Indonesia

My name is Lhamo and I am a student in Swansea University in Wales doing media communication subject. I was originally following the one-month program, but after all the fun that I had I have changed my program to 6 weeks. This has to be one of the best experiences I have ever had so far. I can never imagine I could have this much fun teaching and traveling at the same time. It is one of the best things to see kids' smiles and how much they are keen to study just shocks me. I would make the same choice again if I ever get a chance like this. And now I just feel that one month is not enough at all.

My name is Clara Lo, and I am currently an accounting major from Queen’s University in Canada. It was through my university’s job board that I found out about the International Humanity Foundation (IHF), and I am so glad I applied to be a part of this organization.

I volunteer at the Bali Center for IHF, and this center offers English, math and computer classes to students of all ages and castes. At the center, I spend my mornings doing online work for IHF, my afternoons preparing and teaching English and computer classes, and my nights with my fellow volunteers and the locals from the village nearby. Together, there is a deep sense of community here such that I have never experienced before in my life.

I came here with no expectations of being a part of such a community, as I simply just wanted the experience of working for a NGO. However, I am so glad my experiences have been so much more than that, and I can sincerely say I found happiness in volunteering for IHF.

My Volunteer Experience in Bali
Hi，I’m Yang,a junior student at university. I am a current volunteer for IHF at Bali center in Indonesia. I have been volunteering (teaching English and Computer) since I arrived at IHF in Buitan which is on the east coast.Places like Ubud, Kuta and PadangBai are fairly close(within 2 hours). During the mornings and evenings it's really quiet as Buitan is quite a remote village, so you could focus on your own stuffs. In the afternoons,I give lessons to local studens. Although the weather is humid and sometimes I’m very tired,our passionate students always cheer me up. They are eager to learn and often ask me interesting questions. Being their teacher as well as friend is one of the most wonderful experiences I ever have in my life. Sundays are our day off, so we usually do a trip to Kuta or Ubud because they are the places one must visit in Bali. We also try special Balinese food and diving. Candidasa is a ten-min drive with restaurants, shops and ATMs.
IHF stands for International Humanity Foundation and they have 6 centers in Indonesia,Kenya,and Thailand. They are always looking for volunteers(couples can do it) to join them. IHF is devoted to make the world better for the future generation. IHF needs many kinds of volunteers,including medical intern,nurse,co-director,math teacher,voluntourist,and workstudy. Our center has power and internet and most of us either read or do online work for the organization at night/during the mornings,so it's really peaceful.
My friend was a volunteer for IHF and she told me her story. It inspired me so I want to do it myself. I love kids and always do community work at home. Besides,Bali is the place I want to visit from a long time ago and it’s better than 7-day trips people usually do. My first week was rough but with the help of other volunteers and co-directors,I gradually get used to my life at Bali. It’s my first time to volunteer abroad,I’m truly grateful to my students because they let me know that only knowledge can’t be taken away and to my collegues because they help me patiently with my work and we share a lot of happy hours at center.

My Name is Vijay and I was an IT Professional. Now I am changing my career to Teaching English after completing the TESOL Course.

After having completed the TESOL Course in Bali, Indonesia, I was privileged to spend a month of quality time at IHF, Bali among the children and volunteer's of IHF.

I had the opportunity to be an hands-on English Teacher for Young Learners and Teenagers from the age of 8 to 16. It was very educational, and I learned alot of teaching knowledge from the time I spent here. Mainly, the different ways the Kids interact and the enthusiasm for learning.

There is so much satisfaction teaching kids and nothing can surpass the joy of helping others. Its great volunteering at IHF, Bali. I was really touched by the kindness of the kids, and I also had a chance to give back to the community in a meaningful way.

IHF in Bali gave me a opportunity to volunteer in the education center, to teach English classes to different ages of students as the students get to learn only a minimal English at the School. The friends I made at this center will surely live in my heart for a long time. The experience has been a very good experience in my life. Anyone looking to make a difference in the world, help children, the community and make great memories with some amazing people should join IHF.

This experience is a very good memory which will always remain throughout my life. All the volunteer's at IHF helped me very much at making this experience a success and also very educational.

IHF provides good meals and housing. The living conditions were suitable for any person from any part of the world since there were volunteer's from almost all parts of the world.

