Victoria Aziz
I am a student from McGill University in Canada, and was lucky enough to have the opportunity to intern at Brazos Abiertos Yucatán during the Summer of 2014. As a student of International Development, I wanted some practical experience working abroad, and all of my expectations and hopes were exceeded volunteering with this wonderful charity.
México continues to struggle with HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy, both of which Brazos Abiertos is working hard to combat through awareness and prevention. I had the privilege to work on the peer-to peer health education program with high school students at a local school in Mérida. We covered many different topics, including healthy relationships, contraceptive methods, gender, and HIV/AIDS. Preventative measures, such as these educational workshops, are extremely important at stopping the spread of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS.
These enthusiastic students were eager to learn and made my time teaching at the school unforgettable. One of my most memorable moments was watching the students present what they had learned about healthy and safe relationships. After weeks of classes, the students finally had the opportunity to showcase their newly acquired knowledge. Not only were they now very knowledgeable, but also very excited and enthusiastic. Seeing them grasp these important concepts and being able to speak about them with confidence was truly amazing, and made me feel very proud.
Volunteering abroad is without a doubt an amazing experience and I recommend it highly. Working for Brazos Abiertos, and creating awareness through education truly does make a difference in the community, and I’m so happy to have been a part of this process!
And you can see Victoria and our other volunteers talking about their experiences in our video Volunteer Now! Interns
Dr. Carlos Cabrera and Victoria Aziz with the high school students as part of our education program