The Rota-VCU-Q volunteers with officials during the event.
DOHA: Twenty-five volunteers from Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (VCU-Q) and Reach Out To Asia’s (Rota) Volunteer Programme who recently returned from a volunteer trip to Indonesia participated in a Reflection Event at the VCU-Q atrium.
Supported by Vodafone Qatar, the trip offered a unique service opportunity for undergraduate students to explore and expand their skills.
“From the feedback we received from both the Rota VCU-Q volunteers and Indonesian students and teachers, we can confidently say that this was a highly successful trip. The Rota volunteers made excellent role models, with the local students warmly accepting them. We know that this has been a life-changing event, and we can use this experience as a model for future trips based on skill development for educational institutes in Asia,” said Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai.
“At Vodafone Qatar, we believe in the impact that volunteering and community service can have on youths personal and professional development which is why we sponsored the Rota Volunteer Programme. In addition to the benefits it has on the beneficiary community, it pushes the volunteers to get out of their comfort zone, and envision a bigger role in society and the world,” said Dana Haidan, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Vodafone Qatar.
The Rota project in Indonesia focuses on preserving the traditional arts of batik and pottery, and the VCU-Q workshops intend to compliment the curriculum by offering students to explore their skills in drawing, fashion design, jewellery making, Photoshop and book binding.
The group also participated in a community arts project, Indoartamiks, a Rota supported programme to build the capacity of Bayat School students, alumni, local craft women and local artists through intensive trainings, workshops, and experimentation.
“This was my first volunteer experience with Rota and I already look forward to more volunteer activities. The trip 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 volunteer Farah Al Taweel.
The ROTA Volunteer Program will be coordinating several other trips in 2013, including taking secondary school student volunteers to both Nepal and Cambodia.
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