Country: Switzerland
Duration time: 13.07.08 - 26.07.08
Code of volunteer program: CH-1.2
Type of work: KIDS

After one-year break, i apply for a few volunteer project abroad. I want to spend my volunteer vacation somewhere on the seaside in Croatia or Greece, but unfortunately there where no more free places in this kind of programs. So i`ve got plan “B” in this case, and continue search for a “tasty” volunteer programs in Switzerland. And i found it.

I am standing in front of passport control in Zurich airport and pretty women asking me about purpose of my trip. I said a password “volunteering” and she stamped my passport, without any questions. The weather was really terrible, and my imagination drawing really frightfully pictures of ghetto with angry emigrants from Muslim countries, but deeply inside believes that i will see another situation. More over i did not see the Alps, cause of clouds and finally it is killing me...

Why this volunteer program:

1. First of all i was really curious about the life in emigrant center, why they are here, what they are expecting from live, and can i try to stay i Switzerland, like they are or not, if I want of course?

2. I love children, and volunteer with kids, for me is fun and not work. I grew up in Transnistria where all my childhood i spend on the street. I have a lot of interesting ideas how to make life better for kids in this center.

3. Volketswil located close to the Zurich, just 10 kilometers on the east, so if in this center I’ll face up with my scary dreams about ghetto, I’ll escape from this place, to my friend who lives in Zumikon...

Volunteers:

In this project I’ve met very interesting people, and first in my life with American citizens. There were wonderful girl from USA Loren. Tishaka (USA) i didn’t understood when she start to talk, Bojana(Serbia) - wonderful and opened girl who lives near Belgrade, Mark(Switzerland) – Mr. “Swiss Clock” as we called him, he would be excellent manager in future, Leticia (Switzerland) – friendly and intelligent girl from France part of Switzerland , Kristina (Slovenia) – Now i know that Slovenia and Slovakia it is not the same, Dimity (Russia) - Me, Imma (Spain) – she was older then everybody in this camp, but her soul still young. Chi Hu (South Korea) – Funny Sleepy girl, her parents is millionaire, Pablo (Campleader) – this is our campleader who is escaped after one week, in another transit center.

Volunteer work:

The theme of this program was “holiday activities with the children, women and men of the center”. In the first day, we have a big sheet of paper and write down our ideas and plans for a future week. All together, we generate so much interesting ideas, and we realized most of them during this volunteer program. This year Summer Olympic Games was in China and we organized for the kids - mini Olympic Games, with different tasks. Close to the center located beautiful forest where we played with kids in “Treasure Hunt” with the main prize at the end of the race. For the adult and kids of this center we organized basic computer courses, which were very popular.

In “Backed Day” children making different forms with dough and after they backed it. In one of the sunny day, we organized painting workshop on the fresh air. Near our center, there were many farms and in one of the day, we visit one of the farms. Where children could feed donkeys and horses. The farmer explain them how they milk cows. In addition, at the end of our farm tour a lot of children rode the donkeys. Finally, our farewell party they will never forget.

Tried out:

Most of all interesting things that I tried out were during my break between first and second camp and in my art volunteer program in Solothurn.

Summary:

Unfortunately, there were two minuses in this camp. First budget per day was 50 Franks, so we can’t buy prizes for some games. Despite of this we spare some money for a farewell party and bought ice cream for our “Ice-cream Day”. The second one that we have to pay for a trip to the Luzern near 150 Franks. In any case i am recommending this project for everybody who is like to volunteer with kids and want to see real life in emigrant center and make own opinion about it.