"If you dream of traveling, let nothing stop you... do it!"
Full rooms, a lot of curiosity from those who have not left yet and excitement from those who, now back, remember their solidarity adventures. It's the environment we live in Tumaini Encounters from Madrid and Barcelona. In them, we present the solidarity trips that we offer this year and volunteers who have already traveled with Tumaini They shared their experiences. The result: dozens of people were infected with the traveling and supportive “virus”.
Madrid: I have a question!
The Madrid meeting was undoubtedly the most participatory. About 100 people came with great curiosity and a desire to travel. The talk became a space for exchange where we resolved all the doubts of future volunteers: what is the minimum stay in a project? Can people of all ages travel? What tasks does the volunteer do? We dedicated the first part of the meeting to presenting Tumaini and explaining our mission: put volunteers in contact with small projects in countries of the South. Monica, project manager; Almu, communication manager, and Vane, communication support, told how Tumaini accompanies people who want to travel from the beginning, when they have not yet chosen their project, until they arrive at their destination. We also tell what a solidarity trip means to us and what advantages it offers compared to a conventional tourist trip: getting to know another reality up close, living with local people, collaborating, making friends, etc.
After the introduction... the most awaited moment arrived. It was time to take the backpacks or suitcases and start our trip without leaving the city! And we did it thanks to the testimonials of the volunteers. First, we “move” to Asia: Jesús Royo made us travel to India; Pachi Delgado explained the journalism workshop that he gave to children in Nepal and Elena Pasamontes told how she put her skills as a teacher into practice in Bali.
Second destination: Latin America. In Mexico, we did a live Skype with Eva Otero, a volunteer with people with disabilities in Chiapas; then we went to Peru from the hand of Rocío Delgado, who told us about her experience with the children of Cusco; and later on we "entered" into the jungle of Bolivia from the hand of Bárbara Plana, a veterinary student who learned to care for rescued animals. The meeting ended in Africa, specifically in Kenya. Rubén Rodríguez and Moni Fernández spoke. The first taught us to combine volunteering with responsible tourism; and the second made us see that a solidarity trip can also be experienced at Christmas and as a couple.
Barcelona: there are no excuses for not traveling
In Barcelona, the volunteers gave us a great lesson: If in life you have a dream, to travel, there is nothing and no one to stop you, do it! The "trip" started in India from the hand of Mariona López with an anecdote. When he was about to finish his volunteering with Tibetan refugees, he asked a monk: "What do you want me to take back to Spain?" He thought that the monk was going to ask him to spread the Tibetan cause, but his answer surprised him: “a big smile”. That is why in the meeting he had a smile from ear to ear.
Next destination: Nepal. Rebecca Sedano, recently landed, told us how surprising it was for her to see how the little Nepalese seemed to live happily with very little. Afterwards, we went to Bali, where Guíomar del Pino and Elena Sola, through a video, explained to us how they had lived their volunteering in that "paradise". Here you can see it!
The meeting ended in Bolivia, Peru and Kenya. In Peru, Georgina Mercadal told how it was clear to her that she wanted to travel alone and the project in Cusco was a great choice. In Kenya, Alba Céspedes and Griselda Roca were moved when they remembered their honeymoon with the children at the orphanage. The last volunteer to speak was Óscar Santos, who gave us an injection of motivation and desire to travel. “I have vision problems in both eyes and people told me I was crazy for wanting to travel to Kenya alone, but I did it without any problem. So, if you want to travel, that nobody and nothing stops you, do it!
We take note of Oscar's advice and encourage you to take a solidarity trip. Whatever your profile, there is a suitable project for you that will surely change your life, even if it is small.
Thank you all for believing in a supportive way of traveling!
Travel alone
Travel is a moment of joy and discovery, an opportunity to learn new things. I love to travel alone