The Tandana Foundation - What do people say about their experience?

Volunteer programs in Mali

Volunteer programs in Ecuador

Group service projects

Scholarships

Summer Classes in Ecuador

Community Responses

Blogs about Tandana experiences

About volunteer programs in Mali:

"Thank you for believing in relationships. We were so welcomed into this community because of seeds you had sown on prior visits. The willingness of the people of Kansongho to share their lives with us has profoundly impacted me. May my own words and actions as I continue this journey home and through the rest of my days bring this village honor. . . . We were allowed brilliant views into aspects of life in Kansongho. Welcomed by the entire community, we were also embraced as individuals and ushered into better understanding as the people of Kansongho share their own personal stories, shared their comforts, worked with us side by side, taught us their songs, celebrated great joys, and spoke of sorrow and hardships. I can only hope that both the differences and similarities of our cultures enhanced each other. We are indeed one people sharing far more than I ever imagined. . . . Through my intention to learn more about the amazing people in Kansongho, I learned much about myself, about living fully and joyfully, and how thankful I am to be alive!"
-- Julie, volunteer from Minnesota

"It is a great experience and eye-opener to the world. It is a memory that will last forever. . . . It opened my eyes and heart. It changed my look at the world and will change the way I live."
-- Mick, 13-year-old volunteer

"Most memorable is the extraordinary welcome we felt at every interaction and meeting. By positioning ourselves to assist and learn, we seem to have avoided the condescending approach attributed to previous 'tourists'. When I read reminisces of previous trips on the Tandana website, I was skeptical of descriptions of 'once in a lifetime' or 'life changing' experiences. It seemed too hyped, too gushy. Now I have been there and my skepticism has vanished."

-- Bill, volunteer from Ohio

"It was rewarding, educational, encouraging, and an absolute motivational experience. I have volunteered my whole life--but never like this! . . . I have a new perception on humanity after being in Kansongho! The villagers were so welcoming and open and generous My heart is full!"

-- Pat, volunteer from Ohio

"Go with an open mind and open heart and both will be touched and you will have an opportunity to touch others. . . . Anna and Tandana exemplify what works. Outstanding experience."

-- Dick, volunteer from North Carolina

"It was such an amazing experience, it is hard to put it into words. The people of Kori-Maounde were so welcoming, and it was so nice to go back each day and see all of their smiling faces. The children were so friendly and polite, and we enjoyed greeting each and every one of them and working and playing with them. We are amazed at the amount of work that was accomplished in three days, and we are proud to have been a part of the project."
-- Stephanie, volunteer from Massachusetts

"Everyone on our trip came away from the Kori Maounde experience happy, amazed, humbled, and thrilled to have worked on the garden project. The children and the villagers were wonderful."
-- Tina, volunteer from Texas

About volunteer programs in Ecuador:

"I knew that it would be an amazing experience, but I didn't expect to be so blown away by the beautiful people and culture of Ecuador. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I cannot overstate how much I appreciate the hospitality of the Ecuadorian people and how they shared their gorgeous country with us. It has caused me to rethink parts of my life--I'm now seriously considering going into medicine! Working with such wonderful doctors helping people feel better was life changing. I hope to do much more volunteer work abroad in the future, and I can't thank the Tandana Foundation enough for giving me such an astounding experience."

-- Emily, volunteer from Washington

"It was a tremendous experience! Being a small part of such a dedicated and talented group was awesome. I loved traveling to different sites and meeting different people who were so appreciative of everything."

-- Donna, volunteer from Pennsylvania

"My experience with the Tandana Foundation has been surreal in the fact that I feel as if the opportunity offered me the best educational experience I have ever received in my entire life. My mantra there every day became “I’ve never done this before, so it’s time to learn”; the fact that everything I was doing was so new and exciting to me is probably what I enjoyed most about my time with the foundation."

-- Zack, volunteer from Massachusetts

"Thank you so much. This week changed my life in a positive way, like I knew it would, but better than I possibly could have imagined. I am truly inspired by this entire week."

-- Matt, volunteer from California

"It is one of the most rewarding things you will ever do and you will have the chance to use all your skills in a creative way. . . You will also make friends with some of the nicest, most gracious people you will ever meet and their gratitude will overwhelm you."
-- Judi, volunteer from Montana

"This trip will satisfy everything that traveling should. The close interaction with community members through service is extremely rewarding and personal, and it is incredible how close I became with the other volunteers. This program has inspired me both personally and academically to the field of women's health."

