Deaf students tend to be underrepresented when it comes to volunteer programs so I was grateful when I found the uVolunteer project. I was excited to be able to help out in the classroom and teach using Sign Language. 
Program Volunteer Bolivia
Project: Volunteer in a Special Needs Center in Bolivia
It was easy to tell how much they loved having new volunteers around. New people to hug and to give them love. I went home exhausted each day, but it felt incredibly rewarding. I felt like I was making a difference.
I had learned Sign Language while I was in high school and college and wanted practical experience working with deaf students.
Deaf students tend to be underrepresented when it comes to volunteer programs so I was grateful when I found the uVolunteer project. I was excited to be able to help out in the classroom and teach using Sign Language.
I arrived in Santa Cruz and quickly became accustomed to my family and new life. I found it easy navigate my way around the city using the city buses or walking. On the weekends I would try to visit different places around the city like the zoo or the center of town. I enjoyed being able to walk out the door and quickly catch a bus to anywhere in the city.
I started by working at two different deaf schools. Within a week of my arrival the government of Bolivia decided to close the schools due to the high number of people becoming infected with H1N1 influenza. It was unknown at the time that they would remain closed for an entire month, which was nearly half of the time I had arranged to volunteer. Soon after the school closed, my project coordinator and I decided that it would be best to begin a different project until classes resumed.
I began working at Alalay an orphanage for street children in Santa Cruz. The home had 20 girls living there but I primarily worked with the youngest of the kids, those from ages 5 to 12. Every morning we would spend time playing games and drawing pictures. We would eat lunch together each day and then in the afternoon we would go to the park or watch a movie. It was fun spending so much time with the kids. It was easy to tell how much they loved having new volunteers around. New people to hug and to give them love. I went home exhausted each day, but it felt incredibly rewarding. I felt like I was making a difference.
After the schools break ended I decided that I wanted to continue working at Alalay. So my project coordinator and I arranged so that I could work in the mornings at Alalay and then in the afternoons at one of the deaf schools. I was really glad for this arrangement because it allowed me to be able to continue working with the kids but still honor my commitment to work with deaf students.
My volunteering experience was a rewarding one. It was challenging and often left my mind numb from speaking Spanish and Sign Language all day long, but it was a great time and I wish I would be able to spend more time with the kids.
It was great to meet so many other volunteers who were working on other projects. On the weekends we would go out dancing or visit nearby cities. After a long day of speaking Spanish and Sign Language was nice to have someone to talk with who spoke English.
Overall, I had a fantastic experience. My host family treated me with love and respect and invited me to participate in their lives and birthdays and celebrations. I would recommend uVolunteer to anyone who has the desire to help others and I would recommend that volunteers try to stay for as many months as possible. It allows you to form relationships and become better accustomed to the city and the project. I loved my time volunteering and I will miss the kids I worked with and the family I lived with.
Kari Bacher
