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Youth Care & Community- Enhance the lives of community members

Do meaningful work while learning Spanish and experience a new culture!
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Fundación Aldeas de Paz
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Video and Photos

Aldeas de Paz
Playing Baseball with the kids
Teaching at Mama Elba School
Volunteering at Mama Elba School

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About

Our aim is to empower children, youth, young adults and woman by providing a educational platform where they can be supported in developing their potential and improving their own lives. At our "Mama Elba" school in Samana we are promoting the integration of special need students into the educational system. Our language and skill training programs provide volunteers with the opportunity to make a difference to our local community members who would otherwise lack these important opportunities. Assist with activities like computer literacy classes and teaching language classes in English, German or any other language. In Las Terrenas volunteers assist with public school teaching and tutoring, but also swimming classes, sailing classes or first aid workshops can be offered to local youth. We are involved in youth, family and community development. We promote leadership and life skills, healthy lifestyle and constructive use of free time. We promote gender equality and women empowerment.

Highlights
  • Organize and lead intercultural events and regular meetings for local community members and international volunteers, expats and travelers with cross-cultural activities fostering exchange and integration.
  • Assist in our school with recreational, developmental and therapeutic activities for children and young adults with special needs
  • Bring joy into the lives of disadvantaged children by taking care of them and playing with them and let their smiles brighten up your day!
  • Get fluent in Spanish by receiving up to six free Spanish lessons per week.
  • Make memories that will last a lifetime while traveling the Caribbean.

Impact

We are involved in youth, family and community development as well. We promote leadership and life skills, healthy lifestyle and constructive use of freetime through skill training like language classes, computer literacy, first aid workshops and swimming classes. Volunteers join our staff on family home visits and assist with empowerment and educational workshops as well as community building activities in direct contact with community members from low income neighbourhoods in Samana. We are building community support for youth development and engaging support of parents/caregivers. Intermediate Spanish is required.

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Questions & Answers

Can I volunteer for 2 days?

You would have to contact the volunteer coordinator. There might be a day long project needing more volunteers, but Aldeas de Paz is usually a live in community where each person is assigned to a program. So yes, I’m sure they won’t turn you away, but better suited for longer stays.

By Heather Thomas on January 31, 2018

Reviews

95%
based on 32 reviews
Leave a Review
  • Impact 9.3
  • Support 9.4
  • Fun 9.3
  • Value 9.5
  • Safety 9.5
Showing 31 - 32 of 32
Default avatar
Michele
Age:
44
Female
New York City
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Aldeas De Paz was an incredible experience

Apr 4, 2013

It was a wonderful program. I really enjoyed it as a mom, sharing it with my 18 year old daughter. It was so wonderful to know that we were helping children to learn some English and have fun playing soccer, swimming, and riding horses, where otherwise they would have nothing at all to do but play in old cars.

Visiting children and their parents in the hospital was very rewarding. These families had nothing to do at all during their days there, and I know that we brought them some joy.

Staying with the natives was an incredible lesson. This was so special. I went there hoping to show my daughter how lucky we are to have all the amenities that we do in America. Instead though, I think we left with the kowledge that you need so little in the way of materialistic goods to be happy and that what makes one truly happy and healthy, is a solid community, healthy work outdoors and cookiing your own food from scratch, without any chemicals.

What would you improve about this program?
I would have a wider variety of volunteers as far as age goes. I felt a little out of place at times being in my 40s when everyone else volunteering was in their 20s
Default avatar
MSP
Age:
26
Female
France
9/10
Yes, I recommend this program

Make a real difference to peoples lives

Mar 7, 2013

Aldeas de Paz is one of the most diverse,exciting and caring programs i've ever seen. The day to day work that the organisation carries out and it's work with specifically the children aims to and i'd like to think makes a sustainable and lasting difference to the people and community.

What would you improve about this program?
The resources to be able to do more community work

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Melina Medeiros

Program
Youth Care & Community- Enhance the lives of community members

Bilingual (almost trilingual) Canadian with a love and passion for children as well as the Dominican. Special Needs educator, and now English and French teacher in the Dominican.

volunteers on a porch

Why did you choose this program?

I chose to volunteer with Aldeas de Paz for multiple reasons.

First, I had been on vacation to Samaná in the Dominican for two weeks, and was looking for an opportunity to return for a longer stay. I had also been looking for an organization that had a volunteer program in my field, which is working with Children with Special Needs. The Mama Elba Volunteer Program was just what I was looking for. Finally, I was looking for an opportunity to participate in activities and other programs that were not necessarily in relation to my studies.

Aldeas de Paz turned out to be just that and even more with the opportunity of learning Spanish which was very important to me.

What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

I decided to plan this volunteer trip all on my own, but was in communication back and forth with Aldeas de Paz, sending e-mails to Manfred and Julia which they answered very quickly and efficiently. They provided me with all the information and contacts I needed here in Samana so my arrival would go as smoothly as possible. There was a volunteer who was sent with the taxi driver to start my orientation and answer all my questions, which was great!

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

If you want to do it, go for it and do not be afraid to ask questions. I asked billions of them before my arrival. I was probably a bit annoying, but it really reassured me and confirmed that I should participate in this program. Of course, after my experience, I would take the same decision and do it again without a doubt!

