• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • e-Catalog
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Support
    • Donation Opportunities
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club – Monthly
      • Gift Catalog
      • More Ways to Give
    • Foundation Opportunities
      • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • Volunteer
      • Individuals
      • Families
    • Groups
      • Employer/Employee
      • University
      • High School
      • Faith Based
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguadilla – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Española – New Mexico
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Volunteer Voices

Retiree Volunteer Puts Service Travel on Top of Gratitude List

Veteran volunteer and team leader Sue Surma paused at the start of the new year to reflect on how her 28 service programs have changed her life. In her look back, she says Global Volunteers provides a world context that ensures her gratitude and enriches her understanding of the world.


“When I am asked what Global Volunteers means to me, the answer is easy. Global Volunteers changed my life,” said Sue. From her first service program in an isolated Guatemalan village in 1989, to her latest journey to Kathmandu, Nepal three dacades later, her life “has been filled with gratitude for the people and things” she’s experienced in service to others. As the Minnesota retiree experienced the world more and more, she realized that what she acquired throughout her travels weren’t gifts nor rights, but privileges for which she’s thankful.

“When I am asked what Global Volunteers means to me, the answer is easy. Global Volunteers changed my life.”

Sue Surma
  • Global Volunteers staff demonstrating proper hand-washing to Tanzanian mothers.
  • Children in Tanzania are provided hand-washing stations at home and school.

I’m grateful for the clean running water in my house.

“When I had to carry water from a water spigot two blocks from where I was staying, just to lay it in the sun to be able to take a hot shower, I became so grateful that I was able to return home and turn on a faucet, and find that it was not only hot but safe to drink,”

“I became so grateful that I was able to return home and turn on a faucet and find that it was not only hot but safe to drink.”

Sue Surma

According to the World Bank, today 2.4 billion people – 1 in 3 – lack access to clean water and improved sanitation with 3.5 million children dying from diarrhea and respiratory infections. Diseases that can be prevented with proper hand-washing.  Preventative healthcare is the most valuable health service in a rural area. Exercising effective hygiene practices, preventing infectious disease, and understanding how to care for basic health needs are all vital to families in developing communities.

Sue assists a local agricultural worker in a garden in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba.

I’m grateful for the healthy food I eat everyday.

“I was teaching an English class in a small village near Ho Chi Minh City, and a family of one of the students invited me and my team to their two-room home. The father went out to the backyard to get coconuts so we would have something to drink while we visited. I learned to be grateful that I had enough, maybe too much, to eat.”

“I learned to be grateful that I had enough, maybe too much, to eat.”

Sue Surma

One in nine people in the world are undernourished. Food insecurity is influencing parents and their children, who are at a higher risk of mortality, poor health, growth and development with 151 million children under age five being physically stunted. Food production projects can make a difference in developing communities. Helping families assemble, plant and harvest household garden boxes, producing vegetables, herbs and fruit, or constructing chicken coops and demonstrate how to successfully raise poultry and harvest eggs can ease a family’s food insecurity.

  • Volunteers tackled a large tiling project at a daycare center in Quito, Ecuador.
  • After a week, the new and greatly improved dining room walls!

I’m grateful for my home.

“Or when I visited a handicapped child’s home in Quito and found eight people living in a cinder block room the size of my ten-by-ten bedroom, I realized that I really did not need a bigger home. I’m grateful for the small home I own.”

“I’m grateful for the small home I own.”

Sue Surma

Homes provide security, privacy and a sense of belonging. But providing a clean and safe place for disadvantaged children, elderly adults, or repairing hospitals and community buildings through labor projects, short-term volunteers bring security to communities that are in need.

  • Preschool group starting their lunch in Quito, Ecuador.
  • Nap time for at-risk babies and toddlers with full bellies!

I’m grateful for my family.

“And I think about the program at a “failure-to-thrive” clinic in Romania where I took care of a five-month-old abandoned infant girl who did not even have a name. I often wonder what happened to her – the child I called by the good Swedish Minnesotan name of Inga during my time there. I may not have a lot of material things, but I do have a name and a family.”

“I may not have a lot of material things, but I do have a name and a family.”

Sue Surma

Giving love, care and individualized attention that all children need and deserve on childcare service programs can change the course of a their lives. Children’s daily needs are generally simple, and every time you provide personal attention and care, you, improve their self-esteem and confidence.

