Dave Ruckman, one of the board members of AaVI had the opportunity in June to lead a group of students from Doherty High School on a trip to Peru. In a recent conversation, he talked about his experiences.
Dave has seen firsthand how poverty can affect the lives of an entire nation after working with Adopt-a-Village International for the past three years. AaVI’s mission is to “provide a hand up, not a hand out to break the cycle of poverty.” All of the villages they have been working in lack the resources to meet basic human needs. Mr. Ruckman states these villages “touch my heart strings,” he also mentions that “it is our responsibility to provide a ‘hand up to these people who are most in need”.
No words can describe the intense feeling and raw emotions of saving a life. During the latest trip to Peru, the team saw two patients who were in critical need of medical help. Without the medical attention they received, these patients may not have survived. One of those patients, a child no more than a few months old, was severely burned. The volunteers treated the burns, rehydrated him and administered the needed antibiotics that helped him turn a corner on his way to recovery. Experiences like this one keep AaVI volunteers motivated.
Even though the AaVI experience is a lot of work, it is also a lot of fun. Dave says his favorite moments in Peru are the times he “gets to experience the jungle and the clinics through the eyes of the students who come.” During their recent trip, Dave says the student and other volunteers had the opportunity see fresh-water dolphins, a sloth, tarantulas, piranhas, and even hold a boa and anaconda!
Anyone can have this great experience to volunteer for Adopt-a-Village International. When asked if he had any advice for future volunteers, Dave states to “Go expecting to not only make a difference and see lives changed, but go expecting your life to never be the same – This trip will change you forever.”
