My name is Darren Sacks – I’m a typical 19-year-old from Australia. I volunteered four mornings a week with SACH over four months via my Israel program (Aardvark) and it was the single best decision of my life.

While no doubt there were challenges such as language barriers, a huge variety of age groups, and endless tedious conflicts amongst the kids, you must learn to form connections as a friend, not a volunteer, and overcome any trivial obstacles so that you may inspire and entertain them as much as they do you.

Being the only male volunteer over the course of my volunteering, I quickly adopted the role of the ‘human ragdoll’ – as the kids found amusement in constantly riding on my back, tugging my hair, laughing at me, and conducting whatever mischief they thought would cause the biggest reaction. I quickly forgot about any pain and discomfort the moment they lit up with playful smiles and mischievous giggles; it was the best feeling in the world.

I feel honored to be part of the SACH community and to have touched, and been touched, by such special children and mothers going through such a significant journey. The sheer resilience and beauty within each kid made me reconsider what I value and strive to be like, and knowing I hopefully played some minor role in making the process a little more bearable through playing (and getting laughed at) means the absolute world to me.

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