Why becoming volunteer within Alimentar Enseñando?
This is why people become volunteers: because they can make a difference where someone or something needs help. If people never help each other and only care about themselves, the world becomes a crueler, sadder place. But when we volunteer our time, money, or talents, we help make our planet a better, happier home where people work together to make life easier for all.
Are you thinking, “What’s in it for me?” The answer is, plenty! Here are some of the things you might get in return for your giving:
Hey...it looks like being a volunteer gives as much good stuff to you as it does to the people, places, or animals you’re trying to help! That’s the secret of volunteering. People who become volunteers usually lead richer, happier, and more satisfying lives than those who don’t volunteer.
How to become a volunteer?
1) Volunteering directly with Alimentar Ensenando
2) Volunteering with Alimentar Ensenando through EVS (European Volunteer Service)
- Organize your trip (arrival day, plane ticket...)
- Finalize the agreement and get started
- Contact the volunteers, get more practical informatio
3) Volunteering with Alimentar Enseñando through other organizations
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)
Foreign volunteers within ALIMENTAR ENSEÑANDO
Who are they and what do the volunteers do in Alimentar Enseñando?
Since 2006 we have the support of solidary people of the world that care about the work we are doing and have decided to come to support us on the work.
During this period they live and work in Alimentar Enseñando. In many cases the tasks they perform every day are not what they imagined to do before coming since being here, they have realized that they don’t only have to implement their professional knowledge but also must be prepared for any present challenge.
Also in our case, we are debuting this new way of working, to have people who are willing to make a great humanitarian task, which amazes us with their solidarity, their knowledge, their willingness and fundamentally how to work together to optimize the projects we are developing.
Brenda Rengstorf (First Volunteer)
Trauma Nurse of the United States, exercising their profession in the Hospital of Minneapolis, Minnesota Status in the United States.
She began working in health care with doctors and the children did a great job on hygiene they tought them the proper way of how they should be kept clean to prevent disease.
She brought along her mother Sherry, who also visited us and introduced us to a very valuable teaching material for examinating the children.
Doctor from an English Family (Paediatrics, Gynaecology, Clinic), he has his own clinic in Palma de Mallorca and has lived in Spain and England.
In addition to meeting the various families in all specialties has also had time to organize our practice, medicine, administrative aspects and is building an outdoor playground for children with various posts that encourage them to use their imagination in full , mobility and cunning.
Brenda has been scheduled in conjunction with cognitive tests, ocular nutrition to perform a thorough check on children.
Exchange student from the US living in the city of Los Angeles., United States. She worked directly with children on the nutritional aspect, following the work of Brenda and also working on recreational development. She also cooperated in every task of the organization and helps in building David outdoor games.
She was a volunteer at Alimentar Enseñando in 2007. When she was for the first time there, Brianna worked with children during the summer, and Omar and Ana told her about all their plans for the organization, she also had many plans, but things were coming slowly, due to financial issues.
In August 2009, she returned to visit the NGO again, and was surprised by all the changes that took Place. Many of the things they had discussed with the new volunteers in 2007 were actually in practice! They have a community radio in the back of the house that offers air time to community organizations who are distributing food and support to twelve "auxiliary canteens" in the area, now they have several machines to do churros, some women now sell churros in the streets and in train stations, they have a program to build wooden crates to sell to the producers of vegetables, a shoe manufacturing program called ‘sandals’ and plans to continue its nutrition program and a program to teach children how to raise small farm animals.
Ana and Omar have an amazing amount of energy and are surrounded by enthusiastic people to help grow their community. She really encourages and expects everything to help everyone to go visit and see the changes he saw.
Réka Darvas y Maxime Groualle
She is a product designer, Hungarian, coming from Budapest He is Mechanical Engineer, French, coming from Normandy
For a year, they helped by doing several things. Beginning with activities with the children, and helping to maintain the structure and constructing wooden houses.
They did a study with a social worker on the quality of life of people in the district of General Rodríguez through the network of the community dining room of the association. Following the study, they improved the dining service, improving and building local canteens and building up ovens.
Albert Carro Gil
Congratulations to everyone who wants to do volunteer with Alimentar enseñando, you won’t be disappointed!.
My name is Alberto and I’m from Barcelona (Spain), I’ve a professional status, so I could only sharing a little over 2 months with Ana and Omar and a few volunteers from different nations (Hungary, France, Slovenia, England, USA, Norway) that is another of the good thing when we perform an action together.
During my time at this institution I did a lot of things and activities which are very diverse as the needs of the moment, I remember we went to buy food at the Food Bank which is where we buy food, we saw that there was other volunteers who are dedicated to placing them in a store and make the packages for the various institutions that buy (with money from donations or the one from your pocket), other times we were keeping house (clean the pool, mow grass, clean and set up the classroom etc. ..), we also built some sheds where some families could live, very small type cabins .. we worked with the kids of the area, playing ... In the group that was formed there wasn’t many with experience in volunteership for almost all was the 1st time. So all we had to put is a lot of joy to the idea that have Ana and Omar which grows and demonstrates that people of that area are so depressed and neglected by the government. That just means that they can take pride in achieving their own independence or improve the lives of their children (the majority of the children are living with separated or unmarried young mothers with low intellectual level and come from dysfunctional families of ill-treatment, rape, drugs, abandonment ...).
I have found another reality, from which I directly saw, no the one from the TV or press reports, living it in situ is much more shocking and to coexists with these sitaciones are so rare for a European as they are here everyday, the thinking of these people is so basic, they have no aspirations, so unattainable dreams. They have no electric light to steal, having priorities so disorganized as to have a phone but have no shoes ... these are things that even the 1st person living with them do not understand, but it is the reality that exists in that area.
I often thought to collaborate with NGOs by making donations, but always had the suspicion about what they would do with my money, that was one reason to give my time instead of my money, I think it is the best help, the time you give and not the fee. Once you live with Anna and Omar and see them working, see their standard of living, their dedication, their problems with all that mess, the many projects for improvement ( Try to ask Omar to let you speak, and you know what I mean ha ha ha), you see that your time there will never be lost and if you make donations it will also be well managed.
I really want to thank all of those who want to collaborate in the way they want with Alimentar enseñando and I think you have to feed their heads more than their stomachs.
My name is Ernest living in Manresa (Barcelona), I have 25 years.
My experience in Alimentar enseñando was one of the most impressive personal experiences and enriching I have experienced.
The work they do is really amazing, they are the cornerstone for the youngest of General Rodriguez can see a ray of hope in their lives, another reality, ultimately, his own salvation. And many of them in their homes are completely abnormal and unexplained things as normal.
In Alimentar enseñando are given the opportunity to have each day a meal in an atmosphere of normality, friendships with friends, they play games, have fun and learn some values of cooperation and solidarity that could not be without the existence of this organization.
The role of the volunteers is vital to the survival of this, it is a very important work what we do and that is to be "friends" of the kids, give them a little love and time that they don’t have at home, listen to them, play with them, teach, and they look like normal thing to help each other and not fight.
For a month and a half I had the great honor to share with Ana and Omar the authors of this work and with other volunteers from many countries such as France, Hungary, USA, England, Spain etc ... this was actually a very intense period where I see how important it is to have a social conscience and desire to help those who need the most.
I encourage all my strength with all these people who feel concerned, desire to see another world and not feel good with so much injustice, so go to Alimentar enseñando and bring your sand bit and you will see it will be appreciated by so many families and your own forever.