Our Projects

You don't have to be looking for a gap year abroad to be a volunteer with us. We send many mature volunteers overseas - many are looking for a career break, or are thinking of a change of direction. Quite a few of our volunteers are in their thirties or forties, some are older and a few have even taken retirement. The mature outlook you can bring to a project is often invaluable.

Equally, if you haven't yet settled on a career, a few months of international volunteering could be just what you're looking for. If you're thinking of a career in social or humanitarian work, medicine, teaching, caring, conservation or the arts, voluntary service overseas could provide you with a fantastic head start.

We aim to harness the unusual opportunity that career breaks can provide, and work with local people to make the most of our volunteers' time abroad, whatever their age.

Each placement has its own project manager and volunteers have 24-hour in-country support from our co-ordinator. Projects are stimulating and allow for complete immersion in a fascinating foreign culture, whilst learning a language, making new friends and travelling to unusual places.

In order to minimise the cultural impact of projects, international volunteers are normally placed in pairs and never in a large group. You are welcome to make a joint application with a friend, if you wish – for details, see our group projects.

The Career Break Professionals We're Looking For

Nearly all of our projects in Mexico, Cambodia, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Galapagos and Costa Rica need mature volunteers and some will only accept people with specific skills and relevant work experience. In particular, we welcome career break applications from physiotherapists, computer technicians and IT specialists, solicitors and other lawyers, administrators, marketing professionals, social workers, musicians, artists and art therapists. Many of our projects are also suitable for teachers wishing to take a career break.

Our current needs are listed below. Please refer to the main pages on our website for individual project details.

Mexico

Physiotherapists: To help at a specialist clinic for disabled children and also a project working with disabled children and adults.

Teachers: There are great teaching projects in various coastal schools and fishing villages on the Pacific Coast. These include special needs schools.

Sri Lanka

Physiotherapists / Art Therapists / Musicians: To work with traumatised and disabled children.

Teachers: Are particularly needed to work in various schools and centres for poor children.

Costa Rica

Health workers, nurses and physiotherapists are needed to help at our clinic on the Caribbean coast.

Articles / Volunteer Evaluations

	I have just got back to Quito from Galapagos. I had the time of my life out there, I was absolutely devastated to leave. The family that I stayed with were the nicest people that I have ever met, and I had some wonderful friends out there too. I really enjoyed my projects. Teaching at Ingala was great - I had never taught adults before and I really enjoyed it. I think it´s is really important that they have another volunteer there soon to carry on the classes because its really easy to forget things in a foreign language if you're not practicing. I also suggested to Paulina that the next volunteer works more at Ingala, teaching different classes at different levels, because not all the workers there are at the same standard of english. I also worked at one of the schools with 5 year olds, which proved to be very challenging but rewarding as well. I know I was lucky because my class teacher, Gina, was great - very clued up with her teaching, great with the kids, and really lovely to me. i do know, however that that was not the case with other teachers who had volunteers in their classes. For example, Eliza's teacher, although she was a lovely lady, kept leaving Eliza alone with the children for long periods of time, which is really bad because if something had happened Eliza could have been held responsible. We did speak to Paulina about it and she spoke to the teacher and it was all fine, but I think its really important that the teachers know what is ok to do and whats not ok as regards having volunteers in the classroom. However, like I said, my experience was great. Paulina was also wonderful - really helpful and very organised! I think that everyone going to Galapagos will want to see more of San Cristobal than the beaches close to the town, and also some of the other islands as well, because being in Galapagos for that length of time is a once in a lifetime experince. A four day tour of the islands cost $400 (dollars), a days snorkelling at Kicker Rock is $60, diving $100, and getting taxis over to Galapaguuerra or Puerto Chino isnt cheap either if you are only going with a couple of people. Also day to day things are more expensive too, because its Galapagos. I really didnt mind spending the money, because I wanted to make the very most of my time there, which I feel i did. It´s not a problem, just make sure that future volunteers are aware that they need a bit more spending money for trips and excursions! I have had the most wonderful time being in Galapagos and doing my projects, thank you for your work in sorting it out for me. Now I just have to start planning when I can go back!

