Our Volunteer Haitham in Czech Republic

Hi, my name is Haitham, I’m 26 years old and I’m from Jordan. I have been volunteering at the Rubikon Club in the Low Prairie for several months. It’s my first experience of volunteering outside my country where I also worked with local organizations as a volunteer. I chose the Czech Republic for long-term volunteering for several reasons. My friends who visited the Czech Republic motivated me to come. I was attracted by the quiet environment, beautiful nature and monuments and extraordinary people.

Volunteering here is a rewarding experience for me. I enjoy interacting with children, seeing their smiles and feeling their energy as they play, create, innovate and imagine their future. At first I felt confused because it was a new experience in a new country with a different culture and language. I didn’t know how to begin. Thanks to my Rubicon colleagues, who helped and supported me step by step, I gradually learned the rules and how to work professionally with children, especially those from the Roma community.
They also help me to understand Roma traditions and culture. I also started to learn Czech to make contact with children who do not speak English. Now feeling better and seeing improvement day by day. I am very happy that I could participate in cultural and educational activities for children, train them in English and develop their other skills (for example in cooking).

I’ve learned that patience is essential and in time everything changes for the better. He adapted to Czech society, met new people and made new friends. And he understood that volunteering is a way to change the lives of others, as well as his own. Thank you for the opportunity to volunteer for the European Solidarity Choir and Diakonia Vsetín.
And my message to you? Try volunteering.

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Czech National Agency for International Education and Research – DZS. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Funded by the European Union. However, the views and positions expressed represent the opinions and positions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of the European Union or the House of Foreign Cooperation. The European Union nor the grant provider are not responsible for them.