Alumni Spotlight: Nikola Duncanova

Nikola is a Business student at the University of Bath, England. She enjoys being outdoors, especially playing football and running. If she’s not outdoors, she’s likely planning her next journey across the world.

I was looking to volunteer in Southeast Asia. The question was, how/where?

IVHQ seemed to be that all-encompassing platform I was looking for. Their site was reliable so, despite not having any recommendations from friends that suited my travelling and volunteering schedule, I found I could trust IVHQ’s application procedure from the start. The requirements were fair/simple/consistent for all applicants and they have a good support system of IVHQ contacts who can help you along the way.

They also had a wide selection of volunteering opportunities around the world – all with the same standards – so I could find one that suited my needs. They also take extra care in ensuring that their actions and volunteer partnerships have a sustainable impact, which was particularly important to me. I chose to take part in their Kindergarten program on Palawan Island, in the Philippines.

IVHQ provided a simple step-by-step application form to fill out. There is some information for you to provide such as your reason for choosing the program and a criminal background check (IVHQ provides useful links to help you complete this), though this is all relatively straightforward. If you need any help with the process your program manager, whose contact you receive at the start, is there for support.

Looking back, I would recommend participants spend longer than 1 week on their project of choice, if they have the flexibility. I was amazed at how quickly you can get used to a new place and couldn’t help thinking how much closer I would have been to the people, place, and the work I was involved in, had I been there for longer.

I would also like to mention that is important to come into a project with an open mind and a willingness to meet new people and get stuck into your volunteer work. Naturally, if you are excited to be there and curious about the new place, you will enjoy your time more.

As you read my responses to this question, please be aware that I can only talk from the experience of spending one week on this program – which, as mentioned above, I found to be quite short. Everyone has different experiences and responses to being in a completely different environment.

You’re greeted at the camp on the weekend before your program starts. You wait at the airport for someone from the program to pick you up – your adventure starts in a Filipino tricycle. The first thing you can tell is how friendly everyone is. Everyone wants to know your name and where you’re from, and no sooner do you finish introductions, than you become part of the team. Since the other volunteers you meet are likely to have been there for at least a week, you ask them as many questions as you want – their insights help you to feel comfortable and to settle in quickly.

The way this program is set up, children from the village school can come to the volunteer camp at their leisure. This meant that I met several of the children I was going to teach in class, before the program officially started. Another great way to settle in as it allowed you to get a sense of what they are like, before you begin to teach.

As for the rest of my week, mine was quite unusual since it fell in the Christmas/New Year period. This meant that our average day looked something like this:

• 7:30-8:00am – Wake up (bucket shower!)
• 8:00-9:00am – Breakfast
• 9:00-12:00am – Teaching / organizing activities (such as the school Christmas party)
• 12:00-1:00pm – Lunch
• 1:00-4:00pm – Second teaching period (activities are chosen by teaching staff or volunteers)
• 4:00-6:00pm – Free time
• 6:00-7:00pm – Dinner
• 7:00pm onwards – Free time (you can go to watch the local basketball, there’s karaoke once a week, and this is a good time to get to know your fellow volunteers more!)

One of my fears going into this, was that the local community would feel disconnected from and unenthused by the volunteers’ work. Most important for me wasn’t necessarily to feel that I’d personally “changed” the community for the better, but rather that the small effort I could bring to the village was part of something bigger, and that created visible, appreciated change.

I quickly forgot this fear. The co-ordinators at the camp were incredibly dedicated to not only finishing crucial projects, by effectively managing the flow and skill-set of volunteers, but also to making the local community feel comfortable with an influx of foreigners who claimed that they could help them with their development.

I had some great conversations during my time at the camp – I will share one that stuck with me. During one of my volunteering time-slots, I spoke to one of the project coordinators about how he felt to have so many volunteers in such a small village, with a tight-knit local community. He spoke to me openly about how the village was once fearful of the potentially harmful impact this could have. Over time, this fear dissipated. Gradually, the villagers saw that a small number of volunteers were creating tangible, positive change, which was improving their overall lifestyle. This included new and improved school facilities, greater availability of teaching staff (and an improvement in education, with more children going onto further study), among other changes.

Whilst I could have seen elements of this positive impact just by looking at the projects going on around me, it was particularly comforting to here these words from a local. I got a clear sense of the mutual appreciation, between the volunteers and the local community, and this really allowed me to overcome my initial fear.

Absolutely. If you have a sense of adventure and you aren’t afraid to get stuck-in, you will undoubtedly love this project. It is well organized, Palawan Island is beautiful, the team is welcoming, and you will feel part of the community right from the start.