The primary purpose of this report is to provide Program Directors feedback that will enable them to properly monitor and evaluate the programs. This information is essential in order to make necessary modifications in the design and implementation of the program. This report also provides HVO/Washington with information about how to improve the orientation process and other support services for the volunteer prior to departure.

Please submit your report to the Washington office as soon as possible after your return. We will send copies to the Program Directors and other appropriate persons. The Program Director may share your report (or parts of it) with persons at the site. Selected portions of your report may also be used in the HVO newsletter, annual report, web site or other promotional materials. Your report may also be shared with upcoming volunteers to the site. If you feel that your report should be kept confidential, please note this on the report and we will honor your request.

Attached is a suggested format for this report. Please do not feel constrained to cover all these topics, especially if they are not relevant to your particular situation. If you are a returning volunteer to this site, we encourage you to focus on changes that you see at the site rather than to repeat what you have said in earlier reports. We also encourage you to write a short article on your experiences for publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the article for our files.

A. Vital Information

Please include your name and contact info (preferred telephone number and e-mail), country of service, and dates of assignment.

B. Orientation

Was your pre-departure briefing(s) from the Program Director adequate and appropriate?
Did you have a good idea of what you were expected to accomplish during your visit?
Were the materials in the Orientation Packet provided by the Washington office helpful?

Based on your briefings, prior knowledge, and reading of A Guide to Volunteering Overseas, were your expectations realistic?
If not, what could have been done to create a more realistic set of expectations?

C. Activities

Provide a review of activities undertaken during your service. This should include a summary of your teaching and clinical activities; a list of all lectures given; a description of the interaction you had with the trainees, a description of any training methodologies used. Also highlight any particular strengths or weaknesses that you feel the trainees have so that future volunteers may be able to address these. You might also address how your activities related to your understanding of what the Program Director wanted you to accomplish (see Section B).

Please review the training component of this project in light of HVO's mission to design programs to assist in human resource development using appropriate technology and low cost, locally available material whenever possible.

D. Assessment

Did your activities meet the needs of 1) the local people; 2) the host institution; 3) your counterpart; and 4) the trainees? If not, why not?

Were you able to devote as much time to training-related activities as you thought appropriate? If not, why not?

If you have been to this site before, what changes did you notice? Do you think the program is having an impact? Please be as specific as possible.

E. Suggestions

Do you have suggestions for changes and/or improvements in:

• Types of activities the volunteer is expected to engage in;
• the linkage and communication between HVO/Washington, the Program Director, the host institution, and the volunteer; and
• The pre-departure orientation.

F. Cross Cultural Interaction

Were there significant cultural differences between yourself and your counterpart(s) that significantly decreased your effectiveness as a volunteer? Are there specific cultural issues that you feel future volunteers should be aware of (e.g. male/female dynamics; divergent attitudes towards work, different perceptions of professional roles, etc.)?

G. Living Conditions

• housing;
• local transportation;
• entertainment; and
• activities for spouses and families.

Note any changes that need to be made to the Program Description regarding the living situation.

H. Summary

All in all, was this a worthwhile experience? Would you go again?

We prefer that you submit your Trip Report via e-mail to info@hvousa.org. You may also submit your Trip Report via mail or fax to: