On June 24, Nephi resident Clint Roberts and his 17-year-old son, Blake, traveled to Apia, Samoa for two and a half weeks. They made the 6,000-mile plane trip to engage in a challenging but highly rewarding volunteer effort with the nonprofit organization Humanitarian Experience (HXP). Their objective: to help build a children’s counseling center/refuge on the Campus of Hope to protect young victims of child abuse.
HXP is a nonprofit organization that offers various types of youth service and leadership growth opportunities around the world. HXP’s mission is to “change lives through sustainable service.” The children’s counseling center construction project in Samoa is just one of many successful service missions the organization has facilitated.
The new counseling center will be a high-security refuge where women and children who are victims of abuse will be kept safe from their abusers. Many of the victims plan to testify against their abusers in court and require additional protection. The counseling center is being built on the existing Campus of Hope.
The Campus of Hope is a temporary residential care facility in Samoa for abused children and women. It is operated by Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG), which is a non-governmental organization that provides schooling, medical care, protection, and other services for crime victims.
Five groups of volunteers with HXP have taken on the monumental task of building the new counseling center from the ground up. Each group contains 19 youth volunteers, two parent builders, and two youth leaders.
All five groups have a unique role to play in the construction of the counseling center. The first team dug trenches and poured the foundation. The second team did flatwork and started on walls. The third team, which included Clint and Blake, worked on the building’s columns and beams. The fourth group erected trusses and the fifth group is currently plastering and painting. If everything goes as planned, the construction of the entire building will take just 17 days, thanks to the efforts of many volunteers.
In addition to dedicating two and a half weeks of their life to building a safe place for victims of abuse in Samoa, volunteers also donated money to the cause. The donations paid for cement, cinder blocks, and other materials needed to construct the building.
Blake recalls how challenging it was to construct the center, noting that the intense heat was difficult. However, volunteers knew how important their efforts were and pushed through despite the challenging environment. Blake describes how the kids living on Campus of Hope helped make the experience more meaningful. He and other volunteers had the opportunity to teach them English and watch them play basketball, soccer, and other sports after school. Clint said the entire experience was “good for the kids that went and it was good for the kids that were there.”
Clint and Blake encourage anyone interested in volunteering with HXP to reserve a spot early because they fill up fast. The organization accepts volunteers on a first come, first serve basis. Volunteers get to choose from a wide range of service destinations, from Argentina to Malawi. There are also plenty of stateside destinations available for anyone who would rather stay within the U.S.
HXP will accept registrations for its summer 2025 service opportunities from December 2-6, 2024. The organization promises to offer “the hardest and best summer of your life.” Interested individuals can join HXP’s mailing list or learn more by visiting humanitarianxp.org.
