My Nonprofit Reviews

A couple weeks ago I returned to the states after volunteering for a month with Rock Paper Scissors in Vietnam. During the trip I taught music to children who attend the RPS art and music school. I loved being at the school and helping the students. The atmosphere had a palpable sense of love and warmth that you can only find in a place that is really working for the greater good. Rock Paper Scissors created this environment that brought people together to create inseparable ties and moments that we will never forget. The school brought true, honest beauty into the lives of many wonderful students who aren't afforded many opportunities of creativity or self expression. It was obvious that the kids really enjoyed being at the school and appreciated learning so much. Many of the kids expressed that coming to the school was the highlight of their year. It was for me too. You know those times when you experience a moment and you wish it could last forever? That happened every day I was with the kids in Vietnam. I never thought that I could become so close with people that I can barely communicate with. Yet these kids achieved the impossible. Together we shared a once in a lifetime experience, and I can honestly say they are some of the greatest friends I will ever know.
RPS also put together some bike donations for girls. The bikes give girls the opportunity to stay in school, which they might otherwise drop out of because families are more likely to send their boys to school and have their girls stay at home and work. There was an empowering sense of pride that the girls had once they received their new bikes and as they promised to try hard in school. They made it clear that they really appreciated what RPS did for them and really wanted to do get an education.
During the trip RPS also put on some ethnic minority camps, where we would travel to their schools and perform music, do art and play games with the kids. They were clearly having lots of fun and it was really great spending time with them. The kids had so much talent and sincerity in all they did. We got to visit some of their houses too, and deliver some supplies to the families. As a high school-er, who is just starting to question the world she's been raised in, I was so fortunate to have this opportunity to see where the kids came from. You learn about poverty in school, and there's a sense of humbling sympathy you get from hearing about the lives of others. But there's still a psychological disconnect between you and the other side of the world. Its not until you experience poverty first hand that you gain a better understanding of what it means. Then you realize that although its very far away, the third world is really only across an ocean. And we know how to cross an ocean, so then you wonder why we don't, and you wonder why the third world even exists today. Then you look at wonderful things like the Rock Paper Scissors nonprofit, and you are very thankful of the time and energy they put in to breaking down the walls and creating a connection between the first and third world. I am very thankful of the generosity of this organization to not ignore the suffering of others and to bring beauty and relief into people's lives.