My Nonprofit Reviews
hbeekman
Review for Rock-Paper-Scissors Children's Fund , Wakefield, RI, USA
I've volunteered with RPS in Vietnam twice - this past summer and the one before, and both times have been impressed by its clear-sighted, needs-based direction and its overwhelming impact on the children it serves. Many of the reviews I've seen focus on the Bikes for Girls program - however, as a volunteer, I spent most of my time working face-to-face with children on art projects and teaching music. I cannot say enough about the wonderful enthusiasm these kids bring to their projects. They are truly remarkable!
What I love about RPS is that it recognizes the intangible needs of children as well as the tangible. A bike can make such a difference in a girl's life, because it gives her the means of getting to school. But providing a consistent, structured art or music program where a child can come and explore the depths of her potential gives her the will to keep on trying - even when the odds seem to be weighed against her.
RPS is not just about providing for basic needs or supporting education or enriching lives with arts and music. It works to do all those things. Many needy children benefit from all three of it's projects, and all three are so important to changing their lives. It has been such a gift to be a part of this nonprofit's work!
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2015
Review for Rock-Paper-Scissors Children's Fund , Wakefield, RI, USA
I just returned from a trip to Vietnam with RPS a few days ago. Along with RPS founder Sara, her family, and several other volunteers, I spent three busy weeks working in the town of Cam Duc. It has been refreshing to be involved in an organization with such clear, ethically-minded direction. Sara constantly emphasizes the need to translate donations into tangible impacts for the people she serves. I have been fortunate enough to see the results of her approach first hand. During our stay we attended three bike givings -all funded by donations- and took part in RPS’s community music and arts programs. These programs provide low-income students in Cam Duc with otherwise unavailable creative outlets, as well as a close-knit support structure of caring peers and adults. (I wish I could write a review of the students themselves - their earnestness and consideration for everyone around them deeply underscored, for me, the importance of helping them succeed.) Lastly, with the help of our students in Cam Duc, we were able to run day camps in three ethnic minority villages around the area, bringing arts and music to children for whom it would normally be far, far out of reach.
It has been a truly eye-opening experience for me as a young American, not only seeing the extent of the need, but also how much can be done to make a difference when good intentions are implemented with positive, well-organized direction. I will be recommending RPS to my friends and family, and recommend it to readers here as a trustworthy and effective non-profit.
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If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Increase funding for music program to provide students with more developed instruction.
Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2014
