Volunteering with Colorss was like nothing I've ever done before

Toral Pattni currently working for the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the D.R.Congo as a Communications Officer, was our first international volunteer from United Kingdom. She came in the month of  Dec 2010 for one month.

Toral's experience is mentioned below..

It seems that Colorss is thriving, which is great.

Volunteering with Colorss was like nothing I've ever done before and has become one of my most treasured life experiences. When I arrived I was initially nervous but from the first time I met the children I realised that there was no need to be, working with them was fun and taught me a lot too. As a volunteer I got to work on many levels, on fundraising, communications work and also teaching English to the children using interactive and communicative techniques. The teachers were warm, welcoming and helpful and I have come away with memories and knowledge that are invaluable.

In terms of experience and skills, I feel my confidence in myself really grew to teach and work with others from different backgrounds from myself. I learnt more how to think on my feet and how to do big things with small resources. You have to really think creatively to maximise the potential of the children and it was interesting to see how different teaching techniques, such as pairwork and drilling, brought out their own confidence and made them want to speak even more. Anand Koti was an inspiring partner to work with, full of energy and ideas, and made sure that I gained as much as I could from the volunteering experience. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to see how a grassroots organisation works on ground level taking small steps that add up to positive changes in the children's lives.

Thanks,

Toral