-- Molly, volunteer from Washington

"I haven't visited so many places like a visited these two weeks. Puerto Lago, Yahuarcocha, Parque Condor and all the other places were amazing with beautiful sights I will never forget. Specially I think that what is important is not the place... is the people with a shared that moment. All the smile and strength that all of you have is admirable."

-- Ricardo, volunteer from Ecuador

"This is a wonderful program. I have never been on a trip with such wonderful interaction with the community. The effort you put in to provide health care for these people is a marvelous, much-needed service."

-- Sandra, volunteer from Arizona

"It was a fantastic experience, only too short. Next time I plan to go for two weeks. It was so refreshing and invigorating to simply practice medicine, and not to worry about the routine problems of working in the medical field in the US."

-- Julie, volunteer from Montana

"You need to go and discover this beautiful experience of giving to the community. The peace and love that you feel cannot be put into words."
-- Gloria, volunteer from Ohio

"Come, don't hesitate. Think of how you would like it to be and be assured that it will exceed that by far. You will go home absolutely overwhelmed by what you saw, who you met, what you've learned, and how your heart has expanded. You will be inspired to exceed your own expectations of yourself."

-- Jim, volunteer from Montana

"Thank you for the many multiple interactions and opportunities you provided to help us gain more insight into the culture and living conditions of the Otavalan people. I greatly appreciated the many opportunities to glimpse so many different perspectives--male/female, shaman, student, nurse, wife, etc. . . . I never felt like a tourist, but as a very humbled guest visiting a friend's family. Thank you for the invitation--I am so glad I accepted."

-- Julie, volunteer from Minnesota

"This experience will be life-changing--I leave taking much more than I brought to Ecuador (and I'm not referring to the market!). I wish everyone could experience the simplicity and beauty of a culture still untouched by the chaos we create."

-- Julie, volunteer from Montana

"In reflecting on the various service projects I have completed over the years, my time in Ecuador stands out as the experience where I began to consider the cultural, social, and environmental dimensions of health and health care, especially in rural communities. Specific moments and patients in the mobile clinic still stick with me and the experience was quite transformative in my life path... Tandana has been influential in guiding my life goals."

-- Molly, volunteer from Washington

About group projects:

"Thank you all so much for a fantastic week! We are so grateful for all of your work in helping us put this together and creating such an amazing, exciting, and mind-opening cultural-service experience! You really opened us up and allowed us the ability to do something that I am sure will stay with us for a long time to come. Back in Boston we all really miss the community and learning and growing with all of you as our peers and guides through this amazing journey!"

-- Kayla, group leader from Massachusetts

"The past three days have been awesome! I got yet another opportunity to join in a minga [community work party] and interact with the people of Otavalo. The people were very happy to have us and were filled with gratitude and appreciation. After spending most of the morning shoveling, we then got the chance to bond with the children and adults while playing soccer. We got to know some of the people really well. After the minga was fulfilled, we all walked to someone's house for a big banquet. It was awesome. We got served their culture's specialty: fried guinea pig. Yum . . . It was an all around great experience and I was sad to leave. From this event I learned that there are many ways to bond and communicate even if you don't speak the same language. It was easier than I thought it would be to get involved in their cultural traditions like mingas, soccer, and banquets. I also learned that Ecuadorians are not as intimidating as I once thought them to be. I am no longer afraid of partaking in their culture and traditions. In fact, I know I enjoy it. From the minga, I gained strength both physically and mentally and enjoyed every second of it."
-- Bria, student from New Hampshire

"Our service project in Agualongo was the most outstanding segment of our trip so far. Before this trip, I have traveled frequently with my family. Despite our efforts to blend in with the cultures we visit, there is always a sense of separateness; we never cease to be tourists. Our stay in Agualongo was the first time that I felt completely connected to a culture that was not my own. The language barrier that divided the Traveling School students and the people of Agualongo was intimidating at best. Not only did we experience our routine trouble understanding Spanish; the people of Agualongo speak Quichua as a first language. Therefore, whenever we communicated, everyone was using their second language. Impressively, both groups of people were able to overcome these differences as well as the staggering disparities apparent in social classes and appearances. I believe this was possible because of the mutual understanding that everyone was working toward the common goal of supplying Agualongo with water and learning and enjoying ourselves in the process. The connection between two groups of people who couldn't communicate verbally was intriguing and inspirational."
--Jocelyne, student from Montana

