Mariana Oliveira brings gifts for donation to the Crèche in South Africa
Mariana Oliveira, who has been volunteering with the children in South Africa, now has brought a the gifts for donation to the Crèche:
Today when I arrived with gifts at school for donation, I could not imagine such happiness, both of the children when they saw the presents as mine to see all those smiles and glitter in the eyes.
No doubt it was one of the happiest moments of my life! See all those kids screaming, jumping and saying “thank you, teacher”.
The schoolteachers were as happy as they were. They thanked me very much!
I told them I had help from many friends and family! Yes, this was only possible because many people helped with donations or sharing the post. We got a total of R $ 3,015.00 which converted into the African currency equals RAND 12,964.00.
With the money was bought 72 toys, cakes, juices and fruit for child, totaling RAND 10,230.00. The remainder of the money will be donated to the school for the purchase of carpet / floor carpeting where the children play.
I want to thank everyone for the trust, the help (those who made their accounts available and shared), those who contributed, those who sent a message of support … No doubt we made these children’s day much Happier !!!
Thank you – Mariana Oliveira
You can find Mariana’s post on Facebook here.
If you would like to find out more about the volunteer project at Doreen’s Crèche, find it here
Original Post in Portuguese:
Hoje quando cheguei com os presentes na escola para doação, eu não poderia imaginar tamanha felicidade, tanto das crianças quando elas viram os presentes quanto a minha de ver todos aqueles sorrisos e brilho nos olhos.
Sem dúvidas foi um dos momentos mais felizes da minha vida! Ver todas aquelas crianças gritando, pulando e dizendo “thank you, teacher”.
As professoras da escolinha ficaram tão felizes quanto eles. Elas me agradeceram muito!
Eu disse a elas que tive ajuda de muitos amigos e da família! Sim, isso só foi possível de acontecer porque muitas pessoas ajudaram com as doações ou compartilhando o post. Conseguimos um total de R$ 3.015,00 o que convertido na moeda africana equivale RAND 12.964,00.
Com o dinheiro foi comprado 72 brinquedos, bolos, sucos e frutas para criança, totalizando RAND 10.230,00. O restante do dinheiro será doado para a escola para a compra de tapete/ carpete para chão onde as crianças brincam.
Eu quero agradecer a todos pelas confiança, pela ajuda (aqueles que disponibilizaram suas contas e compartilharam), aos que contribuíram, aos que mandaram mensagem de apoio… Sem dúvida nós fizemos o dia dessas crianças muito mais Feliz!!!
Muito obrigada 
❤❤❤
Obs. Os comprovantes estão anexados juntos com as fotos. Após a compra do carpete/tapete, eles estarão me encaminhando o último comprovante e eu estarei anexando tbm.
Ming’s Experience in Ecuador: The Smile I will Never Forget
My ‘family’ treating me so well…
I got the best living situation in the house which I appreciated very much but also thought I didn’t deserve my ‘family’ treating me so well. My daily job is to teach english to the kids in the village and helped my host-family grandma do some farming job. I enjoy very much the time living there. I got the chance to feel the nature and experience this life that I will remember for the rest of my life. During the ‘hard’ but happy time, my Spanish improved from zero foundation to be able to understand daily conversation. I was also introduced the traditional crafting in Ecuador. I’m a world traveler and a culture lover and I have been to a lot countries during the recent years. But Ecuador is my second hometown where I find my soul, experience the real humanity regardless of language obstacles and cultural barriers. I loved this experience and I will be back again.
Ming: The Smile I will Never Forget
How can this program be improved?
It will be better if the connection with local family is improved. Sometimes the internet is not good in this small village, so volunteers need someone who can speak english well.
- Ming
Feel inspired to Volunteer in Ecuador?
Find the full cataloge with the projects to volunteer in Ecuador on our Homepage.
Read about more experiences of our volunteers in Ecuador
Organic Farming in Ecuador: Ecological Volunteer Project
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Save an Amazon Community in Ecuador: The People were Beyond Amazing!
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Volunteer Work at an Artisan Shop in Ecuador
Read More
Voluntour in Thailand this summer
Volunteer with Elephants in Surin and Enjoy Koh Phangan Island with the Voluntour Program!
With the Voluntour in Thailand program we offer you the best of the two worlds: combine the volunteer work with an unforgettable holiday in Thailand. With these volunteer vacations you will have fun, explore more of the country, make friends and live some unforgettable experiences.
Travel to Four Destinations in Thailand
During four weeks you will travel to four destinations in Thailand. Upon arrival you will spend two nights in Bangkok exploring and taking in the lights of the city. Then, in the following two weeks you will work as a volunteer work at two different volunteer projects. The first volunteer experience will be caring for elephants in Surin, the second a construction project in Sanghklaburi. Finally, you will enjoy two weeks relaxing and partying with friends on a paradise island.
