Our campaign for Sapa O’Chau has concluded! Do check the campaign page “Sa Pa, Vietnam Student Fund” for more details on what we did on the site and how we decided to spend the donated money there.
My 3 friends and I went to volunteer at a small organisation in Sapa, which is a 6 hour bus ride up north from Hanoi. I went earlier in March with another small group of people for a school trip and I really enjoyed my experience there, therefore I wanted to go back and volunteer again for the second time at Sapa O’Chau.
At first it was hard for me to convince my 3 friends, especially their parents, to come with me to Sapa because they have never heard of the place before, and going alone without any adult supervision worried their parents greatly. However, after a lot of discussion, our parents agreed to let us go and volunteer at Sapa O’Chau organisation for the first two weeks of summer break.
Sapa is an extremely beautiful place, and it is perfect for those who don’t like hot weather because it is constantly windy and cooling, even during the summer when it is usually supposed to be hot. Whenever we had any problems or last minute troubles, the staff and students always helped us greatly. For example, taking us to buy food at the market for a picnic we were organising for the students, making us food very late at night because all the restaurants were closed by the time we got back to the hotel after teaching, giving us advice about what we should do with the students, and things we should do during our stay like going to Fansipan and going on a hike to Ta Phinh village.
We had a few troubles during our stay in Sapa, however we were able to overcome it by helping each other out and staying close as a group. Most nights we slept extremely late as we had to work on teaching materials like making worksheets for the students and thinking of engaging activities which will allow the students to both learn and have fun. Teaching English to the students allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the language as well because the students often asked us questions we never thought of of before.
We were also given the opportunity to play and hang out with the students, and we were able to learn cultural games like shuttlecock kicking which we enjoyed so much that we bought the special shuttlecock used for the game and practiced every night so that we could show off our improved skills to the students (which unfortunately, we were not able to do). We were also able to hike and eat lunch at a dear student’s house in Lao Chai village, which was one very funny and memorable experience.
2 weeks passed by extremely fast and it really broke my heart when I had to say goodbye to everyone as I was going to miss them so much. Some of the students were graduating and I knew that there was a possibility of me not being able to meet them again which made me immensely sad.
As my friends and family would know, my love for Sapa is unreal and I will definitely go back again multiple times in the future. The people there are very caring and supportive, and their humble lifestyle and positive thinking makes me appreciate the things I have more and motivate me to work harder.
My first impression of Sapa was fantastic which made me love the place so so much, and I really recommend people to volunteer there. I promise you will be filled with a lot of joy and happiness teaching the students everyday, just as I did!!!!
My 3 friends and I spent 2 weeks of our summer in Sapa, Vietnam. Before coming to Sapa, I knew very little about Sapa O’Chau Organization. Only one of the four of us had been to Sapa in which she thoroughly enjoyed and thus suggested us to visit it with her. After a 6 hour bus ride, we finally made it and were introduced to the students the following day.
Truthfully, the first day was overwhelming as we were quite unaware of the learning style and English level that the students were used to. The language barrier between us and the students made it even harder to communicate and get our ideas across. However, after having experienced what it was like to teach the first 2 classes, we got a better gauge on the level of the class. After spending several hours discussing and making worksheets for the students, we carefully planned out an effective lesson plan that would better assist the students’ English skills. By structuring our lesson plan step by step, the class went a lot more smoothly and we were able to effectively teach the content whilst having fun. This was the structure that we ended up following through for the next 2 weeks. Of course, the 2 weeks did not entirely go smoothly. It was evident that there was a gap between the students’ English skills. There were a few that could comfortably carry out a conversation while there were also others who did not know basic English grammar. Thankfully, since there were the 4 of us, we divided the teaching to adjust to each individual’s level. Even though this way was a bit more complicated, it certainly proved much more beneficial to both the students and us. It especially taught me to be more patient and slow down the pace when necessary. This way, it undeniably brought us closer to the students as they appreciated our efforts in teaching them.
