Natalia helping Diana with a fairtrade condolence card picture

So if the FairMail teenagers are the ones taking the pictures on the cards, how come their pictures look so professional and suitable for western customers? That’s thanks to the help of great volunteer photography teachers from all over the world who come and help out. To give you an impression of what they do we interviewed German volunteer Natalia (26 years old) just before she left after staying with us for 6 months. Read more about her experience here.

How did you hear about volunteering at FairMail Peru?

I heard about volunteering at FairMail from a former student of my university. She spent her practical semester at FairMail India several years ago.

What were your normal tasks and which special projects did you do?

Together with other volunteers I was teaching the teenagers photography, especially in creative skills, since most of them already know how to operate their cameras. To do so it was necessary to plan the lessons in cooperation with the co-managers of FairMail Peru. After the teenagers take the pictures, my colleagues and I were selecting the best ones and were talking about suggestions to improve the photos in future. Furthermore I planned and implemented my own project which was aimed at providing the teenage photographers with practical working experiences before they would leave FairMail and before deciding about their future profession.

The whole FairMail team showing their creative projects

What would you say your impact was on the teenagers with your volunteering? How did it help them?

I think my volunteering helped the teenagers in their motivation – not only in photography but also to search for possible professions for their future and job opportunities. As the teenagers told me, especially the individual conversations helped them to believe in themselves and their capabilities.

What did you like most about volunteering for FairMail?

The most I liked is the feeling of being a family member of FairMail Peru. From the beginning on, the teenagers welcomed me warmly and did not seem to care about my basic language skills. Whenever I felt unmotivated, they gave me new energy and courage. I also enjoyed seeing that the more we talked and worked on the ideas of the kids, the better their photos became. It was a breathtaking feeling to see the first postcard of one of the new photographers: Angelica. It made me very proud of our work together.

What was the most difficult for you about volunteering for FairMail?

The most difficult moment about my volunteering at FairMail was seeing all the farewell letters from the teenagers and the co-workers which I received just before my departure.

How did you like living in Huanchaco and what kind of things did you do in your free time?

I enjoyed the life in Huanchaco very much. In my free time, I was meeting my local friends, enjoying the Peruvian food, dancing salsa, jogging, wave surfing, relaxing on the beach, learning Spanish and capturing my surroundings with the camera.

What would you say to others who are wondering if they would like to volunteer for FairMail?

To others who are wondering whether they should apply at FairMail or not, I would say that they should no longer hesitate! It is absolutely worth it not only because of having the pleasure to become a member of such a competent and cordial social enterprise but also to get a chance to improve your Spanish language skills and to experience life in Peru.

Natalia preparing the healthy break snack with FairMail Peru managers Yuli and Maria flor

Do you perhaps have one example of a funny moment or experience you had?

There were lots of funny moments I had during my stay in Peru. One of them was during work, as Medalit and I were taking pictures for the card theme “Thank You” using tiny, colorful decorated stones on the beach. To do so it was necessary to find the right position for the text. After we finished drawing the words into the sand and turned around to use the stones, we found only empty space. The stones were gone!

Soon we noticed a man further down the beach who was cleaning garbage from the beach. We ran towards him to explain what we were looking for and he remembered having collected them. Once we had searched for the stones in his huge sack full of garbage, we could finally start building the words into the sand. Just as we finished shaping the words in the sand perfectly and Medalit switched on her camera, a huge wave reached our feet and washed away all the stones!

We could not hold ourselves from laughing and began to rescue the tiny stones again, which were now spread all over the beach. Future volunteers, beware of those tiny stones – they are in for adventures!

Interested in volunteering yourself?

Does volunteering for FairMail sound good to you or do you know someone who might be interested? You can read all about how things work by clicking here. And by the way: we don’t charge any volunteer fees.