As a work-study volunteer, you get to be part of a team and complete tasks assigned by the respective Team Director. This is helpful for every volunteer to work as a team and communicate with other team members for a real life work experience.

At IHF, I had managed a class with around 4 students to a class with more than 20 students. Its a satisfying experience in my life. Through volunteering in IHF, around the most underprivileged families, you can become down to earth and also know the amount of facilities that the underprivileged families have. I highly recommend IHF to all who want to make a difference in their life and give back to the community and be selfless.

It's a experience that I will always cherish for the rest of my life and will do the same in your life too.

Wish you all a very Happy New Year 2015.

Best Wishes
Vijay

In signing up to be a Work-Study volunteer at the International Humanity Foundation, I was unsure as to what I should expect from the experience. On arrival, the first thing I noticed was how beautiful the center is. Beautiful flowers and trees surround both the main house and the smaller house where we sleep. Everything is made from bamboo and wood and the garden is so well maintained.

However, after meeting the children, I was no longer so pre-occupied with my surroundings. Getting to know the kids and the ways in which they learn and study has been the most difficult yet challenging part of this whole experience. The kids here don’t learn the way I learnt at school in Australia and getting used to that is a big part of this whole experience. The most rewarding aspect of my time at IHF is knowing that these kids leave the center every day having learnt something new that you have taught them.

In my time off I have also seen some amazing places in Bali with the other volunteers that are here and it’s been great having our own little family. It’s truly been a home away from home.

I’ve been here for two weeks now and have two weeks left of my time volunteering. Sadly, I wish I had more time but it’s great to know that I will be welcomed back whenever with open arms.

I'm a graduate student from China, I wanna a break after I finished the research report this term, that's the why I decide to be an international volunteer. I can say that IHF(International Humanity Foundation) is not hard to find on DOUBAN website, which is very famous website in Chinese youth people.
 
My classmates, friends, professors are jealous of the international volunteer stuff, especially the place is Bali. When you talking about Bali, everyone will think of honey moon, swimming pool, wonderful beach, blue ocean... We know it's beautiful~
 
But please understand that IHF Bali Center is not the land of dream, we are volunteers here and the weather is really hot. Talk about those Balinese children, they really need a lot of help with education, some kids are smart, cute and shy, I really adore them~ We have classes every afternoon expect for Sunday, English classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, Wednesday is computer class and Saturday is special class (painting, cooking, dancing, yoga and so on).
 
Some little kids can’t understand Eglish a lot, and we learned a little Indonesian which is fun. Apa kabar? (How are you today?)
 
When the work-study volunteers finish their teaching and online job, we have time to enjoy the local life, like I just said before, swimming pool, wonderful beach, blue ocean(LOL). All of the local people I met are really hospitable and sweet.

I have always wanted to volunteer but I was studying and I could not do it in summers because I had to work to pay for my studies. So when I completed my Master’s degree in law last September in France, I had two choices: finding a job straight away or applying to be a volunteer. I am 23 years old, I love travelling and sharing cultural experiences, and I knew that I could not take this opportunity when I will have more important obligations such as a permanent job or children (or at least it would be much more difficult to leave for 8 months). That is the reason why I chose the second option.

IHF Bali center is located in a small village, Buitan, in East Bali. The good thing is that it is very easy to meet locals and share a part of their daily life, to talk to them and to learn from them.
Of course it is quite isolated but it is always possible to reach other places with a motorbike. Anyway, the week is quite busy with class preparations, the international tasks on the internet for IHF and games and special projects with the children before classes or on Saturdays. It is only my third week here but I already feel very comfortable with my work as it is exactly what I wanted to do: sharing a little bit of my knowledge and positive energies with the children, sharing a daily life with the other volunteers and directors, being part of a local community (of course not like a Balinese person but what I like is that I am not considered as a tourist which is much more different from my other experiences as a traveler). I like working a lot at the beginning of the week and having more time to spend with the children and the local community at the end of the week.

Our center provides free math, computer and English classes for Indonesian children. They go to the public school in the morning and are free to come to the center in the afternoon from 1pm to 5pm according to the schedule. Our classes are relevant because of the absence of a good educational system in Indonesia. Children often come before their classes to play and speak together and with the volunteers. It is not always the best time for us because it is lunch time but I think it shows that they feel good in this place and that is the most important thing. Moreover, they convey such a nice and positive energy that it is impossible not to appreciate their presence. They are always eager to learn a few words in another language, to dance or to show us the most popular Balinese songs. I think I will try to follow the same students during my stay here as a teacher so that I would know exactly what they have learnt and what the specific difficulties are for some children. I used to be youth leader in summers and it helps me a lot to teach the younger children with playful educational tools.

I started to learn Bahasa Indonesia from the first day I arrived in Bali. I think there are lots and lots of advantages to be able to express yourself and understand the local language (actually, they speak Balinese but everybody understands the national language which is much easier to learn and which you can speak in all of the 18,000 Indonesian islands). First of all, it is really useful to teach the younger children. Of course it is not good for them to translate every sentence they hear in their own language but using Indonesian when they do not understand what you are expecting from them is really interesting. Moreover, when they start being too naughty (even if they are always respectful), they listen much better Indonesian warnings than English ones. Of course I repeat them in English as they should know the class instruction in this language.
Speaking a little bit of Bahasa Indonesia also enables me to be in contact with the local population. I often go to the beach, sharing a few words with the fishermen for instance. It is also part of the culture to ask a lot of questions about how old you are, if you are married, what you did during the day… so they are not offended and they even like it when you are interested, and even more when they see that you are making the effort to learn their language (they actually know how hard it is since a lot of Balinese people had to adapt to the arrival of tourist flows and learn English).

I do not want to try to think of what I gained from this experience yet since I am staying 5 months in IHF Bali Center and this is just the beginning for me. I can just say for now that this experience is even richer than what I expected, culturally speaking and in terms of sharing with the population, the volunteers and the children. Hopefully, I will take the best of this opportunity for a deeper immersion in the Balinese culture in the next few months.

My name is Kerri. I am currently a volunteer at the Bali IHF center. To an outsider, the center provides supplemental English, Math and Computer classes to children who live in the area. To anyone who knows a bit about IHF or who comes here, knows that it offers so much more than that. The center is a place for the kids. On any given day there are children running around, playing cards, talking with the teachers or just hanging out. The center gives them a safe place to go and provides them with opportunities and resources that most of them would have never had without the IHF. At the IHF – the children are the number one priority. I’ve learned that you can do a whole lot with a little and that sometimes it’s the smallest things – like taking the time to have a conversation about the latest Indonesian pop song – that mean the most. So far, my experience has been extremely fulfilling. It’s great volunteering with an organization where you actually feel like you are making a difference.

My name is Jing from Beijing and I’ve been working here at IHF Bali center for 3 weeks now. Before coming here, I had worked as an English teacher at a secondary school for 3 years, and the experience helped me quickly blend into the work vibe at IHF Bali, especially when it comes to working with the young.
Here at IHF Bali, we offer supplementary classes to underprivileged students from primary to senior high school. Almost all the courses are taught by helpful volunteers from all over the world. Apart from the knowledge we try to share, it’s also the abundant care, love and joy we bring that the kids cherish dearly.
One would be naïve to think that we are here only to give and teach. The fact, however, is we ourselves are undergoing a process of self-reflection and transformation. By spending time with the local, getting to know the culture and trying to see things both through their lenses and ours, we are learning, day by day, and gaining understandings about a once unfamiliar land, which we now feel connected with. Isn’t it one of the marvels of life?

My name is Esther Manzanera and I am a Work-Study Volunteer in IHF Bali. I have been here for already two months and I could say that this experience has changed my life so I would recommend it to anyone! Since the day that I left my hometown in Spain and I arrived at the center I could see how easy was to help the children most in need. I have enjoyed the happiness of the kids, which is the most grateful thing that you could have. They do not worry about material things, about having the best PlayStation or iPhone, they don´t need those things to be happy, they will be smiling every day even living on the most basic conditions. The life in IHF shows you a different way to understand the world where you learn to value the most simple things.

In the Bali Center we have around 200 children registered so there is always a lot of work to do here, so I would like to encorauge everybody to come here to see the life through our balinese children's eyes. Living with their culture, learning about their families, traditions, religions, costumes, and appreciate a different way to live.