Writer: Lina Schröter - Volunteer
Written on: 30th August 2024
The time has come: After volunteering with C4C here in Vietnam for half a year, my volunteering service is coming to an end and I will go back to Germany. Since I enjoyed my time with C4C a lot, I want to reminisce and share some of my experience.
Being sent from a German partner organization, I came to Vietnam to volunteer in C4C’s office in Da Nang. Together with two other girls, Sophie and Wiebke, I moved into Hongs house and lived with her and her family. From the beginning on, I felt so welcomed and comfortable and through living with Hong, I got so many personal insights from her about the organization and her motives, as well as the Vietnamese culture. After 4 months, me and the girls moved into a volunteer house in Da Nang, where we are currently staying. But even if the new housing situation is really convenient, I feel grateful that I got to live with Ms. Hong and experienced the domestic life of a Vietnamese family.
My volunteer work based itself in the field of Volunteer Coordination. Although I am a volunteer myself, my main task was to recruit volunteers for the Teach for Change program and guide them through the application process. This meant interviewing new applicants, helping them with the application steps and preparing them for their arrival. Also, I took part in hosting online meet-ups to connect the volunteers with each other and to give them a first idea about C4C, teaching and the Vietnamese culture.
Conducting the interviews was probably my favorite task, just because i got to meet so many interesting people from all over the world. Working online sometimes made me feel unconnected and missing the points of volunteering for a social cause, but interviewing volunteers gave me back some of that. Looking back, I am so happy to know that some of the international volunteers I was able to recruit made an important impact for the organization and most importantly for the children being teached.
Working with C4C was such a good experience for me, challenging at times, but always exciting. From the beginning on, I was given a lot of responsibility which scared me at first. In Addition, communication styles can be very different depending on the cultural background, I had some struggles with the way of working and communicating at C4C.
But in the end I am grateful for it, since I learned so much and I was able to grow interpersonal, but also professinal skills. Volunteering in the C4C office means working closely together and supporting each other, which I feel incredibly thankful for. I grew close to all the staff members quickly and besides working together, we now share the memories of karaoke nights, sunrise swims and nature trips with each other.
Speaking of Da Nang, I fell in love with the city and it’s whole atmosphere. For me, Da Nang means beaches with crystal water. Fireworks at the river with a view of the Dragon Bridge. The skyline at night with bright colors and sounds of karaoke.
The beautiful nature of Son Tra and catching monkeys between the trees. Buying fresh fruits and Tofu at the market. I could go on and on about all the things I will miss so dearly here. Since I didn’t know a lot about Vietnam before coming here (and never even heard of Da Nang), I was so eager to get to know the everday life and the culture. I really enjoyed my time here and I will definitely come back some day!
I want to thank C4C for making this volunteering service so memorable for me and for giving me a place that feels so much like home now. Although I was more involved in the Teach for Change program, both Teach for Change and the Empowerment Plan are two very important programs that give support for those who need it. Thank you for letting me play a small role in all of that.
I will miss you dearly!
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