Meet the magnificent Elephants during the first week
Volunteer with Elephants in Surin
For the first week you will meet and work with the magnificent, gentle elephants living in the manhout village in Surin, immersing yourself in rural culture, taking part in centuries old traditions.
Volunteer with elephants in Surin
Find the program to volunteer with the elephants in Thailand on IKPVA’s Homepage.
Construction Volunteer Work in Sangkhlaburi
Then you will move on to Sangkhlaburi, working tirelessly and improving the lives of those less fortunate by providing much needed help with vital construction projects. On our homepage, you can find more projects for construction volunteering.
Work with construction
Enjoy Paradisiac Koh Phangan Island at the end of your stay
Finally, we think, you deserve a break on the island of Koh Phangan, a world famous party destination with some of the most beautiful beaches you can imagine! Your final two weeks will be spent with sand between your toes, soaking up the rays by day, and fire shows, delicious cocktails and good friends by night.
Beaches at Koh Phangan
Voluntour in Thailand – Two weeks
Voluntour – Four weeks
All transfers and accommodations are included.
Teaching English in Iquitos, Peru – Marco Fiorito
Over the last September, I volunteered for 2 weeks as a teaching assistant in Padre Cocha, a small community located at 20 min by boat from Iquitos, in the middle of the Peruvian Amazon.
The project consisted in a 2-week English course for local people of all ages and aimed at improving their everyday communication with foreigners, in order to promote tourism in the community.
Marco teaching English in the Peruvian Amazon Region
During this period I’ve been hosted by Jorge and Jenny, the organisers of this project, at their b&b, who made me feel welcome since the very beginning and gave me all the support I could need for visiting the area.
Marco with his English Students
Teaching has been an incredibly rewarding experience for me, as put me in direct contact with the local people, who really appreciated the time and effort I put into it and who truly believed in the benefits of the program.
In my experience, two weeks have been a sufficient time to forget about my own life and to dive into this new reality, getting to know new people and appreciate their differences and similarities from my cultural background, build friendships, enjoy the jungle and, hopefully, make a difference for this community. This first course, in fact, has set the basis for a longer-term project that will continue with new volunteers and with the same enthusiasm to help the development of this marvellous place.
The pier in Padre Cocha close to Iquitos
Overall, I couldn’t be more satisfied of this affordable and rewarding adventure, especially given that I’d never really considered volunteering before, and surely recommend this kind of experience to anybody.
- Marco Fiorito, King’s University, London, UK
Amor, Felicidade e Simplicidade – Childcare in South Africa
Eu não tenho palavras para expressar os meus sentimentos… Talvez amor, felicidade e simplicidade sejam elas.
Trabalho voluntárioMariane Oliveira, Brasil
Brazilian volunteer Mariane Oliveira sharing her love and bringing joy to a childcare in South Africa. Volunteer Abroad, the best travel experience.
Mariane has published a call for donations on Facebook:
Olá pessoal! Muitos de vocês me conhecem outros não…Meu nome é Mariane, tenho 26 anos, e iniciei um projeto na África do sul com crianças carentes recentemente.
Estas não possuem muito e o que tem são extremamente simples, como alimentação, brinquedos…Então nos últimos dias eu pensei em uma forma de ajudá-las.
Conversando com alguns amigos surgiu a ideia de arrecadar dinheiro para comprar algumas roupas, sapatos, brinquedos ou um dia com uma merenda bem gostosa para elas.
Que tal fazer parte desta ajuda? Doando 10, 20, 30 reais… Quanto você puder
About Doreen’s Crèche in South Africa
Work as a South Africa child care volunteer and teach and care for children at Doreen’s Crèche. The Crêche is located at Masiphumelele Township, around 45 minutes from central Cape Town. Whilst you are volunteering with children in South Africa, you also will learn about township life, culture, and history.
Volunteering in Rio de Janeiro with Teaching English, Art and Dance
I spent the month of October working with Iko Poran in Rio de Janeiro on projects teaching English, Art, and Dance. I met some wonderful people, some of whom will hopefully remain friends forever. It was good to make a difference, even for a short while, to the lives of people who in some cases have so little. But what they may lack in resources they make up for many times in their enthusiasm for learning. I was able to contribute on a number of programmes and I think the more adaptable you are, the more you will get out of the experience. Rio de Janeiro is an amazing place, not without its problems, and you do have to take care travelling around, however one of the best aspects of the experience for me was being able to live almost like a local, travelling miles on the rattling buses, eating very economically in “local” restaurants, really feeling a part of the community. You just would not get that coming as a tourist. A tourist will get to know places….a volunteer will get to know people!
