An Eclectic, Passionate Community

Ben Richman
Massachusetts, USA

"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan

Voluntarios de la Esperanza (VE Global) is much more than a volunteer organization.  It is an eclectic community of thoughtful and passionate individuals who want to do right, and do so with vigor.

VE harnesses the drive of its volunteers and directs the energy adelante, making the best use of the wide array of talents and skills readily offered, and providing a valuable support system.

The program began with a well-planned and highly resourceful orientation week that set the stage for living and working in Chile, and continued with intermittent events geared towards both the volunteers and the children we are helping. As an intern, VE has provided me with the unique opportunity to satisfy both my professional and personal goals.  I split my week between contributing to important projects on the Resource and Development team, and interacting with children at social risk in Santiago.

On the office end of VE, I analyzed the business model of a fundraising event and assisted with the implementation of a Customer Relationship Management software for an organization that I believe in.  This helped me understand the inner workings of a well functioning international NGO.

My second week on the job, I organized a field trip for the girls in my hogar (home) to the play El Diario de Ana Frank (The Diary of Anne Frank), and spoke to them about the Holocaust. Shortly after, I began organizing a newspaper reading taller (workshop) which allowed me to teach them about my personal passion, international affairs.  Weeks later, I accompanied the girls on the piano while they sang on stage in English at one of our events, Festival de Arte.  I swelled with pride as they won the award for best performance, reflecting the hard work we all put in over the past month. 

Always a buena onda (good vibe), VE is a place for those who want to change the world but don’t necessarily know where to start.