Program Reviews

My experience in Samana with Aldeas de Paz has definitely exceeded my expectation in a couple of different aspects. First, by working as a dental assistant through the dental care program, I was able to work with a dentist side by side, directly interact with patients, and closely observe the reality of dental care in a developing country. Staffs at the hospital including my dentist were very nice to me which made it easy to adapt and become part of the team. It had been a valuable experience that I wouldn’t be able to experience elsewhere. Next, I got to meet amazing people here – other volunteers. Open-minded people with great hearts come here to volunteer and it was great to spend time with them by working and traveling together, sharing stories and lives. I am blessed to have these friendships. Overall, it was a tremendously enriching experience!

If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change. When I came here, my focus was on my internship in the NGO program, firstly to fulfill my university requirements, and secondly because I am planning on doing my masters in NGO Management. But of course, how do you manage an NGO if you are not involved in the projects 100%? That’s why I also wanted to take part in the Youth and Community Program. Also, every Wednesday night I taught English for the community here in Samaná, ranging from all ages, which helped me to meet a lot of Dominican people and improve my Spanish. In the mornings I worked on my the laptop, creating ideas for how to improve the concept of Aldeas de Paz and in the afternoon I was part of something wonderful and reminded why I was there through working with the kids of the Mamá Elba School. It was my first time working with kids with special needs, but to be honest, this was one of my best experiences I have ever had so far. I think they even taught me more than I taught them. After the first weeks I realized I want to do something that has an impact on these kids and will help them long term. That was when I decided to start a Crowdfunding Campaign to collect money so the school will be able to pay for diagnosis and therapy for each kid. What I loved was that through having total flexibility and trust from Aldeas de Paz, I had the possibility to decide most things by myself and create this project together with the whole team. I really learned a lot just creating this project and learning by doing. It worked out great, though I have to admit that I had to get used to the Dominican way of working, which sometimes was really annoying and time consuming. I guess everyone who comes here just needs to accept this “tranquilo” attitude, but it can also help to get a little bit calmer and help you to deal with things; sometimes it just does not work out the way you planned it, deal with it! But besides that I love the Dominican Republic. Of course the beaches, sun and nature blow your mind here in Samanà, but I promise these heartwarming people, the music, the dancing, the food (yaroaaa), the colmados and the culture in general will be even more a life-changing experience in an awesome way. I can’t describe how much I am impressed and in love with this country and these people and I guess you just can understand if you are here by yourself and open-minded enough to enjoy and try everything new. So people out there who want to experience a country with a big heart, good food, amazing people and you really want to be part of something beautiful, Aldeas de Paz is perfect.

I arrived in Samana on the 16th October 2017. As soon as I got off the bus I was welcomed by my ‘buddy’ (A volunteer who introduces you to Samana for the first few days) and one of the coordinator’s. This friendly welcome helped me to settle into the Dominican Lifestyle which is drastically different from the United Kingdom. I was introduced to the NGO team who I would be working with for the 8 weeks and the other volunteers who were volunteering with the charity. I realised very quickly that the coordinators and volunteers were all extremely passionate about their work as they knew that this was having a direct impact on the children of the Special Needs school which the ADP run. I was assigned multiple tasks ranging from researching new agencies that promote the charity to translating text into English. This was a great chance to develop my team working skills, time management and skills working independently. I was given the opportunity to teach English to the Dominicans which I took
straight away. This was a great chance to assist with their personal development and wellbeing as it would help them get jobs in the booming tourism sector. I thoroughly enjoyed planning and presenting these lessons and watching their English progress I was never worried about being bored, there was always work to do and at the weekends we would go to a beach or to a local excursion. These were perfect to conclude a week of volunteering and gave me a chance to see more of the Dominican Culture and the countryside. In my 8 weeks here I have had the chance to work with disabled children, learn about veterinary, teach english, gain experience and help with the management of a small NGO, learnt (somewhat) how to dance the Dominican way, found out how to exit a hammock after multiple failed attempts and met a fantastic group of volunteers who I will be sure to see again sometime in the future. I couldn’t have asked for a better 8 weeks and I will be sure to miss the children, the volunteers and of course, the sun.

