Undercover Student: Angelyn Empalmado
by Angelyn Empalmado
The best way of learning anything is by doing. — Richard Branson
I was first introduced to the idea of volunteering long before, but I really never had the opportunity to be involved except for a one-off event or task. I was really happy to be given the chance to be a volunteer at Asia P3 Hub and World Vision.
Though I first had apprehensions because it was my first time to be exposed to a real working environment, and my English is not my mother tongue, I thought that volunteering there would be a meaningful way to spend my time during my short visit to Singapore. I must admit that I was initially doubtful if I would be able to keep up with everyone’s standard, but all that changed when I started inter-acting with everybody at Asia P3 Hub. The orientation given by Phearak Svay, Senior WASH and Partnership Advisor at the Hub, was very informative and insightful. It provided a wide overview of what Asia P3 Hub is about, how important water, sanitation and hygiene is in our daily living and how it impacts the lives of people in Asia. I want to take this opportunity to commend Phearak’s patience and dedication in explaining everything to me including my task for the two weeks I volunteered at the Hub.
At Asia P3 Hub, I was tasked to compare WASH data from several materials, infographics and WASH profile documents of countries from different regions in South Asia and Pacific and East Asia regions to ensure accuracy and consistency. I needed to validate the data and verify the information about the population, poverty line, population with and without water access, sanitation, diarrhoea, open defecation and stunted growth for each country. I also made a summary of the data to for each region to come up with the whole Asia Pacific data, and edited some of the info-graphics. This exercise interested me a lot; it was very educational and invoked an awareness of issues I have never thought about before.
During my second week, I was given an additional task to do some research and contact possible suppliers for giveaway gifts for Asia P3 Hub’s upcoming events. Again, this was a whole new experience for me. I was proud of myself because I was able to contact suppliers or dealers online, and had a return call from one of them. I know that this is just a small thing but it gave me thrill and boost!
I am truly blessed to be part of the team even for just two weeks. Though there were tensed situations at times, working with data & numbers is something I enjoy the most. It also test my analytical aptitude. I enjoyed working with the other interns: they are approachable and fun to be with. Similarly, I am grateful for the guidance Phearak, Wayne, Dorothy and Christy provided — I know how precious their time is but they still dedicated their time to me and all other interns & volunteers. I believe that I will carry this experience in a very long time. I wish Asia P3 Hub and World Vision many blessings and successes!
Interested to intern or volunteer with us? Drop us an email!
