On International Volunteer Day, which is celebrated every year on December 5 to recognize and promote the admirable work of volunteers around the world, we share the testimony of Gerard Coderch, who this year volunteered in Unai, India.
She was able to live this experience thanks to the International Vedruna Volunteering: the commission by which volunteers can join forces with the Vedruna communities in different parts of the world, in projects promoted by theVic Foundation . In 2025, a total of 7 volunteers were involved in the realities of 3 countries: India, Peru and Brazil.
Last October, the Vedruna volunteers of this summer had the opportunity to meet in Madrid to share our experiences in the projects and communities where we have been hosted by the sisters.
We hadn’t seen each other since March, when we met at the training we did in Vic. There we were strangers, each with our own hopes and expectations, not knowing exactly what we were getting into. However, in Madrid, a single glance was enough for us to realize that we shared a lot.
Having the opportunity to share our experiences with people who truly understand them, who share them, even though they occurred on other continents, gave me a feeling that is difficult to express in words. We cried, we laughed, we cried more and laughed more.
Evaluation is a fundamental part of volunteering. For some it may be a period, for many a period, and for others a period, but for all it is a necessary point to digest what we have experienced in the communities to which the sisters dedicate their whole being.
It has been a privilege to be part of all this and, especially, to be able to share some of Joaquina’s spirit.
Gerard Coderch, volunteer 2025
