Volunteering

Two weeks, ten volunteers and one objective: helping

Compartir sonrisas – sharing smiles – is the name of CEU’s volunteering programmes which take place abroad. This project involves Dentistry lecturers and students travelling to Senegal to help improve dental and oral health there. It is only possible thanks to the commitment and hard work of the lecturers and students who take part. Ruke Wei Hao, a Dentistry student, is one of them

“It’s been hard. We’ve been in very poor areas and the conditions were difficult because we didn’t have electricity or running water, but it’s been a very rewarding experience for us all. The people in Senegal are easy-going and happy, and they’re not worried about material things, as they value other things. They’ve taught us a lot and we have offered them in exchange what we had: our knowledge and skills.”

A small contribution to making the world a better place

Vets for Africa

"Vets for Africa” is much more than just a volunteering project. It’s the result of the work put in by a team of lecturers and students, a selfless commitment to other people, and an example of what we think being a vet really is. Vets for Africa have been carrying out their work on the African continent for several years now, with the objective being to improve the nutrition of the people they work with, by optimizing the productive capacity of their goat herds.

Alejandro Ríos, a vet trained at CEU, is a part of the Vets for Africa team: “I heard about Vets for Africa when I came to the University and I signed up to take part as soon as I could. I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s educational, as you learn about what team-working really is, but it’s also an education in values. All the volunteers have really bonded – I’ll never forget it.”

Shall we go for a walk?

Sometimes, just with something as mundane as going out for a walk, we can help other people. Lecturers and students volunteer to go out for a walk from time to time through Valencia’s Parque de Cabecera with the people from the “Casa Nostra” residence, who all have different degrees of disability. The University’s Chair of Solidarity organizes activities of this type, which simply would not happen otherwise. One of the participants, María José, told us all about it:

“It’s difficult to put into words everything that I felt over just a few hours. The first few moments are uncomfortable, because you’re not yet used to their way of talking, gesticulating and communicating – they’re very affectionate and intense people. But then, bit by bit, I started to get more confident with them. And later, as we walked through the park, I can really say that I had a great time. I’d encourage anyone and everyone to do this, because we can give a little bit of happiness to those who need it at no cost to ourselves.”

To take part, write to:[email protected]

Doctors in action in the Philippines

Medipinas is the name of the volunteering mission undertaken by students and lecturers from the Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine. They want to go where they are needed and that’s why they go out to the Philippines, to provide medical care to the most vulnerable people.

This experience has allowed students like Marta to see that they’re not just studying to pass exams, but learning to be the best kind of doctor and to really help other people.

“Medipinas was the most rewarding experience of my life. I felt a lot of very intense emotions. I’ve seen another side to life that I wasn’t really aware of until I saw it for myself.”