Why did I volunteer? The project was mentioned to me by my sister and it sounded like a great experience and project to be involved in.

 What was your role in the project and what did it involve? My allocated role was in the community room, however this was completed very quickly; therefore I took a hand in A LOT of tiling and painting around all of the rooms renovated. 

 What were the highlights? There were many highlights of the trip, It was great to see the renovation come together. I enjoyed visiting the summer camp and spending time with the children. Overall the main highlight for me were the people everyone was so kind and friendly and spent most of the two weeks full of fun and laughter. 

Were there any low points? The only low moments I could think of would be the cold showers in the dark and maybe some (very sweaty) moments on the coach. 

Would I do it again? Definitely! Cannot wait!

Would I recommend the charity to a friend? I would definitely recomend the charity to a friend and will spread the word about the project.

Why did I volunteer?: My wife got irritated about girls not having private toilets and then not going to  school once puberty sets in because there is no privacy.

What was your role in the project and what did it involve?: Electrician & Plumber. ( Jack of many trades)

What were the highlights?: The gifts from the local community bringing in so much for us when they have so little.

Were there any low points?: I had a personal low day. But that was just me.

Would I do it again? : Yes I would, not sure about the bus trip though 4 days is a long time.

Would I recommend the charity to a friend?: Yes and have already

How did I hear about TEECH
I and my husband are guest parents for the Dutch organisation Europa Kinderhulp (European Childcare). I'm Dutch as well, and I live in the Netherlands. Europa Kinderhulp invites children from poor families or social problems for a holiday in Holland. We had for 3 years each summer children from Romania in our house.
In 2009 children from an orphanage in Falesti/ Moldova would come to Holland for a Holliday. Everything was arranged! 2 weeks before arrival we got the message the children couldn't come. This was of course a disappointment for us, but MUCH MORE for the children. Again a promise was not kept for these children. My friend Tita and I said to each other, :"when the children can't come to Holland, we go to them."
People in Holland heart about our plans, and we received donations. I was thinking that it was not such a good idea to give the money to the Orphanage, but I thought it was better to buy goods for the money and give goods to the orphanage.
But how could we do that? I start to search on the internet and I found TEECH. I saw they would go to the same orphanage.  So we decide to donate the money we received to TEECH.

Why did I volunteer?   In 2009 I and my friend went to the orphanage in Falesti and we also visited a elderly project in Straseni. Because of problems with documents Teech couldn't bring the aid in Falesti in 2009. So Teech decided to bring the aid and do the construction work in 2010. I decided to join Teech in 2010.
It gives me a good feeling to help people, who aren't as lucky as I am.

What was the project?
In 2010 I mostly did painting, cleaning, and little assisting in the kitchen. I also did some translation, because I speak basic Romanian.

What was the highlight?
I liked it very much. A group with so many different people, different backgrounds, different characters, but with the same goal. That is what I liked most, and of course the evening when we visited the children in summer camp. A lot of the children remembered me from my visit in 2009, and that was also great! 
 
Would I do it again?
This year, 2011, I will join again. I will help Teech for 1 week together with my friend Tita. I also appreciate it very much that Teech also bring aid to the elderly project in Straseni which I recommended. It would be great if maybe an other year Teech can do some construction work for the people in home care from that elderly home.

Why did I volunteer?

 Who are TEECH?
TEECH are a small group of individuals based at BT in Martlesham who became involved in Romania orphanages & recently Moldovan orphanages’. They are local to Suffolk and the charity is sponsored by BT & they are passionate about what they do. By working with this charity I could see that every penny donated & every item given goes directly to the people who need it the most.

What did it involve?
In order to undertake the projects the charity has to take all equipment needed with them plus aid. This involved an lorry, transit van & mini bus driving for 4 days from Colchester to Moldova, including a wonderful 5 hour stop at the Romanian/Moldova boarder, but a beer in ‘no-man’s land’ is quite an experience.

We had been allocated a project in an orphanage that looks after children whose families cannot afford to keep them & also those children that have been abandoned.

What was the project?
We were based at the orphanage/school with a brief to install toilets in the school block, when we arrived they had 3 toilets for approximately 300 children & staff. We were allocated a large room were we removed the flooring & drilled a hole through the wall for the waste pipes. A false centre wall was built & the whole area needed to be treated before being painted & tiled. The toilets, wash basins & urinals were then fitted along with mirrors & coat hooks. Whilst the main project was underway we also redecorated 4 bedrooms in the accommodation block including new lino floors, treating the walls & painting all surfaces. We had also been donated new bedding so we were able to remake the beds with all new linens. The mattresses used by the children are simple blocks of foam cuts to size!

