Volunteer Viewpoints

We asked our two new volunteers in the Communications team at Friends-International, Alicia from France, and Riny, who is from Cambodia, to share their thoughts with us after spending a morning visiting our field activities in Phnom Penh. Visits like these form part of a comprehensive orientation process for all new staff and volunteers at Friends.

“Over the past few days, I have learned a lot about the organization, especially its strong focus on child protection, professionalism, and responsibility,” said Riny “Through introductions and sessions, I understood more about the Child Protection Policy, the importance of reporting mechanisms, and how everyone has a role in keeping children safe. I also got to know more about Friends-International’s approach, like working not only to provide immediate help but also to build long-term solutions through programs such as Mith Samlanh.”

Riny also reflected on her outreach experience. ‘’ I felt both familiar and a bit surprised at the same time,” she continued. “Since it was in my own country, I wasn’t really shocked by the environment or the living conditions because I’ve seen similar situations before. However, what stood out to me was how many people were using drugs in each area. I didn’t expect it to be that widespread, and seeing it in real life made the issue feel more serious and real.”

For Alicia, a volunteer from France, the experience was shaped by a different kind of challenge—communication. Much of the information shared during outreach and explanations was in Khmer, and limited translation time sometimes made it difficult to follow every detail. Yet even with that barrier, Alicia learned through observation and the emotional impact of what she witnessed.

“The outreach experience was quite difficult for me at first, mainly because of the language barrier,” Alicia said. “There was not always enough time for translation, so it was sometimes hard to fully understand everything.”

Even when she couldn’t always catch every explanation, Alicia described how the situation itself was impossible to ignore—especially when it came to children. The atmosphere she encountered left a lasting impression.

“Seeing the living conditions and especially the children was very emotional for me,” Alicia explained. “Some of them seemed very quiet and sad, which really affected me. Even without many explanations, I could feel how difficult the situation was.”

She continued “I was not really expecting this kind of environment, and being confronted with drug-related situations made me feel a bit uncomfortable. Even though I have already worked with people dealing with addiction in France, this felt very different. Overall, this experience helped me better understand the importance of Friends-International and the impact of their work.”

Outreach is often difficult. It can be emotional. It can also be clarifying—especially for volunteers like Alicia and Riny, who are learning how protection, responsibility, and community partnerships work together to build safer and better futures for children.

(Find information on our current volunteer opportunities alongside requirements at https://friends-international.org/jobs/ )