Putting aside the teaching aspect of this experience, there was a multitude of activities and outings that we were involved in that made this entire trip unforgettable. We had night outings with the students in which we played shuttlecock kicking and group bonding activities in the city. Even though the four of us were significantly inexperienced with shuttlecock kicking, the students welcomed us to play with them and were very patient each time it was our turn. We played bonding activities such as “Bang!” which proved to be one of the students’ favorite game. Especially after hanging out with students of our age, the 2 hour night out went by unbelievably fast and it has got to be one of my favorite nights on the trip. Singing and playing UNO cards were small activities that we actively engaged in daily. One other significant experience was our picnic on the last Saturday. We were so honored to have the opportunity to visit one of the students’ home in Lao Chai as well as hike with the students. The hospitality that the student’s family provided us was so heartwarming. Not only did we get to taste their cultural food, we also got to try on their handmade traditional Hmong clothing. It was a priceless experience that allowed us to be immersed in their culture.
Looking back at this trip, there are countless of experiences that are simply impossible to explain in just a few words. I have to admit that this volunteer trip was far from what I expected at first. I never knew that we would be able to bond with the students as well as we did. Out of all my volunteer opportunities that I have been involved in, this trip has undeniably been one of my favorites. Indeed, there were many obstacles and challenges that came along with it. However, those small precious moments in between were what made this trip extraordinary. The students were definitely teachers to us as we were to them and I would not have been able to experience this back at school. The love and care that the students gave us definitely made it hard to part ways, especially when we were given friendship bracelets that we will forever cherish. Personally, living that particular lifestyle for 2 weeks was so different from what I have been used to. This trip has taught me so many different life lessons and it reminded me that the simplest moments can spur so much joy and happiness.
I am another member of the group (mentioned by Mika) who volunteered at Sapa O’Chau from the 23rd of June to the 8th of July. Before the trip, we had thought the 2 weeks would be a long time to stay there, but right when it was coming to an end, we wished we could have stayed for longer. It was certainly an unforgettable experience, and one where my friends and I made more friends. This gets rather messy, since I do tend to ramble, so I hope you’re ready.
It was a great experience to teach students – both around our age (16-17) and those in their late 20s (25-27) – as well as socialise with them, and subsequently becoming friends with them. Since it was my first time every teaching a group of people, it was very insightful as to the amount of hard work that teachers put into collecting and creating teaching materials for their students as well as how a teacher would approach catering towards the students’ needs.
The experience helped me realise how important it was to seek and pay attention to each student’s needs, as at times we found quiet students being shy about speaking up and asking questions: which is understandable when realising volunteers do come in and out every month or so. We learnt to be flexible to change or alter lessons depending on the students’ level, learnt to be patient with the students to build better bonds so that they would feel more comfortable with asking questions, learnt to be more creative to make lessons less redundant but still helpful and fun; things like these helped us make a variety of teaching styles as well as keep the classes engaged. In the end, it was a lot of hard work and made us feel busy at times, but also self-sufficient and fulfilled.
Not only that, but teaching the English language really helped us deepen our understanding of the language as well. We had to review the basics in order to teach them: since, as we know, to be able to teach something to someone well is to really understand what it means. Their questions about seemingly simple things that come naturally to us may be hard to explain, and times like these were interesting to come across.
Of course, other than teaching, I mentioned socialising with the students. We had Wednesday, 7-9pm, assigned to essentially socialise with the G10-11 students at the square. Sometimes, we could accompany them on a Saturday picnic to wherever we chose. The first Wednesday, I personally felt that the two hours of socialising and games would be somewhat daunting due to language barriers; we had desperately tried compiling a list of fun, but simple games we could introduce to the students. To my pleasure, they happily taught us how to play with them: games like shuttlecock kicking, which is popular and very fun amongst people of different ages. We found that, sometimes, even strangers would join in the fun. There was a strong sense of community and friendliness, and we felt welcomed and touched by their sincerity and consideration throughout the trip.
