Gvantsa Kardava is a Georgian volunteer who joined afteschool Közösségépítő Egyesület in Gyöngyös, Hungary and carries out her long-term European Solidarity Corps project funded by Erasmus +. Read what she says about her upcoming experience:

“I am Gvantsa, 27 years old. I graduated from Budapest Business School with a Master’s in Tourism management and right now I decided to be part of ESC family. Since 2014 when I heard about volunteering abroad for the first time I was willing to do it once in my lifetime and I am so excited that I finally got this chance.

To my mind, participating in EVS/ESC projects is one of the best ways for people to learn new things from each other as well as make new connections and get a lot of positive vibes. Being a volunteer is not only about work, it offers you multiple additional opportunities, for instance participating in trainings, meeting new people, or learning the language of the country you are in. It has unique benefits like giving working and life experience at the same time. Discovering yourself in a foreign country with different people and cultures is the best way to get to know yourself better and pay more attention to your personal growth. You might be more sure about your future goals or might be willing to change them because you are going out of your comfort zone, in an intercultural environment.

Volunteering as a job is so precious and can give you a special experience, because it’s about helping people who really need it, sharing your knowledge, abilities, skills and get the same from others as well. It’s something that drives you to think outside your vision, the possibility to be part of a globe without boundaries and stereotypes, a place of charity and experiences where you can simply develop yourself and discover a lot, every single day. It is the chance to make the world a better place to live for everyone, especially for children, and simultaneously contribute to the local community as much as possible.

Being part of EVS/ESC projects will help you to become more tolerant, get to know different cultures and people, understand and listen to all the people with different backgrounds and experiences. Learning a new language, in my case Hungarian, is also one of the best part of it. Even though I’ve been living in this country for 3 years I know only some words in Hungarian, because I’ve foreigners around and the common language we use is only English. I’m happy to have a chance of helping children learn more, give them informal education, and share my knowledge and experience with them. Also introducing my country, language, and culture to other volunteers and listen about theirs as well is one of the most exciting things.

I am ready to be part of the project and help children to know more and to discover their abilities and use their skills. I can’t wait to bring a little light life to peoples life who really need it and also get too much positive energy and emotions from all of them” – Gvantsa Kardava.