Lucile, France, 2016, 2 weeks
Faisal and his family took really good care of me.
I only have spent 18 days there but this experience was so intense and wonderful that I feel like I was there for a month. Faisal and his family are very lovely. I really appreciated working with Faisal. He is an amazing guy, very generous, honest, careful. I believ
e in him and his wonderful project. Faisal is only 19 years old but he is already giving so much to the kids and the volunteers. Teaching is for him a real passion and we can feel it ! That’s a real pleasure teaching with him.
I highly recommend you to come to Belopa to help Faisal for making this project possible. You won’t regret it ! For sure ! You will meet wonderful people, and will spend an amazing time there. Thank you again Faisal. I will never forget you. I already miss you. I am sure we will meet us again soon.
Guillermo, Spain, 2016, 1 week
First of all thanks to Faisal and his family for taking care of me in the way they did. Because they make you feel like you are part of their family. I only spent 9 days in his place, which is not enough, because once you have been 2 or 3 days with them and you get used to their culture and traditions you realize that you could spend more time.
Every day we did different things, every single day you can learn something new about so many things such us languages (dialects hahaha), traditions, cooking, animals, people… In fact I have learnt more than I taught! So if someone has doubts about how would be his time in Faisal’s School, trust me when i say that you will not regret at all and it will be one of the best experiences in your life By the way, I have met amazing people who have changed my mind and have made my heart bigger than it was before. Thanks Faisal, Lucile, Misba, Iswan, Police Man , and all people there!!
Ellie Hope, Scotland, 2016, 1 month
I stayed with Faisal and his family for one month and the experience was truly unforgettable. This was my first time to travel to Indonesia, so I was a little apprehensive about an entirely different culture. Despite this Faisal was extremely helpful and forthcoming with information before my arrival. When I arrived in Bajo Faisal was exceptional in making me feel welcomed into his beautiful home. Nothing was too much trouble! The room I stayed in was comfortable and clean. Faisal’s family are kind and friendly even though they speak little English, communication was never an issue because everyone was always full of smiles. I was introduced to a rich and unique culture, something you cant find in the usual tourist places of Indonesia. We went on trips hiking and to the beach. The locals are lovely and I was introduced to many of Faisal’s friends who soon become my friends too! I was shown how to make traditional local food- which was delicious! We helped with the organic farm, planting in a sustainable way. Faisal is very passionate about the environment. Teaching the kids was a joy- they are talented individuals who are so eager to learn new things, their spirit was inspiring.
Faisal fully supported me as this was my first time teaching- we shared lesson planning and activity planning. Faisal is an outstanding teacher who will go on to do amazing work in the future. Overall I would highly recommend volunteering here as I had an incredible experience, met friends for life and have a family in the heart of South Sulawesi. Thank you so much for hosting me!
Sophia, Germany, 2016, 1 week
Spent only a week here and it was over way too quick! Everything seems to be very different culture wise but don’t be afraid about that – it is what makes this experience so unique 🙂
Faisal is an extremely motivated and talented “youngster” (haha), thanks for such a fun week. Also,the family is absolutely lovely even though they don’t speak English. I loved their food and they do everything for you to feel comfortable in their home, you’ll be part of the family.
Teaching these kids (and older kids) was fun as well, they are fully into it and it’s easy to connect with them.
All in all a good week and I will never forget about this!!!
Matias & Denisse, Chile, 2016, 3 weeks
When we left Chile more than a year ago we started thinking about working with children in a volunteer program. At first, the idea of teaching a language different from our mother tongue seemed scary and too hard, but the communication with Faisal was reassuring. That´s why we decided Our Chance was the place to go. When we finally got there, from the first moment the kids made everything easy with their eyes wide open and their eagerness to learn. That kind of enthusiasm gives you the energy to come up with new ideas and teaching tools.
Besides that, the experience was more than working and it wasn’t always easy. We had to adapt to the Muslim culture during Ramadan, something far from Latin-American everyday life. Dress codes change, food changes and you miss some aspects of the “western comfort”. However, Faisal and his family did everything to make us feel welcome and comfortable.