During that night, we also taught the students a game called “Bang!”: a straight forward, but exciting game. We changed the rules so that there was no eliminations, so everyone could join in the game without fear of being left out too early. They thoroughly enjoyed it and we ended up playing it for an hour or so until we had to head back. We got to enjoy the games they introduced, and they got to enjoy the games we introduced. It was a fun exchange, and my fear of a language barrier to strengthen our friendships slowly faded away.
There are many other experiences I would love to share. (Seriously, we learnt about so much from them: their culture, their kindness, how hard-working they are, etc.) There are so many wonderful and touching stories to share from this trip that new ones keep coming to mind. A rather funny one includes our many late night shuttlecock kicking practices in hopes to show them our improvement.. that day has yet to come, since we were just so busy that second week. I feel that collectively, and as a group, we all feel very grateful and fulfilled for having the opportunity to teach at Sapa O’Chau. Hopefully, we’ll have the chance to teach the students again next year.
From June 23rd~July 8th, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Sapa O’Chau, alongside my sister and two other friends in Sapa, Vietnam. Not only was it a great chance to gain a sense of independence as a minor, it was also an eye-opening trip I know my friends and I will not forget.
During the two weeks, we were in charge of teaching students aged 16-27 years old how to read, write and speak English. It was very enjoyable teaching both students who were within the same age group and above our age group as well. Teaching and learning from the students everyday gave us a sense of family and belonging. I cannot express how much of a pleasure they were to teach as they worked hard and let their personalities shine through.
In the beginning, we struggled to find a way to teach the entire class under a similar pace as we noticed that the level of English each student had varied quite a lot. After the first day of teaching and getting an idea of their levels, we worked on the sheets for four hours while discussing and helping each other with tasks. The worksheets included vocabulary lists, sentence reconstruction activities, crosswords and reading comprehensions to cater the students’ needs to the best we can. We also decided to add the translations in the vocabulary lists to make it easier for the students to understand and use the vocabulary with more ease. Every lesson was a chance for us to see how effective our sheets were and allowed us to come up with ways to make the concepts easier to understand. It also allowed us to see each class’ progress and level which helped us customise each sheet so that it was not too easy or difficult for each class.
However, towards the end of the first week, a new student had arrived and we noticed that there were students who were not progressing as much as we thought. English was a completely new language to them and we understood that it would have been difficult for them to catch up since they had yet to learn the fundamentals. We eventually came up with a solution to split the class into two to give a more private learning environment for those who had to learn the fundamentals. This gave them an environment where they felt comfortable to ask questions and had more attention from a single teacher. This strategy also made it easier for the teacher to track their progress by doing simple tests while monitoring them closely to see what the students found difficult. Having a team of three others by my side to discuss my concerns after the sessions allowed me to make the curriculum more constructive and nurturing for the students.
Moving on, when the students completed the final test and allowed me to look at their notebooks with the evidence that they had practised the night before, it has indeed moved me. It opened my eyes to how much they had progressed in two weeks, allowing me to wonder how much they could improve over the span of a single year. It made me very emotional and sad to leave when it was only the beginning of their journey to being able to achieve their dreams. However, it has also made me optimistic and excited for my return in a year’s time to see their progress. It even made me imagine what it would be like to have a proper conversation with them in which Google Translate would not be needed and an understanding from both sides would be present.
Volunteering at Sapa O’Chau was not all about teaching. As mentioned before, it also allowed us to expand and share our knowledge regarding different cultures. Personally, through the students I got to share my knowledge about the western flute I played, while learning how to play their traditional Vietnamese bamboo flute, as well as the style it was played in their culture. I also learned more about some of their ethnic cultures as I visited one of the students’ houses during the picnic that our team had organized. Learning about how the Hmong people lived their day-to-day lives made me realise how much industrialisation is present in our modern society and how much I took things for granted. It made me open my eyes to different perspectives of their culture which were different from mine. Frankly, it made me want to try living with the Hmong people for a week, to leave my city-mindset for a bit and learn to make and do things on my own the way they did.
