VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Projects Abroad
VOLUNTEER RECORD
HIROKI KATANAKA
Community Township Project
My name is Hioki, I’m Japanese. I’m working as volunteer of Projects Abroad in the Village Heights Community Center and I will stay here for 3 months. Also before here, I had been working to help refugees who had been escaping from Libya by ship in Italy for 2 months. For the reason of my decision is to see situation about refugees, immigrants around the world and I’m thinking that I ‘d like to make refugee people’s dreams come true in the future. Therefore, I’m leaving absent from my university 1 year so I’d like to make use of this activities in my major (Diplomacy) when I come back to Japan. My work is to make a new website of Village Heights and held basic business class (Excel, Word, Power Point, Typing) and against some local people, make a soccer team of kids and design interior of Village Heights. When I came here first time, I was surprised by the gap between poor and rich in this city. I didn’t know what to do and also I didn’t know what it useful for but I have understood my role as I get used to it. I am gradually pleased to finish up little by little by doing what I can do. It was really good experience for me through this activities.
ANNE WLTER
Community Township Project
Hey, my name is Anne and I am from Luxemburg. I am doing the Community Township Project in the Village Heights Community Center for 17 weeks. While volunteering, I want to experience another culture and get to know the life stories of people living in a township. My goal is to help the people, especially the children, in need and bring them closer together. I want them to take a break from their daily problems and have a good time with each other. Every time when I can make a child smile I know why I am here. I want to make a change in the way people see each other, with the goal that they understand that they should not turn against each other, but live together in peace. They should get the feeling that Community is a big part in a Township and all together they can get through more than they think. Most people think they are on their own, but in the Center we try to change their way they see their lives and we support them in every action towards a better live. With the privilege from coming from a first world country, I want to give them the feeling that they can achieve everything they want if they have the right motivation. They should know that we are there to help and support them. I am open to answer every type of question and I am willing to help. The world cannot be changed in one day, but little by little we can all work together towards a better tomorrow.
JORDAN COX
Community Township Project
Having graduated in Law from University in the UK, I decided to spend my summer volunteering with Projects Abroad in Cape Town, South Africa. I was motivated by a desire to use the skills I had acquired during my studies, to
benefit, and hopefully assist people in desperate circumstances. During my placement in Village Heights Community Centre, I have had the privilege of working with a vast array of people, from all walks of life, who all have as a common goal the desire to help others. I have been involved in an array of projects, from running legal clinics for the people of Village Heights, to assisting with soup kitchens, and planning how the resources at the Community Centre can best be used. This has been an immensely rewarding experience. As I prepare to return to the UK, I believe my time spent here has a huge impact on me as an individual. I will leave Cape Town determined to continue making a small difference in some of the world's poorest communities, wherever they may be. For this reason, I will be undertaking a Masters Degree in Disaster and Crisis Management over the next year, following which I hope to secure a job with an international charity or NGO. It is my hope that this will lead to a career, which like Village Heights Community Centre, is focused upon helping others.
