a way lazier and more relaxed than the life in europe, to which we are used to. On the other hand there are much advantages for us: its a great experience to be part of this developing process. We are learning a lot at our work, how to deal with difficult situations and always stay positive, thats the most important thing we learned here. When you solved one problem the next problem comes up. But actually that's the reason why we are here, there are a lot of challenges and problems which have to be solved. We are going in the right direction, little by little. At the end its a great experience and very helpful to learn how to deal with the life and yourself. A other aspect we want to speak about is the life beside the work in the organization. The organization is located in Santa Barbara de Samaná. It is the capital of the Province Samaná in the north of the Dominican Republic. It's a small city with the character of a village. The people are friendly and very helpful. What is very important for the community of this village is to say hello to the people on the street even when you don't know them. That manner is a part of their culture and will help the volunteers to get integrated. That leads to the next point; with the right attitude volunteers can have a nice time here. The "right" attitude means to be open minded, because without that you can not get along with a other cultured person. Samaná is a really peaceful place nevertheless there is always something going on and it is a good combination of young and old. The social life is very important for the people here, they are very open and interested in getting to know new people. We found a lot of good friends here. Even though we have to say that it is not a city with big clubs and shopping-malls. You have little shops and on the promenade there little bars. But Samaná is a great starting point to go to nearby cities like Las Galeras or Las Terrenas. In Las Terrenas are more options to go out in the night. There are clubs, a lot of restaurants, beach bars and shopping places. In Samaná are a lot of Activities you can do, Samaná has a beautiful landscape and there are a lot of places you can travel to. For example the national park Los Haitises, the waterfall in El Limón, the island Cayo Levantado and a lot of very beautiful beaches with a lot of options for watersports like surfing or diving. The most famous thing in Samaná is watching the whales which are coming between December and February to get there birth here. There are a lot of places and things to discover in Samaná. The place where the Volunteers are housed is an apartment for 5 persons. There are three sleepingrooms, one single room with a bathroom and two double rooms. One living room with two couches and a dining table. An other Bathroom a big kitchen and a balcony with a beautiful view to the sea. For general living conditions in Southamerica this apartment is very good and clean. Nevertheless we had to get used to this living conditions first. All in all we are really happy with our choice to stay here in Samaná with this organization, even though there are many problems that have to be solved. We are growing on our tasks and we are learning a lot.

Finding out my weaknesses, strengths, and goals for my future life was the main ambition for my Latin American trip. After high school I wanted to get out and discover both myself and the world. I wanted to expand my horizons, to escape from societal structures, and, as the saying goes, to “think outside the box”. I experienced all of these things in Samana in the Dominican Republic in my five weeks as a volunteer in the fundacion Aldeas de Paz. Samana is a great place to get closer to the Dominican culture and in my opinion also a suitable place to start a foundation. I say this as it is a fantastic location, where the special feeling of Caribbean life with endless white beaches on the peninsula of Samana cannot be missed. Samana has approximately 40 000 inhabitants, where the roaring, energetic life takes you over. I had to get used to it in the first week, but I learned quickly to deal with the new circumstances and to become more open-minded. My boss and my fellow volunteers helped me a great deal with this first step. The feeling of isolation never came to me because someone was always close at hand whenever problems arose. The security in Samana and the friendliness towards tourists was especially noticeable and it has to be emphasized, because this is not the case in Latin America as a whole. The foundation Aldeas de Paz is currently under construction in the Dominican Republic, because it has had to move from the political situation of Venezuela. This played straight into my hands, because therefore I had more freedom in my volunteer program and job scope, and nobody could put me in pre-defined structures (as I had hoped). The freedom of the working situation was increased by the horizontal management consciously exercised by my boss, so that each and every volunteer could participate as they wanted and were able to. This gave me the satisfaction of learning more about myself, making a difference, taking part in a development, and growing with progressively difficult tasks. I could not expect to make a big impact with some of my work, because volunteer work is often associated with a long development process. This was something I had to learn in the beginning. Because of the short duration of my volunteering, I operated in many different sectors, e.g. working with children with learning difficulties, or social media marketing. Through it I found some new interests and I was able to make sense of my future plans, which brought me a little bit closer to my goals. Overall those five weeks in Aldeas de Paz were a ground-breaking, exciting, and wonderful experience, which I would have no hesitation in recommending to any high school graduate who wishes to expand his or her horizons and is exuberant.

Finding out my weaknesses, strengths, and goals for my future life was the main ambition for my Latin American trip. After high school I wanted to get out and discover both myself and the world. I wanted to expand my horizons, to escape from societal structures, and, as the saying goes, to “think outside the box”. I experienced all of these things in Samana in the Dominican Republic in my five weeks as a volunteer in the fundacion Aldeas de Paz. Samana is a great place to get closer to the Dominican culture and in my opinion also a suitable place to start a foundation. I say this as it is a fantastic location, where the special feeling of Caribbean life with endless white beaches on the peninsula of Samana cannot be missed. Samana has approximately 40 000 inhabitants, where the roaring, energetic life takes you over. I had to get used to it in the first week, but I learned quickly to deal with the new circumstances and to become more open-minded. My boss and my fellow volunteers helped me a great deal with this first step. The feeling of isolation never came to me because someone was always close at hand whenever problems arose. The security in Samana and the friendliness towards tourists was especially noticeable and it has to be emphasized, because this is not the case in Latin America as a whole. The foundation Aldeas de Paz is currently under construction in the Dominican Republic, because it has had to move from the political situation of Venezuela. This played straight into my hands, because therefore I had more freedom in my volunteer program and job scope, and nobody could put me in pre-defined structures (as I had hoped). The freedom of the working situation was increased by the horizontal management consciously exercised by my boss, so that each and every volunteer could participate as they wanted and were able to. This gave me the satisfaction of learning more about myself, making a difference, taking part in a development, and growing with progressively difficult tasks. I could not expect to make a big impact with some of my work, because volunteer work is often associated with a long development process. This was something I had to learn in the beginning. Because of the short duration of my volunteering, I operated in many different sectors, e.g. working with children with learning difficulties, or social media marketing. Through it I found some new interests and I was able to make sense of my future plans, which brought me a little bit closer to my goals. Overall those five weeks in Aldeas de Paz were a ground-breaking, exciting, and wonderful experience, which I would have no hesitation in recommending to any high school graduate who wishes to expand his or her horizons and is exuberant.