• Evaluation by Charlotte Kane, Teacher

	This is a little excerpt in the lives of Tash & Lyndi whilst living in Ecuador. We are both qualified nurses and having worked for the NHS for several years decided the time was right for a career break. During our time there we worked in one of the poorest areas of South Quito as nurses, running a street clinic for families working in the market areas. For 9 months we lived with an Ecuadorian family, Monica the mum, Paul (12 years), Tabitha (8 years) and Paula the live in maid. Our initial expectations were: What sort of very basic accommodation will we have? Will we warm to the family? As 9 mths is a long time if we don't get along! Will we be able to communicate? As we personally love a chat, but at the time could not speak much Spanish. Will it be easy to find our way around? How safe is it going to be? What about the food and water and will our health be affected? What do we really need to take? These types of questions we are sure pass through the minds of most, they certainly did ours. RELAX... it's all good. Javier was waiting for us at Quito airport and drove us to Monica's house, where the whole family warmly greeted us. Paula (the maid) was slightly reserved as is typical of the indigenous people, they are very warm hearted and generous but slightly guarded initially. Our house was beautiful with 2 beds maximum per room and either an en-suite or private bathroom per bedroom. Though we must say that after many years of independence it was slightly weird to have someone clean up after you, wash your clothes, make your bed and prepare all your meals. In regards to food - it is great... so there are no Rice Krispies, cheddar cheese or Roast Dinners. What there is are loads of fresh fruit and vegetables locally grown, the best chocolate (as long as you learn to make it) and delicious arepas, humitas, empanadas and cocktails to name a few. The families always put themselves out for you, inviting you places, including you in all family activities, ensuring they celebrate your birthday and/or any other reason to have a fiesta. Healthwise there are decent English speaking doctors and dentists (the majority based in Quito) whom your family can recommend. Though neither Tash nor I were sick the entire time, we had to proffer a lot of advice to the other volunteers re. diarrhoea, vomiting and infections in general. As to your personal safety, again we did not encounter any trouble the entire time. Some of the other volunteers did, though this was usually due to a lack of awareness: Do not put your bag on the back of your chair - You wouldn’t do it in London! Being sloshed- At what time in a drunken state is good to go to an A.T.M ?? Never!!! A taxi at night around central Quito is $2 and makes any outing completely safe. In regards to finding your way around, again our family took us to work the first day- How spoilt is that! They always advised us which buses to take for long and short journeys and bless her Monica always had her mobile with her 24/7. Just in case there was a call at 2 a.m. (which there was). Now to Lyndi's favourite part... talking. Okay we admit things can be very quiet the first couple of weeks, but the intensive and very tiring daily Spanish lessons were incredibly helpful. We were very lucky to live with a family who spoke English, but only for the first couple of weeks whilst we became acclimatised. After that just throw yourself in, trust us they are very used to Spanglish and charades always helps. Just a couple of handy hints re what to pack. If you are very tall or a size 14 or bigger then it is not easy to find clothes and shoes unless you are willing to pay top dollar. The Ecuadorians as a general population are not tall and have small feet. Yes there are large extremely modern shopping centres in Quito where you can buy almost anything you wish but they will not be at bargain prices. So to sum it all up... pack your bags, enjoy and don't bother taking a watch because Ecuadorian time is a world of its own. The only thing we ask is for you to respect the families that you live and work with as they have invited you into their homes and lives and that is their due.

