NGO MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION – How to run an NGO

During my placement in Samana, I took part in two different projects; NGO Management and Mama Elba.
I really enjoyed working in both of them, and I think these two projects combined together are the best way to understand and experience the core of the Foundation.

The NGO Management project gave me a better idea about how an NGO works, what the main challenges of this kind of environment are and how to deal with daily issues regarding not only the Founding itself, but the local community as well.

The other project I was working at, Mama Elba, was definitely enriching from both a personal and professional point of view. The children and young adults attending Mama Elba are absolutely lovely, and, while my hope was to help them somehow, what I received from them was way more.
I also had the chance to learn different approaches to education, special educational programs and tools, and the interaction with the students and their families allowed me to learn a lot about the Dominican society and culture.

I really enjoyed living in Samana and I would definitely recommend it. I loved the relaxed and friendly vibe, the kindness of local people and of course the stunning nature.
I would recommend this placement to whoever wants to learn more and get engaged in the local community, it is a great way to acquire new knowledge about another culture, different teaching techniques and the basics on how an NGO works.

During the 6 weeks I spent with Aldeas de Paz in Las Terrenas I have learned a lot. At first, I was a little disappointed because it was really different to what I expected. But after a while I realised that my expectations simply weren’t realistic. The foundation has only been in the Dominican Republic for three years which really isn’t a long time. That means there is still lots of work to do and room for improvement. But that’s not a bad thing it simply means you have the possibility to help shaping the foundation. My work in the NGO management team taught me a lot about all the little but important things that need to be done to keep the Foundations growing. Like searching for foundations or universities willing to support our cause. Looking back, the experiences I made really had an impact on my life and assured me that working for an NGO really is important and something everyone should do at least once in their life.

I‘ve been in the Dominican Republic for 2 months and worked in NGO management. It has been the best experience of my life and I can only advise you to do such an internship or volunteer work abroad. It is an enrichment not only for your working experience but also for your personality. Additionally you come to know a lot of people from different countries and in order to this, gain some language skills, especially in Spanish.
I lived in a really nice apartment in Las Terrenas and went on some awesome trips on the weekends as they most of the time are for free.
The organization is always there for you if you have questions and helped me with the transportation from the airport and back. Sometimes there are some communication problems between Samaná and Las Terrenas but I guess it’s totally normal as the organization is still improving. However I also saw a lot of progress and new ideas, but that’s why the organization also depends on the volunteers as they can bring a lot of experience from other countries and different schools, universities or companies.
Thanks especially to Vito who works really hard to further improve the organization and is always there if you need something.
Everyone was just so nice and I am so thankful for this special time. I will remember it para siempre :)

The time with Aldeas De Paz is one of the experiences you will never forget. You get to know the country in a totally different way than just doing a holiday. And you are working on something, that makes a difference to other people's lives. The good thing about Aldeas De Paz is, that you really have a lot of different opportunities to volunteer and work on projects you like. Wether you want to work with kids, animals, the ocean, or experience the work place in a local hospital. Even if you choose one specific project, you have the chance to get to know other projects and places as well. I worked for one year in the NGO program in Las Terrenas and was one of the first volunteers in this location. ADP in Las Terrenas is still developing its work and things take time in the country. So to volunteer here, you have to realize that you won´t find a lot of standard processes and typical everyday’s work, for now. But that also means that you will have a lot of opportunities to bring in your ideas or develop your own projects. The Foundation is still small and you get to know each other very fast. And that´s where it comes to the other fun part: the weekends. Here you have really a lot of options to spend them. Beside of visiting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, you have enough opportunities to have a very good time after work. You can do boat trips to islands, mangroves or whale watching, or you rent a quad and visit the peninsula or even the whole country with the local Guaguas. But even if you want to stay in town you can spend the time, like most of the dominicans, drinking beer, ron or having a dinner at a comedor or a restaurant if you want. When it comes to this, you have to decide in which location you want to volunteer, both are very different. The main things in Las Terrenas, where I was located, are the many beautiful beaches and the good restaurants you have here. You can take a walk on the beach in the morning or at lunch and go to an italian restaurant in the evening. But also if you volunteer in Samaná, you can visit on the weekends or meet the other volunteers. Anyway you will have enough opportunities in both locations to meet each other sometimes. The biggest benefit in Samaná is the interaction with the dominicans. Because Las Terrenas has a lot of europeans and americans, you are more treated like a tourist. In Samaná you will experience more the typical dominican life and be in touch with the locals. Both Locations have its benefits, but it is for sure, that you will enjoy your stay. The coordinators do their best that you can enjoy your trip, while working on multiple projects to keep the foundations work growing. Especially with the Mamá Elba School in Samaná and its different side projects, ADP and all the volunteers and employees, really do a difference to the local community. The country is very beautiful but there are a lot of things to work on, and the whole foundation is doing its best to help and to the most as they can. In total, volunteering at Aldeas De Paz will be an experience nobody will never forget.

