Volunteer experience
Many volunteers, mainly students, come to HOC every year. They support the children in their daily activities and studies.
A university student volunteer volunteered at HOC for a month and wrote a report about their experiences.
Yurika ASANO (Tohoku Fukushi University)
In about a month, I prepared for Cafe HOC's 8th anniversary festival, participated in a landmine removal tour conducted by JMAS, participated in the Kizuna Festival in Phnom Penh with several children, and attended a memorial service. , I participated in many events while living with the children in the facility. I was able to meet various people through my activities at HOC. I also remember getting goosebumps when I saw the problems caused by poverty that I had heard about in class, and was moved by the fact that there are people who live happily in such an environment. It was a really wonderful experience to learn about the strength and kindness of the children, as well as the scenery and culture of Cambodia.
Takuto HANZAWA (Tohoku Fukushi University)
At HOC, my main activities were playing with the children, teaching Japanese, and studying together.
What I personally worked on is always with the children. And it was to talk a lot and play seriously. Little by little, the distance between me and the children narrowed, and I was able to touch their kindness by teaching them various things and letting them eat delicious food.
Through this volunteer activity, I was able to talk with Cambodian children and Japanese people living in Cambodia, and I think I was able to absorb a lot of good things about Cambodia. Even if I didn't speak the language with the children, I could understand what they were saying by living with them, and I could immediately tell if they were energetic or not by looking at their facial expressions. I thought that language would be a barrier, but that was not the case, and I was able to communicate immediately. The time I spent doing volunteer work flew by, and every day was stimulating, and it was a great experience for me.
Kosuke MIURA (Tohoku Fukushi University)
The main thing I did as a volunteer was to spend time with the HOC children. Specifically, in the morning, I cleaned with my children, prepared breakfast, helped with field work, and even ran. I also taught Japanese to children. I stayed there for about a month, but I was able to participate in many events such as the anniversary festival and Buddhist memorial service of HOC Cafe, and I was able to experience various cultures in a short period of time. There was one thing that was difficult, and that was when I was practicing for the performance to be announced at the anniversary festival, there were so many energetic children that it was difficult to take the lead. I had a hard time leading the group, but I felt a great sense of accomplishment when I was able to successfully announce the performance at the anniversary festival. I also want to visit HOC as a volunteer.