http://help-international.org

HELP International

Public Health Intern

June - August 2019 • Hyderabad, Telangana

What I liked

Real experiences learning to work with new people in a stressful environment.

What I wish was different

More health program evaluations on the projects we conducted.

Advice

Step up and work hard to be a leader within your groups. Apply to go for as long as possible.
2 ${count} people found this helpful

Volunteer

June - August 2019 • Moria, North Aegean Region

What I liked

I enjoyed learning about many different cultures and types of people and about refugee crisis. It was fun traveling around the island and visiting Turkey.

What I wish was different

Advice

1 One person found this helpful

Country Coordinator

May - August 2019 • Savusavu, Northern Division

What I liked

Help International takes the issue of development and attacks it head on. The organization knows that the right way to fight poverty is also the hardest way, and so that is how we fight it, the hard way. You will connect with communities and leaders and empower them to change their own lives.

What I wish was different

I wish we could have been there longer to finish more projects and to analyze the effectiveness of our projects. Next year there will be a team there but that is a little while to wait.

Advice

Go without expectations. If you think the program will be one way or another you will be wrong almost every time. It really is a once in a lifetime experience that stretches you to think critically about how to empower people without hurting cultures or creating any sort of dependency. Be ready to work hard mentally and physically.
3 ${count} people found this helpful

Health Intern

August 2019 • Kathmandu, Bagmati Zone

What I liked

Nepal is an incredible place!

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Health Intern

June - August 2019 • Hyderabad, Telangana

What I liked

International Experience

What I wish was different

More work

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

HELP International Volunteer Intern

May - June 2019 • Kampong Cham, Kampong Cham Province

What I liked

It was very hands-on, and we had the liberty to control what projects we would be working on and the ability to adapt them to the cultural needs of the country. It was fun working with a team of college students who all brought different perspectives, skills, and ideas to the table. The people are amazing and the culture is incredible and rich.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have known how much money to plan on spending. It ended up being a little bit more than I anticipated.

Advice

Enjoy every minute of the experience, and be bold and creative. Don't be afraid to try new things and don't be afraid of failure. Development work doesn't have specific right or wrong answers. Utilize the talents and skills you have to have the biggest impact you can.
1 One person found this helpful

Volunteer

February - March 2019 • Moria, North Aegean Region

What I liked

Nothing they do is beneficial.

What I wish was different

This is an awful organization. All the other NGOs dislike them in Lesvos, Greece. As someone who worked with them for over a month and a half, and was given the opportunity to get out and was immediately hired by a different NGO, they really have a negative impact on the people they are around. Treating their volunteers like incompetent children, not collaborating with other organizations because of fear they will be taken over, and creating a drama filled culture starting with the CEO Suzanne. I continue to be harassed unprofessionally by the CEO, in school and in my personal life.

Advice

Do not go with them!! It is a scam!!
Be the first to mark this as helpful

Volunteer

June - August 2018 • Nepaledada, Bhojpur District

What I liked

I worked in Lesvos, Greece the summer of 2017 and 2018 inside a notorious refugee camp named Moria. Going in 2017 and 2018 allowed me to see the changes happening behind the refugee crisis and greater understand global conflict. After my 2018 Greece program I traveled to Nepal for two weeks to work inside a shelter for women and children rescued from sex trafficking and rape, while still doing development work in the community. The best part about my volunteer experience was being able to connect and relate to many different types of people.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have done more research on the effects of trauma on children while I was in Greece. Maybe the research that I could have done would have given me better insight on handling children with PTSD.

Advice

Don't be so quick to judge someone. There are many different factors that make people act the way they do. If someone is acting out towards you, try to keep in mind that there is more to it than just their behavior. While I was working in the refugee camp I worked with a very troublesome boy. He was playing a game with me that I didn't like so I told him I was going to tell his parents. The boy told me that he didn't have any but I kept threatening him that I was going to tell on him. Moments later I found out his parents had died in a bomb in Syria and that's when I made the connection as to why he acted out so often.
2 ${count} people found this helpful