I arrived in Samana on the 16th October 2017. As soon as I got off the bus I was welcomed by my ‘buddy’ (A volunteer who introduces you to Samana for the first few days) and one of the coordinators. This friendly welcome helped me to settle into the Dominican lifestyle which is drastically different from the United Kingdom. I was introduced to the NGO team who I would be working with for the 8 weeks and the other volunteers who were volunteering with the charity. I realised very quickly that the coordinators and volunteers were all extremely passionate about their work as they knew that this was having a direct impact on the children of the special needs school which ADP runs. I was assigned multiple tasks ranging from researching new agencies that promote the charity to translating text into English. This was a great chance to develop my team working skills, time management and skills working independently. I was given the opportunity to teach English to the Dominicans, which I took straight away. This was a great chance to assist with their personal development and wellbeing as it would help them get jobs in the booming tourism sector. I thoroughly enjoyed planning and presenting these lessons and watching their English progress. I was never worried about being bored, there was always work to do and at the weekends we would go to a beach or to a local excursion. These were perfect to conclude a week of volunteering and gave me a chance to see more of the Dominican culture and the countryside. In my 8 weeks here I have had the chance to work with disabled children, learn veterinary skills, teach english, gain experience and help with the management of a small NGO, learnt (somewhat) how to dance the Dominican way, found out how to exit a hammock after multiple failed attempts and met a fantastic group of volunteers who I will be sure to see again sometime in the future. I couldn’t have asked for a better 8 weeks and I will be sure to miss the children, the volunteers, and, of course, the sun.

If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change. When I came here, my focus was on my internship in the NGO program, firstly to fulfill my university requirements, and secondly because I am planning on doing my masters in NGO Management. But of course, how do you manage an NGO if you are not involved in the projects 100%? That’s why I also wanted to take part in the Youth and Community Program. Also, every Wednesday night I taught English for the community here in Samaná, ranging from all ages, which helped me to meet a lot of Dominican people and improve my Spanish. In the mornings I worked on my the laptop, creating ideas for how to improve the concept of Aldeas de Paz and in the afternoon I was part of something wonderful and reminded why I was there through working with the kids of the Mamá Elba School. It was my first time working with kids with special needs, but to be honest, this was one of my best experiences I have ever had so far. I think they even taught me more than I taught them. After the first weeks I realized I want to do something that has an impact on these kids and will help them long term. That was when I decided to start a Crowdfunding Campaign to collect money so the school will be able to pay for diagnosis and therapy for each kid. What I loved was that through having total flexibility and trust from Aldeas de Paz, I had the possibility to decide most things by myself and create this project together with the whole team. I really learned a lot just creating this project and learning by doing. It worked out great, though I have to admit that I had to get used to the Dominican way of working, which sometimes was really annoying and time consuming. I guess everyone who comes here just needs to accept this “tranquilo” attitude, but it can also help to get a little bit calmer and help you to deal with things; sometimes it just does not work out the way you planned it, deal with it! But besides that I love the Dominican Republic. Of course the beaches, sun and nature blow your mind here in Samanà, but I promise these heartwarming people, the music, the dancing, the food (yaroaaa), the colmados and the culture in general will be even more a life-changing experience in an awesome way. I can’t describe how much I am impressed and in love with this country and these people and I guess you just can understand if you are here by yourself and open-minded enough to enjoy and try everything new. So people out there who want to experience a country with a big heart, good food, amazing people and you really want to be part of something beautiful, Aldeas de Paz is perfect.

