(VOVworld) - Just imagine sharing your time, enthusiasm, and life skills with children in an orphanage in Ghana, building a nursery school in Nepal, doing HIV-AIDS prevention & outreach work in Uganda, protecting wildlife in Kenya, teaching IT to disabled in Mozambique, learning arts and crafts in Nigeria, etc…Any of these things can be done by joining ICYE Vietnam, part of an international non-profit youth exchange organization (ICYE) promoting youth mobility, intercultural learning and international volunteer service, in nearly 40 countries around the world. VOV5 That’s Life has the story…

The International Cultural Youth Exchange program in Vietnam (ICYE Vietnam) was established in 2006 as part of the Volunteers for Vietnam Peace, a non-profit, non-governmental organization founded in 2005 to provide help and education to people in urban and rural Vietnam.  ICYE Vietnam’s programs are designed to offer young people a combination of meaningful volunteer work and a direct exposure to the rich culture of a host country. Program coordinator Pham Thi Thu told us:“The program aims to help young Vietnamese people travel abroad, share experiences with friends of different cultures and get involved in volunteer activities worldwide. This will help them gain experience and encourage them to develop their abilities to the maximum. Any young person above the age of 15 is eligible for the program. They can register for a wide range of volunteer work from cultural exchanges to community work, including working for NGOs, helping the poor and the homeless, and contributing to environmental protection activities.

To be a volunteer with ICYE programs means into integrate in the life and work of the hosting organization and wider community. Volunteers are encouraged to get involved in the planning and managing of activities, take part in staff meetings, and to take on responsibilities according to their skills and interests, and the needs of the project. An important aspect of the volunteer service experience is the volunteer's active participation in the life of the community in which he/she lives and works.  Nguyen Thi Hanh, a fourth-year student at RMIT University and a member of ICYE Vietnam, told VOV: "I was lucky to get involved in volunteer activities in 3 different cultures - Mongolia, India, and the Republic of Korea. To my amazement, Mongolian cities are more modern than I thought, while life in India is less strict than people used to tell me. Local people were very friendly, open, and helpful. I learned a lot of from other international volunteers’ working methods. Vietnamese people tend to avoid conflicts while other international friends are more straightforward and try to settle disputes as soon as possible. It might be a little uncomfortable at first, but it improves our work efficiency a lot."

Hanh said that language skills are not the most important factor in performing a volunteer’s tasks. It is very helpful if one speaks fluent English. But if not, the volunteers’ enthusiasm, determination, and professionalism can help them fulfill their duties.  

ICYE Vietnam has sent a total of 300 Vietnamese volunteers abroad, and every year there are approximately 600 foreign volunteers who register to work in Vietnam. Pham Thi Thu again: "This program has become increasingly popular in Vietnam. This year, we have received applications from teenagers just 12 or 13 years old who want to register for cultural exchange programs in Estonia and the UK. Their parents fully support their applications and are willing to pay all fees including air tickets and visa fees. All other expenditures in the host countries are fully paid by our partners there."  

Be a volunteer abroad and go beyond your limits is a message being sent to young people across Vietnam by ICYE Vietnam.