"I think the most memorable part for me was the dedication/combined lunch . . . To actually be able to experience that in person, to taste the meat of a guinea pig, laugh with all the people, and stuff my belly until I felt like I should've rolled home is not something that happens every day, nor is it something I could ever forget. I really felt that they included us in the activities and opened their hearts and their homes to all of us. I felt that I was really a part of the community and that we made a good impression and that we did a huge thing that really achieved improvement in their lives."
--Erica, student from Washington

"We were total strangers to the Ecuadorian lifestyle, language, and country; and we shared their home for only a brief time. But the day I left Panecillo was the day I experienced humanity. Fernando [a cousin in my host family] asked me, 'Cuando regresa?', meaning 'When will you return?' ? Our eyes met, and I knew he was serious, but sadly, I had no answer for him. Next, when I hugged Nelly [a host sister], we could only look and smile at each other. Because of the English-Spanish language barrier, neither of us had understood half the things we said to each other, but I knew I would miss her more than most of the people that I would meet in my entire life. The last person I said goodbye to was the mother. This was the only time I did not see a smile on her face during the whole stay. Tears streamed down her face as she waved goodbye to us. Her tears drove out mine, and we cried together."
--Catherine, student from Ohio

"Panecillo is a small town near Otavalo and it is where Anna's family lives. There, we were fortunate enough to teach English to little kids. It was amazing and by far one of my favorite experiences so far. I remember walking up this huge hill lined with broken-down houses having no clue what to expect at the top. When we got there, it was a deserted piece of concrete. I was confused and wondered where all the kids were while we waited for Anna to come back out of the school. I got lost in my thoughts and fears until I was suddenly jolted back into reality by the excited screams of "Anita, Anita, Anita!" Then I watched them one by one as they peeked and pushed around corners and statues, squealing and giggling. We were so foreign to them, aliens. I was unsure of what to do, but a beautiful second-grade girl reached for my hand and led me to her classroom, as if reading my thoughts. Then we just stood there in front of those big, brown, eager eyes, trying to get started while keeping their attention. I didn't think I'd be nervous, but, once I got up there, I was. I now have a new appreciation for teachers; it is harder than they make it look! However, once we got started, it was easy, and the kids loved it. They just loved to learn, and it was amazing to watch. Although teaching was fun and great, it is not what has stayed with me; surprisingly, it wasn't recess and playing with them either. It was that first moment when we saw them and they saw us. You could see the fear, uncertainty, and timidness in their eyes dissolve right into curiosity. They went straight into learning mode. It was like a light clicked on in their tiny brains and said, "I want to learn about you and be your friend!" I have never had anyone feel that way about me just for being me, even when they don't know me. It was a very strange and different feeling. We were wanted and appreciated so much for not even doing anything yet, and that was such an eye-opening experience. We went there to teach, but in reality we were just as much of students as they were."
--Courtney, student from Montana

A teacher describes her group's experience:

"Anna Taft, a Traveling School teacher from previous semesters in South America, coordinated an incredible group-stay and service project in the rural indigenous village of Agualongo, 30 minutes from Otavalo on a winding mountain road. The girls are staying in a house with a teacher and another student for a total of eight days. [One group is staying] in a small two-room house with a mother of three children ages 6, 8 and 13, [another] in a house with a mother and two daughters ages 9 and 13, [the third] in a very busy household with two mothers and ten children of all ages! [The fourth group is] staying in a household with one mother and four children and a grandchild.

The group-stays have been absolutely incredible. Our houses are all within a fifteen minute walk and we spend every afternoon together for our classes. We also spend the afternoons teaching English to the local children and adults. The girls are amazing teachers! They spend over an hour each day planning and teaching interesting classes to an entire room full of smiling faces saying "good morning teachers" over and over again. Our girls taught songs and games in English and the local children absolutely adore them all. English class always ends with a game of soccer and Ultimate Frisbee.

The houses are typical indigenous Quichua houses, very simple and practical. There are fire pits in the corner of some kitchens for cooking, raised beds for sleeping, and giant stones with tap water outside for washing clothes, dishes and occasionally people! The food has been incredible. Most of the families survive off of the surrounding land full of herbs, maize and cows. Every morning I wake up to my Mamita making me a pot of fresh chamomile tea over the fire. We have all been helping with cooking and cleaning which has definitely impressed our Mamitas. Last night each group cooked spaghetti dinners for their families and the next day the entire village was talking about it. Very delicious! We are all learning how to speak the indigenous language of Kichwa and we also get to practice our Spanish - we are all completely immersed in the life and language of the people here. I have to say that this has been one of the most authentic and inspirational cultural experiences that I have ever had."
--Genevieve, teacher from Montana