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

Our schedule went like this:

Monday to Friday (2PM – 6PM): We would volunteer in school. I participated in teaching English to Dominicans on Tuesday evenings. We would have our Spanish classes on Wednesdays from 9:00am to 12:00pm.

Finally, on Mondays, we would have a meeting before school. On Fridays, we also meet to plan our following week in school.
The rest of the time we could spend a little at the beach before work, and weekends were free for us to do as we wish.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

Honestly, I would not say I was afraid. The only thing that I was preoccupied with was being on my own and not knowing anybody. I chose the housing option to be in an apartment with different volunteers so I knew I was bound to make friends. When I finally arrived, whatever preoccupations I had vanished.

First, with having a volunteer greet me at the airport with the taxi driver; they both made me feel very comfortable from the start. Also, the drive from the airport to Samana was reassuring because I remembered the familiar roads and places from when I came on vacation the first time. Finally, when we arrived at the apartment, the volunteers all greeted me and made me feel right at home. I knew I was going to fit right in, and now here I am back again for a teaching contract.

Why should I volunteer in the Dominican?

This country and its people are in need of a lot of things, but mostly do it as a life experience and for yourself.

The culture and mentality here are very different from Canada which is just what I needed. Some of the people here do not live with much, but still manage to put a smile on their faces and make the best of everyday.

My experiences here have been mostly positive; I have learned Spanish and am still learning. I visited a variety of places, but still plan on visiting more. I made great friends from here and other parts of the world like the US and Germany. I lived in an area where Dominicans treat me like part of their family.

I got myself a Dominican boyfriend, and we are still going strong after almost a year of being together. I have been to musical events where I got to see Ozuna, Maluma, Nicky Jam, and more amazing Latin artists. I could go on and on because I have made some really great memories and life experiences here!

Finally, when travelling, I believe that it is extremely important to keep an open mind, try to adapt yourself to the culture of the country you are visiting.

See it as learning experience for yourself, but also for the people you will have the chance to be in contact with. Keeping an open mind is the way to go in my book!
Nadia Guldager
2014 Alum

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Manfred Mönnighoff

Program
Youth Care & Community- Enhance the lives of community members

What position do you hold at Aldeas de Paz? What has been your career path so far?

Manfred Mönnighoff, Founding Facilitator, Aldeas de Paz, Venezuela

Manfred: I am in the position of a volunteer coordinator. After a successful business career in Holland in I became a social activist and joined small grassroots NGO's around the globe and worked as a volunteer with the intention of helping to create and promote a "Culture of Peace" by putting my professional skills to work. In 1995 I started my first humanitarian project in Merida, Venezuela. The work in Merida focused on children rights. Efforts were made to integrate street children and at risk youth into a more stable environment, and at times, into foster families. With the aim of creating an official organization in Venezuela and thanks to significant fund-raising as well as the collocation of my own life savings, I succeeded in forming 2001 the legal constitution for a volunteer-based NGO in Caracas, Venezuela, called Fundación Aldeas de Paz.

What does the future hold for Aldeas de Paz - any exciting new programs to share?

Manfred: At this point we have a variety of programs: youth care, community; NGO management and admin; riding for disadvantaged children; multimedia journalism; indigenous exchange; medical program. The multimedia program started only a couple of months ago and it is a great success! We found that the activities around multimedia are very stimulating for our young beneficiaries and create a perfect pretext for tutoring classes and homework reinforcement in all school curriculum related subjects. We are now producing short video clips which reflect their everyday reality and those of their family and community. We also discovered that this program is very popular among volunteers and interns

What about the future of the industry? How do you think volunteer abroad will change over the next 10 years?

Manfred: From my experience we will see more volunteers from Asia, East Europe and South America applying for overseas placement. This is a tendency I am observing for the last 12 months and particularly Venezuelan volunteers are increasingly signing up when before 2012 we hardly found any Venezuelan volunteers to join! This is a very positive development and we are now working on publishing our listings increasingly in the Latin world

What do you most enjoy about your role at Aldeas de Paz?

Manfred: I enjoy tremendously the possibility to do meaningful work and be agent for social change. I love what I am doing for work and I feel inspired by the people I meet through my work as Founder and Director of the Peace Villages Foundation. I have a wide range of interests related to the well being and peaceful evolution of humanities and I love promoting community atmosphere and being surrounded by nurturing and like-minded people who are passionate about whatever they are doing.

Location

Location:
Dominican Republic
Currency:
Dominican Peso
Weather:
Jan-Mar
86 F / 48 F
Apr-Jun
90 F / 55 F
Jul-Sep
91 F / 55 F
Oct-Dec
90 F / 52 F
Airports:
Punta Cana International
( PUJ )
Las Américas International
( SDQ )
Cibao International
( STI )

The Dominican Republic shares the island Hispaniola with Haiti (the DR is to the right, Haiti to the left), and is a hot spot for beaching, staying at resorts, and living a Caribbean lifestyle. Close to Miami, with a diverse population and Creole cuisine, this island is a popular tourist destination filled with all sorts of adventures.

About Fundación Aldeas de Paz

We promote a Culture of Peace through enriching cross-cultural exchange for people of all cultural backgrounds and nationalities and we practice voluntary community service where we provide additional opportunities in education, sports, health care and skill training. We assist our beneficiaries in developing their potential and improving their own...

  • Go Overseas Award

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