Do Something Good!

I am starting a volunteer club at school. The purpose of the club is to

• get students interested in volunteering (something that is not very common here)
• teach them about other countries and the problems people have
• give them an opportunity to speak English with me
• give them an opportunity to develop leadership skills
• improve students' resumes to enter university 

I wrote a few times about Se Teu, the boy who drank acid, and the program we had to pay for his operations.  I think it was a great experience and wanted to continue doing something like this.  The school supported it, but I did not have the sense that they were enthusiastic.

Students who were in the group last year have been sending in their university applications, and now there has been a growing realization of the value of a volunteer program and everyone is remarkably enthusiastic.

I contacted a US based organization, Do Something Good. They provided me with the materials to help organize the students and some advice. I am hoping that I will have the students take over all the leadership very quickly including the choice of projects.

As usual, I had low expectations....maybe 10 or 15 kids will be interested.  I put up some signs Friday and I have got 26 kids signed up already.  What they hell have I gotten myself into...again!