What was the highlight?
We were able to visit the orphans who have no family at their summer camp for the afternoon. To describe it as a summer camp is a not strictly true, it is simply a collection of huts in some woods & the children sleep on the floor.

When we arrived some of the children were playing football, however the football was the inner tube of an old ball. We had 10-20 brand new footballs on the bus which were greeted with loud cheers. The children have little to no personal contact with adults & it was striking & emotionally challenging how much they wanted to be picked up or cuddled or just simply to have some attention from somebody.

The TEECH v Moldovan children football match was a great success but unfortunately we lost 5-3 to a couple of hotly disputed off-side goals, we were robbed!

Would I do it again?
If I could I would definitely do the trip again but with a young family this might be difficult. I would strongly encourage anybody to get involved in this type of volunteering experience as it is emotionally rewarding. It is a physically & mentally challenging commitment but the sense of pride in the difference you can make is a wonderful feeling. I was also surprised by the strong friendships that I have made on the trip & the sense of camaraderie that developed with my fellow travellers.

We first came to know about TEECH when the Chairman (Rob) came to our church to talk about the Charity.  We were instantly interested and my partner John and I, now my husband, had been looking for a charity to become involved with.  We got married in February 2010 and John came up with the idea of asking for toys for the Moldovan orphanages as our presents.  We had a wonderful wedding and were greatly surprised by the overwhelming response and collection of toys received (two huge pallets loads).  Subsequent to this we were trying to think of ways to raise money for the trip so held a Country Dance at our church which was well attended and enjoyed by all.  However we wanted to raise more.

I had always liked sewing and had recently bought a new sewing machine.  I had seen a lovely handmade handbag in the shop and decided to see if I could do the same and hopefully sell this.  I had thought I would make a few and sell these on a craft stall.  However, I sold the first bag on its first airing at work ! (Zebra stripped).  I quickly made six more bags (all different) and before long there was a steady stream of people coming to see what new delights were on offer.  I could not believe how interested people were.  I purchased some business labels to stitch into the bags, and bought some business cards and Bonnybags was born.  I made each bag unique in some way and this proved to be a great selling point, as with everything being mass produced these days, folk were pleased to have a unique handcrafted bag! 

I became a willing slave to the sewing machine and to date have made 41 bags, selling 36 so far, with people buying them for every day use, Christmas and birthday presents.  Four little girls have beautiful pink embroidered bags coming with their names inside for Christmas.  One bag went on a photo shoot for a Burlesque piece (Giraffe skin pattern) and another went to Pineapple studios for point shoes Deep pink with crystals and sequins.  One Zebra stripped bag was fought over by two teenagers and another similar had to be made.  I have used various fabrics and styles, adapting patterns as I go and still have orders to complete.  The sewing machine has been put away whilst we prepare for the trip but will I am sure be coming out again very soon after we are back.

Summer 2008 was a very special experience for daughter Lorie and I.  We left our men folk behind and safely travelled across Europe with Teech, I spoke on the vehicle radio contact - a first for me!!

The weather was very hot in E Europe. Thankfully alot of our work was in the basement of the building where it was cooler - this included decorating and sorting serious damp wall problems in the 'treatment rooms' of the orphanage/school also new toilets and tiling in the same area.  Amazing redecoration work was carried out in the dormitory areas. Teech left behind a room with a mermaid, a delightful water room with fish and plants and a spider-man room.  Electrical lights were installed in all of the rooms that were decorated and hospital beds including ones that could be raised and lowered were brought in on the lorry and left in the treatment rooms.  The dormitory rooms were fitted out with new beds, linen and ex-hospital bedside cabinets

All work carried out by the Teech team was done to the best of our ability and materials, quite alot of materials and electrical fittings were sourced locally thus benefitting small local businesses as did the daily food needs for 39 persons.  Despite very simple wash-rooms whilst on location at the orphanage we were always a clean and healthy bunch of folk. 