• Evaluation of Living in Ecuador by Two Qualified Teachers

	I was tired of the same old routine. I wanted to do something exciting, I was hungry for adventure. It has always been a dream of mine to travel, Mexico especially. I searched the net and before I knew it I was travelling to Somerset for an interview to become a volunteer, working on the street children project in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My employers gave me 3 months extended leave to enable me to go on an adventure that turned out to be the most rewarding thing I have ever achieved. Wednesday 11th January soon arrived. I had packed, unpacked, packed and repacked, said my goodbyes and I was soon on the plane thinking, "What am I doing?" I was nervous; it was my first long haul flight (Miss Parker had never flown outside of Europe before... sad I know). I sent a text to a friend for some comfort, his response was to imagine myself sat on a beach at sunset with a beer in hand – maybe everything was going to be OK after all!! I was on a different flight to the other volunteers that were flying out at the same time. I was greeted at the Mexican airport with a massive hug from Hannah, the girl who I was working on the project with. Who turned out to be my friend and a close confident. My fears of not meeting up with the gang where abolished, I immediately felt relieved! I arrived in Puerto Vallarta 12 hours later via a luxury coach trip – the best public transport I have ever been on! Firstly I noticed that this tourist resort was very American, I later realised that this was a holidaying hot spot for North Americans and Canadians, they came in their Cruise loads! I was very pleased with the apartment, it quickly became home. I shared with 3 other volunteers, we shared a bedroom, which wasn't ideal being on different shifts, mine being the earliest - I was paranoid of waking the others up at 6am! I imagined this was how it was like at boarding school. The most frustrating time in the apartment was when the water pump kept breaking, once the whole apartment block was without water for nearly a week – stinky! Finding out my daily routine on the project was nerve racking – I remember the introductory day very well and I am sure it will stay with me forever. James (Director of Outreach), Joe (In country support person), Hannah (another volunteer) and myself went to the main base (which was the church, not far from the apartment). There we met Salomon who was the son of the Pastor and managed the School of Champions project. We hopped in a truck (the lovely H100), which I quickly became accustom to, what freedom, sat in the back of a truck with the sun warming your skin and the wind flying through your hair. Instantly thinking to one-self that we would never get away with this in England. We headed out of central Puerto Vallarta and headed into another town which I later realised was named Pitialle. As we drove past I tried to take in as much as possible. It was a busy little town, lots of shops, I assumed that these people shopping were locals and not tourists, as there were no clip on sun glasses or a bum bag in sight! We started to accelerate out of the busy town turned the last tight bend left and passed the hospital, it now became obvious why I was out here. I instantly saw the difference, the ground changed from a smooth tarmac road to a gravel dirt track. The houses changed from solid brick houses to houses made from corrugated iron, people where just playing and hanging out in groups outside their houses. We passed some open green space, which I assumed was the centre of the town but the lovely mango trees looked dead and the leaves were covered in dust. We pulled up outside a school (Magesterio school) and went in. We got introduced to the English teacher, Donna who was American and the children, who were extremely excited to have guests in their lesson and I think found this opportunity to show off and start giggling hysterically. I was shocked by the state of the classroom, which was cleaned before the children start their lesson; God knows what it was like before hand. I wouldn't like to think! The children were learning the months and dates of their birthdays. I was amazed, the children all eager to learn English, this puzzled me, I later realised that tourism is a huge part of Puerto Vallarta's income, and if these children wanted employment they had to know some English, interesting! We then made a trip to the dump, I didn't know what to expect. The dump was just at the end of the dirt track, we passed through the gates and the smell instantly hit me. The truck drove up the mound of compressed rubbish. Dirt, rubbish, dust and birds greeted us, along with an energetic little boy that had chased the truck from the bottom to the top, his face and clothes were covered in dust but his eyes were brown and friendly his smile lit up his face, he was so pleased to see us that he jumped into the back of the truck and started helping us. We were only there a few seconds and people started coming from all directions and queuing up behind the truck. We handed out juice, milk and a soup to each person. What struck me the most was their complete silence and gratitude for the food. They lined up in a mature fashion, no pushing or shoving involved, and it was extremely peaceful. The people received their food said thanks and then they scurried off to eat it. The families were truly thankful for