Sponsored child becomes keen World Vision volunteer with big dreams
Becoming a World Vision volunteer was an important milestone for George and he couldn’t sign his volunteer ‘contract’ soon enough. George started to help out at World Vision summer camps from the age of 14 and is now a dedicated and diligent volunteer during his free time.
“My first memory of World Vision is the moment when I met Mihaela and Simona, community workers from Cumpana. They took my photo and told me that I would exchange letters with a 26-year-man from Switzerland, who is my sponsor”.
I like to help people and I like to feel that I am a part of a group, a community. The voluntary activity connects people in a beneficial way. At that time George’s school didn’t have toilets. World Vision’s sponsorship program, in partnership with the local Cumpana town hall and Local Council enabled a toilet block to be constructed and World Vision also donated equipment for the school’s IT lab, including personal computers.
George’s sponsor and others like him enabled George to participate in various scholastic contests including Mathematics, as well as to attend educational sessions on dental care and healthcare. The health program also provided students like George with hygiene kits containing items that parents would not necessarily afford and donated beds and medical equipment to the Cumpana medical centre.
Through his involvement with World Vision, George and other teenagers from Cumpana received information about youth initiative groups that successfully run in other communities.
“Mihai Tudorica, a former World Vision employee explained to us what resources we must use, how to search for the right person to receive funding and many useful things”, says George.
“Back in June 2006, we founded The Youth Initiative Group (YIG) in Cumpana. Initially, there were just four of us, now we are more than 30. Our first project was to rehabilitate the school’s park, and we succeeded to do that after two years”, he continues.
But a memory that stands out for George is when the YIG organised a fundraising campaign for a poor family with eight children and two elderly people who all lived in one small room without windows.
George and his fellow members went ‘door knocking’ and George personally collected US$100. The group raised US$300 to buy food and construction material for small house improvements.
“Some people were receptive, but I experienced unpleasant situations too. An angry lady who lives on the fourth floor in one apartment threw a pail of water over my head and we didn’t even disturb her. And this was an unpleasant thing because last year in April it was still very cold…” shares George.
But George and his youth group members weren’t discouraged by the reaction as they were so pleased with the final fundraising result, which enabled them to help the disadvantaged family.
During school terms George and the other youth group members developed extracurricular activities for school children, including teaching English. During summer vacation the group organised recreational activities for children.
“It was a wonderful feeling to help these kids to make progress”, says George who has also participated in various World Vision campaigns and initiatives such as the 2% Campaign, the fundraising campaign ‘Urban for Rural, Children for Children’, World Vision national image study, ‘Light and Grace’ art exhibition and Candlelight Memorial Day for people living with HIV and AIDS.
It was a surprise for me to receive this prize. My mother was so moved, because she is very proud that I’m a volunteer. George has since been officially recognised for his volunteering efforts – winning first prize in the ‘Youngest 2007 volunteer from Constanta county’ out of volunteers nominated by 15 NGOs.
“It was a surprise for me to receive this prize. My mother was so moved, because she is very proud that I’m a volunteer”, says George.
Simona Benghiu, World Vision community worker from Cumpana village says of George, “He is a hardworking boy, who participates in all our local initiatives and activities. His parents are divorced and his mother remarried, but this hasn’t stopped George from becoming one of our best volunteers”.
“I like to help people and I like to feel that I am a part of a group, a community. The voluntary activity connects people in a beneficial way. I hope to be a World Vision volunteer as long as the organisation is active in our county”, says George.
“I’ve become accustomed now with the field work and with the office tasks and I’ve learned to write and develop a project. I’ve also improved my ability to communicate, which is very important for me because I used to be a shy and lonely boy before”, he shares.
If not for World Vision I would still be a lonely boy and I wouldn’t have the chance to meet so many people. My free time would be wasted without a purpose. George is now in the tenth grade and achieves good school results. His dream is to become an IT person, perhaps even with World Vision.
“If not for World Vision I would still be a lonely boy and I wouldn’t have the chance to meet so many people. My free time would be wasted without a purpose”, says George.
”I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet the only aquacultor from Romania or to visit an archaeological site, which made me see history with different eyes. I’m sure that my grades in history will get better”, he adds.