Overall, working with Sapa O’Chau was unforgettable, wild and something I will cherish for a very long time. Looking at the bracelets that the students had given to us will always remind me of the things I had learned, the person it had made me become and of the students I have worked with. It makes me reminisce the enthusiastic learning approach that the students undertook and motivates me to push myself further as well. It makes me hope that the students had not forgotten about us, whether it be through the songs, games or words we had taught them or even the memories we had made altogether.
Our company participated in children society’s in Singapore. Initially as a donor but we also encourage our staffs to join their fund raising and volunteering activities
I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to be sent to Phnom Penh, Cambodia during one of my secondary school’s service-learning trips. I was 15 at the time, and I had never really participated in one of such activities.
My group and I were sent to a mission school at the outskirts of Phnom Penh. To reach the place, we had to take a ferry and cross the Mekong River every day and walk quite a distance on dirt roads. The school itself was quite isolated from the city centre, and it was quite obvious that the school was meant to serve the less-fortunate villagers who couldn’t afford to live in the nearby city.
We as a group did many things at the volunteering site, but I was personally in charge of the group interacting with the local kids and teaching them some rudimentary English. Safe to say that our project which lasted only a week wouldn’t be able to make very significant impacts on the lives of the children (there was only so much that we could do given the short amount of time we had), but if there was one thing I knew was meaningful for them, it would be the company that my friends and I provided while we were there. These children were pretty much isolated from the recent happenings around the nearby city, and they were living on their own without having a lot of friends. From the happiness and enthusiasm they were showing while we were there, even despite the language barrier, we knew that even though we couldn’t possibly improve their lives significantly, at least we could make them happy and cared for for the period of time we were there.
I do recommend everyone to participate in some form of volunteering project in their lives. The thought of “But how big of an impact will I make?” often stops us from starting at the first place, but we also need to realise that the impacts we make need not be huge for our efforts to be meaningful. Every little action helps those people who need it the most, even when we may not feel like it would.
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8 comments
Christopher Edbert Thenadi
Our campaign for Sapa O’Chau has concluded! Do check the campaign page “Sa Pa, Vietnam Student Fund” for more details on what we did on the site and how we decided to spend the donated money there.
August 16, 2019 at 8:09 am
Rika Tan
My 3 friends and I went to volunteer at a small organisation in Sapa, which is a 6 hour bus ride up north from Hanoi. I went earlier in March with another small group of people for a school trip and I really enjoyed my experience there, therefore I wanted to go back and volunteer again for the second time at Sapa O’Chau.
At first it was hard for me to convince my 3 friends, especially their parents, to come with me to Sapa because they have never heard of the place before, and going alone without any adult supervision worried their parents greatly. However, after a lot of discussion, our parents agreed to let us go and volunteer at Sapa O’Chau organisation for the first two weeks of summer break.
Sapa is an extremely beautiful place, and it is perfect for those who don’t like hot weather because it is constantly windy and cooling, even during the summer when it is usually supposed to be hot. Whenever we had any problems or last minute troubles, the staff and students always helped us greatly. For example, taking us to buy food at the market for a picnic we were organising for the students, making us food very late at night because all the restaurants were closed by the time we got back to the hotel after teaching, giving us advice about what we should do with the students, and things we should do during our stay like going to Fansipan and going on a hike to Ta Phinh village.
We had a few troubles during our stay in Sapa, however we were able to overcome it by helping each other out and staying close as a group. Most nights we slept extremely late as we had to work on teaching materials like making worksheets for the students and thinking of engaging activities which will allow the students to both learn and have fun. Teaching English to the students allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of the language as well because the students often asked us questions we never thought of of before.
We were also given the opportunity to play and hang out with the students, and we were able to learn cultural games like shuttlecock kicking which we enjoyed so much that we bought the special shuttlecock used for the game and practiced every night so that we could show off our improved skills to the students (which unfortunately, we were not able to do). We were also able to hike and eat lunch at a dear student’s house in Lao Chai village, which was one very funny and memorable experience.
2 weeks passed by extremely fast and it really broke my heart when I had to say goodbye to everyone as I was going to miss them so much. Some of the students were graduating and I knew that there was a possibility of me not being able to meet them again which made me immensely sad.