us being their but there was also something else that struck me, I couldn't help but notice their skin looked older than it should be, as I made contact with their hands they seemed to be rough, as I looked down and observed their feet, they too were old and rough, they barely had shoes, their clothes tatty, and those that weren't were dirty and dusty. I observed silently and realised I had not seen anything like this before and I was truly overwhelmed and extremely privileged to be here experiencing this moment. From that point onwards, life as a volunteer got better and better, the days were long and sometimes very hot but feeling useful is the best feeling in the world and I wouldn't have swapped it for anything. The people I met and hung out with on the project were very friendly, supportive and very welcoming. There wasn't one day that passed that I never smiled or laughed. There was a communication barrier to start with but I soon realised that you didn't have to be fluent in the same language to appreciate each others company or to enjoy a good joke. My confidence in speaking Spanish improved as time went by, I find languages difficult to pick up so I was relived when people understood what I was talking about!! I soon settled into my daily routine of getting up early packing up the H100, visiting the bakery at dawn and then heading off to the schools. On our route to the schools every morning we watch the sun slowly rise above the mountains - truly magical. We visited 4 public primary schools and 6 kindergartens each morning, handing out juice and sweet bread. We did the same again at lunchtime. We then headed off to the School of Champions, with Salomon. I treasured the journey in the H100, Salo enjoys life, and his happiness and contentment with life seemed to make an impression on me. I felt so high after being in his company and Emma, my flat mate, always commented on how happy I was at the end of the day. It became custom that we both chatted about what we got up to that day. The children I taught English to had amazing personalities, each one so different but all shared the same enthusiasm for life, learning and had a strong bond of community spirit. I enjoyed the lessons immensely. It was so rewarding to be able to teach the children colours, numbers and the alphabet. Some learnt quicker than others, but that didn't matter. Friday was special to me as we got to play sports with the children. Football was my favourite choice, somehow I got accepted as a good footballer when I kicked the ball as hard as I could and scored a goal, and respect was immediately given!! Then they wanted to play with me all the time. Once I played for 2 hours non-stop – certainly burnt off some taco calories. I was also given the nickname Lampard by some of the congregation at Church when we were on an overnight activity event, for my excellent football skills as a girl. I felt very touched to hang out with these children who were truly happy and proud to have moved from the dump into the surrounding area. They had nothing but still wanted to attend school and achieve more, I was so grateful to be a part of their lives for 3 months, it was very sad and difficult to say goodbye. I still think about them a lot. The weekends were jammed with adventure; we went zip wiring, quad bike riding, snorkelling, surfing and lots of swimming in the ocean. Sundays were my favourite, Joe took us out on trips in the Tiger Truck, which we nicknamed DUSTY. We managed to visit most of the local beaches like Sayulita, San Pancho, Boca De Tomatlan, La Cruz and Bucerias. We even went on a road trip to Guadalajara for one weekend - it took 5 hours to get there! But something was missing, the children and families; I missed them and somehow wished that they could enjoy what I was enjoying. I don't know how often they venture out of Majesterio but I couldn't imagine it was very often. This made me sad, I am now very thankful and extremely grateful of the upbringing I had as a child. English children take everything for granted, a roof over their heads, hot meals everyday, running water and toys to play with. I wish everyone could experience some of Majesterio's magic, I am sure we would live in a more peaceful environment. I was able to spend a few days in Mexico City before my return to England, what a contrast! The City was full of culture, art, architecture and passion for Christ but also very trendy with hip music shops and fashionable clothes shops. Leaving Puerto Vallarta in that small little plane made me very sad, tears rolled down my cheeks as the plane took off and we circled the Bay of Banderas, which had been my home for the last 3 months. I was leaving behind friends who felt like family, children I adored and respected, food that tasted divine (fruit in a bag and tacos) and a climate and culture that easily felt like home. What was going to happen to me once I returned to England?... After returning to work for a couple of days people stopped asking me questions, all I wanted to do was talk about Mexico and my experience, the people I met and the food I ate. No one seemed interested anymore, no one understood, I felt lost. I still feel lost. In Mexico I felt useful and was making a positive contribution, in England I feel very removed from that feeling. I will return to Mexico and I will definitely be another volunteer perhaps in another part of the world... this is not the end of my journey.

