Volunteer Review from Cambodia
"The people here have such hard lives but are so positive and cheerful. It does make you reconsider your own values and how fortunate we are"
Anne Taylor, a teacher from England, committed four weeks to volunteering with the Cambodia Community Project. Anne had previously volunteered with Globalteer at our Peru Community Project in Cusco. Her fantastic teaching experience alongside her sewing and creative skills were utilized at both projects.
In Peru, Anne had led hugely popular creative workshops with the young students. In Cambodia, she was placed at a community school which also included a sewing school for local adults. Here she contributed to the development of new designs using local fabrics to sell in the town centre.
Making the most of Anne's talents
Anne‘s skills were thoroughly utilized by Globalteer, and she recognises how the organisation is flexible enough to work with volunteers who have little experience as well:
“At the Cambodia Community Project I was placed at, they were looking for ideas [for new items to make] and I have enough skill to turn ideas into something they can work with further. We have had some ideas for products and also for teaching English and these seem to be being adopted. The sewing students like to see me there - they like to see different products and how they are made and also want to practice English. They are very keen to learn.”
With Anne’s assistance the students produced some great new items to sell including shoulder bags, bow ties and cummerbunds. She went with the sewing teacher to the large material market in Siem Reap to track down beautiful Cambodian fabrics to use in the products.
Why Anne recommends Globalteer
Anne is sure to spread the word about the benefits of volunteering with Globalteer at the Cambodia Community Project,
“I have mentioned Globalteer to lots of people, unfortunately most of my friends think it is too adventurous although I do tell them they would get lots of support! Cambodia is a great place to volunteer and the number of volunteers means there is a lot going on socially and everyone is sociable. It’s interesting to know about all the other projects. The school have been very welcoming too- we enjoyed a wonderful BBQ when one of the long-term teachers left. They invited all their volunteers.”
And as a final summary before Anne left, she said,
“I know it sounds trite but it is a life-changing experience. The people here have such hard lives but are so positive and cheerful. It does make you reconsider your own values and how fortunate we are.”
We hope you enjoyed the reading the Volunteer Review from Cambodia. If you want to join Globalteer in Cambodia then everything you need to get started can be found on our Cambodia Community Project page.