VOLUNTEER
We welcome volunteers to Our Village. There are volunteer opportunities for both individuals and groups. We have organized the program to include activities to match the talents and interests of the volunteers.
Our goal is to provide an experience that enjoyable and profitable for both them and the children.
A volunteer can assist in our school program as a tutor or a teacher’s aide. Volunteers also help children in the library, the nursery and the preschool or helping the sports teacher. Volunteers are also welcome to spend time with the children during their free time, playing sports or participating in other activities with them. We occasionally have sports days that volunteers can plan and supervise.
There are always projects around the Village. Previous groups of volunteers have helped with painting projects, sorting donations of goods and clothing as well as assisting staff with their day-to-day projects.
The help and service of our volunteers are very much appreciated. Volunteers are both guests and helpers. Our expectation is that they will interact with the children and will assist with projects that benefit them and the Village.
Spending time at the Village can have a lasting impact on a volunteer. For some, it has been a life-changing experience.
If you are interested in volunteering at Our Village, see our frequently asked questions. Of course, if you have further questions please contact us.
When I first came to NHCC I was a little anxious, maybe a little bit terrified to be out here in this small village with so many people with HIV. But then being face-to-face with the children, my concerns sounded a bit silly to me. The children were so easy to love and seemed healthier than I expected. In the beginning of my stay I was told about HIV and how it is transmitted and soon afterwards I was calm and comfortable with it.
Thank you so much for sharing your family of gorgeous family with my family. It was such a heart-warming experience, which we all appreciated and loved. We have learnt so much from you, love, patience, consideration and tenderness. You have given us so much. We hope we have given at least a small part of each of us back.
The children are a delight. Bless them all and bless those who take the time to care for them. An experience we hope to live again. Hugs to all.
The hugs, smiles and mischievous deeds of the children at NHCC quickly made me feel that this is also “My Village.” I am really amazed at the place that John and Kathy have managed to build. Children that before had so low life-expectancy are now being taught to expect so much of life: studying, dreaming of becoming doctors and lawyers, some of them going to university and paving the way for youngers kids, through a heavily HIV-prejudiced cultural landscape, but showing that it’s possible to lead normal lives with HIV.
So the project may be called New Hope for Cambodian Children, but in many respects these children represent a new hope for Cambodia.
I had a great, great time here. I feel really sad to go but I think, when I find the opportunity, I will come back for a longer time. These kids have really made my travels a lot more special. Being here was a great experience, which I won’t forget easily. What I like in NHCC is that all the kids are so happy. You can really see that they are being loved. Hopefully you will get more useful volunteers in the future and hopefully the children will all be good and healthy. You deserve that.
Thank you so much for this wonderful experience!
Kathy and her husband John are the two most incredible people that I have ever met. The second I stepped out of their car in Our Village, I felt like I was at home and part of a family. The children here are all such incredible gifts to the world; our fellow volunteers are just the same.
Today is my last day, and I need to give everybody at NHCC (especially the incredible children) a huge thank you for changing my life in such a short period of time, and in a way that I can’t explain. The love for life that you all have is something that everybody can learn from, and your arms that are big enough to hug the world is something that inspires all of the people you touch. Thank you John and Kathy, the teachers and volunteers, and all you magnificent children.
The short time spent at NHCC has truly opened my eyes and mind to a world of stunning happiness and enjoyment of such lovely children. As I sit and write this, I look across to the playground and see and hear the playful screams and noises of the kids.
I see hope and a blessed future for the next generation, under the watchful eyes and loving care of John and Kathy. As a teacher, I wish to assist and look forward to the growing connection with NHCC. Thank you for such an invaluable, humbling experience.
My best friend and my uncle told me about John and Kathy’s Village and now, after 3 weeks, I clearly see why it is called like that. I felt at home and very welcomed by John and Kathy, the other volunteers and most of all by the lovely children. It has been such a great experience to be here and to teach and play. All the children have HIV, but that is something I completely forgot about! Like all kids in the world, these kids love to play, like to learn or to be naughty or like to play sports. There are not differences, except for the fact that the NHCC children need their medicine and a chance to learn.
NHCC is an amazing project that gives these children great future prospects! I really believe that they all will become great doctors, actors, farmers, politicians, nurses, businessmen and women, or whatever they want to be.
John and Kathy, thank you so much for letting me stay and help in Our Village. Your project is amazing and I will spread the word about the great work you do here!
And to all the children, I want to wish you a beautiful future with everything you wish for! I really hope to see you again one day in the future!
In 2012 my life changed forever! I traveled across the world to Cambodia to volunteer at New Hope for Cambodian Children. Meeting the children at NHCC was and continues to be beyond words. My thoughts before I arrived were of hardships and how broken these children would be. The children taught me that despite all their challenges, life is still amazing. I loved my experience so much I returned in 2014 to volunteer again!
During my visits I met little girl in first grade. For two weeks we were inseparable. I love her as if she were one of my own children. I knew that even after I was gone, I wanted to continue to help her and Our Village as much as I could. I decided I would help sponsor her on a monthly basis. It’s just a little way for me to stay involved and I happily get updates on her on a regular basis, which makes my whole day.
I can’t begin to explain completely how my life is different, but meeting the wonderful children and sharing the experience with other volunteers has impacted me in ways that continues to bring me much happiness.
Okay, so thirty minutes left and I am leaving this sanctuary. I still can’t believe I’m leaving this place. I want to stay longer and get to know the names of each and every kid here. So far, I’ve recognized their faces and their energetic characters. I want to make a closer connection with them. But I guess I just feel this way because of this unforgettable experience.
Every volunteer is right. Once you walk through a room or wherever these kids are, you kind of zone out from reality that these kids have HIV and yet their happiness and cheekiness overflow.
Thank you to John and Kathy for constructing this organization and opening this type of opportunity for these hopeful kinds. I swear I am coming back.
Thanks for the wonderful stay at NHCC. I will miss the beautiful children in a big way. I loved every part of my two weeks and hope to make it back at some stage in the near future. Best of luck to the future volunteers. I hope you have as much fund as I have.
We are going to miss this place so much! We have fallen in love with the kids and this place and we really don’t want to leave. We can’t believe how happy the kids are and being here has made us feel so appreciative of what we have. It’s amazing see how lovely the atmosphere is here. We will miss you.