George concludes, “This is my way to give back what I’ve received from World Vision and to transform myself into a good man”.
“My first memory of World Vision is the moment when I met Mihaela and Simona, community workers from Cumpana. They took my photo and told me that I would exchange letters with a 26-year-man from Switzerland, who is my sponsor”.
I like to help people and I like to feel that I am a part of a group, a community. The voluntary activity connects people in a beneficial way. At that time George’s school didn’t have toilets. World Vision’s sponsorship program, in partnership with the local Cumpana town hall and Local Council enabled a toilet block to be constructed and World Vision also donated equipment for the school’s IT lab, including personal computers.
George’s sponsor and others like him enabled George to participate in various scholastic contests including Mathematics, as well as to attend educational sessions on dental care and healthcare. The health program also provided students like George with hygiene kits containing items that parents would not necessarily afford and donated beds and medical equipment to the Cumpana medical centre.
Through his involvement with World Vision, George and other teenagers from Cumpana received information about youth initiative groups that successfully run in other communities.
“Mihai Tudorica, a former World Vision employee explained to us what resources we must use, how to search for the right person to receive funding and many useful things”, says George.
“Back in June 2006, we founded The Youth Initiative Group (YIG) in Cumpana. Initially, there were just four of us, now we are more than 30. Our first project was to rehabilitate the school’s park, and we succeeded to do that after two years”, he continues.
But a memory that stands out for George is when the YIG organised a fundraising campaign for a poor family with eight children and two elderly people who all lived in one small room without windows.
George and his fellow members went ‘door knocking’ and George personally collected US$100. The group raised US$300 to buy food and construction material for small house improvements.
“Some people were receptive, but I experienced unpleasant situations too. An angry lady who lives on the fourth floor in one apartment threw a pail of water over my head and we didn’t even disturb her. And this was an unpleasant thing because last year in April it was still very cold…” shares George.
But George and his youth group members weren’t discouraged by the reaction as they were so pleased with the final fundraising result, which enabled them to help the disadvantaged family.
During school terms George and the other youth group members developed extracurricular activities for school children, including teaching English. During summer vacation the group organised recreational activities for children.
“It was a wonderful feeling to help these kids to make progress”, says George who has also participated in various World Vision campaigns and initiatives such as the 2% Campaign, the fundraising campaign ‘Urban for Rural, Children for Children’, World Vision national image study, ‘Light and Grace’ art exhibition and Candlelight Memorial Day for people living with HIV and AIDS.
It was a surprise for me to receive this prize. My mother was so moved, because she is very proud that I’m a volunteer. George has since been officially recognised for his volunteering efforts – winning first prize in the ‘Youngest 2007 volunteer from Constanta county’ out of volunteers nominated by 15 NGOs.
“It was a surprise for me to receive this prize. My mother was so moved, because she is very proud that I’m a volunteer”, says George.
Simona Benghiu, World Vision community worker from Cumpana village says of George, “He is a hardworking boy, who participates in all our local initiatives and activities. His parents are divorced and his mother remarried, but this hasn’t stopped George from becoming one of our best volunteers”.
“I like to help people and I like to feel that I am a part of a group, a community. The voluntary activity connects people in a beneficial way. I hope to be a World Vision volunteer as long as the organisation is active in our county”, says George.
“I’ve become accustomed now with the field work and with the office tasks and I’ve learned to write and develop a project. I’ve also improved my ability to communicate, which is very important for me because I used to be a shy and lonely boy before”, he shares.
If not for World Vision I would still be a lonely boy and I wouldn’t have the chance to meet so many people. My free time would be wasted without a purpose. George is now in the tenth grade and achieves good school results. His dream is to become an IT person, perhaps even with World Vision.
“If not for World Vision I would still be a lonely boy and I wouldn’t have the chance to meet so many people. My free time would be wasted without a purpose”, says George.
”I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet the only aquacultor from Romania or to visit an archaeological site, which made me see history with different eyes. I’m sure that my grades in history will get better”, he adds.
George concludes, “This is my way to give back what I’ve received from World Vision and to transform myself into a good man”.
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