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Testimonials

Please see what some of the United Planet volunteers have said about the programs:

“I came to America from South Korea to find myself. I think that America has so much to teach the world and me. I have had many volunteer experiences in my own country, so when I got the opportunity to volunteer in America, I took it. I was unprepared at first, shocked by the effect the immersion in a country had on me and slightly confused. However, I had a fantastic time here. When volunteering in America, I learned many things; I got a feeling of cross-cultural understanding and could cultivate my patience and endurance. It gave me a broad view of the world. Furthermore, I believe that our development depends on the people who we meet in the course of our lives. I have been working in America as a member of an international team with colleagues from England, Australia, Canada, Mexico, Scotland, Switzerland, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Brazil. The benefit of working with these people came as much from our differences as from our similarities. I was so lucky that I met these various friends at the right moment. All our differences united us in our diversity. I expected the volunteer work to be too difficult for me, but I have overcome the emotional and physical demands. I changed through time; if I was ever in any trouble, I always managed to wriggle free unscathed. I strongly recommend everyone to take the challenge. It will be fun! I myself will always keep learning, going, and making an effort: continuing to make a difference and help the world!”
- Inho Yang, Environment conservation, United Planet long-term quest in USA, Nevada, USA

“The first two days provided us with visualization of some of the devastation from the tsunami traveling by boat and van and treating some victims at small temporary housing areas. The rest of our time was spent at a refugee camp where we saw patients at the health clinic set up at the camp.... The clinic was in a tent with a large supply of donated medicines and supplies. The Thai medical students with us to translate were very helpful in many ways.”
- Cynthia Foran, Registered Nurse, United Planet Tsunami Relief Quest Volunteer, Pangnga, Thailand

“Let me start out by relaying my sincerest thanks and appreciation to you and your organization.  It was a fabulous experience and I think I can speak for the whole team in saying that it is something that we will never regret having done.  I have been affiliated with a variety of organizations throughout my life, and I can honestly say you have got a great thing going here, and if there is anything I can do to help support you, then I would be more than happy to.  It is a pleasure to have been affiliated with United Planet!”
- Grant Lloyd, Motorola Corporation Team, United Planet Tsunami Relief Team Leader, Ranong, Thailand


“My oldest son and I went to Cambodia for ten days.  Since I am a dentist, I volunteered at a children's hospital while my son taught computer skills to small groups and helped the local NGO with their web site.  We stayed in a very nice guest house with air conditioning.  The accommodations were clean and breakfast was included every morning.  We never felt unsafe, in fact we felt very stress free.  The people were very warm and appreciative that we were there.  We were greeted at the airport and from then on someone from the local NGO was with us. They provided all the transportation as well.  We were given an itinerary the first day but still had some flexibility to make changes if we wanted to.  Tours of the local sites were planed and part of the itinerary.  There was also plenty of free time if we wanted it or we would plan group outings to dinners, see the sites, etc. The challenges for me were trying to provide dental treatment for a seemingly endless flow of children, although, I have to say we did not experience any major problems either logistically or with local people.

We really can't say enough about United Planet.  They were very accommodating and concerned about our interests.  I thought they did an excellent job of explaining and providing details of the trip and I was under the impression they went to great lengths to make sure we were taken care of.  I was also impressed with the insurance coverage that was part of the fee which included medical evacuation. United Planet is an excellent organization and Dave Santulli's vision of bringing people closer together through cultural exchange is a true and somewhat life changing experience.  I plan to go back in July and will be taking my other son and a small group of high school students to volunteer.
My advice is to just do it.  The reward you come away with far out weighs any potential inconvenience.  I'm sure you will see the faces and smiles of the children in Cambodia, in your mind's eye, for many years after you get back. (As I see Cambodia in mine).”
- Jon Ryder, United Planet Quest Volunteer, Siem Reap, Cambodia


