It was not until I retired 13 years ago that I came to know the joy of giving. Finding myself with more time on my hands I became a volunteer with The Smith Family, an Australian NGO involved in increasing the educational opportunities of disadvantaged children. It was a wonderful experience and I found there […]
Terry Warr
DIANNE
Arriving at Dili Airport I was met by the Director, Sr Joaquim Freitas Soares and volunteer, Siobhan, whose brother, Liam happened to be on the same flight. We gathered ourselves and then headed to Tibar. The weather was hot and sunny and most welcome after the cold climate of Ballarat, Victoria.
Angela
My time at Raphael was an amazing and rewarding experience. From a professional, cultural and social aspect my time was more than I expected. I arrived in India not knowing anyone but left feeling that I had made many new friends. Raphael has a commitment and enthusiasm to improve the lives of many people. It […]
Georgia
Ever since I was 12 I’ve not only wanted to travel to India, but immerse myself in Indian Culture. After two years as an occupational therapist in the public service I knew it was my time to go. A colleague, Carmen, had been a volunteer at Raphael 15 years ago. She had compiled a beautiful […]
David
After a couple of medical issues in the first two weeks, I got into the rhythm of Raphael. But it was a full month before I felt comfortable in what I was doing, getting to know the staff I had most to do with, and getting a handle on Indian names. My working week of […]
JAMIE
Even having previously heard and read stories of Raphael I had no real idea what to expect when I began volunteering there. What I found and experienced lived up to and surpassed any expectations I’d previously had. I came away with a new found understanding, a love of children with mental and physical disabilities, some […]
Ondria
After a delayed commencement day of one day (due to personal circumstances), I commenced work on the 26/5/14. My main trepidation in going to KD was my lack of language skills, even though a former volunteer, Fran, did her best to teach me. At the end of the day, I knew some very basic words e.g. […]
Ryder-Cheshire Australia (RCA) Biennial Conference 2014
The RCA Biennial Conference was held in Sydney over the weekend of 12 – 13 April, 2014. This gave the opportunity for representatives from the RCA foundations and support groups from around Australia to get together and share their experiences and ideas about organisational issues, fundraising, volunteering, utilising electronic media (especially social media) and generally […]
Schools and Universities Support Ryder-Cheshire Home
Primary schools, secondary schools and universities are wonderful supporters of the Ryder-Cheshire Homes in India, Raphael, and East Timor, Klibur Domin. Some of our Australian schools and universities have given dedicated support for thirty or forty years, and others have been inspired to come on board more recently. Many of these Australian schools and universities […]
Klibur Domin and the Fight Against TB
It is often hard to decide what to highlight from all the news coming in from the Ryder-Cheshire Homes in Australia, India and East Timor. However, one item that stands out for a number of reasons is the recent opening of the Multi Drug Resistant-TB (MDR-TB) office at Klibur Domin in East Timor. It stands […]