Chad R.
Chad In Peru
Chad R.
This summer, I will be joining a non-profit organization called United Planet as a volunteer for four weeks in Cusco, Peru. Once there, I will be working at the Aldea Infantil Juan Pablo II, a small orphanage in Cusco. Some of the things I'll be doing will include helping kids with their homework, helping children learn English, organizing activities for the kids, and assisting the orphanage staff in any way I can.
Why Peru? Currently, I teach fifth grade at Mathews Elementary School in Austin, Texas. Mathews serves as the home school for children of international graduate students who attend the University of Texas and live in the university's family housing apartments. Consequently, Mathews is the most international and diverse public school in Austin. Our motto is, "We Educate the World," and every year, children from all over the globe come to Mathews where they receive a world-class education. Now I have an opportunity to reciprocate that experience by taking my skills and talents out into the world to meet children not in my home, but in theirs.
Why volunteer work? While in my early twenties, I lived in England for one year and volunteered as an aide for a university student named Charlie. Charlie was paralyzed from the neck down and wheel-chair bound for life. My year of volunteer service proved to be one of the most enriching and life-changing experiences I have ever had, and I returned home with the satisfaction that I had given a year of my life to serve another person in need. My motivation for teaching grows directly from my goal of wanting to serve others in a genuine and meaningful way. Recently, I learned of this opportunity to serve children who live in poverty and great need. I hope not only to be a great help to them, but to witness first-hand the conditions in which a vast majority of the planet's people live. I don't expect to change the world, but I do hope to contribute something positive before I leave.