Testimonials from International Volunteers
Julie Jeanneret (France) - Feb. to May 2017
" WOY aims to increase the quality of life of youth generation through education and empowerment. John and Gama are really inspiring and passionate about their work."
Working with WOY during 3 months was a very interesting and rewarding experience. John, the director of WOY, is very friendly and dedicated. Thanks to him, I not only learned about WOY actions but also about the country and the culture. I was amazed by the variety of the programs offered to WOY and had the chance to participate in several of them :
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The workshops to empower youth offer a feel-good atmosphere that encourages them to express themselves and to learn on various subjects. It was great to get to know the kids and young adults, to discover their willingness to learn and to make a difference.
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The training against gender-based violence was very interesting and included many activities, such as group works, drawing assignments and presentations. The participants could acquire knowledge and many skills during this one-week training.
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I also participated in developing income-generating activities and was in Tanzania during the beginning of the construction works of the pig farm. This project is crucial to help WOY to continue to brighten the future of many more young people and I was honoured to support them.
Marisa Maneri (USA) - Oct. to Dec. 2016
" WOY is an amazing organization that works on a variety of topics, and John is extremely dedicated and a great partner to work with."
During my three months working with White Orange Youth, I had the pleasure of getting to know John and Gama, the co-directors of the organization. Their dedication, humor, patience, and incredible amount of experience and knowledge made it fun and easy to dive into work alongside them.
We worked together on beginning the WOY farm, which is 3 acres of land that will soon have pigs as its first source of income. I also worked with two of the WOY youth groups, and loved getting to know the kids and young adults that are passionate about making a difference in their community.
Cerra Teng (USA) - May to Aug. 2016
" John is a person with great compassion and strong motivation. I was impressed by his passion on social issues and children right. I've been learning a lot from him not only the social issues but also culture, history."
I worked closely with John like following him to different meetings and activities. John is a person with great compassion and strong motivation. I was impressed by his passion on social issues and children right. I've been learning a lot from him not only the social issues but also culture, history. I also love living with his family and had a lot of fun with them.
During the time I'm in Tanzania, I also do my personal project - educate African teenager the creative problem solving skills. John initiatively assisted in logistics even before my arrival. The project is still going on and you can find more details about this project: liatanzania.com
Beth Henneberg (USA) - Nov. 2007 to Jan. 2008
" From my experience at WOY, I have created multiple life-long friendships and am so honored to have worked alongside such humble and wonderful people."
I loved my experience at White Orange Youth. Not only did I work alongside the local volunteers and HIV peer educators, helping them collect data in the community, I got to train them in e-mail use and internet searches, and then use my own computer literacy to search for funding opportunities, and capacity build strategies.
One of the highlights of my time there was marching through the streets in solidarity with the community for World AIDS Day. John is skilled at identifying how each international volunteer can contribute to the cause. From my experience at WOY, I have created multiple life-long friendships and am so honored to have worked alongside such humble and wonderful people.