Being able to travel the world is one thing, but giving back to the people and places along the way is another. As a documentary filmmaker and photographer, I’ve been fortunate to visit different corners of the world because of my work. But it’s not necessarily the places that call to me. It’s their stories. That’s what drew me to the Yale Alumni Service Corps (YASC), a volunteer-led initiative committed to community-driven, sustainable service. I’ve come to know YASC as a group of passionate individuals using their skills and knowledge to serve communities around the globe.
Having worked in South America before, I returned for my third trip with YASC and my first as its media producer. This time to Peru. Whether it’s someone’s first or their fifteenth trip, I enjoy learning why people come back or decide to give the program a chance. Some come looking for a way to give back, while others see a unique opportunity to experience a new place. They come for different reasons, but they are all united by the same desire to contribute.
Our project site was Sagrada Familia, a children’s home in northern Ancón, a town located in the coastal desert an hour north of Lima. Sagrada Familia houses, cares for, and educates children who are homeless or living in extreme poverty. Approximately 200 children who came from these circumstances live in its facilities, and another 1,000 children from the surrounding area attend school, have meals, and receive medical attention there.
Partnering with Global Volunteers, we took part in projects requested by the community, including painting, English teaching, home visits, parent workshops, psychosocial support, and healthcare. It was special not only to experience, but to capture as well. As the documentarian, I get to see the week unfold up close and preserve moments people might otherwise miss while volunteering. I like to think that reassurance relieves volunteers of some of the pressure to pull out a phone to take photos. Not only for friends and family, but for their own memories back home. In doing so, my work is a tribute to theirs.
The painting team had the biggest project on their hands. Tasked with repainting the school, volunteers had to cover both the inside and outside of the building before school started on Monday. The work was long, messy, and collaborative. Alongside the older boys, teachers and parents from the community pitched in, making it a full production. Meanwhile, at Sagrada Familia’s on-site clinic, volunteers with healthcare backgrounds spent their time meeting with families, diagnosing and treating patients halfway around the world.
The projects filled most of our days, but I quickly learned that much of the experience happens outside of them, in moments I choose not to capture. In the afternoons, we shared lunch with the kids and were always greeted by wide eyes, invitations to play, and hundreds of hugs every day—literally. In the evenings, we had late-night trivia and dinners topped with ceviche, laughter, and dangerous amounts of pisco sour.
If a group of mostly strangers can travel to a foreign country like Peru and return home with meaningful connections with the community and each other, and memories that can last a lifetime, how does YASC make this possible?
I don’t have that answer yet. But looking back, I have a better sense of why. These are more than just “Yale” stories. They’re stories of people from different countries, cultures, and generations coming together and forming lasting connections. This is at the heart of the Yale Alumni Service Corps and why I, and so many others, find ourselves coming back. We’re not simply traveling the world. We’re giving back to communities that are, in ways we could never fully repay, giving back to us.
Yale Alumni Service Corps (YASC) is a volunteer-led initiative committed to community-driven, sustainable service. YASC presents opportunities for alumni, family, and friends to use their diverse talents in locally prioritized projects. Learn more about YASC and ways you can get involved.