I worked for 2 and a half Months in the NGO Management in Las Terrenas. I had
a lot of different tasks during my stay. For example, Managing the publishing of
Job offers on Listing Websites or translating texts for the Website and many
many more smaller tasks.
My highlight was a trip of all Volunteers to a rented Villa with a perfect view and
nice atmosphere. But it was just one of many beautiful trips we did together.
Aldeas de Paz is a very familial organization. It´s not too big and you get to know
every coordinator on site. The coordinators are really kind and take care about
every need the volunteers have.
The Dominican Republic is obviously a very hot place and you need to get used
to the climate for the first days. The most dominican People i met were really
friendly and always open for a conversation. I was really wondered about the
loud music, which is played at every corner every time. Sometimes it can get
annoying but most of the time it´s very enjoyable.
I can really recommend you to travel to Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican
Republic, because you will make a lot of experiences for your future. It is also a
good way to get out of your „normal“ life and get to know a different culture.

During my stay at Aldeas de Paz I was involved in the NGO program and in the
Youth, Care and Community Program which focuses on the Mama Elba Especial
Escuela in Santa Barbara de Samaná. In the NGO Program, I completed a variety
of tasks from creating projects that should be launching in the coming months,
updated listings, and attended meetings. In the Mama Elba Especial Escuela, a
school for children with a wide range of disabilities and you truly wouldn’t know
it from their energy and excitement they show to be in school and interacting
with their peers and volunteers. While living in Samaná, I lived in one of the
Guesthouses and I immensely enjoyed the living situation as a whole and
wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Throughout my time at Aldeas de Paz, my
roommates had been from the UK, Germany, and Italy. Living in the
Guesthouse and meeting people from around the world is such an interesting
experience and easy to replicate but impossible to duplicate with the same
results as I have experienced during my time at Aldeas de Paz. You should try
though, it won't disappoint! On the weekends, you’re able to go wherever you
want to go and normally the volunteers will plan the weekend day trips and
anyone is invited to join! My favorite place to go while I have stayed here in
Samaná is Cayo Levantado, which is only a short boat trip away from the
harbor, it is paradise. If you’re interested in volunteering with Aldeas de Paz, or
even anywhere where you have never been, try to go with no expectations
because that will make your experience more enjoyable and it won’t hinder
your stay and you’ll find your experience far more enjoyable. I am going to miss
many things such as the kids at school, my walks into town, my housemates

whom we shared many nights on the terrace just talking together. It was an
incredible experience and it’s made possible not only by Aldeas de Paz but by
the individuals that volunteer and create that environment. I am happy with my
time and experiences that I have had here in the Dominican Republic and I
know I will be back again!

I am not the average volunteer for Aldeas de Paz because I came to Samaná
with my husband and two children (ages 8 and 10). I am a nursing student
and ADP was one of the few organizations I could find through which I was
able to volunteer in a hospital without already being a fully trained
medical professional. During our 2.5-month stay, my husband worked at his
regular job (online from our apartment). Our kids had a local Dominican
nanny in the mornings and I home-schooled them in the afternoons.
Overall, we enjoyed our time in Samaná immensely! We loved exploring the
town and surrounding attractions, eating Dominican food, meeting the
friendly local people, and improving our Spanish. Manfred and Julia were
very responsive and helpful with any issues we had--whether small (the
electricity was out) or large (a brief hospital stay for my husband due to
Dengue Fever.)
I highly recommend ADP! It turned out to be a fun, safe place for our
family to be immersed in a different culture while I was able to volunteer
and gain valuable experience in the medical field.

I had such a good time here in the Dominican
Republic. Mainly due to many nice people I met
and friends I made during my time with Aldeas de
Paz. They all amazed me by their incredible
heartwarming attitude and their heartwarming
attitude. My workplace at the hospital was really
interesting because I had the opportunity to work
with HIV patients and experience the medical
system of a developing country. The only
disadvantage was the fact that there was
sometimes not enough work for me and my
coworker because we did not have any
qualifications a nurse or a doctor would have had.
However, the people we worked with were very
supportive and willing to get in touch with us and
because of that I made some good friends in the
hospital.
I also enjoyed the free time activities we did
together. There are so many things to do,
especially going to the beaches and the bars!
A huge thank you to the Fundation which gave me
the opportunity to be part of a great team and also

to my coordinators who treated us like friends and
supported us during tough times.

