A Rota volunteer during the Reflection Event held at the Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar Atrium at Qatar Foundation’s Education City.
Doha: After returning from a successful service trip to two Rota-built schools in the Yogyakarta region of Indonesia, a group of 24 volunteers from Reach Out To Asia’s Volunteer Programme participated in a Reflection Event last night held at the Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar Atrium in Qatar Foundation’s Education City.
Opening the event, Rota Volunteer Programme Manager, George Tavola welcomed the volunteers as well as representatives from trip sponsor, Vodafone Qatar, before Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai shared comments with the audience emphasizing the value of the volunteers’ work during such trips and encouraged them to continue working with Rota to address community development in Qatar and abroad.
The audience then enjoyed a a collection of photos from the trip before volunteers were invited to share their own Indonesian experiences during an open floor reflection. “This was my first volunteer experience with Rota and I already look forward to more volunteer activities. The trip organisation was great and the team was amazing. The best part was getting to know the people and the culture of Indonesia and to work with the students. As much as we hope to have made an impact, they have certainly touched our lives and our hearts. I can still see their smiles, their tears and hear their little voices and big dreams. This was truly a memorable experience“, said Rota volunteer Ghalia Farzat.
Mohammed Al Sadah, Vodafone Qatar’s Chief Administration Officer, presented each volunteer with a Certificate of Participation before Volunteer Programme Specialist Hazem Idriss expressed a vote of thanks to all involved in the Indonesia 2102 Adult Volunteer Trip. The event came to a joyful conclusion with a group photo featuring volunteers, Rota staff, partners and guests.
“Thank you Rota for granting us the privilege of experiencing in depth another other part of the world and different types of people with all their concerns, dreams, smiles, tears and ambitions. After such a volunteer trip, we end up discovering the true essences of life; sharing and giving”, said Rota volunteer Taghreed Saab
The Rota Volunteer Program will be coordinating several other trips in 2013, including taking secondary school student volunteers to both Nepal and Cambodia. Such trips contribute to exposing locally based volunteers to Rota projects around Asia, understanding the needs of underprivileged communities in other countries and fostering a spirit of volunteerism and community service among society in Qatar.
“Hosting a reflection event after visiting Indonesia enables Rota volunteers to share experiences, reflect on the impact they made, understand the long term benefits of volunteering, and consider how best to continue their volunteering commitment in the future,” said Rota’s Volunteer Programme Manager, George Tavola.The Peninsula
