Volunteers Testimonial
Welcome to SOLS Volunteers Testimonial page!
SOLS 24/7 has had a whole lot of volunteers from all over the world. We’ve had volunteers from Japan, Holland, England, Germany, Korea, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Latvia, India, Lithuania, Austria, Hungry, Vietnam, Sweden,USA and more…
We have had volunteers from as short as 4 weeks to as long as 8 years.
Below are some very recent testimonials.
For those of you who have volunteered in SOLS 24/7 before and would like to add their testimonial here, please do email Teacher Raj with your testimonial and photo. raj@sols247.org
Name: Christoph Biedermann
Nationality: Liechtenstein
Volunteer in: Dili, East Timor
Period: 1. September 2009 - 30. June 2010
A big hello to all people interested in SOLS 24/7! My name is Christoph and I’m from Liechtenstein. I decided to make a break from my studies in order to work abroad. My goal was to face new challenges by having new experiences and a completely different life. I wanted to go to a very special place so I chose East Timor… and indeed I found my special place as well as my challenges!
I’m completely satisfied with the work of SOLS, because it’s not only about providing a better education to underprivileged youths by teaching them English or computer. It’s especially about changing their minds, giving them values, giving them a perspective in their lives. This is what these people really need to come up in life! Moreover, SOLS is not only giving them dreams but is actually providing them opportunities to achieve these dreams. They can become teachers, get more responsibilities and even go to other countries to gain new experiences. So right now I’m living together with around 30 teachers from Cambodia and Malaysia and from my heart I can say that SOLS made them better human beings! All of them are truly disciplined and warm hearted people, living by principles and doing their best to work on themselves to become even better people. It’s a real honour to me to know each one of them, because from the first day I arrived they treated me like a member of their family.
What I like about this organisation is its dynamic character. Not stuck by so much administration, SOLS is always changing and moving on to provide a better service for all the students. Not only the students can benefit from this but also all the teachers including me. The last weeks, as an example, I had the possibility to set up a new business program for the students. If you’re really looking for challenges and opportunities you’ll find them. But experience in teaching is not the only thing that I can gain here. SOLS makes me think about myself. What is my goal in life, how can I achieve it and what potential lies inside of me? To some extent the same thing as to all the students happened to me: I woke up and realized what is possible in this life. I don’t know how my life is going to look like, but I know that SOLS influenced me in some way so that in 30 years I’ll still remember these days.
Name: Tim Spijker
Nationality: Dutch
Volunteer in: Melaka, Malaysia
Period: 11 September 2009 – 7 December 2009
Contact: timspijker@gmail.com
The experience that I get from working as a volunteer for SOLS 24/7 is indescribable. To help young and poor students with their learning process felt really good. This voluntary work was like an eye-opener for me. Of course I knew that there was a lot of poverty in the world, but to work with in a poor environment was new for me. Despite the fact that the people are poor they are so hospitable and friendly. It is fantastic to see that there are so many good people in this world. The students and teachers gave me so much love that I really felt like a member of the family.
Besides the experience as a teacher, you will get so much more wonderful experiences when you work as a volunteer. As a tourist, you only see the tourist attractions but you will not experience how a culture truly is. While as a volunteer, you have the opportunity at SOLS to really come in contact with a new culture. You will get the opportunity to: visit the students’ houses, meet their family, learn traditional dances, learn about their religion, visit temples with the students, celebrate the festivals together, and so much more. In the end, after I finished my voluntary work I really felt like I was leaving my friends behind.
It was a great honor for me to work for this great organization. I feel blessed that I learned so many things and got so many fantastic experiences. SOLS, go on with your wonderful work and I wish you all the luck for the future.
Name: Viktoria Prodan
Nationality: Hungary (Austria)
Volunteer in: Melaka, Malaysia
Period: 29th October 2009 – End of January 2010
Contact: viktoria.prodan@gmail.com
Dear Potential Future Volunteers!
My name is Viktoria, I was born in Budapest (Hungary), moved to Vienna (Austria) at the age of 13 and studied there after high school International Business Administration. In the second half of my studies, I joined AIESEC, the world’s biggest student-run organization providing the platform to young people to explore and develop their leadership potential. After diverse experiences in this organization, I wanted to go on an internship abroad and found in our database the opportunity to come to Malaysia and be part of SOLS for a while. From the moment I was visiting the homepage, I really started to like the organization, what they aim for and how they provide development possibilities for youth to become skilled, responsible, disciplined and socially conscious individuals.