How can this program be improved?
I would have liked a brief sheet with information for the projects.
Address, contact details, history of the project, website if there was one, just to be as familiar as possible before getting struck in. Also some projects are quite far away and the prospect of getting lost was always there, although it didnt happen.
- Bob Black, Scotland
Volunteering in Rio – Rewarding Experience
Just completed a month of volunteering in Rio de Janeiro with Iko Poran. I worked in programmes in teaching English, Art, and Dancing. It felt good to be making even a small difference in the lives of people who in many cases have so little. Iko Poran were excelent hosts and made sure my time was well spent in projects that suited my skills and abilities, as well as leaving me time for my own tourist activities, and pursuing my own drawing and painting hobby.
– Bob Black
Volunteering in Rio…
Volunteering in Rio de Janeiro, one of the most beautiful cities of the world – dubbed as “Cidade Maravilhosa” by the Cariocas, residents of Rio. Cidade Maravilhosa means the Wonderful City, as it stretches out with curving hills overlooking magnificent beaches, and protected by “Christ the Redeemer” on top of Corcovado.
Open-minded people at the “Wonderful City”
The residents of Rio are open-minded people and will welcome you with open hearts. Even if there is a language barrier, local people will communicate naturally with you. Pretty soon you grap some words of Portuguese. If you have any chance of learning some Portuguese before travel, the people will love it. With just a few words like “Bom dia” or “Tudo bem?” you will make local people very happy! With volunteer programs of four weeks or more, Portuguese lessons are being provided anyway.
Go ahead with your volunteer trip to Rio!
Find out more about volunteering in Brazil.
Volunteer with Football Coaching in Ghana
Go for a very special volunteer trip and volunteer with football coaching in Ghana. These boys in Ghana kicking football are waiting for you to play with them! Ghana was 7th place in 2010 FIFA World Cup and so it takes no wonder what these kids are dreaming of: Quatar and Russia. Loved throughout the country, football is Ghana’s number one sport, and it’s not exactly hard to see why!
Great Volunteer Program for Sports Fans and Wannabe Coaches alike
Ghana Football Coaching Program
Working with local schools in rural villages, our football coaching volunteer program is great for sports fans and wannabe coaches alike. When you arrive at the project you’ll be assigned a team, and moving forward you’ll be there to coach them to sporting glory, from heading up the training session on the beach to being chief supporter on the sidelines of a match.
Football Coaching in Ghana: Foster the Talents of the Youth in the Rural Villages
The sports development program in Ghana helps youth in the rural villages to foster their talents and focus on safe and healthy after school activities. Additionally, it helps youth to gain leadership skills and discipline by becoming a part of a team, and building stronger bonds with their community.
Feel inspired to volunteer in Ghana?
Find out everything about volunteering in Ghana and how to apply!
Visit also our page with all the football coaching programs.
Volunteer Trip to Cambodia: Working in a Daycare
Get out of your comfort zone, go for a volunteer trip to Cambodia and make a wonderful discovery! Lucy Wooding travelled to Cambodia to volunteer as a childcare volunteer – and enjoyed it a lot!
Lucy Wooding with the children in Cambodia
Volunteer in Cambodia and give a meaning to the best travel experience of your life.
Albane’s Volunteer Trip
Albane from France sent us this review about her volunteer trip to Cambodia. She was also volunteering with childcare:
I took care of a class of 7 children (5-6 years old) from 9:00 a.m to 4 p.m, from Monday to Friday. Sometimes I picked them up in their shanty towns at 8 a.m with the staff. It was very hard and sad to see where they live and in such poor conditions, but it was part of the experience and I simply loved their face, their excitation when the association bus (that we used to pick them up at Home) arrived in front of their living place ( we can’t call it “a house”).
When they arrive at the Day Care Center around 9 a.m, they sing and pray with a Kmer teacher. This was so cute to see them so happy to be there and to take pleasure to sing and pray (even if they lost sometimes their concentration rapidly when they saw the volunteers next to them and they guessed that they will play games after ahah).
After that, it was “shower time” for all children. So we had to make them take a shower, put soap on their body, shampoo on their haïr, and dress them up with the association “uniform” (too cute).Then, I taught them English until lunch time (around 11 a.m). As school facilities, I had a board, some books, pens, and thats it. I regretted not to have brought with me school support for the class when I see how much they were happy to learn. Some days, when they were very excited, I had time to do some games ( often drawings) after the lesson and before the lunch time. When they ate, I helped to clean the dishes, and other little tasks to help the staff. – Albane from France