As my friends and family would know, my love for Sapa is unreal and I will definitely go back again multiple times in the future. The people there are very caring and supportive, and their humble lifestyle and positive thinking makes me appreciate the things I have more and motivate me to work harder.
My first impression of Sapa was fantastic which made me love the place so so much, and I really recommend people to volunteer there. I promise you will be filled with a lot of joy and happiness teaching the students everyday, just as I did!!!!
August 1, 2019 at 4:56 am
Eliora Elena
My 3 friends and I spent 2 weeks of our summer in Sapa, Vietnam. Before coming to Sapa, I knew very little about Sapa O’Chau Organization. Only one of the four of us had been to Sapa in which she thoroughly enjoyed and thus suggested us to visit it with her. After a 6 hour bus ride, we finally made it and were introduced to the students the following day.
Truthfully, the first day was overwhelming as we were quite unaware of the learning style and English level that the students were used to. The language barrier between us and the students made it even harder to communicate and get our ideas across. However, after having experienced what it was like to teach the first 2 classes, we got a better gauge on the level of the class. After spending several hours discussing and making worksheets for the students, we carefully planned out an effective lesson plan that would better assist the students’ English skills. By structuring our lesson plan step by step, the class went a lot more smoothly and we were able to effectively teach the content whilst having fun. This was the structure that we ended up following through for the next 2 weeks. Of course, the 2 weeks did not entirely go smoothly. It was evident that there was a gap between the students’ English skills. There were a few that could comfortably carry out a conversation while there were also others who did not know basic English grammar. Thankfully, since there were the 4 of us, we divided the teaching to adjust to each individual’s level. Even though this way was a bit more complicated, it certainly proved much more beneficial to both the students and us. It especially taught me to be more patient and slow down the pace when necessary. This way, it undeniably brought us closer to the students as they appreciated our efforts in teaching them.
Putting aside the teaching aspect of this experience, there was a multitude of activities and outings that we were involved in that made this entire trip unforgettable. We had night outings with the students in which we played shuttlecock kicking and group bonding activities in the city. Even though the four of us were significantly inexperienced with shuttlecock kicking, the students welcomed us to play with them and were very patient each time it was our turn. We played bonding activities such as “Bang!” which proved to be one of the students’ favorite game. Especially after hanging out with students of our age, the 2 hour night out went by unbelievably fast and it has got to be one of my favorite nights on the trip. Singing and playing UNO cards were small activities that we actively engaged in daily. One other significant experience was our picnic on the last Saturday. We were so honored to have the opportunity to visit one of the students’ home in Lao Chai as well as hike with the students. The hospitality that the student’s family provided us was so heartwarming. Not only did we get to taste their cultural food, we also got to try on their handmade traditional Hmong clothing. It was a priceless experience that allowed us to be immersed in their culture.
Looking back at this trip, there are countless of experiences that are simply impossible to explain in just a few words. I have to admit that this volunteer trip was far from what I expected at first. I never knew that we would be able to bond with the students as well as we did. Out of all my volunteer opportunities that I have been involved in, this trip has undeniably been one of my favorites. Indeed, there were many obstacles and challenges that came along with it. However, those small precious moments in between were what made this trip extraordinary. The students were definitely teachers to us as we were to them and I would not have been able to experience this back at school. The love and care that the students gave us definitely made it hard to part ways, especially when we were given friendship bracelets that we will forever cherish. Personally, living that particular lifestyle for 2 weeks was so different from what I have been used to. This trip has taught me so many different life lessons and it reminded me that the simplest moments can spur so much joy and happiness.
July 29, 2019 at 3:25 am
Clarissa K.
I am another member of the group (mentioned by Mika) who volunteered at Sapa O’Chau from the 23rd of June to the 8th of July. Before the trip, we had thought the 2 weeks would be a long time to stay there, but right when it was coming to an end, we wished we could have stayed for longer. It was certainly an unforgettable experience, and one where my friends and I made more friends. This gets rather messy, since I do tend to ramble, so I hope you’re ready.
