Experiences of some of our volunteers (we are happy to say they are favorable!)

I got in touch with Reid and Patricia about coming to Las Sonrisas de los Niños to volunteer about two months before arriving in July 2007.  I was looking to do some volunteering in Honduras around then and really liked the look of the project.  Its small size appealed to me as it meant I’d be dealing with the organizers directly;  I wasn’t going to fight through and pay for many layers of administration like many other projects in Latin America

I never actually decided on firm dates until a few days before arriving, so with Reid and Patricia only having access to the internet at weekends, this resulted in me finding my own way to the project and just showing up one Friday morning!  I found a very surprised Reid and Patricia clearing up the trees which the Honduran electricity company had massacred just half an hour before I arrived.  I think and hope it was a pleasant surprise; if it wasn’t they covered up extremely well and were perfect hosts, managing to feed and water me and put me up for the first few days without any notice whatsoever.  I was very grateful for this, as I don’t think Cacao has an abundance of youth hostels!

I quickly got to know Reid and Patricia and the more I did, the more my hopes about the project were confirmed.  I could see how hard they had worked, how they were realistic about what they could do and how there was no wastage at all…a refreshing change in today’s world of big business charity organizations.  I soon settled in to the work at the project and immediately fell in love with working there.  The children were incredibly welcoming and I felt I had got to know them even after just one day.

I helped with their drawing, took part in the games and even took a couple of English lessons.  It was hard work, especially at the start as I hadn’t quite got used to the heat, but it was hard work in a good way, due to the amazing energy and enthusiasm of the children.  You could never guess that some of them have quite tragic backgrounds.

Once I had got to know them a bit better and got used to their Spanish accents (a little different from the Guatemalan Spanish I’d just come from) I managed to get them to learn a couple of new games, which I remembered from my own childhood.  They weren’t quite taken up the way I intended, but they seemed to enjoy them anyway.  Apparently they’re still playing the same ones, but I fear they have a limited shelf life, so we need more volunteers to introduce their childhood games!

My two weeks went by incredibly quickly and I was certainly sad to leave.  I hope that one day I may return!  In the meantime, I can thoroughly recommend Las Sonrisas de los Niños as an excellent project to work with.  It may have been hard work, but it was never stressful, and even though I was tired out at the end of every day, I always had a large Sonrisa on my face.

Timothy Little, Northern Ireland, Medical Student

I volunteered in El Cacao for 4 weeks while the project was quite new.  It was definitely an unforgettable experience.  The children were a lot of fun to work with.  I was greeted every morning by kids running up to the gate with huge smiles and arms out for hugs.  I enjoyed the opportunity to get a feel for the Honduran culture and lifestyle which I would have missed had I only visited the tourist attractions.  It was great to see the children excited by the arrival of books and toys, and further yet, to be curious about the books and interested in trying to read them.  I was pleased to see that Reid and Patricia had employed local women in the daycare as it meant the daycare was not only benefiting the children but the community as well.  I'm grateful that I was able to be a part of the project and would highly recommend visiting or volunteering with the project to anyone who wants not only to travel but to experience the culture as an active member.  It was a very fulfilling experience.

Sasha

I went to volunteer with Las Sonrisas de Los Niños hoping to have a positive impact on the lives of the children but in fact, they changed my life in a very significant way. They were a very eager, endearing, and engaging bunch. I also found them to be very open and loving to everyone they encountered. What a joy it was to work with these wonderful children! It was the most meaningful thing I have ever done and the most rewarding. I will treasure this experience para siempre. It was an honor to work alongside Reid and Patricia, as their dedication to the children of Cacao was awe-inspiring. I am eternally grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to serve during the summer of 2007 and cannot wait to go back!
Con mucho cariño,
Kayla

I had the pleasure of volunteering with Las Sonrisas de Los Ninos during its very first weeks of operation.  I am a young Canadian who loves to travel, but I was looking for something different.  Touring a new country is always exciting.  But being able to get involved and give back to the community was an amazing experience I know I will never forget.  Sure this was out of my comfort zone, but as soon as I met the children with their huge smiles, any doubt I had quickly dissipated.  The children were full of affection, curiosity, eagerness to learn and energy levels through the roof.  For me, being able to combine this type of work with tourist excursions made for one enriching vacation.  I would encourage anyone to do something like this and step beyond just being a tourist.  It’s a life changing experience.

Stephanie