  • Sue works helps a local woman to improve her English pronunciation in Cuba.
  • Sue and her class of Cuban youth in Ciego de Ávila.

I’m grateful for the relationships I built and the memories I shaped.

“Even when I was teaching conversational English in the community center in Ciego de Ávila , I was impressed by students’ enthusiasm and commitment to our classes. I can’t measure how much English was being learned, but I do know how many relationships were being formed. Life is truly made up of the moments that take our breath away, not the number of breaths we take.”

“Life is truly made up of the moments that take our breath away, not the number of breaths we take.”

Sue Surma

English is the language of commerce, technology and opportunity worldwide – a passport out of poverty for many. All native English speakers can teach conversational English. From helping beginners learn vocabulary to practicing language skills with teens and adults, short – term volunteers can help students attain confidence and fluency.

Sue and her teammates at a Holi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal.

I’m grateful for making the difference in the world.

Through Global Volunteers, Sue has immersed herself into vastly different cultures, to witness first-hand the struggles and needs of people in developing communities. This is how she uniquely makes a change in the world. During her 28th service program in Nepal, Sue had the opportunity to participate on the Hindu Holi Day festival, to celebrate the victory of good over evil, forgiveness, the end of winter and beginning of spring, and a good harvest. “As we are doused with colors and good fun, we could remember how fortunate we were to be in Nepal trying to improve the world one little step at a time once more,” said Sue.

“I am thankful to Global Volunteers for showing me all of the things I have to be grateful for. And take it from me, gratitude is absolutely all it’s cracked up to be.”

Sue Surma

What are you most grateful for? Many in the world struggle for access to basic needs, such as water and sanitation, food, education, or care. By working hand-in-hand with local people, short-term volunteers have the power to make the difference in the life of parents and children. Learn more about our volunteer projects worldwide and contact us to register! Your volunteer experience is awaiting; take the first step with Global Volunteers.

You may also like:

THE CHILDREN WON MY HEART- IN KATHMANDU, NEPAL!

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
January 24, 2020/by Millie Pinakoulaki
Tags: retiree volunteers
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Sue-Surma-1-e1568978380242.jpg 761 1492 Millie Pinakoulaki https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Millie Pinakoulaki2020-01-24 08:26:202021-11-25 21:45:49Retiree Volunteer Puts Service Travel on Top of Gratitude List
You might also like
Donald and Mickey Marshall: Dedicated Global Volunteers Couple
volunteer abroad in retirementThree Reasons to Volunteer Abroad in Retirement
Mary's volunteer experience in TanzaniaSpecial Education Teacher Travels to Tanzania to Give Back
“It’s another winters day in Ipalamwa or as I like to think of it, ‘Christmas Village in Tanzania.’Volunteer’s Winter’s Day ends in “Best Day Ever” Story
caring for children in PeruRetired Long Distance Friends Unite as Volunteers in Peru
“Do Good” Retirees Explore Cuba as Grateful Global Volunteers
Octogenarian Alumna Travels the World to Teach
international USA Volunteer taught English at the Anse la Raye Primary School.“Service is in my Blood” – A First-Time Volunteer In St. Lucia.
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (44)
  • Cuba (114)
  • Ecuador (89)
  • Greece (70)
  • Italy (53)
  • Montana (49)
  • Nepal (20)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • Peru (111)
  • Poland (97)
  • Portugal (44)
  • Puerto Rico (3)
  • South Dakota (8)
  • St Lucia (56)
  • Tanzania (230)
  • Texas (6)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (8)
  • Conversational English (95)
  • Cultures and Traditions (136)
  • Development Impact (123)
  • Family Volunteering (61)
  • Free Time Options (79)
  • Group Volunteering (19)
  • News and Updates (150)
  • Partners' Stories (16)
  • Projects for Professionals (23)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (240)
  • Ripple Effect (6)
  • Service-Learning (50)
  • Staff Worldwide (26)
  • Volunteer Voices (685)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people development impact Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects retiree volunteers Spring break student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer time off work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Covid-19 Policy
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Teacher Retiree Promises to Explore the World With a Student’s Curios...solo travelerTanzania Volunteer’s First Service Program is Also a Journey to Self
Scroll to top