• Evaluation by Laura Parker, Civil Servant

	What is a typical day like on your project? I spend the mornings at Calmette hospital in Phnom Penh where I am supervising and training local physio's completing an upgrade training course. We are working on the stroke ward and see a variety of patients, 2 or 3 in the morning and go through the neuro assessment and treatment for each patient. I have had 1,2 or 3 physio's with me at one time (there are 12 completing the upgrade course at the moment). We work with the patients by their hospital beds, as there is no gym available. We have one wheelchair that we can borrow for treatment but no other equipment available to use at the hospital. We have worked with a variety of patients and their relatives including stroke patients and traumatic head injuries. They are all really motivated and appreciate any help we can provide. In the afternoons I am at Kien Kleang rehab centre in Phnom Penh supervising the same physio's. We are working with a variety of disabled children including cerebral palsy, polio and clubfoot. We complete the assessment and follow-up treatment and advice for families and work closely with the prosthetists / orthotists to provide splints and seating systems as needed, and also with the maintenance department for standing frames. What have been the most memorable things on your project so far? Working with all the local physio's. They are all really keen to learn new skills and adapt existing ones.  I have definitely learnt a lot from them too. Helping a child with cerebral palsy to walk which he had never done before. Working with a stroke patient over several weeks at Calmette hospital who was unable to sit independently initially and he walked with assistance when he went home. Another patient who had had a head injury from a moto accident who made great improvements in just a few days. The children at the rehab centre that we have treated. They all have such complex difficulties but are so happy. The fact that the children are so happy with just the minimal of things - a lot of them don't have any toys. They are so excited by new toys and the simplest toys are so interesting to them. My moto rides to and from work are always memorable! What are the most challenging things? The language difficulties i.e. that I speak very little Khmer. I found it really daunting to start with and really appreciate how patients must feel in the UK that are unable to speak English (and I'm not even a patient out here!). Now I've learnt a bit of Khmer though which I am really enjoying and find it a lot easier! The lessons organised by Outreach International have proved to be invaluable. The different way of working. There is no equipment at the hospital so you really have to improvise. At the rehab centre there is more equipment available but it is still quite limited and basic. The heat! Its really difficult working in 40 degrees heat! The lack of space at the hospital and that patients stay in hospital for a short period of time i.e. due to lack of money (they have to pay for treatment) so a lot of the time don't receive all the treatment they need. The slower pace of work out here. Why did you choose to take a break from working? I had gone straight from school to university and straight into a job without a break so I really wanted to take a break. I didn't just want to go travelling for 6 months and wanted to do something worthwhile to me and my career. Luckily South Birmingham Primary Care Trust where I work, have allowed me to take 6 months off my Senior 2 job so I could do thisI really appreciate it! I have always had an interest in amputees, paediatrics and neuro. I was initially drawn to the project because of my interest in amputees but it turns out that isn't a part of my project! I love working with the kids and the adult neuro patients out here and think it will really benefit my future work as a physio. I have also wanted to go to Cambodia for a while since my holiday in Vietnam and couldn't believe my luck when a project was available in the country so I could volunteer as a physio as well as see the country. Why did you choose Outreach International? I literally typed in to google "physio in Cambodia" and came up with Outreach International. I read more about the project and it really appealed to me. Also I wanted to go with an organisation rather than on my own so that I had some support out here. There seem to be plenty of good recommendations and I appreciated their honesty and accurate descriptions of the different projects. James Chapman (director) seemed to really know Cambodia and insisted on meeting me fact to face. How has the project helped you so far? Developed my skills as a physio in a variety of areas. Developed my ability to adapt treatment to a number of different settings. Expanded my experience with different conditions such as polio and clubfoot. Developed my communication skills - ability to explain ideas in simple terms for the local physios, due to the language. Gained an understanding of the cultural differences in Cambodia. Having the opportunity and ability to live in a different country. Meeting new people and visiting a number of great places. Developed my assessment skills - I am unable to understand the language a lot of the time so just spend a lot of time observing patients and I really think my assessment skills have improved as a result. Facing many challenges in the country which has definitely made me stronger! Do you have any future plans in the UK or overseas yet? I will return to work for South Birmingham PCT in October to continue my Senior 2 rotational job and hope to stay there for a while! I will definitely plan more travelling for the future as I love it so much and think you can learn a great deal from it. What kind of person would enjoy the project that you are doing? What kind of background should they have? I think anyone who is outgoing and would like a challenge and change of working environment. The physio projects change a lot so it is difficult to say how much experience you would need. For my project you would need at least 2 years because you are training other physios and need some experience from the UK. If you have less experience then it would be more challenging but it depends what you would do and I hope they would try to find the right project for the individual. You can gain so much from working in a different place that I would recommend it to anyone! What are your top tips for someone wanting to perhaps take a career break or break after studying to volunteer? Really think about whether it is what you want to do - as it's not all easy! Discuss it with your manager first! Really think about the money as I found it a lot of hard work raising all the money that I needed for the project (over £3,000 pounds) and also how you will be volunteering when out here i.e. not getting paid (I have had to put my mortgage on hold for 6 months!) BUT it was definitely worth it and I think that Outreach International offer a good service and value for money. Really think about where you would like to go as I think you can gain different things depending on where you go.