It was a great experience to teach students – both around our age (16-17) and those in their late 20s (25-27) – as well as socialise with them, and subsequently becoming friends with them. Since it was my first time every teaching a group of people, it was very insightful as to the amount of hard work that teachers put into collecting and creating teaching materials for their students as well as how a teacher would approach catering towards the students’ needs.
The experience helped me realise how important it was to seek and pay attention to each student’s needs, as at times we found quiet students being shy about speaking up and asking questions: which is understandable when realising volunteers do come in and out every month or so. We learnt to be flexible to change or alter lessons depending on the students’ level, learnt to be patient with the students to build better bonds so that they would feel more comfortable with asking questions, learnt to be more creative to make lessons less redundant but still helpful and fun; things like these helped us make a variety of teaching styles as well as keep the classes engaged. In the end, it was a lot of hard work and made us feel busy at times, but also self-sufficient and fulfilled.
Not only that, but teaching the English language really helped us deepen our understanding of the language as well. We had to review the basics in order to teach them: since, as we know, to be able to teach something to someone well is to really understand what it means. Their questions about seemingly simple things that come naturally to us may be hard to explain, and times like these were interesting to come across.
Of course, other than teaching, I mentioned socialising with the students. We had Wednesday, 7-9pm, assigned to essentially socialise with the G10-11 students at the square. Sometimes, we could accompany them on a Saturday picnic to wherever we chose. The first Wednesday, I personally felt that the two hours of socialising and games would be somewhat daunting due to language barriers; we had desperately tried compiling a list of fun, but simple games we could introduce to the students. To my pleasure, they happily taught us how to play with them: games like shuttlecock kicking, which is popular and very fun amongst people of different ages. We found that, sometimes, even strangers would join in the fun. There was a strong sense of community and friendliness, and we felt welcomed and touched by their sincerity and consideration throughout the trip.
During that night, we also taught the students a game called “Bang!”: a straight forward, but exciting game. We changed the rules so that there was no eliminations, so everyone could join in the game without fear of being left out too early. They thoroughly enjoyed it and we ended up playing it for an hour or so until we had to head back. We got to enjoy the games they introduced, and they got to enjoy the games we introduced. It was a fun exchange, and my fear of a language barrier to strengthen our friendships slowly faded away.
There are many other experiences I would love to share. (Seriously, we learnt about so much from them: their culture, their kindness, how hard-working they are, etc.) There are so many wonderful and touching stories to share from this trip that new ones keep coming to mind. A rather funny one includes our many late night shuttlecock kicking practices in hopes to show them our improvement.. that day has yet to come, since we were just so busy that second week. I feel that collectively, and as a group, we all feel very grateful and fulfilled for having the opportunity to teach at Sapa O’Chau. Hopefully, we’ll have the chance to teach the students again next year.
July 28, 2019 at 3:01 pm
Mika Tan
From June 23rd~July 8th, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Sapa O’Chau, alongside my sister and two other friends in Sapa, Vietnam. Not only was it a great chance to gain a sense of independence as a minor, it was also an eye-opening trip I know my friends and I will not forget.
During the two weeks, we were in charge of teaching students aged 16-27 years old how to read, write and speak English. It was very enjoyable teaching both students who were within the same age group and above our age group as well. Teaching and learning from the students everyday gave us a sense of family and belonging. I cannot express how much of a pleasure they were to teach as they worked hard and let their personalities shine through.
In the beginning, we struggled to find a way to teach the entire class under a similar pace as we noticed that the level of English each student had varied quite a lot. After the first day of teaching and getting an idea of their levels, we worked on the sheets for four hours while discussing and helping each other with tasks. The worksheets included vocabulary lists, sentence reconstruction activities, crosswords and reading comprehensions to cater the students’ needs to the best we can. We also decided to add the translations in the vocabulary lists to make it easier for the students to understand and use the vocabulary with more ease. Every lesson was a chance for us to see how effective our sheets were and allowed us to come up with ways to make the concepts easier to understand. It also allowed us to see each class’ progress and level which helped us customise each sheet so that it was not too easy or difficult for each class.