I spent four months volunteering with Aldeas de Paz and I enjoyed every moment of it.
Originally I signed up for the NGO management project but then I also joined the youth care & community team which is working in a small school for children with special needs and learning difficulties.
I had loads of fun working with the kids in school even though at first I wasn't sure if I would be able to work well with them. After more or less one week all the kids had adjusted to me as a new teacher and started to trust me which really made me more confident. Even after a short time I saw a change in the children's learning progress which was very rewarding.
On top of that we do a parents’ reunion with all the teachers and the children's parents once a month, where we exchange our observations and thoughts about the children. This is also a great possibility for the volunteers to hear from the parents directly about the difference we make in their children's lives. One mother told me that for the first time in her life her 27-year-old mentally disabled daughter has had the chance to go to school and learn something. She is now able to read numbers and write some letters, and the girl’s family and their friends had all seen a positive difference in her daughter's social behaviour. This was one of the situations where I realised that we really do have an impact in the kid's life no matter if we work there for only a few weeks or for a few months.

Another aspect of Aldeas de Paz that I truly enjoyed was that even though it's a small NGO there were so many international volunteers who I got to meet and who I became friends with. I had loads of fun with them in the evenings and on weekend trips that we did regularly.
I believe that in those four months I lived in Samana I made friends with not only volunteers from all over the world but also local Dominicans who I'll hopefully stay friends with for a long time.

I worked for 2 and a half Months in the NGO Management in Las Terrenas. I had
a lot of different tasks during my stay. For example, Managing the publishing of
Job offers on Listing Websites or translating texts for the Website and many
many more smaller tasks.
My highlight was a trip of all Volunteers to a rented Villa with a perfect view and
nice atmosphere. But it was just one of many beautiful trips we did together.
Aldeas de Paz is a very familial organization. It´s not too big and you get to know
every coordinator on site. The coordinators are really kind and take care about
every need the volunteers have.
The Dominican Republic is obviously a very hot place and you need to get used
to the climate for the first days. The most dominican People i met were really
friendly and always open for a conversation. I was really wondered about the
loud music, which is played at every corner every time. Sometimes it can get
annoying but most of the time it´s very enjoyable.
I can really recommend you to travel to Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican
Republic, because you will make a lot of experiences for your future. It is also a
good way to get out of your „normal“ life and get to know a different culture.

First off, I officially decided to take the leap and register for the NGO Management Program about 1 month before I was due to leave. The registration process and introductory things were super easy and helpful. The director of Aldeas de Paz was patient and excellent with getting back to me quickly with answers to my many questions.
Once in country, I met with the local team and all the volunteer and I have to say, they are an incredible group of people who truly want to make a difference and help make my experience there a great one. I really enjoy the time I spend in Las Terrenas and one day I'd love to return to help out again.
The town of Las Terrenas is absolutely amazing. It's beauty and charm will grab you, and hold a little piece of your heart. There is much to do and see in and around the town. So many shops, markets, restaurants, and beaches to see. Honestly, I could just sit on the beach and look at the waves all day.
One piece of advice I would give would be to just jump in. Ask what the need is, meet it. You're only there for a short time, so make the best of it. Jump in with the culture. The food. The town. The way of life. The pace. The language. Try everything. Go in the shops. Take a trip. Jump in with both feet. You won't regret it.