I had three important criteria’s before I decided to go to Aldeas de Paz in Santa Elena de Uairen in Venezuela. First of all I wanted to get practical experience in management, specifically in a multicultural environment. Second of all I wanted to learn Spanish, because I always wanted to know a third language well. My final criteria were that I wanted to go to South America, because I wanted to explore the continent. I decided to use four months in the foundation, because this was the first place that was totally open to give me the responsibility I wanted, that not just offered Spanish classes, but encourages people to learn as much as possible as fast as possible. That the NGO is located in Venezuela only gave me more motivation, because I wanted to go a place where they actually need my help, and a place where I could get a culture shock, but in the most positive way. After a long journey from Denmark to Caracas, and 24 hours in the bus to Santa Elena de Uairen, I was more than tired when I arrived. I was picked up by Kelvis the director in Aldeas de Paz, who with a big smile, tried to explain me in Spanish that they were glad I was here, asked me if I was ok, and showed me the way to the car that would bring me to our house on the top of mountain right by the village. When I arrived, I met the founder of the place, Manfred, who had dinner and a room ready for me. The time after that went faster than I would ever had imagined! Every week I got more responsibility, and before I knew it I was standing with the responsibility that I asked for. Sometimes it was also hard, because as a manager at the foundation, I had to always be on top on was going on, and what people needed. When people live close together on a mountain you gain so much trust and friendship with the others very quickly, but it also means that sometimes there is communication problems and culture differences, which has to be dealt with. Every weekend was free, and we often used the time to see different waterfalls in the area, to explore the Gran Sabana or hang out in the village. I also went with some volunteers to see the Angel Falls, and do the Roraima trek as well. These two places, I will never be able to forget as well. Aldeas de Paz promised me I could get as much responsibility as I wanted, that I would learn Spanish, I would have a great cultural experience and that I would have opportunity to do and see all the sights I also dreamt of. They delivered all of it and even more! I loved knowing what we really did for the kids, the community and how we as volunteers were there for each other. I loved my relaxed life there, and will never regret that I choose to spend my time in the foundation. I will strongly recommend this place, for someone who wants to try a different lifestyle, wants to help others, and who wants to be in control of what, when and how much work they want to do. I would recommend it to a person who would love working outside in the shade, while looking at all the mountains in the horizon, and hearing the Spanish tones playing from the radio in the kitchen. To who ever, that is reading this; I hope you will love this place, as much as I did.

I had three important criteria’s before I decided to go to Aldeas de Paz in Santa Elena de Uairen in Venezuela. First of all I wanted to get practical experience in management, specifically in a multicultural environment. Second of all I wanted to learn Spanish, because I always wanted to know a third language well. My final criteria were that I wanted to go to South America, because I wanted to explore the continent. I decided to use four months in the foundation, because this was the first place that was totally open to give me the responsibility I wanted, that not just offered Spanish classes, but encourages people to learn as much as possible as fast as possible. That the NGO is located in Venezuela only gave me more motivation, because I wanted to go a place where they actually need my help, and a place where I could get a culture shock, but in the most positive way. After a long journey from Denmark to Caracas, and 24 hours in the bus to Santa Elena de Uairen, I was more than tired when I arrived. I was picked up by Kelvis the director in Aldeas de Paz, who with a big smile, tried to explain me in Spanish that they were glad I was here, asked me if I was ok, and showed me the way to the car that would bring me to our house on the top of mountain right by the village. When I arrived, I met the founder of the place, Manfred, who had dinner and a room ready for me. The time after that went faster than I would ever had imagined! Every week I got more responsibility, and before I knew it I was standing with the responsibility that I asked for. Sometimes it was also hard, because as a manager at the foundation, I had to always be on top on was going on, and what people needed. When people live close together on a mountain you gain so much trust and friendship with the others very quickly, but it also means that sometimes there is communication problems and culture differences, which has to be dealt with. Every weekend was free, and we often used the time to see different waterfalls in the area, to explore the Gran Sabana or hang out in the village. I also went with some volunteers to see the Angel Falls, and do the Roraima trek as well. These two places, I will never be able to forget as well. Aldeas de Paz promised me I could get as much responsibility as I wanted, that I would learn Spanish, I would have a great cultural experience and that I would have opportunity to do and see all the sights I also dreamt of. They delivered all of it and even more! I loved knowing what we really did for the kids, the community and how we as volunteers were there for each other. I loved my relaxed life there, and will never regret that I choose to spend my time in the foundation. I will strongly recommend this place, for someone who wants to try a different lifestyle, wants to help others, and who wants to be in control of what, when and how much work they want to do. I would recommend it to a person who would love working outside in the shade, while looking at all the mountains in the horizon, and hearing the Spanish tones playing from the radio in the kitchen. To who ever, that is reading this; I hope you will love this place, as much as I did.

I stayed at Aldeas de Paz for a total of six weeks. During my stay I participated in the NGO Management program, the teaching program and worked on a field study while staying in the indigenous indian community of Chirikayen. I enjoyed all aspects of my stay and found it to be an experience of not so much me teaching others, but of me learning and taking home a new outlook on life.