“I want to take this opportunity to tell you what a good experience going with the United Planet group was this summer. The trip to Honduras was fantastic. The people we met and the volunteers that we worked with made the experience even more worthwhile. I especially enjoyed working in the Botanical nursery. It brought back wonderful memories of my early experiences working with nurseries. I also enjoyed the time we had as a group to travel and explore the country and culture. We certainly met many diverse and interesting people. I will never forget my trip or the group I was with.”
- Jim Martin, United Planet Quest Volunteer, Tela, Honduras



“The UP Quest was one of the best things I've ever done. United Planet is incredible and I can't recommend it highly enough.”
-Marion Halmos,  United Planet Nepal Quest Volunteer, Kathmandu, Nepal


“This past winter, while studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador I decided that I wanted to do a volunteer project in Santiago, Chile. I was going to be studying there the following semester and was interested in going down early to become familiar with the city and to start learning about Chilean culture.
I decided that I wanted to work with children and United Planet placed me with an Organization called el Hogar de Cristo. It is a very large volunteer organization in Santiago, somewhat like the Salvation Army. I spent two weeks there full time, just as I had requested. The first week I worked in the sala cuna, or day care facility. El Hogar de Cristo has a women’s shelter and provides a day care centre where the moms can leave their children for the day while they are out finding jobs and apartments. I got to spend the entire day working with kids aged 3 months to 2 years. It was exciting to see how they developed even over the course of a week. My second week there, the facility was closed so that we could paint, repair, and generally update the centre to provide a more enriching experience for the kids. I helped to paint and redecorate the sala. Additionally, my experience with my host family was great. I lived in a very calm, quiet part of Santiago called Lo Barnechea. However, despite the fact that it was somewhat far from my volunteer site, it was very easy to get there via public transportation. My family was extremely welcoming as well as eager to help me learn Chilenismos and cook me traditional Chilean foods. They included me in their daily activities and made me feel as though I was a member of their family.
All in all, my experience in Santiago was great and provided me with many valuable connections for my upcoming semester here. I will be continuing with my volunteer job for the next few months that I am here and will be able to stop in and visit a family with whom I have made a lasting connection. I had a wonderful experience and would highly recommend the program to anyone interested in a volunteer experience in Latin America.”
- Rebecca Flax, United Planet Quest Volunteer, Santiago, Chile

UNITED PLANET VOLUNTEER OPENS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE CHILE QUEST VOLUNTEERS
by UP Chile Quest Coordinator
Richard Munson, a retired biology teacher from Illinois, USA, recently became United Planet’s first volunteer to make presentations to groups of Chilean English teachers and senior citizens. Richard’s talk at INACAP, Chile’s largest professional/ technical institute with 46,000 students, was very well received by its teachers who were returning from summer holidays.  His presentations included English teaching tips and slides from his extensive travels. Richard said he found he was able to bond with several teachers immediately during the morning session including one teacher who was from Cuba.  Following his talk, INACAP made a request to United Planet for future volunteers to speak to students in such areas as tourism/hotel management where English language skills are being emphasized.   
During his two-week quest, Richard also spent a morning at a school with two English teachers in one of the poorest sections of Santiago, conducted classes at a public high school, and gave a stimulating talk to a small group of senior citizens on the personal benefits of volunteering.  The senior group pleasantly surprised Richard by asking him questions about how his Norwegian ancestors had gotten to North America. On all of these occasions, Richard was impressed at how open Chileans were to receive him and share their feelings with him.  For his part, Richard says it’s simply about giving back rather than receiving.  He feels that he has something to give so he will continue volunteering as long as he can make a contribution.  He certainly did that in Chile.
- Paul Fischer - Chile Quest Coordinator, wrote about Richard Munson, Chile

“The Tibet Quest was a dream for me and I cannot believe the time I could spend with Steve and have a chance to watch him work.  I will neve ever forget about my experience that I could have there, and I know that it is one of my best precious experience as a photographer. I am developing my 134 films that I shot in Tibet. Thank you very much for giving me a wonderful chance.”
- Naoyuki Ogino,  United Planet Learning Quest Participant, Tibet


