General Impression
Overall Rating: / 10
This program is amazing! I feel like I contributed to the organization in a positive way and made wonderful relationships with the fellow volunteers and the children that I worked with. I still keep in touch with the other volunteers and some of the children and it’s nice to know that some of the projects I worked on are still being implemented now. The program allows volunteers to take on a lot of responsibility and leadership in planning and implementing their own projects for the children.The structure of how the project sites are run is organized and each month the teachers would create a syllabus that outline the activities for the kids for each day of the week. We also had weekly meetings with the whole project team to go over things that went well, things we could improve on, and what future projects we wanted to plan with the kids.
The volunteer house was in a great location and I had my own room and semi-private bathroom. Staying with other volunteers was a lot of fun because there was always someone around, and we had the best traditional Bolivian meals at lunchtime made by Doña María. The majority of the time there was always internet connection, which was very convenient.
I felt very safe at the project sites. Cochabamba also felt like a safe city, the only thing I had to worry about was not getting anything stolen, especially in the busy markets like La Concha. And of course I never walked anywhere alone at night and always made sure to take taxis.
Overall, I had an amazing experience volunteering in Bolivia. I gained a lot from working with the children and I also gained amazing friendships with the people that I worked with. I was able to make Cochabamba my second home. I encourage anyone who is interested in volunteering to be prepared to step outside of their comfort zones, make an effort to contribute ideas and lead projects, and take advantage of everything the city has to offer as well. You will gain as much from the experience as you put in and personally I cannot wait to go back!