Offering care in Salvador, Brazil

"While volunteering at a compound run by nuns, I did everything from companion work with the elderly to caring for orphans to cooking and cleaning. I spent a lot of time with one wheelchair-bound woman who couldn't speak. On my last day, I started massaging her hands with moisturizer. It was such a powerful moment -- I realized that what everyone wants is to be touched and to feel emotionally connected to another human being. One of the other things I liked about my experience was that I was able to meet people from both the U.S. and abroad -- men and women from 18 to 60. I remain in touch today with several friends whom I met while I was in Salvador." -- Naomi Soffa, 37, San Francisco, California