"My goal is to be the best student and study more to become someone in life and to show you and my parents that the help you have given me served me well and I thank you with all of my heart for all that you are offering me because I needed it. Thank you so much."
--Sergio from Ecuador

"The Foundation is very good and thanks to the foundation I am studying in high school, because my parents couldn’t send me to high school. May you keep helping many more students who for lack of money also can’t study."
--Jefferson from Ecuador

"I have learned many things that are going to serve me in the future. This foundation is very good for those of us who want to study. I have learned many good things about life and also values that will serve me in the future. Thanks to you I have learned many important values in school and manners and respect and I have learned to be responsible for all my acts and to do my homework. The foundation is very good for us to continue our studies. Seeing this help, I want to ask the foundation to help more children who want to study. My goal is to continue with my studies ahead to have a secure future. Thank you for all that you have given us. I am very grateful."
--Maria Olga from Ecuador

"The help of the Foundation is great help and has been the best for our community because you have been able to help more families and students who wanted to keep studying."
--Tamia from Ecuador

"I have learned this year with the help of the foundation to go ahead with my studies because I don’t have much help from my father, he says I will fail in my studies. And I have much interest in my studies and I would like you to please keep helping me with the foundation. Thank you for your help."
--Maria Veronica from Ecuador

"What I have learned this year and that will help me go forward is that I should take advantage of the opportunity that I am given to study and because of that I make an effort every day because I don’t want to betray those who support me. Also respect and solidarity that I should have with others, this will serve me all of my life. The help of the Foundation is very good, because you help my parents economically and in this way they are able to give the opportunity to study to my other brothers and sisters. Also, it helps me to be more responsible in my homework because I don’t want to lose this opportunity that the Foundation is giving me."
--Rolando from Ecuador

"I see this help as very good for all of the young people who are there. One suggestion is that each year you keep giving vacation English classes, because this class helps us a lot with the English language. With this help that The Tandana Foundation is giving me, I take advantage of it, because my parents couldn’t help me much because of their economic situation."
--Rupay from Ecuador

About Experiential Education Scholarships:

"I am so happy and grateful to all of those who made possible my dream. I had many wonderful experiences, I learned to converse in English, and I also got to know the Hopi culture, in which they have conserved many of their ancestral traditions. I learned to value my culture... I know that this experience will serve me in my professional and personal life, because my dream is to become a professional tourism guide. This experience was a great practical and observation trip and I learned much more than I have in the classroom."
--Cristina from Ecuador, participant in Deer Hill's Canyon Country Program 06

"This trip, this experience, was the most important in my life. I never thought I would realize this dream. Thanks to you I've learned about another culture, another country, and I've shared my culture with others. They, likewise, have learned a lot, and this is something we will never forget."
--Claudia from Ecuador, participant in Deer Hill's Expedicion Ecuador Program 05

"I don't have the words to thank you for what you have done for me, and I just remain with the happiness of having met many new friends and realized my dreams."
--Nancy from Ecuador, participant in Deer Hill's Expedicion Ecuador Program 05

"I will remember the friendship, the places we visited, and the people who took care of us, especially the Hopi community because they told us to come back and I would really love to go back. I love them as if they were my family."

--Cristina from Ecuador, participant in Deer Hill's Canyon Country Program 06

"Everything was wonderful, being together like a family."

--Elsa from Ecuador, participant in Deer Hill's Canyon Country Program 06

"[I especially remember] interacting with them in their homes as they offered us food when they have so little, with such a big heart. I am grateful to have experienced this trip with my group and [host] family, especially Claudia and Nancy."
--Jennifer from Massachusetts, participant in Deer Hill's Expedicion Ecuador Program 05

"I wrote like a book about the trip and this year I reread it, saying last year I was there and there.... this is something unforgettable that I have experienced and I will never experience it again. Thank you so much again for everything."
--Claudia from Ecuador, participant in Deer Hill's Expedicion Ecuador Program 05, one year later

About Summer Classes in Ecuador:

"It was something very wonderful. You had a lot of patience and when you asked someone a question you explained with a lot of enthusiasm."

-- Gabriela, student from Panecillo

"It will help me a lot in school. At first I understood almost nothing but you explained well and I understood. All the teachers were very good."

-- Zamira, student from La Banda

"It was very good because the teachers' manner of explaining was understandable and easy. What I liked was that the teachers were very friendly and taught very well and were very patient."

-- Nestor, student from La Banda

"It was very good because I was really able to learn the pronunciation and all that consists in the subject of English. I am very thankful."

