Sonja Stajnfeld

I just returned from volunteering at Instituto Libre in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua. Instituto Libre provides education for adults who didn't have the chance to finish high school. This institute gives them the chance to catch up with what they missed.

I live in Jerusalem; I made aliyah to Israel from Serbia. In Jerusalem, I finished my master's degree and I had started working in a school, teaching English. I'd been involved with NGOs, and I realized I really wanted to teach in the developing world. A friend told me about someone they knew who'd volunteered with AJWS in Africa and was highly satisfied. That was the first time I had heard about AJWS. I searched on the Internet, read all about the programs and decided that I wanted to apply. I really liked the values of AJWS.

I spent six months volunteering with Instituto Libre, doing English language training, particularly for those who already finished high school and wanted some specialized education in hotel administration and tourist administration. Tourism is developing in Nicaragua and they need to have an idea of how to reach this market.

I didn't know much about Nicaragua before I came, but now I've learned a lot. When I first came here, I thought wow, people are so poor. Compared to Israel and Serbia, the economic standards and infrastructure of Nicaragua are much lower, and the level of education is very low.

I didn't know what to expect, but my [volunteer experience] was much better than I expected! I really liked the institute and the staff; and the students are really great. Even though they were thanking me, I also wanted to thank them for this great experience. I thought it wasn't fair that they were just thanking me! It was very, very positive experience. I'm really full of energy after this experience.

Being in Nicaragua helped me to define for myself where I stand as a Jew. I think my feelings came from the way Nicaraguans look at me. In this town, there are many people from abroad, so I'm seen as "one of them." But my students, we talked about Israel, Jewish holidays and they were very interested in that. They asked me a lot of questions about it. They didn't have a clear difference between Judaism and Islam. There was a lot of confusion about that, and also about secular Jews and secular culture.

I really share AJWS and Judaism's value of tikkun olam: that one who has more (in terms of power, economic means, education, etc.) should share this with those who don't have as much of it. I like this idea of sharing.

It was so rewarding: when the students started communicating in English. At one point, I asked my students to present their community to the classroom. I presented Jerusalem – its population, culture, religion – and they had to do the same with their own towns or communities. Even the principle came to see the presentations, and it was very rewarding, because they really succeeded in discussing their communities.

A challenge, though, was getting my students to classes. They are adults, with families and children and work, so it was very difficult for them to always attend. I really tried to motivate them, to remember that this is very important. Another challenge is that the students really worked hard, but even if they find jobs, they will probably earn only $90-100 a month. It's depressing that even though they work so hard, in the end it's not enough because food here is expensive.

I wrote a kind of diary that I will share when I return home. I want to encourage my friends and family to support AJWS or other organizations with similar aims. I will encourage them to participate, not to be indifferent. AJWS works with parts of the world that Israelis think are so far away, but I'd like to explain that it should be close to their hearts, and they should do something about it.

I found strength in the "big picture." When my students invest in their education, it triggers other things. If they get more education, then everything can be better, like a chain reaction.

I'm very glad to have had the chance to come to Nicaragua. I think that these problems and difficulties are common for many developing parts of the world, and I would really like to continue doing something to address this. I'm very happy to have had the chance to see this with my eyes, and that is how I will be able to do something more.

I encourage people to participate in Volunteer Corps. I already told one friend, AJWS is great, you have to apply!

 

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