My Nonprofit Reviews
jofitzgibbons
Review for Warm Heart Worldwide Inc, Highland Park, NJ, USA
It has been nothing short of an honor to be able to volunteer with Warm Heart for the last three months.
Something about this organization moves me every day, whether it's the bottomless well of compassion displayed by the founders Michael and Evelind for the kids in the home and the community at large, or the way you are able to witness tangible and meaningful growth in the villages they work with. Warm Heart has a number of different development projects, all of them with both environmental and economic stability at their foundation. They are well-thought out, long term and effective, as well as participatory. In short, Warm Heart is everything a grassroots development NGO should be.
Perhaps the most affirming thing about working here is the way that everyone in the district knows about Warm Heart and flashes you a beaming smile when you tell them that you're volunteering for "un-jai" (the organization's name in Thai). On a more personal level, I've been moved to tears by the stories of some of the kids who have ended up in the children's home here. Warm Heart gives these kids a chance, and a safe place to grow - Somewhere free from neglect or abuse or poverty, where the only thing they need to focus on is their homework, and being a kid. The evidence is in the way that the grade point averages of Warm Heart kids skyrocket above their classmates, and the genuine smiles and shrieking laughter that I have the pleasure of witnessing every day that I'm here.
As a student of International Development Studies, I've learned a lot about everything that could go wrong in the "development game", everything that's bad about international volunteering and everything that non-profits need to be careful about. As a result, I expected to be very critical of my first experience with an international NGO - But Warm Heart has exceeded my expectations and proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to be an overwhelmingly positive influence on this rural Thai district. It is the poster child of an ideal grassroots development NGO, responding to the unique problems faced by its community and launching proactive programs to help put Phrao on a sustainable and equitable development trajectory.
Without another thought, I would (and intend to) recommend Warm Heart to anyone thinking of getting involved in any way they can.
More Feedback
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Focus on finding more skilled and experienced volunteers. Warm Heart has a great way of bringing out the best in people, so even those who come here without a plan can typically leave something positive behind. But it would be a huge help to have a solid strategy to target skilled, professional volunteers from a variety of backgrounds
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
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2014
