My most memorable moment about volunteering at Anjali House was organising the sports day, seeing the kids having fun and smiling, and also taking the Cambodian teachers out for dinner.

I would definitely recommend everybody to volunteer at Anjali. For me it was a great learning experience and I enjoyed working with the children and the staff of Anjali a lot.

Hester

Age: 19
Nationality: Dutch

I initially came to Cambodia with a volunteer organisation and first worked at a different project. I was staying in Cambodia for so long that I decided to work on another project as well. I chose Anjali because I heard good stories from other volunteers.

I taught Beginner Class with Sitha and Vutha, and I gave recorder workshops and in the end the students really could play some songs. Therefore I had the feeling that the children really learnt something in their General Studies hours.

The challenge of living in Cambodia is that everything is going so slow. I myself live in a country were everything is going so fast, I admit that. But after some time I was used to the duration for copying some worksheets, half an hour. But the irritation came back when it took an hour! ;)

The moment that I left was my most memorable moment. It was a great time in Cambodia and it would mean that I wouldn't see the great staff anymore and of course the students.

I would recommend that others volunteer at Anjali as it is a great experience to volunteer in a country that is so different in culture from your own country. Thereby with volunteering you will learn about the culture and the people in another way, than when you are travelling.

If you want to give good lessons, then you are working hard at Anjali. It takes a lot of time to prepare the lessons. So mainly you have working hours like a job at home. So it isn't vacation time and sometimes really fatiguing, but worth it.

Kyle

Age: 26
Nationality: American

I am the Head of the Young Adult Program at Anjali House. I decided to volunteer at Anjali because I wanted to experience working with young adults outside of the education system.

The biggest challenges I have come across are learning the language and what to do when we run out of water at my house, however the positives far outweigh any negatives. So far there have been many positive outcomes of working at Anjali House. Some of the kids I have worked with have finished up their vocational training, and others have completely finished the YAP program and moved on with their lives. My most memorable moment in my time at Anjali so far was going out for a group dinner with all the kids from the Young Adult House at a BBQ restaurant. It was great to see everyone bonding and overcoming their differences.  

I think others should volunteer at Anjali because it is a fun filled environment where the kids and staff welcome you with from the minute you get here. Also, the different ideas and skills that volunteers bring to Anjali help us to continue to grow an organization as well as the students individually. 

In Belgium I studied special education care and after I graduated I wanted to go to Cambodia to volunteer. When I saw I could work with an organisation like this I did not have to think very long. I always wanted to teach children and I think the way Anjali offers education and health care and so much more. Arts and crafts, general studies and English class made it sounds really interesting. Kids deserve everything they can possibly get and I wanted to give a little piece of that.

Little things that don't seem to be important suddenly get very important and special. And those are the things that need to be important in life. The kids playing with small things like rocks or rope or even sand impacted positively on me. Seeing that made me realise that we had way too much when we grew up. Also the fact that Anjali feels like being in a family, a family that cares about the children and their families and that work together to create a good life for them.

There is a big difference between the country I grew up in and Cambodia. You see though things and the contrast is huge, such as people wandering the streets, looking for something to eat while tourists walk past them. Also seeing the kids very happy but knowing they go through a lot.

My most memorable moment was the water balloon fight and little party on the last day we taught at Anjali. The kids got ice-cream and some Coke and Fanta and they were so grateful.I would recommend others to volunteer at Anjali as it's a great opportunity to see a great country and in the meantime work with people of Anjali to teach kids so they can grow up in a nice environment and get the most out of their lives.

 
Although the heat and the food were the 2 things I had to adapt to in Cambodia, I actually I felt good immediately and everything went smoothly. In Belgium (I think in the Western world in general), everyone and everything has to go very fast and under pressure and everybody has stress, however that wasn't the case at all in Cambodia and that made the living and working pleasant. I taught Pre-Beginners class, and although I didn't always have a Khmer teacher to translate the things I was saying, those lessons were often the most hilarious and great moments, because in some way or another, we succeeded in understanding each other with a lot of laughing and gestures.

My most memorable moment was the moment we had to say goodbye; first weplayed a great game with all the kids together, and at the end of the day, the Khmer teachers and the kids surprised us with water balloons and a fight with some kind of powder. It was the most amazing moment of the whole month, because we didn't want to leave, and we felt the love from the kids and the teachers!

Volunteering at Anjali opens your eyes and your world, you're going to love the kids, the project and Cambodia. You learn to see the things that really matter in life and you learn from the kids and the kids learn from you. Anjali feels like a great family and it was wonderful to be part of the family for a while.