Anthropology Volunteering in Dominican Republic

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.

- 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.

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.

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.

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

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

- 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 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

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.

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.

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!

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.