WHY LEAVE FOR A VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE?
BECAUSE HELPING OTHERS IS AN EXPERIENCE THAT FILLS PEOPLE WITH JOY AND SATISFACTION, IT IS A SORT OF "GOOD DRUG" YOU CANNOT STOP TAKING ONCE YOU START WITH
At SOHO, we firmly believe that a volunteer's mission is not to change the hosting community's culture and traditions, even if they may semm weird and strange to a Western person, but to integrate themselves in that culture and environment to become a means of new points of views and values, from wich the hosting community can benefit.
Giving a new perspective on the world can help people see problems from another point of view and find solutions that at first were simply unconceivable. Moreover, helping someone does not mean that they are at a lower level simply because they need help. It means to be by their side when they need it, without taking a dominating position.
BECAUSE WORKING IN ANOTHER COUNTRY WILL ALLOW YOU TO LIVE AS A LOCAL AND NOT JUST AS A TOURIST. YOU WILL GAIN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY'S RESPECT AND ESTEEM
There is a big difference between being a tourist and being a traveller. But there is an even bigger difference between being a traveller and being a local. Little by little, the volunteer becomes part of the local community, as, for example, in Africa where you have to keep pace with the daily routine of a village, or in Thailand, where the volunteer will serve as a teacher, a very important role in the local culture.
If you respect all the traditions and habits of the country and live like a local, you will receive a unique friendliness that is completely different from the one experienced by a tourist.
Moreover, getting to know a different culture will open up your mind and help to enrich your soul with new valuable experiences.
BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING MORE THRILLING THAN MAKING A CHILD SMILE
Smiling is one of our more powerful weapons. Using it is wonderful, but there is nothing more thrilling than making someone else smile, especially children. The volunteers will be surprised by how easily the people living in these areas smile. They will do it even simply because they are happy to see you in the morning. Those who have little do not need much to be happy. For the children in our centers smiling is the first remedy. The task of the volunteer is then to practice it as much as possible! The biggest reward is to see the children smiling back at you. It pays every sacrifice you made, every doubt you had, every difficulty you encountered.
BECAUSE IT IS A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE THAT ENRICHES YOUR CULTURAL BACKGROUND AND YOUR
CURRICULUM VITAE
We heard some stories about people that despite their great qualifications and references were not selected for a job, and of others who thanks to their charisma and life experiences were hired instead. A volunteer experience in a disadvantaged country will enrich greatly your CV, because you will work in a foreign country, with people with special needs, in an international team, handling situations that are very different from the ones you generally face in your home country. This will not only enrich your personal background, but also strengthen your professional skills. This is why a volunteer experience can be a valid substitute for an internship or another similar opportunity.
The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page"
- Saint Augustine -