Summing up, in Our Chance we learnt that you can (and you should) always try new things and challenge yourself, despite what you think you know despite or your age (we are the oldest volunteers Faisal has received). This kind of initiative is a key opportunity for kids who want to know the world and need to experience different realities. We look forward to receiving them at home when they make it to the other side of the world.
We are grateful to Faisal for the chance and his trust. We are grateful to his family (especially his mum) for making us feel at home. And last but not least, we are grateful to the students for their effort, love and joy. THANK YOU.
Cherry, Philippines, 2016, 2 weeks
My less than 2 weeks stay with Faisal was awesome, I got a whole new different experience. A simple English school with wonderful students on it, I reckoned Faisal was doing a fantastic job running this place, not to mention he’s a great teacher. 
His family was very kind and made me feel like I was one of them. His mum was sweet and affectionate. Got to try authentic, home cooked local cuisine, courtesy of Mama and Faisal (I think this was the best part of my stay). I should add that he’s also a good cook! I made a lot of new friends who showed me an Indonesian way of life. Cheers to everyone I have met during my stay and hopefully, someday we’ll meet again. Goodluck to all your endeavours and if you decided to study abroad, come here to Melbourne!!
Andreu, Catalonia, 2016, 1 week
Ourchance is an incredible spot of hope and opportunity run by Faisal, a young spirited person that wants to share English and environmentalism with his community and the boarder world!
That involves having us volunteers to share ideas, thoughts, and feedback about teaching, about the environment and the world.
The project is mature now with a stable amount of pupils attending class and lesson planning and schedules. However Faisal also allows to engage deeply in the running of the class, with advises and new ideas encouraged 🙂
The philosophy of sharing knowledge and protection environment without a monetary return is engaging! Many of the students share the interest in protecting the ecology, which unfortunately is not common at all in Indonesia.
Having a continued flow of volunteers would be perfect to have the project in wheels and involve more and more the local community, that’s maybe the only thing i missed of my (short 5 days) stay, more reaching to the local networks. So if you have the opportunity go and visit and engage! 😀 On the personal level the stay with the Family and friends was feeling welcomed and accepted all the time I was there. Just like forming part of the family since the 1st day.
Brandon, Canada, 2016, 2 weeks
My stay at Faisal’s w
as an incredible experience. I stayed with him and his family for 2 weeks, and it definitely wasn’t long enough! Helping teach the students English was very satisfying, as they were all very eager to learn. The class was informal, giving us more room with the lesson structure to teach the students what we felt they should learn. The other volunteers, Faisal, and I worked off of each other for what to put in each lesson, how we saw it going, and also discussing how ridiculous English is (I figured the students learned more English while we learned less)! Faisal has a natural teaching ability, you can tell straightaway while he’s teaching that he’s really trying to make sure each student ‘gets it’, and there’s no doubt that a career in education is set for him!
This WorkAway is way more than the teaching, Faisal brought us on a beautiful hike in Belopa, as well as a rambutan plantation, climbing waterfalls, and we even competed in a local Futsal & 3v3 Basketball tournament (or, tried). His friends soon became our friends, and the people of Bajo/Belopa are generally very interested in foreigners and where they come from. I’m happy to now have a family in Bajo, if you want an off-the-beaten-path experience on Sulawesi, I definitely recommend looking into this one! Thanks again for having me Faisal and family!
Chris & Seher, the UK, 2016, 3 weeks
We stayed w
ith Faisal for just under a month. It was the best month ever. He is so kind and caring, and makes you feel a part of his family. He also runs an amazing English / Environmental class. His teaching is inspiring, and he helped us gain skills that we never knew we would gain. He has some great ideas but was also happy to hear any suggestions we had.
During our weekends, Faisal kept us entertained by taking us to local waterfalls, hiking nearby mountains, playing footsal with the locals and foraging for fruits.
I am happy to say I have made a friend for life. His family and friends are amazing and during my stay they became my family! I am so lucky to have stayed here!
Thank you!