I had a wonderful experience as a volunteer for Hands on Peru! The staff members were extremely supportive, energetic, and compassionate. The community was brimming with liveliness and love and you can feel this once you step into CESAPU and interact with the people. The free-spirited kiddos brightened up my day and I was able to learn so much from the programs we participated in, the doctors, staff members, and everyone else in the community! There was constant engagement between the people within the community from the kids participating in team-building and educational activities to the mothers knitting stylish and fun products to eating food and learning about its nutritional benefits (& so much more!). There is so much happening, ranging from smaller to larger scale projects and it is bringing pure happiness to the people. I also LOVED my host family and I am sure that all the other host families are just as sweet and welcoming. It was a beautiful and humbling experience that I think everyone should have if they are able to! I definitely want to come back one day if I can.
I always reminisce on my experience with Hands on Peru and I often use it to fuel myself to get through the home-stretch and keep working towards my goals of becoming a Neonatal Pediatrician. Along my career, I want to open my own nonprofit organization in Vietnam. A part of me has always known that I wanted to do something for the struggling communities in Vietnam, but I never knew what I could do or how I could do it. Hands on Peru showed me that those aspirations could become a reality. It was beautiful to see how you and your team affected the community and I would love nothing more than to give that to similar communities in Vietnam.
Jenni Truong, Spring Break 2019
"The Power to Empower"
