Written by Valeria Yagui, Lima, Peru.
In the year 2020 due to the quarantine of COVID-19, i spent a lot of time at home, since it was not possible to go out easily and the classes at the university were online. I decided that i wanted to volunteer online and use this time at home for something good. It was there when i found MiPequeñaAyuda – MySmallHelp Peru and the work they presented on their website and their social networks caught my attention. I decided to apply for the position of administrative assistant. After filling out a form and sending the application email, i was granted an interview. I remember that before the interview with Jessica, the director of MySmallHelp, i was nervous, but above all excited. I was a bit scared when Jessica told me that many people were applying for the same position as me (administrative assistant). However, I felt very comfortable in the interview and at the end, i really hoped that they would call me to be part of the organization.
Metting MySmallHelp Peru
After a few days, i received the news that i had been selected and i was very excited. A whatsApp group was created with the other volunteers and we had a first meeting to get to know each other. We were all peruvians, but some were studying abroad. After meeting with all the volunteers and receiving the training, we began to have skype meetings to coordinate the activities. It was a new experience, since it was the first time I had volunteered online, but the distance was not an impediment to meeting the other volunteers or the MySmallHelp Peru team.
If you are a volunteer in MiPequeñaAyuda, you will do and learn a little of everything because you will learn sign language, you will do administrative tasks, marketing tasks, and not only will you learn, but you will also be able to teach others. I personally really like teaching and meeting with the volunteer coordinator (Mayra) to teach her excel was a very fun and enriching experience (knowledge is useless if it is not shared).
Learning sign language
This volunteering, being online, did not allow me to meet the beneficiaries personally, but i remember that Jessica and Mayra spoke with great affection when they referred to them. They always mention Leonel, Dalia and their sister Yanira and how these children had believed together with the organization. In MySmallHelp Peru i have not only learned about how non-profit organizations work, but i have also learned that the opportunity gaps for people with disabilities are very large and that there is much that can be done to help. I thank MySmallHelp Peru for this experience and for being my first online volunteer and the longest i have done so far. I hope that they can continue to help more children with disabilities and that they can continue to contribute to closing the immense gap of opportunities that exists for them.
Valeria Yagui
