15 weeks Volunteering in Women Education and Environmental Protection Program

The stories you are going to hear from the students are heartbreaking. So many of them had to give up their humble dreams and even if the NGO I was volunteering at is a perfect opportunity for them to change their future perspectives, I must admit that I salute the girls for their power, strength and joy of life.

All of them are hard-working, eager to improve the NGO and learn how to cope with special challenges. It has never been hard for me to adapt to a new working environment, but thankfully my colleagues and the atmosphere in the work space made it even easier to feel like a full and equal part of the team and not just like an asset or volunteer. In this NGO you really have a chance to make a change and leave a footprint.

Every event we planned turned out pretty nice, even if it was a bit chaotic and hectic beforehand. It is remarkable to see how many people join these events, even if the weather is cold and rainy. It is lovely to see that different NGOs work together, that all of them rely on each other and that they appreciate achievements of others and not only their own.

How they raise funds to realize an entire Eco park, two educational programs, many environmental campaigns where they actually take action impressed me deeply - And honestly, our planet needs more like-minded people to make the earth we are living in a better place.

During my time in Bali I realized, that it is sometimes hard for me to forget my own ambitions when it comes to work results, but I learned how to cope with it and to leave a bit of my unnecessary perfectionism behind. Furthermore even if women in Bali already live under different conditions than a few years ago it is still alarming how many of them have to suffer from violence, hatred and missing gender equality. Seeing young women that still believe in the good and fight for their futures just showed me once again, that there can be something good in all the bad.

15 weeks in Bali sounds like great vacation, but that was not the reason that brought me here: I needed an access to be grateful again, so Bali was my first stop to start with this change.

Life has always been good to me and as I believe in karma I am really thankful that my decision to start in Bali was the right one: The beautiful island and its people welcomed me with open arms and I am glad to say that I met lovely people and inspiring personalities - but what touched me the most is, that I did not only make friends - I am more than happy to say, that the people I was granted to get to know are family now. Leaving my students was the hardest part: Being hugged by an entire intake, while all of them are crying was a very special moment, that even the strongest person moves to tears.

There are only two things that I will definitely not miss: earthquakes and the mosquito bites :)