• Evaluation by Sally Cox, Physiotherapist

	What is a typical day like on your project? I arrive at work at 9am on the local bus which is an adventure in itself. The building is based in the colonial of Pitillal in Puerto Vallarta. The childrens' parents drop them off anytime after 8am. When all the children have been fed their breakfast by the volunteers and workers I head to the physio room. The room is very small with just one bench/bed, made of foam with a leather cover. There is basic equipment, a physio ball, a couple of wedges and a stander and walker of very old models, which I haven't seen in England ever before! Silva the physiotherapist and myself treat as many children as we can who need physio, working mainly on stretching, strengthening, positioning and sitting/walking. The basic equipment makes life difficult. We try to get around everyone as the children rarely attend everyday and some only come once a week or less! At 1pm we finish physio treatment and all the children get fed lunch. After lunch every child is cleaned and changed into a new set of clothes so they look nice for their parents. Parents can pick their children up any time between 3 and 5pm. The other physiotherapist leaves at 1pm but I chose to stay and help with the feeding, washing and dressing. What have been the most memorable things on your project so far? The first day has to be one of the most memorable. Walking into a small dark hot room with children tied to car seats and plastic chairs so they cant move around and hurt themselves on the tiled floor. Also now having the children know who I am, coming up to me and talking to me in the few English words I've taught them and asking to have physio. They used to dread physio but now we have made it more fun and just as productive. Its nice to see them smile and enjoy themselves even though they have been dealt a poor hand in life. I will never forget two special children, Carlos and Mimi. They are brother and sister of 6 and 5. Carlos has mild cerebral palsy affecting his legs and therefore cant walk without maximal assistance and Mimi had cancer in her eyes and had them removed. Carlos has become Mimi's eyes and Mimi has become his legs they are very amazing to sit and watch. What are the most challenging things? I personally find the most challenging thing being the lack of equipment and knowledge about the children's conditions. The children have Downs, Cerebral palsy, hydrocephaly, consequences of meningitis and many others. The workers have little knowledge of positioning the children to prevent or help their conditions. There is no specialist seating so they just put them in very old car seats that have been donated! It can be hard to correct them when they have been doing things their way for so long just to get by. Why did you choose to take a break between studying and working? I chose the break as I felt I wanted to use my skills to help whilst I got to see another culture and travel. I was also greatly influenced by the current junior situation as I just graduated from Birmingham university and was disheartened by the lack of current junior positions, I definitely didn't want to go work in a bar in England and let my skills go to waste! Why did you choose Outreach International? I chose outreach over other companies as they seemed to place more emphasis on the project. It was also a smaller organisation so I thought I wouldn't get 'lost in the system'. This turned out to be right and they definitely placed me on a project that used my skills. Project aside they were good in suggesting activities and fun places to go at week ends. They got us involved in all sorts of things, encouraged interaction with local people and the broader community. It was through Outreach that I really obtained a 'Mexican experience'. How has the project helped you so far? The project has helped me to understand another culture and see how others live. My physio skills are being kept up to date and are constantly challenged in such a different environment. It has given me time to reflect and plan my career path and what I want to achieve given the opportunity in a junior position. Do you have any future plans in the UK or overseas yet? After Mexico I'm heading to Australia and Fuji to travel alone before heading back to England end of August to find a junior job. Before I left I wrote to many hospitals and trusts informing them of my situation and I hope to follow them up. What kind of person would enjoy the project that you are doing?  