Missionaries of Charity Memories

Hi all,
I just recently volunteered at the Missionaries of Charity Orphanage in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I applied for a two week programme however that is my biggest regret as two weeks was not enough. It was a massive step out of my comfort zone as I had never travelled in a foreign country solo however I would recommend it to anyone. It really gives you perspective on daily life as the experience encourages you to compare the life of the Cambodian locals and the life you live back at home. I learn to appreciate the basic necessities and become less materialistic. It was eye-opening to witness the happiness of the locals and sense of community despite living a very basic life.

I had an absolute blast at the orphanage and woke up very eager to return each day. The nuns were very accommodating and the children were super affectionate. Our role was to assist the workers with the children's daily routines, including bathing, feeding and entertaining. It was really rewarding to see the children smiling and loving the attention. The most difficult part was the language barrier as it was very hard to communicate with 0-5 year olds that obviously could not speak english. Nonetheless, I would definitely return.

The IVHQ programme provided quality accommodation and delicious food which added to smoothness of my experience.