To start, during my stay here I had the chance to work with the kids with special needs in school. I enrolled in that particular project because I wanted to gain experience in my feild of studies. I really enjoyed working with everyone in the school, but mostly the kids who great you
everyday you arrive in school and are all just very adorable. I had the opportunity to work with a variety of children with disabilities, which is what I was mainly here for. Also, changes and improvements are being done in the school which I think will greatly benefit the kids attending.
Finally, I was able to contribute to the school with a project involving pictograms that will greatly help these children, more so the ones that have language disabilities.

In addition, I had the chance to be in contact with Kim an amazing Canadian that has been living here for over 30 years and is taking the rights of animals here to heart. I had a chance to work hands on with the animals, mostly dogs, and actually had the opportunity to start a totally new project in association with Aldeas the Paz.

I really appreciated the encouragement and interest expressed by the coordinators and
volunteers. I am very proud of my contribution and participation, which turned out to be more
than expected. Aldeas de Paz is the only organisation that I saw that had a good variety of projects to work on, which provides a lot of flexibility. I was able to participate in a lot of different acitives and programs such as the english classes and café intercultural. For a month was able to give intermediate english classes to dominicans, as well as dancing classes in the café. The responsibles really encourage us to participate in a variety of projects and the
options are really there for us to explore.

The organisation has a really great team of coordinators that work really hard to make our experience here the best it can be, even if there job is not always easy. It was my second time in the Dominican Republic and more specifically Samana. I really wanted to come back here because the first time I really fell in love with the spirit of the people, the culture, the dancing, the music, the scenery and saw that there was a need for volunteers. I wanted to make sure for my second experience that I was to be part of the community, the people and meet different
Dominicans. I have so many good memories with the volunteers and dominican friends I made. I found it very important to have an interest for the people here and an open mind. By doing
so, I was able to know, see places and live experiences I would of never had if it were not for my dominican friends. Also, when spending time with them it was the perfect occasion to pratice and learn more spanish, which was one of my goals when coming here.

We did so many great trips and activies that really made my time here that much memorable. I can say that I fully experienced Samana and the DR and would do it again without a doubt.

My experience in Samana has been a great one! I feel like I’ve had
some highs and lows making it a great learning experience in a short
amount time. First off, it doesn’t get any more beautiful than the
view. The first few days were overwhelming meeting all the other
volunteers and kids at school, while not yet knowing where to find
anything in town. Being in an apartment definitely comes with it’s
pros and cons as well. I didn’t like that the majority of other
people were in the shared apartments and particularly at night
couldn’t safely get to hang out with them. This has gotten better
making in advance plans to have a travel buddy. I love how welcoming
everyone is and no one is shut off or out of any group or activity.
Once I knew people had been here for months, I feared it would be hard
to make connections quickly when so many friendships have already been
established. I was happy to find that is not the case at all and
everyone is always included.
Having basically no prior Spanish knowledge, I feel like this has made
a unique experience. It has been difficult communicating with
Dominicans, especially at school. However, it also has been cool to
overcome that barrier. I’ve had to quickly learn some key phrases and
feel like I can successfully order food. Kids have been patient and
we have tried to teach each other Spanish/English words. No matter
where you are kids are the same and have a great spirit about them.
They have been fun to play and learn with. With the scheduling
changes and addition of Jessica, it is a cool time to see the
transition and growth in ADP. I’m excited to see the progress even
once I leave! I am looking forward to comforts of home (water not
turning off, air conditioning, not loud to sleep), but the atmosphere
and people make this a special place that I hope to return to.

My name is Fabienne and I worked as a volunteer in the Mama Elba School for one month. I really enjoyed the work with the children and I was able to gain a lot of useful experience for my future.

When I arrived here I couldn’t speak Spanish. First, I was a bit worried about that. But over time I learned the important things in Spanish because of the free Spanish lessons and the work with the children.

During the time here in Samana, I was living in a guesthouse apartment with two other volunteers. I was really happy with this kind of living, because I like to have people around me.

Furthermore, the organisation of my stay here was well planned. This included also the pick-up service, which worked very well.

All in all, I enjoyed the time here in Samana with the organisation Aldeas de Paz. When I get time, I will come back for sure.