I have always loved teaching and I got the perfect teaching opportunity through Invictus Institute. Online tutoring is a great option to connect with students across the globe. Kasey Beck was prompt in replying to my request for volunteering. I was also amazed at how much knowledge the student had before I started teaching. Hats off to the tutors who taught them before me. Overall a lovely experience.

2. Why did you decide to volunteer?
a. Was it an easy decision to take?
b. Yes, I wanted to volunteerism a while and I was already involved in some association so, it was a normal continuation…
c. Did you have some fears before leaving for Uganda?
d. Not really! I was more exiting to discover new country and peoples.

3. How was your experience in Uganda?
4. That was a rich experience, about people, landscape, culture; I really appreciate the way of life there, quiet and natural. The people are really open and I have appreciated the welcome But, maybe, it’s true that sometimes it’s not easy to judge the serious of the people with who you deal with..:)

5. How was your experienceat Trust Future?
a. How was the atmosphere at Trust Future?
 With the children at school: kind of really great, they are really familiar and warm, I still miss them sometimes
 With the community: I had not so much relation with the community around TFU
 With the staff: They are really welcoming with everyone and they are all really funny and nice! Even if sometimes, they forget you for some decisions or information’s sometimes important.
b. What did you mainly do at Trust Future?
 How did you feel doing it? Class, help for daily tasks, share life with them…

6. Do you think this experience changed your life?
a. If yes, how did it impact your life?
I’m not sure! Maybe now I ve a bigger view over the world and stuff but I think, that TFU is a start of something more than something else… Because if I make another volunteering experience, I know more about what I want and what I can do really…

7. What would you like to say to someone who is going to volunteer with us?
Hahaa I think I already did with Fluorine I think, that I would like to say, go for it and live fully your experience 

Thank you so much!


My Volunteer experience:
I spend 3 months in a primary school in Nabweru, TFU, near to the big city of Kampala!:) That was a nice experience, I learned how to teach to young kids, how to animate them,… I share great time with them, with their teachers …
We even danced altogether toothat was really funny!
I start to appreciate the music that they all were listening… Even to a point where I shout and applause for “Beebe cool”! :D
That was for me, a great social and human experience that stop quickly and the return was a little bit shocking I think, even more because it was in winter but anyway this was a really good experience!

Hi,
my name is Marleen and I am the volunteer coordinator at FreeWildlifeBrazil Celine. Before I started here, I volunteered for our partner IPBio, with whom we developed a joint volunteer program. I volunteered there as a research assistant and did the mammal inventory on the Betary Reserve, using camera traps. I loved doing this because it included a lot of hiking (through the beautiful jungle, who wouldn’t like that?) and it was always a surprise what animals we would find on the footage of the camera trap. I got a lot of cool results such as the tayra, oncilla, capuchin monkey and South American coati.

I really enjoyed my stay at IPBio and hated the fact that I had to go back to the Netherlands. During my stay at IPBio, I heard that an animal release center (FreeWildlifeBrazil Celine) was being constructed on the Betary Reserve and heard that they were also planning to set up a volunteer program. I talked to the manager of the animal release center and got the opportunity to help them setting up the volunteer program. Six months after leaving IPBio to go back to the Netherlands, I was back, but this time as a volunteer coordinator for FreeWildlifeBrazil Celine. I am planning to stay here for one year, but already know that this is going to be way too short.

I would really recommend everyone to come here and to volunteer for FreeWildlifeBrazil Celine (or IPBio, but preferably FWB Celine ;)). We might have separate volunteer programs on paper, in reality we work together a lot. All volunteers (of both FWB Celine and IPBio) stay in the same house and will sometimes work together. We also do a lot of fun weekend activities together with IPBio’s volunteers, so you don’t have to be worried about boring weekends.

Not convinced yet? Check out our website and read the blogs of previous volunteers!