ICS blog

Volunteering is a widely-held diverse activity that allows people to give to a range of causes whilst also gaining knowledge and life experience. Since taking a shared elective in ‘Community Volunteering’ three years ago at university, I have become curious as to what motivates a volunteer and why volunteering is so fulfilling. The most obvious motives are altruistic (doing something for others) and egotistic (looking for self-gain). However, there are also motives such as social obligations, a need to acquire an understanding of the world or a need to act and express values.

It was 30+ degrees, the three-hour Sunday sermon was almost entirely in Chitumbuka and I had been introduced to the entire congregation as Phoebe from “Azungu land” (white peoples’ land). As foreign an experience this moment was to me, I embraced it with all my heart. I had been invited into what most of the community consider the important place in Rumphi, the Church! 

Una experiencia muy buena para mí fue haber ayudado en el reclutamiento de los nuevos voluntarios nicaraguenses, que se estuvo llevando a cabo el día jueves 26 de Mayo por Melida, Patricia y Doña Ninoska. Mi rol del día fue comentar como había sido mi experiencia con Progressio hasta ahora y motivar a los candidatos a poner mucha atención al proyecto que estamos realizando. También tomé fotos de cédula de identidad y ayudé a pegar papelógrafos para que miraran los roles que se realizan en este programa.

I set out on my ICS placement with high expectations as to the change I would be able to make and the impact that my fellow volunteers and I would be able to have in the community. I left knowing that upon my return, I wanted to showcase the work we’d achieved and to gain further support for the scheme.
 

Just before Christmas 2015, I spent three months in Malawi working as a volunteer for the charity Progressio. I was mainly working on improving the income of smallholder farmers with a group of British and Malawian volunteers, while living with a Malawian family.

As you would expect, I came across many challenges that I had to overcome during this time that ultimately changed my perspective and the way I view certain topics. I discovered major differences between Western and Malawian cultures and found that my opinion was frequently challenged. 

We find shade from the sun on the steps of the Chituka youth club (Nkhata Bay District, Malawi) and take a seat. He looks at me gleefully and tells me his name is Douglas Banda.  He is 19, a carpenter, and an example of what community-based education can achieve. His account is as follows…

International development or global development is a concept concerning the level of development on an international scale. It can be considered as the international classification of a country, such as developed country, developing country and least developed country. It also relates to human development and the international efforts in place to reduce poverty, inequality, improve health, education and job opportunities around the world. 

While still fresh and eager to make a difference in society, volunteerism never crossed my mind. Earning while still young always won the priority. However, ideas area conceived and, with experience, modification is inevitable. We live in a community where one’s mess is somebody’s stress. As such there has to be that individual willing to put to halt the mess and sensitise a change for the betterment of all. That someone had and has to be me and so my turning point was quick.

As a Natural Resources Manager, I choose to define environment as anything that is not me. This definition frees me from exclusion-based ignorance. Everything therefore surrounding me needs to be taken care of. While we may think that our ecosystem is not quite as complex as a natural biome, of most surety we are connected to the whole planet. That is why if one of our strings in this web leads to pollution that effluent will come back to us in one form or another.
 

During my incredible adventure, volunteering in Malawi, I have come to the conclusion that here everything is pretty similar to back home in the UK. Well yeah, we are all humans and you are still on Earth, of course we're going to be similar. That may be true however the culture, food and simply the way of life isn't similar.