-- Fanny, student from Copacabana

"It was very good because it is a great help for me and the others because we came to understand everything that we didn't understand in school. Now we know a bit more about math and English. I thank you."

-- Samy, student from Panecillo

Community Responses

"We have the pleasure of coming in the name of the chief of the village of Kansongho, his counselors, the women, and the young people to transmit their thanks and joy regarding your illustrious delegation that the people of Kansongho continually remember. Receive here all the thanks and recognition of the people of Kansongho. The people of the village, and of all the commune of Wadouba continue to talk about the visit of the group. The commentaries are mostly about your manner of integrating yourselves into society, your physical effort, your engagement, your determination, and especially your joy in sharing with the people in unity and cohesion. For Kansongho, you were like old friends who had come to work with her and not like people coming for the first time to work in an unknown and unfamiliar situation. The children still do the dance that you showed them in the village and in the fields; that really made an impression on the men, women, young people, and children. Be thanked for all of that. The women invite you to go out to look for firewood at the pink dune. The people are asking when will be the next visit of the group. For the commune, she has never seen white people come and work like you have done in your visit to Kansongho."

--Moussa and Timothée, Bandiagara, Mali

"In the name of the chief of the village, his counselors, the elders, the men, the women, the children, the emigres of Kansongho everywhere, all of the people, and the friendly cooperation between The Tandana Foundation and the village of Kansongho, we have the honor of givin you our most sincere thanks for your noble humanitarian gesture in giving us 16 tons of millet during the period of struggle in 2009. This act of good will allowed us to satisfy the millet needs of all the families of the village at the most difficult moment. Thanks to this support, we were able to cultivate our fields on time and the harvest was favorable and the grain bank fund was increased by 1,600,000 FCFA. What a joy for the villagers, those who work in the bank, and The Tandana Foundation. Thank you to all the donors. Here, millet has the same value as gold, which tells you that your action was appreciated by all the villagers at the value of gold. The happiness that The Tandana Foundation has brought us is like fresh water that gives strength to the fish. We are not favored by nature, but God has put The Tandana Foundation in our path to fill us with joy and strength. Long live the friendly cooperation between The Tandana Foundation and the village of Kansongho, and thank you infinitely."

--Seguemo, chief of Kansongho, Mali

"In the months of June and July of this year, we hosted a girl from the United States, Laurita, sent to our home by Anita. She was also a wonderful person, she adapted quickly to our lifestyle and our culture. What surprised me was that she really liked our typical foods and always had seconds. She also came to work as a volunteer. She was studying medicine, so she came to the community to work like a nurse with the community. It was a wonderful experience; I learned about her culture and her language. We shared so many experiences together and she even learned more. I was her guide and we went to tourist sites, traditional festivals, to my university, etc. Without a doubt, she went away very happy to have gotten to know us like her family, which we now are. We were very sad when she left, but she said she would come back; for me she is another sister. I hope there will be other opportunities to live these kinds of experiences because I love them and I do them with lots of affection, and I love my profession. One month ago, Anita came to my community of Panecillo with a group of doctors. Thanks to God, we had the opportunity to get to know them, and we also accompanied them to a few sites, perhaps like native guides. They told me I was going to be a good leader, and this motivated me even more to keep working hard. They were charismatic people with lots of solidarity, since they came to cure people and to give medicines to the people of our community, who surely could not pay a hospital or doctor for lack of economic resources, and this was a great thing for them. I also thank Anita for her heart of solidarity and love that she has had, since thanks to her work many children and young people are studying, because she gave scholarships to the best students, which has motivated them even more to study. This is a help to our families, and we are very happy because of it. For all of this I am very thankful to Anita for the opportunities she has given me to train myself as a professional. Now I have experience to better myself even more as a person, and, to repeat, as a professional. I hope that she will never forget us, as we carry her in our hearts, and we also hope that she will keep helping us and that there will be more opportunities to work together."

--Claudia, Panecillo, Ecuador

"I also have really enjoyed the visits that come to my community and the help that they give us, the foreigners were very nice and likeable and I hope they keep visiting. From all of these experiences, I have learned to maintain my own culture and value it for myself, since much of it is being lost, and that other people value it and are interested in learning about the many cultures that exist in the world, since this differentiates us and identifies us."
--Cristina, Panecillo, Ecuador

Blogs

Craig and Steph's Vacations - Service project in Mali

The Arts Foundry - Mali Volunteer Vacation

In Plain View - Mali Volunteer Vacation

Lauren in Ecuador - Internship in Ecuador

Our Ecuador Adventure - Family volunteering long-term in Ecuador