I Recommend the Cook Islands

I recently returned from Global Volunteers’ Cook Islands Service Program and want to ask you to consider joining a team in the near future. It’s a personally rewarding volunteer opportunity to use your skills in a way and with people who truly need your help.

My husband, Joe, and I assisted school children with their reading skills, an area that is greatly under-resourced on Rarotonga. The students were attentive, friendly and very grateful for our service. Joe also worked on natural resource preservation, and I assisted at the local historical society library. All of the work projects were of genuine importance to the local people. Our local team leaders were wonderful support and answered all our program and cultural questions. Sharing experiences every morning at our breakfast meeting was extremely helpful. It is not necessary to be a teacher to help in the schools. Or, as one volunteer wrote in our team journal: “Students do not care how much you know, but how much you care.”

After the work day and on weekends, we had plenty of free time to enjoy the many natural and cultural attractions of the islands… swimming, snorkeling, hiking in the beautiful island interior, and attending dance and music performances. The time went by too fast! Please take a moment to read our story in the April issue of International Travel News at this link: http://www.globalvolunteers.org/media/ITN.pdf
-Nancy and Joe Logan, China and Cook Islands Volunteers