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For those looking for an unusual family vacation, the Kulbis family has a suggestion — volunteer in Ethiopia.
The family did just that from September 2008 to July 2009, almost a full year.
Ruta Kulbis found out about the opportunity through a special program created by her job as a consultant at a management firm. The family volunteered through a program called Volunteer Services Overseas.
“The world is getting smaller, and we wanted to be able to help,” Ruta Kulbis said. “There’s only so much money you can give.”
They applied for a placement in April, found out they were headed to Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, in July, and were gone five weeks later, Ruta Kulbis said.
“The first impression was chaos. There were beggars, vendors, and donkeys fighting each other on their hind legs in the street,” Ruta Kulbis said. “Over time, we saw that it was a controlled chaos. The people there are very friendly and warm, and we became less of tourists looking in and more able to form a deep appreciation of the country and the culture.”
Their five children — Kovas, 15, Vidas, 14, Lukas, 12, Vasara, 9, and Rytas, 7 — attended an international British school for the year.
“We wanted our children to experience as much as possible,” Ruta said. “We wanted the kids to learn how the rest of the world lives and thinks and sees the world. It gave them a better perspective growing up and shapes the way they see the world.”
Ruta Kulbis said they chose to go to Ethiopia last year because the timing was right.
“We wanted to do something as a family that’s a little bit different, and our youngest wasn’t too young and our oldest wasn’t yet in college prep classes,” Ruta Kulbis said. “We explained that we are blessed with a lot of opportunities, and that we wanted them to understand how a major portion of the world lives, and the challenges they face.”
Most Ethiopians live on less than $1.25 a day.
One place the Kulbis family felt they were on common ground was on the soccer field.
Tadas Kulbis formed a girl’s soccer team when he learned the city didn’t have one, and his daughter, Vasara, played on the team. The boys played on an Ethiopian soccer team.
Tadas and Ruta Kulbis worked with volunteer organizations, teaching management courses and English as well raising money to fund a youth center to teach children how to improve their employment skills.
For those looking for an unusual family vacation, the Kulbis family has a suggestion — volunteer in Ethiopia.
The family did just that from September 2008 to July 2009, almost a full year.
Ruta Kulbis found out about the opportunity through a special program created by her job as a consultant at a management firm. The family volunteered through a program called Volunteer Services Overseas.
“The world is getting smaller, and we wanted to be able to help,” Ruta Kulbis said. “There’s only so much money you can give.”
They applied for a placement in April, found out they were headed to Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, in July, and were gone five weeks later, Ruta Kulbis said.
“The first impression was chaos. There were beggars, vendors, and donkeys fighting each other on their hind legs in the street,” Ruta Kulbis said. “Over time, we saw that it was a controlled chaos. The people there are very friendly and warm, and we became less of tourists looking in and more able to form a deep appreciation of the country and the culture.”
Their five children — Kovas, 15, Vidas, 14, Lukas, 12, Vasara, 9, and Rytas, 7 — attended an international British school for the year.
“We wanted our children to experience as much as possible,” Ruta said. “We wanted the kids to learn how the rest of the world lives and thinks and sees the world. It gave them a better perspective growing up and shapes the way they see the world.”
Ruta Kulbis said they chose to go to Ethiopia last year because the timing was right.
“We wanted to do something as a family that’s a little bit different, and our youngest wasn’t too young and our oldest wasn’t yet in college prep classes,” Ruta Kulbis said. “We explained that we are blessed with a lot of opportunities, and that we wanted them to understand how a major portion of the world lives, and the challenges they face.”
Most Ethiopians live on less than $1.25 a day.
One place the Kulbis family felt they were on common ground was on the soccer field.
Tadas Kulbis formed a girl’s soccer team when he learned the city didn’t have one, and his daughter, Vasara, played on the team. The boys played on an Ethiopian soccer team.
Tadas and Ruta Kulbis worked with volunteer organizations, teaching management courses and English as well raising money to fund a youth center to teach children how to improve their employment skills.
“What surprised me was how resourceful they are,” Tadas Kulbis said. “Here, if something breaks, you throw it out. There, they take a baby carriage and make it into a vendor’s cart and make sandals out of used automobile tires.”
Lukas said he remembered visiting the safe house, the only shelter in Addis Ababa for women and their children.
“On weekends, we went to church and visited the safe house,” Lukas said. “What surprised me was that they were happy even though they barely had anything. I would want to go back, but not for a year.”
Kovas said that he learned how big of an impact America has on the rest of the world.
“It was my first time living in another country,” Kovas said. “I learned about what a big influence America is — how much they knew about America. They think America is the best land.”
Ruta Kulbis said her children became independent.
“They took a bus home from school by themselves,” she said. “They learned empathy — they gave people some of their money, bread and sweets. They learned Amharic, the official language in Ethiopia.”
Ruta Kulbis said if anyone has the desire to volunteer, they should just do it.
“Don’t be afraid,” she said. “It’s a very rewarding experience.”
