Volunteering: What to expect? Who is it for?
It seems like an easy enough question.
On one hand, maybe you’re a student or a mother or maybe just an average person with a full-time job. Volunteers come from all walks of life. Maybe you’re going for adventure in a different country, maybe you want to give back to the world, and maybe this will add a humanitarian tinge to your resume. Hopefully, hopefully, everyone who volunteers at UBECI also wants to contribute something positive to the lives of these children that they will be working with.
You arrive there, and maybe you are like me. Sure there are the negative aspects (that are amusing at times). The altitude makes walking and breathing at times difficult. The air isn’t the best quality in the world. The buses are crazy and ladies, you probably receive cat calls at least 3 times a day. But what did you expect, really? I’m sure you’ve done your amount of research on a country before going there, right? You probably have seen the pictures. Quito is really not all that different from a typical capitol of a developing country. Besides, if everything was perfect, why would you even need to go there to volunteer? And besides, Quito is a beautiful place. How often can you walk out of your home and see the mountains rising directly before your eyes? How often can you be out and night and accidentally mistaken the citylights as stars? The food is also delicious (even for the squeamish).
But then again maybe it just doesn’t work for you. Things are not going well.
Regardless of what happens, there is a rule of thumb that every volunteer should follow, and that is:
Never bring negativity to the children. You are doing humanitarian work in Ecuador. Great, have fun. But every one of us must always keep in mind that we are temporary guests in this country, that we are part of an ongoing process of healing for these children, and that children retain the effects of almost everything they experience whether directly or indirectly.
Because we are only here temporarily, what’s wrong with a bit of unpleasantness every now and then? I personally didn’t experience any of that during my stay and I would say that any discomfort experienced is more often than not self-created. But in a course of a lifetime, what does it matter?
On the other hand, that temporary unpleasantness that you have to deal with? It is an ongoing lifestyle for the children. The time you spend with them is supposed to relieve them of that. Many of these children have learned to trust you, and even more of them have learned to see you as someone who will accept them and love them despite their circumstances.
What’s more is the staff at UBECI, many of whom have dedicated their lives to helping these children. These are people who will sacrifice time, money, and energy almost unconditionally to bring a better life to these children. We are volunteers who are walking into a system that matters, deeply, to everyone involved. It is a moving experience for those of us who can become part of this system and help make it what it is (because volunteers ARE important). But for volunteers that cannot, it is the least we can do not to be imposing and make it worse.
Knowing the field and its intricacies and actors is important before working in it. What I have written above is something that I think every volunteer should keep in mind. It /can/ be a good experience for everyone.
Some of you may think this is obvious, and that’s good. Unfortunately it is not an infrequent occurrence that someone comes along to make the volunteer experience an unpleasant one for everyone. Hopefully we can avoid that.
Who is volunteering for? Everyone. For the experience for the volunteers; for the help for UBECI staff; and for the hours of positivity, for the children.
(Most importantly, though. It’s for the children. Because really, if you just wanted to visit Quito, there are many other ways of doing so.)
:D
