On September 18, 2009 The Roscommon People covered Ciara Cunningham's story in the article The sad plight of an AIDS orphan. Ciara is one of the winners of EIL Travel Awards 2009. She have travelled to South Africa for nine weeks as part of EIL’s Global Awareness Programme, to volunteer with people living with HIV and AIDS.

In Africa there are 13 million AIDS orphans. “A generation of human beings who have never known a mother’s loving cuddle or a father’s guiding hand. These children will learn life skills in institutions rather than imbibe them from their parents” – Richard Dowden, ‘AFRICA: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles.’

Laura Mc Grawth from Dublin writes about her time volunteeringin Nigeria:

Oisin Brogan from Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland spent 6 months volunteering in Nigeria and shares his story with us:

I suppose I should start from the start.

Sometime in late 2007, I decided 14 years will be enough. After this year, it was time for a break, time for a change. Time to do something else with my life.

Brona Higgins is a student from County Monaghan who spent 9 weeks on a volunteer programme in Nepal. She's shared with us an account of this life changing experience:

Nepal. The natives will continuously tell you it stands for Never Ending Peace And Love. Of course you laugh off this cute but predictable little mantra in the beginning but by the time you leave this absolute paradise you realise they couldn't have been more right all along!

Cathal From Co Mayo kept a diary about his is experience of working at a volunteer camp in Rajasthan, India. Here's an entry from part way through his time there:

Hey all

Hope everyone is well and good and all ready to enjoy the May weekend. was pretty shocked when i realised it was 1st May as that means I am home later on this month. Now finish week 9 and beginning to feel the countdown to the finish line. I have come back up to Mcleodganj the village where the Dalai Lama resides for the weekend because i liked it so much last weekend. it is a real chilled out and relaxed place and I am completely fascinated by the Tibetan influence and the Buddhist monks. It is fascinating religion.

Caroline Enright, a graduate in International Studies, spent 7 weeks volunteering with the Manav Sadhna Centre in Ahnedabad. This is an account of her time there:

I spent three months in Quito, Ecuador at the start of this year, as a volunteer of EIL. I found the first while to be very tough, being on my own without my friends and family around, in an unfamiliar place and submerged in an unfamiliar language. I had absolutely no Spanish before arriving in Ecuador but by the end, I was quite confident with the spoken language.

Katie Mahon from Co Wexford volunteered in Chile for 10 weeks in a center caring for girls from a disadvantaged background in the town of Temuco. She wrote on her experience just a few days after having left the center.

I've finished my volunteer placement and I was broken hearted leaving the Hogar in Temuco!!! Felt like the time went so so quickly, and it was so hard saying goodbye to all the girls and everyone working there knowing that I wouldn't see them the following day, or week or month........... it was like having another family!!! I can't believe how welcomed I was, how much everybody made an effort to make me feel a part of the whole group, and how much the Tias appreciated any bit of help they received.