I went to the Samrong Children farm for two and half weeks at the age of 17. Each day, I taught two beginners English classes, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. I learnt that the English classes are organized in such a way that when their aren’t any volunteers that are there to help out with the classes, the actual English teacher, Phanny, is in charge of both the beginners and the advanced classes at the same time. Therefore it is close to impossible to be there to help each student and to make sure they progress in English. English is a very important language to learn nowadays, which made my job as a volunteer important and I felt like I was making a real difference.
Sometimes I also helped farming ( mostly removing weeds or watering plants). Since it’s a farm, most of the food that they eat they grew themselves. Therefore removing weeds and such work is important in keeping the agriculture going and growing.
My favorite experience was spending time with the kids. I played with the kids everyday and enjoyed every second I spent with them. Playing sports like basketball, football, badminton or board games and just seeing them with a big smile on their face was extremely heart warming. The kids are so loving, special and well educated. They are brought up in the farm in a way that is so beneficial for them and for their upbringing. Waking up to them smiling, saying hello and offering to play was simply gold and I cannot wait to go back to see them again. I’m very grateful for the experience I had!