We enjoyed every minute including the journey and I believe that i made some good friends!  Personally, we heard of Teech as work colleagues had helped the previous year

I first heard about TEECH through gemma and attended several of their fundraising events held over the last 2 years.  The Fancy Dress Discos and Masquerade Balls were all great fun whilst raising money for such a great cause.  It wasn’t until I joined the project trip in August 2009 that I realised just how worthy the causes that TEECH support are.

The trip to Romania was an amazing experience for many reasons.  Not least because of the work achieved by the TEECH volunteers in a short space of time.  Old hands and newcomers alike who had given up their free time all mucked in with great enthusiasm that was matched by local people who understood what TEECH were there to do.  To work within a group of people of all ages and backgrounds not only made life interesting but was a wonderful learning experience.  I’ll admit I was a little apprehensive before the trip.  This was my first experience of volunteering and I had a few small worries.  Would I get along with the other volunteers? Would I be able to contribute in any way?  But I soon realised that I had no cause for concern when the more experienced volunteers were so welcoming and there were many jobs that anyone could help with.

I have many happy memories of that trip and often revisit the photographs taken by all the volunteers.   It is not often that you have the opportunity to contribute to something that offers such a good mix of fun and job satisfaction that you can cherish for many years to come.

Since then I have volunteered on conservation projects in Africa and can honestly say that the care, enthusiasm, expertise and organisation that the TEECH trustees put into their work easily matches that of any organisation which has to employ paid staff to attain the same goals.

I first heard about TEECH through gemma during a summer job. After she had told me about the trip they had just taken I asked if I could be added to the email list so I could start gaining information about TEECH and their annual charity trips. I also checked out the website so I could read up about the charity’s history and look at some of the photos from previous trips.

I decided I wanted to get involved in time for next years trip so I began to tell my friends and family about what I planned to do and asked for sponsors. I even managed to rope one of my uni friends into coming along too! As I was bust at university I didn’t have time to organise any events to help raise money however this is definitely something I would want to do next time!!

The two weeks I spent with TEECH in Romania are among the best in my life – even the coach trip was fun as we all got the chance to get to know each other and stay in a couple of nice hotels. One of the best things about the trip was how so many different people, who otherwise would never have met, are given the chance to get to know each other and become really good friends. Once we arrived at our destination the work began and even though we all worked really hard it was never dull or stressful. Working in a big group meant we could talk and work together for the whole day. It felt good to know the work we were doing would be helping other people and it was these people who made the trip so incredible. So many of them were enthusiastic to work alongside us and were extremely grateful for our help and support which made it all the more worthwhile.

As well as working at our base destination we also travelled to near by schools to drop off gift aids and spent the day with the children. It was amazing to see the students and their families so happy with what they were given. We also had the evenings to ourselves which were brilliant – couple nights out in the local bars and a hilarious ‘Hawaiian Night’ involving lots of local wine and a limbo contest!

As hard as I have tried to explain how worth while the TEECH summer trips are, I think it’s something you cannot fully appreciate unless you experience it yourself. I met some fantastic people all of whom were willing to spend their time helping others. My eyes were opened to the terrible conditions that some people live in so knowing that I might have helped them in any way makes me feel really good about myself as well as happy for them. I cannot wait to go again.

I have been a TEECH volunteer since 2007 and only ever helped at TEECH events like the pack up and fundraising days which I really enjoyed (especially the fancy dress disco's!!).  

I had spare holiday in 2009 so decided to come on the trip, each year I raise money through donations on Justgiving mainly  from my work colleagues and friends which goes to TEECH, but in 2009 I raised enough money to come on the trip.  My main concern about the project was not being skilled enough to help but there was plenty of basic jobs such as cleaning, painting and helping out on the aid drops which were all great fun and very rewarding. 

I was really surprised at how friendly everyone was on route and whilst at the Robert Cole Centre n Romania and the Romanians living at the centre were all keen to help us to help them. I made some great new friends and look forward to going on another trip.

I heard about TEECH through a colleague who's taken part a few times, and I actually deliberated a couple of years before plucking up the courage to sign up! All my fears were unjustified though, because even though I didn't know anybody, the regular volunteers were so welcoming and helpful with lots of information to answer all my questions.

Taking part is a fantastic opportunity to see some beautiful parts of the Eastern Europe that you might not otherwise visit, creating memories and friendships that last, and of course helping many people who are less fortunate. It is hard work with long days, but the group definitely knows how to shake loose in the evenings!