Right from the moment of my arrival I felt warmly welcomed through the students, the other international teachers and the whole SOLS team in Malaysia. We had interesting conversations and I am very happy to be among these students and the teachers – open-minded, warm-hearted, diverse personalities with a passion for personal development.
In SOLS Malaysia, I am teaching the students Mathematics and Sales & Marketing, sometimes I am joining their English classes as well and it’s a very good feeling for me being able to contribute to the learning of them. Through all different kinds of interactions, conversations, I start to see more from their backgrounds, their motivation and indeed, SOLS provides a wonderful opportunity for students who want to become someone and study, understand more about life.
I am enjoying being part of this organization, to get to know the diverse mentalities of the “whole family” – how SOLS is often referred to and my experiences here in Melaka are an important enrichment for my life and a meaningful learning experience for me as a curious person searching for sense in life J.
Name: Nguyen Kim Truc
Nationality: Vietnamese
Volunteer in: Malacca, Malaysia
Period: 30 April 2009 to 06 August 2009
Contact: vickyings@gmail.com
Hello everybody, my name is Nguyen Kim Truc. I volunteered in SOLS during my summer vacation when I was second year university student. During my 3 months at SOLS, I had chance to teach English, Mathematics, Computing as well as Internet. These activities had helped me to develop my confidence and communication skill so much. I had broadened my mind and learnt things that I’ve never learnt in school. Staying in SOLS Malaysia was the best time for me to immerse myself to other culture such as Indian and Asli culture. It was also the great chance for me to meet and make friend from all over the world. During the time I stayed there, I did have chance to get closed with so many East Timor friends, Japanese, British, Canadian, Cambodian, Latvia, Lithuania and of course Malaysian.
Overall, the internship was a very fruitful experience. Working in a team with people from different countries was challenging but it was very refreshing and thoroughly enjoyable. Volunteering in SOLS had also taught me to have a broader mind and to be more tolerant of others. Be less judgmental and more open-minded. That is the only way we will get ourselves ready for new experience that will create memories that last a lifetime.
Name: Frank Wijchgel
Nationality: Dutch
Volunteer in: Melaka, Malaysia
Period: 1 September 2009 – 15 November 2009
Contact: Frankwijchgel@gmail.com
Hello dear reader of my testimonial! My name is Frank Wijchgel. Before I went to SOLS 24/7 I had just finished my university education. During the last years of my education, the idea and the wish to travel and do something for less privileged people started to grow and grow. For me SOLS was a good place to make this wish into reality.
In my opinion, SOLS offers a very good opportunity to help the local youth to develop their skills and character. I have worked in SOLS Malaysia for three months. These months gave me the nice feeling that I have been able to contribute to the development of the school and the students. My main task was to teach Computer skills to the students. Besides this I helped to teach in English classes, I helped students to prepare seminars, helped to improve the computer lab, set up a cleaning schedule for the school and helped teaching the students how to clean the school and be disciplined.
Most of all I enjoyed all the social contacts with all of the students and the other (local and international) teachers. They really showed me the warmth of the Asian cultures! Besides this I have the feeling that I have not only been able to help, it was also a learning experience for myself.
Name: Diana Zamurajeva
Nationality: Latvian
Volunteer in: Melaka, Malaysia
Period: 2 June 2009 - 31 July 2009
Contact: zamurajeva[at]gmail.com
Life seemed to be stable and easygoing until I realized that I miss something important - being on my own in a different environment and fulfilling my inner social responsibility - two things I had on my mind since long time. So I went to the other side of the world literally and figuratively.
I spent 2 months in SOLS in Melaka, Malaysia in 2009 and it was beneficial experience of local people being so close to them - living together, eating together and learning together. They learned computers and mathematics with me and I learned patience and empathy with them.
While volunteering in Malaysia, be ready to get Malaysian way of life, follow the flow and you will feel in short time how relaxing life can be. Keep in mind - food in Malaysia is gorgeous and people are friendly, try to be the same in return. At school - be ready for lack of privacy for your volunteering period as you sleep and live together with students, be ready for constant heat wherever you are and be ready to feel the blessing of cold shower. I enjoyed my stay in Melaka, it’s hard to forget the cooling evenings on the roof of school together with teachers from East -Timor singing songs and playing guitar; or a trip to the beach 90 km away just to get a swim with couple of teachers and students.