“When I arrived in the Philippines for my LP4Y mission, 3½ years ago, I knew nothing about poverty, the poverty that exists in certain countries affecting certain populations, and I knew nothing about the lives of the Young Adults, the same age as me, living the other side of the world … 


And I met Young Adults who had nothing, who lived in conditions we can’t even imagine and yet, who had hearts filled with a joy we cannot begin to understand. I was looking for meaning, and they were looking to meet their most basic needs: shelter, food for one day, clothing … 


I was brought face to face with my own barriers, my own limits. Life on a mission is extraordinary, because when you live and work with the Youth, the barriers within you come crashing down, and your outlook on the world changes. You undergo a transformation in the way you approach the world and life itself. 


I – Immersion in a new world and discovering poverty. On my mission I learnt about poverty and all its contradictions: The reality of the hunger that nags at the guts of the Youth, who can’t make it through the day because they’ve just had one meagre meal that day; the lack of health coverage and the exorbitant medical expenses that can plunge a family into debt for generations, condemning them to abject poverty; the appalling conditions in the slums, and the Filipinos whose reaction is to laugh and say “It’s raining in my house; the violence of the typhoons that in 2 hours can destroy the basic dwellings; the reality of prostitution, just to pay an electricity bill; the sexual abuse suffered by young children that barely raises an eyebrow in the slums; the drugs to help forget life’s hardships. 


2 – An LP4Y volunteer. What I learnt: I learnt to make mistakes and I learnt what it means to work on a development project. I learnt to meet new people without prejudging, without preconceived expectations. 


I learnt that giving and helping doesn’t work. 
I learnt what it meant to support / guide / share with the Youth, and the incalculable value of listening and sharing when it comes to LP4Y’s pedagogy. 
I learnt to live and work with it, plunging deep into another culture. 
I learnt to live the simple life, and to appreciate the freedom that gives! 
I learnt to submerge myself, living and loving a country and a culture which won me over with its powerful and honest outlook on life. 
I learnt smiling from the Filipinos, along with taking joy in simple moments, resilience, hospitality, generosity, joie de vivre. 
I leant from my mistakes, I learnt patience and humility. 
I learnt that being a volunteer is not about being a super hero, claiming to know everything, solving all problems as a Westerner might see it, instead it’s about giving the best of oneself, even when you can’t see the results, hoping that the Youth will, in turn, give the best of themselves, defying the odds which seemed to destine them for hell. 
I learnt the importance of teamwork and living in community with the other volunteers, I got to meet extraordinary people, with huge hearts who astonished me with their caring, their generosity, their passions and their love for others. 
When you go on a mission you are agreeing to let yourself be transformed, touched by the missions, by a country’s culture, by the contact with others. Above all, 
I learnt to open myself to others and to the Youth. To consider them as adults, as equals, and that was the key to everything …”