However, towards the end of the first week, a new student had arrived and we noticed that there were students who were not progressing as much as we thought. English was a completely new language to them and we understood that it would have been difficult for them to catch up since they had yet to learn the fundamentals. We eventually came up with a solution to split the class into two to give a more private learning environment for those who had to learn the fundamentals. This gave them an environment where they felt comfortable to ask questions and had more attention from a single teacher. This strategy also made it easier for the teacher to track their progress by doing simple tests while monitoring them closely to see what the students found difficult. Having a team of three others by my side to discuss my concerns after the sessions allowed me to make the curriculum more constructive and nurturing for the students.
Moving on, when the students completed the final test and allowed me to look at their notebooks with the evidence that they had practised the night before, it has indeed moved me. It opened my eyes to how much they had progressed in two weeks, allowing me to wonder how much they could improve over the span of a single year. It made me very emotional and sad to leave when it was only the beginning of their journey to being able to achieve their dreams. However, it has also made me optimistic and excited for my return in a year’s time to see their progress. It even made me imagine what it would be like to have a proper conversation with them in which Google Translate would not be needed and an understanding from both sides would be present.
Volunteering at Sapa O’Chau was not all about teaching. As mentioned before, it also allowed us to expand and share our knowledge regarding different cultures. Personally, through the students I got to share my knowledge about the western flute I played, while learning how to play their traditional Vietnamese bamboo flute, as well as the style it was played in their culture. I also learned more about some of their ethnic cultures as I visited one of the students’ houses during the picnic that our team had organized. Learning about how the Hmong people lived their day-to-day lives made me realise how much industrialisation is present in our modern society and how much I took things for granted. It made me open my eyes to different perspectives of their culture which were different from mine. Frankly, it made me want to try living with the Hmong people for a week, to leave my city-mindset for a bit and learn to make and do things on my own the way they did.
Overall, working with Sapa O’Chau was unforgettable, wild and something I will cherish for a very long time. Looking at the bracelets that the students had given to us will always remind me of the things I had learned, the person it had made me become and of the students I have worked with. It makes me reminisce the enthusiastic learning approach that the students undertook and motivates me to push myself further as well. It makes me hope that the students had not forgotten about us, whether it be through the songs, games or words we had taught them or even the memories we had made altogether.
July 11, 2019 at 8:17 am
Eliora Elena
Share your volunteer experiences here!
June 11, 2019 at 6:08 pm
PS Lim
Our company participated in children society’s in Singapore. Initially as a donor but we also encourage our staffs to join their fund raising and volunteering activities
June 11, 2019 at 6:10 pm
Christopher Edbert Thenadi
I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to be sent to Phnom Penh, Cambodia during one of my secondary school’s service-learning trips. I was 15 at the time, and I had never really participated in one of such activities.
My group and I were sent to a mission school at the outskirts of Phnom Penh. To reach the place, we had to take a ferry and cross the Mekong River every day and walk quite a distance on dirt roads. The school itself was quite isolated from the city centre, and it was quite obvious that the school was meant to serve the less-fortunate villagers who couldn’t afford to live in the nearby city.
We as a group did many things at the volunteering site, but I was personally in charge of the group interacting with the local kids and teaching them some rudimentary English. Safe to say that our project which lasted only a week wouldn’t be able to make very significant impacts on the lives of the children (there was only so much that we could do given the short amount of time we had), but if there was one thing I knew was meaningful for them, it would be the company that my friends and I provided while we were there. These children were pretty much isolated from the recent happenings around the nearby city, and they were living on their own without having a lot of friends. From the happiness and enthusiasm they were showing while we were there, even despite the language barrier, we knew that even though we couldn’t possibly improve their lives significantly, at least we could make them happy and cared for for the period of time we were there.
I do recommend everyone to participate in some form of volunteering project in their lives. The thought of “But how big of an impact will I make?” often stops us from starting at the first place, but we also need to realise that the impacts we make need not be huge for our efforts to be meaningful. Every little action helps those people who need it the most, even when we may not feel like it would.
June 15, 2019 at 2:44 am