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Here's what a few HOPE International Development Agency UNION participants say about their life-changing experience connecting with the poor...

"I went to the Dominican Republic in the summer of 2006, with Hope International Development Agency in the UNION program. It was the most amazing trip and summer of my life. The group that I went with, there were six of us, along with people in the community built a school. We got to know the people in Los Arroyos, our little village, and they became not only our friends, but also family. I discovered so much about the world and myself during that summer. I believe that every person should be lucky enough to help the world around them and there is no better organization to do this with than Hope International Development Agency."
Karen Goldie, DR 2006

"I am and will continue to be ever grateful to HOPE for providing me with an experience of a lifetime. Through HOPE International Development Agency and the mission that I undertook I have learned a great deal about happiness. As corny as theis may sound, it is true…This experience opened my eyes to struggle."
Alex Fisher, Dominican Republic 2007

"I first went to the DR in 2000 as a UNION participant and then I went again as a team leader in 2007.

I felt so at home returning to the DR with HOPE International Development Agency where my experience 7 years before had had such a strong impact on my life, from what I chose to study in University to my love for traveling and volunteering.

Again in my second trip to the DR, the people in the communities were the highlight for me. They are strong, resilient, hospitable and kind; I have so much to learn from them.

The woman, whose house we worked on, was extremely poor and in order to thank us for working on her house, washed our clothes one day without charge. She felt that was the one thing she could do in order to thank us. I think that was the action that touched me most on that trip. Gifts need not be material, and maybe the non-material ones are even better as they are totally from the heart and given out of sheer love.

I believe experiences such as these raise our awareness to the poverty and injustice that exists in the world. I am determined not forget what I have learned; in a world of such injustice, it would be equally unjust to walk away. We must serve, love, and understand the poor, contributing positively in whatever capacity we can."
UNION Volunteer

"Going to the Dominican Republic with HOPE International Development Agency was the best thing I could have possibly done last summer. It can be hard to make it happen sometimes, what with school, work and life always getting in the way. But there is no replacement for such an amazing and invaluable experience. Sometimes all you need is a bit of time and distance to get a real perspective on life, what really matters to you. Going to a third world country opens your eyes to yourself and the world around you in a way that nothing else can. You discover that there's so much more going on around you than you ever could have realized, and that we are so lucky just to be living in North America. There are challenges. It's not easy to build relationships with people that have so much less than you and all the time feel like you're doing so little to help. But those relationships that you build with the people of the village and the members of your team are irreplaceable. In the end, you realize that even one person can make a difference, no matter how small, and it's up to you to do something."
Kathy Redekop - Dominican Republic 2004

"I am extremely grateful to have been able to experience first-hand the positive impacts of development, to have an optimistic view that things can and are improving."
Karen Hobday - Ethiopia 2003

"If there is one thing I can tell you about doing a UNION project is you never know what to expect, and I guess that is what makes it such a great experience."
Miles Walker - Cambodia 2001

"These people are like a first love, I will never forget them and pray I will return in the future years to see them again."
Tracy Curley - Ethiopia 2004

"I am feeling incredibly blessed and full of thankfulness. This has been a good Ethiopian summer. I think that I have been stretched and challenged, encouraged and stimulated. I am excited to come home and share my experiences with everyone. What excites me most is the potential for change that my little summer has in the lives of everyone I know back home and scattered across the globe. I know that it isn't really about me, but I also know that through my experiences I can challenge people to think and act for change in ways that are new and exciting."
Lindsey Fox - Ethiopia 2004

"I benefited from this experience in so many ways. I realized that it takes so little time and energy, if you have it, to give to other human beings, to reach out and help improve their quality of life."
Ruth Sumiko Tabata - Cambodia 2002

"It took me by surprise, when I started to understand that in Canada we have everything we could ever want, and we still complain. [When you are] in a country where running water is a privilege, garbage disposal is non-existent, and a flush toilet is hard to come by, how can one not take a look at life and say, "I can not by any right complain". I had the opportunity to grow up in a great place with everything I could ever need, and many of these people will never have the opportunities that I do. This trip has helped me to decide that it is my role as a person with opportunity to at least try and understand why I was dealt the long straw, and how can I use what I have to benefit those with much, much less."
Pete Damen - Dominican Republic 2004