What kind of background should they have? Anyone involved in physiotherapy. A student in their summer looking for an experience of a lifetime, a recent graduate hoping to make a small difference before finding that junior job or an experienced therapist looking for a career break where they can help a very needy cause. What are your top tips for someone wanting to perhaps take a career break or break after studying to volunteer? The biggest thing I would say is 'expect the unexpected!' Really research the project and organisation to make sure their values and aims match yours. If you need it, really learn the language well before heading to the country it helps you get a lot further, not just general words but technical physiotherapy terms so you can get the trust of others around you. If you want a small, personal company for support go with Outreach International. They do seem to care. Also the project has a lot of respect for them which must be a good sign.

• Evaluation by Jenny Carter , Physiotherapist

	Street children . Ecuador for three months. What was a typical day like on your project? Am Market Group (Santa Maria). 8-14children aged 2-12 years. 2 or 3 other volunteers, structured play plus some basic literacy and numeracy work. Pm Three times a week, 2-4pm, volunteered at a Clinic for children with learning disabilities. 2 volunteers assisting 2 to 3 staff. Also coordinating street children programmes for some of the younger volunteers. What were the most memorable things on your project? Touring a Christmas hospital in Quito and comparing the resources with the NHS in the UK where I work! The NHS really is well resourced in comparison! The joy and laughter in the face of poverty and hardship. What were the most challenging things? Learning Spanish, the 2 weeks at Simon Bolivar school was excellent but my brain wasn't too good at picking up a new language! Communicating with the little Spanish was challenging. Why did you choose a career break? Having been ordained for over 30 years I was well overdue a sabbatical. Why did you choose Outreach International? Because Dick (friend and fellow volunteer) and I had spoken about visiting South America and Dick's daughter had a good time with Outreach International. Tell us about your background before beginning your project 30 years as C of E priest, the last 19 as hospital chaplain. How has the project helped you? A welcome break from routine. Broadened horizons. Have learned a great deal. Refreshed and inspired anew. I definitely want more of this when retired. What are you doing at the moment? What are your future career plans? With NHS until retirement in 2 or 3 years. Then….I know not! What kind of person would enjoy the project that you did? What kind of background should they have? Someone with a sense of responsibility and commitment. One or two volunteers seemed too think they could turn up when they felt like it. If all volunteers were like that the project would soon collapse. Volunteering with Outreach International on a project lie this is very rewarding but serious work. What are your top tips for someone wanting to change their career or take a career break? A project with Outreach International enables the career break to combine work and play. You feel you are being of some use, learn a great deal yourself, grow as a person and visit a new point on the globe. Would you recommend Outreach international to them and if so why? Good back-up and care for volunteers. Excellent representative in Quito. On the whole excellent information at every stage and carefully selected projects.

