Jessica's International Volunteering Story

Jessica volunteered at Little John's House which is an orphanage in Romania. This was her first time as an International Volunteer. Read on to find out what encouraged her to offer her time and how she found the experience...

A Group Photo of the Little John's House Volunteers.

What Inspired Me:

I applied to volunteer with Little John's House in Romania after receiving an email about the international volunteering opportunities. I thought that volunteering for a great cause would be a good way to utilise my time in the summer holidays. It would also increase my experience working with children which is something I want to do in the future.

What attracted me the most to this opportunity was the financial help provided as I qualified for a discount of 40% which really helped me afford the trip costs. I filled in the application and sent it off to be told I was accepted around December.

Preparing to Volunteer:

I met with the rest of the team and we organised regular meetings to get to know each other and develop our fundraising ideas. 

We held a raffle on Clifton Campus with a lot of great prizes which were sourced by everyone in the team. It was great and we raised a lot of money between us! We also organised a pub quiz at the Orange Tree which was a huge success and helped me reach my target fundraising goal.

The Volunteers with the Children at Little John's House.

Volunteering Internationally:

We set off to Romania late August for a week. We brought with us all the bits and bobs required for a 'space themed' summer school. From the first day, the kids and the people who ran the charity were so welcoming and lovely and really enjoyed the different activities we had designed for them. These included making a space rocket, creating planets and jewellery making. 

From 8am until 3pm we ran the summer school and played and danced with the kids at the orphanage, children from the area and children from other orphanages. In the evenings, we were free to explore Romania. The activity which was a big hit was the 'pinata alien' on our last day that we suitably named, 'Jeff'. He was filled with lots of flying saucers!

Overall, it was a great experience and I definitely hope to return to Little John's House to see how all the children are getting on now we have left and they are older.

After volunteering, the group were able to explore Romania.