Volunteering in the Dominican Republic
“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.” – M. Pirsig
Have you ever considered spending some of your time doing volunteer work while abroad? I travel quite often and every time I’m in a country where there is a significant economic disparity compared to my home country (Canada) it truly makes my heart ache a bit.
On a recent trip to the Dominican Republic I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer with OLA Children’s Projects . OLA stands for One Life for All, and is a Canadian registered charity. OLA believes that All people should be able to live their One Life with hope, respect and love. OLA runs two main programs: Beauty of Baseball and Mobile Meal for Kids. I volunteered under the Mobile Meal for Kids program. The focus of this program is combating hunger and disease through sustainable meals.
A typical day starts at the organization’s home base where the sponsor family lives and were volunteers go to help prepare the meals. A typical meal will consist of rice and a stew of beans. There are two cooks to help direct and guide the volunteer’s cooking. Although I’ve made rice many times I was not accustomed to the huge pot and wooden spoon. It was such fun to work with these super sized kitchen utensils!
Once the food was cooked a small van was loaded with the food and transport to the site for the day commenced. During my particular volunteer day we visited the small town of Imbert, located approximately an hour away from the coast and receives almost no tourists visiting. As we left the bustling city of Puerto Plata behind I was taken in by the rural and natural beauty of the country side. My program leader Ada explained to me that in many rural areas the economic struggles are very difficult and in particular the basic necessities such as food and water are something that people still work very hard to provide for their families.
Upon arrival at the site I assisted in setting up the food and within minutes a huge crowd of kids and their parents had gathered to the site. There were five volunteers in total and three had taken charge of the meal table. Perhaps I was the youngest, or perhaps I was carrying a camera but the kids were quite enthralled with me, and the feeling was mutual. As meal service took place with the other volunteers serving I took the time to chat and play with the kids. There were so many of them and I really tried hard to spend some time with each child.
My Spanish is fairly basic but somehow I do think we did communicate through play quite well. Google translate also helped hugely!
The day was extremely gratifying and I left with such a full heart of happiness. I would highly recommend volunteering if you are traveling abroad or even doing a volunteer vacation if your schedule permits.
Here is a checklist of my top 10 Things to Look for in a Volunteer Travel Program:
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Do they have a good reputation? Check reviews & ask for references.
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What is their cost breakdown? How will your donation be spent?
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What is the goal of the project and does it resonate with your values?
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Are community members involved? Do they have local representation?
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How sustainable is the program? Ask about their mission and long term program objectives.
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Skills alignment: you want to ensure that you will be safe and that your skills will be aligned to the needs of the program.
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If you are volunteering in a place where you do not speak the language you should ensure that the coordinator or program project manager can communicate with you.
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What are the medical requirements at your destination? Be sure to get any vaccinations that would be recommended.
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What are the lengths of the program? Some can be short and others longer.
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The most important thing: Choose a charity/organization whose values align with your own.
Thank you Heather and Ada for an amazing experience! To learn more about OLA’s Children’s Projects please visit their website: https://www.olachildrensproject.com/
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