• Evaluation by Nigel Tooth, Vicar

	Going to Cambodia was by far the best thing I've ever done, it has taken quite some adjusting to get back to normal, but I am planning on returning before the year ends to visit friends I made there and see the children again. Aziza's Place was perfect, a nice balance between teaching the children and HR work, as well having a lot of fun, it was all just simply amazing. Whilst there I did consider staying to pursue a medium term career in advising NGOs on HR-related areas, although in the end the money ran out and I needed to return home to complete a restructure with work in which I'd opted for redundancy. I have now moved back to Manchester and work in a higher level role as HR Business Partner, although my ideas for returning to Phnom Penh for a longer stay and possibly some consultancy work have not been completely forgotten, just put on hold whilst I ensure I have enough experience on my CV to be able to return and still find work in the future, or in the very least be able to visit there regularly. Hayley Carter. HR consultant

• Evaluation by Hayley Carter. HR consultant

	After being back from Mexico for about 6 weeks and now back working at Westwind it has given me time to reflect on my time working on both projects and life living in Mexico. The more I think about it the more I realise what an amazing and generous opportunity Westwind had offered me. Some people may look at this as a 3 month holiday, and to be fair I feel refreshed, happier and with a more positive outlook as if I had been on holiday. However those 3 months did not seem like a holiday to me, the turtle camp was 24 - 7 and Rob and I worked long hours in uncomfortable temperatures with very little sleep. We were rewarded with some amazing experiences, like the first time you discover a turtle laying her eggs on the beach whilst out on patrol; although this experience was magical every time you witnessed it. Or out on morning patrol with the sun rising in the distance, covering 12 km's of deserted beach on a quad bike looking for the perfect spot to release newly born turtles back into the ocean. We were lucky everyday to be working in such a beautiful location with some really cool people. The hours were not so long on the crocodile project but at times required some dedicated hard work. Again I was rewarded with great experiences including nervously catching and handling young crocodiles, feeding the amazingly big adult crocodiles or trying to lasoo and capture large iguanas. Once again I was lucky to be working in a stunning environment with enthusiastic students and I have many fond memories of both projects.. There were highs and lows and having to adapt to different work and lifestyle changes has made me more self confident, with more social skills to be able to deal with situations that might arise in and out of work, also being able to adapt to different environments and be more of a team player. I am hoping Westwind (with the help of GSI) can carry on this amazing opportunity for other employees to be given the chance to experience life in a different country with new cultures, values and be able to work on worthwhile volunteer projects; hopefully returning to Westwind refreshed and with a more positive outlook towards work and life in general as I have done, also appreciating how nice it is to have a structured work environment. Maybe with GSI and Westwinds involvement with Outreach International, sending out employees to work on humanitarian and environmental volunteer projects could raise GSI and Westwinds profile with more positive PR for the company and be a more appealing company for potential employees. If we were able to adopt certain projects maybe one humanitarian and one environmental then employees who are interested could get involved in fund raising and be part of the projects without having to travel abroad and work on them. This might suit people that would like to volunteer but would find it hard to be away for 3 months maybe due to family commitments, hopefully creating a feel good factor to those involved. Whilst others can travel out to these specific projects and help with the day to day running of them. I would like to thank everyone who has made it possible for me to have had this awesome experience and hope many more people will be given this great opportunity.

• Evaluation by David Mitchell. Technician. Westwind Air Bearings.

"I had the time of my life out there, I was absolutely devastated to leave. The family that I stayed with were the nicest people that I have ever met, and I had some wonderful friends out there too. Now I just have to start planning when I can go back!"

Charlotte Kane, Teacher, Community English Teaching project career break volunteer, the Galapagos Islands