“United Planet provides an invaluable service to both the Quest countries and the U.S.  The friendships fostered on the Quest leave a lasting impact. On my Quest to Narok, Kenya,  I was welcomed to help at the hospital and assisted as a mid-wife.  The experience I gained in the medical field would never have been possible in the US and I was able to help people while I learned. All in all it was an amazing experience.”
- Carolyn Rau,  United Planet Quest Volunteer, Narok, Kenya


“My experience has been terrific!  I feel immense satisfaction to have been a part of this Quest.  I was able to fulfill my dream of teaching high school students in a rural setting in a country that is not as developed as the western countries.  The people that I met have been very nice, accommodating, and influential.  I had a great time.”
- Varun Mehta, United Planet Quest Volunteer, Narok, Kenya

“ I had a really wonderful time volunteering in Guatemala.  I worked in a clinic that was sort of up in the mountains and the experience was great. The people were warm and friendly, and they are truly grateful for everything that is done for them. There is still a huge need to be filled there as many children are undernourished and hygiene issues are not very good.  Also, the people do not have the time or money to get routine screening exams, and many things are undiagnosed for long periods of time. It was a rewarding experience to be able to make even a small difference in the lives of the people there.”
- Michelle Neff,  United Planet Quest Volunteer, Guatemala

“ In August, 2004, my 16 year-old son and I spent two weeks in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala working in a children’s' clinic through UP. The clinic is in a rural area outside of the city.  It was founded by a couple of U.S. Medical students several years ago.  The clinic treats about 2000 kids per month on a budget of $2000/month, so that's $1 per kid per visit.  Talk about value!  Think of that next time you buy a $3.00 latte!  I don't know where the money usually comes from, but I do know that sometimes it comes out of the pockets of the two med students who started the clinic.
It is truly amazing what that clinic does for the children there.  They operate through the schools in the area and each day, one class from one school arrives by bus (about 50 kids).  They check in and are weighed and measured, and then they take turns going in for their exams.  About 90% of the kids have parasites and most have more than one type of parasite, mostly water-borne, from Ascaris to E.Coli.  They also get dental exams, and those that have cavities can get the bad baby-tooth pulled, but only if they aren't scared - the dentist won't pull a tooth unless the child wants him to. There is no option for filling cavities because the clinic does not have the necessary equipment.
Also during the visit, the kids gather in a classroom to learn about proper eating and good hygiene.  This is a big issue, since the village does not have clean water and the schools there have no water at all. Volunteers teach these classes and make them fun and entertaining for the children. Some schools are too far from the clinic or can't be reached by road, so the volunteers travel to the schools.  One day while we were there, the two founders of the clinic (who are still in their 20s) hiked 5 hours to one of the more remote schools. While we were there, there were 5 or 6 other volunteers.  Most of them were from the US and in their early 20s, but the dentist was from Spain and a young couple from Ireland was there for a few days.  Most spoke Spanish and all were very warm, kind and smart people.  We were very moved to see the young people there making such a difference in the lives of those children, as were the children, their teachers and their families. We were also very impressed by the new director of the clinic, Jessica, who was born in Guatemala but raised in the US.  She is in her mid-20s and very smart, energetic and charismatic - she's one of those people who seem like a long-time friend as soon as you meet her. I noticed that she quickly went right to the root of any problem and then sought solutions.  She's the type of person that any US Corporation would be thrilled to have on the fast-track to a key leadership role.  The clinic - and the children - are extremely fortunate to have her. She's also a university student and a teacher. The clinic workers are very popular in the village, as one can imagine, considering what they're doing for the kids there.  We plan to help the clinic some from home and to return next year.”
- Steven Poirot, United Planet Quest Volunteer, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala