Indonesia

My name is Esther Manzanera and I am a Work-Study Volunteer in IHF Bali. I used to work as a journalist in Spain when I decided to change my life. I quited my job and spent my saved money on a flight ticket to come to Bali and help the children in the center. The center is amazing, really beautiful in a small village by the sea, and what we mainly do is apporting suplementary school to balinese kids that sometimes don´t have a lot of money to pay for the high fees of regular education.
We teach the children english, computer, and math classes, counting with around 200 students registered. Enjoying every day the strengh of the children, their grateful smiles and their enthusiasm for life is the most beautiful thing I could have ever dreamed with.

Jakarta center locates in the east part of the city, it offers the local children (from SD1 to SMP) English, math, Aflatoun and computer classes on weekdays and Saturday. As a work study volunteer in Jakarta center, I am responsible of teaching activities such as English and art classes and undertaking international assignments from four different teams in IHF. My initial purpose of volunteering is quite straightforward—to help those in need, but gradually I find that in the process of voluntary work, what I have learned is no less than what I have taught. Thus, being a volunteer connects me with the unprecedented life and experiences I cannot even imagine before. What I have gained from this work study volunteer experience is learn how to swiftly accommodate myself to a new environment and people from various culture and background, and the most important, how a grassroots NGO as IHF, operates to realize its commitment to children in need.

I stayed at IHF for one month in Medan. I had a great time playing with the children at the centers and teaching them English. One of my highlights was doing some new student recruitment where we had to walk through the streets and hand out fliers. The children in the community were very excited to see foreigners and wanted to talk with us. People in Medan are very friendly and will often talk to me when I am walking around. It is a great cultural learning experience talking to people and if you want to learn Indonesian there are ample opportunities. The center accommodation was better than I expected for a developing country, but it was often a bit dirty. People in Medan have basic necessities and other things such as mobile phones. The country is advancing very rapidly. It is interesting to observe this. Medan has all the basic facilities one needs and is close to really cool places like Lake Toba and areas where Orangutans live. The local volunteers and students are all very friendly and the place feels quite homely.

I’m a college student from China. I have been volunteering with IHF from 7.22-8-19. Where I have been staying is a town called Banda Aceh in Indonesia. IHF Aceh Center is a wonderful home for volunteers from all over the world. Here, we live, teach, work and have fun together. Usually in the morning, we do some housework, also some online tasks since I’m a work-study volunteer. In the afternoon, students of SD1 to SMP will come to the center to attend different classes. Although it takes efforts to communicate with the students, their eager for learning is really a delight for all of us. It’s so much fun to teach them as well as play with them. From my volunteering experience with IHF, what I treasured most is the friendship with all the local volunteers, who are always helpful and friendly to us. With every talk, we learn a little more about each other’s culture and I feel more close to the local life here in Indonesia. This volunteering experience has become part of who I am and I will carry the spirit of “pass it on” with me in the future.

While I was thinking about applying for a volunteer experience with International Humanity Foundation, I went through a YouTube video about IHF, and in one of the comments there was written: “Don’t hesitate to apply”. I’m now nearly at the end of my experience with IHF here in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, and would really like to thank the guy who wrote that comment, because it made me more confident about applying.
So now I want to give the same advice to whoever is reading: if you’re staring at this testimonial now, trying to figure out whether it is a good choice leaving your country and spend two weeks, one month or more, volunteering in one of IHF’s centers: stop thinking! Don’t hesitate anymore and send the application form! Volunteering with IHF is an absolutely unique and incredibly enriching experience. You will have the possibility to pass your knowledge to students, who are extremely eager to learn, but also to get to know a different culture in a deep way, to experience what real travel is. I met incredibly welcoming and nice local and international volunteers, and had the possibility to work in an international and highly stimulating atmosphere. Also getting to know, from the inside, how an international NGO works.
Often teachers says that teaching is a two way process, in which the teacher also learns from his students: this has been specifically true in my experience! In fact, working with IHF largely widens your perspective about the world and gives you the possibility to get to know cultures, ways of life and traditions different from yours. This experience will leave me life-lasting memories.

My name is Yanyi and I’m from Shanghai, China. I’m currently spending 4 weeks in total at IHF Jakarta center. My main local task is to teach English to first to fourth grade. Since teaching small children can be very hard for beginners like me, the staff here has been incredibly helpful. And when you see the children giving their efforts to learn and making progress, it’d be eventually worth it. Plus, the children are really cute :) I first came to Jakarta partly because I wanted to see Indonesia’s culture and local life, which would be new and exciting for me. But now I’m here, the more impressive thing I’ve found is how warm the people in Jakarta are, even though it’s such a big city. I have learned a lot from my colleagues, students as well as the local people and I’m very glad that I made the choice to come here.

Being a Volunteer at Banda Aceh, Indonesia

My name is Qihui ZHENG. I just finished my sophomore year. I am now at the International Humanity Foundation's Banda Aceh Center. I am eager to teaching kids and knowing more about the people around here. Though I just came here for about 10 days and get annoyed by the mosquitos, I have already been impressed by the kids who are so excited about new knowledge and local volunteers who are very friendly and sincere. Sometimes, we would hang out together; they are very enthusiastic about local food and places with good views. We had a lot of fun. As for recruitment task for centre on field along with local volunteers after the school year, we visited the neighbourhood by motor bike and walk. The scenery around is actually stunning. People around are really friendly even if we are strangers to them. I will leave at 27th July, but for a moment, a-month-stay seems to be too short for me.

I am Julia, I am a French volunteer in the American association International Humanity Foundation (IHF). This association runs six centers across three countries: Kenya, Thailand and Indonesia.
I have been a volunteer in IHF Banda Aceh center (Indonesia) for more than 4 months. The center consists of a big house with a garden around in a peaceful area. Every day in the morning we usually do our international tasks. As every volunteer is part of one or more teams such as fundraising, university relations, media or volunteer recruitment. Then the afternoon is dedicated to teaching and the kids. IHF provides English, mathematics and computer class for the older students. Our evenings are free and so we can explore the city and try the many coffee shops in Banda Aceh.
The life at the center has been very full of new experiences as well. It was my first time teaching and teaching a language which is not my mother tongue! The children we are teaching come from poor background and are from 7 to 15 years old. They are all very cute, willing to learn and interested in other cultures and foreign people. Every time a new volunteer arrive at the center they are hassled with questions. But as all the children, they can also be very naughty and silly! The most difficult things is the language barrier; the younger kids don’t speak English and I don’t speak their language, Bahasa Indonesia or just few words. So the communication can sometimes be difficult. One of my projects here was to start a French class, so we started one for our local volunteers twice a week. This is funny for both them and I as they can feel like elementary school students again!
Banda Aceh is an amazing place to experience true Indonesian culture. It is not too touristic yet, but hides very pretty places. The first of them are lampu’uk and Lhoknga beaches, where long white sand beach are just empty! The ride along the sea shore is also wonderful and the mountains hide very nice hicking trail. Just outside the city is a beautiful stretch of rice paddies.
When I wander in this city I have the feeling that it is a 9 years old town, as the tsunami which partially destroyed it happens on the 26 of December 2004. All the cars are brand new, as well as the bikes. There are a lot of houses and buildings on construction and also new ones. The roads are also really good. We can still see few landmark of the tsunami such as the tsunami museum, the PLTD boat which has been dragged 5 km in the city from the ocean, two or three boats which has been left where they were after the tsunami: on house roofs! As well as some memorials in waves shapes.