At the start of the year, I went to Zimbabwe with Progressio ICS for three months. Myself and five other UK volunteers lived in the village surrounding St. Matthias Primary and Secondary Schools in the Mutasa district. While there we not only worked with the students of the schools but with the people in the rest of the Mutasa area, and we did this with the help of the national volunteers, our Zimbabwe counterparts.
At Heathrow Airport ready to fly to Zimbabwe, back in January 2016
Every ICS placement is different, the projects you help organise and do can vary from planting coffee and building houses to delivering lessons on HIV and AIDS. While on placement, my team worked alongside a local organisation - Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme (DOMCCP), and I delivered sessions on HIV, gender-based violence and IGAs (income generating activities). These sessions allowed us to experience what I believe is the best part about the ICS programme and that is the people, culture and everyday workings of a country so different from our own. We were able to experience rural living compared to living a city, which is fairly similar worldwide.
Team DOMCCP facilitating sessions on HIV and nutrition
We also did some work with the primary and secondary schools, such as a talent show, scavenger hunt and a class challenge. The purpose of all these events was to help the students to understand the issues we had been talking to the surrounding villages about. As we were living on the grounds of the school, we were constantly playing and talking to the kids. This was another amazing aspect of the placement. Admittedly it was a bit strange being stared at every time we left the house and having murungu (white man) shouted at us by the smaller kids, but we got used to it.
Team DOMCCP facilitating sessions on HIV and nutrition
Returning home was definitely more of a challenge than leaving it, the reverse culture shock took a bit of getting used to. Coming back to a fast paced community no more “Zim time” (an entire country two hours behind itself). Not being stared at as I'm walking down the street anymore and, as I live in Scotland, it meant no more sun for another year as well. The strangest thing however was that my friends were no longer a 30 second walk away. As we lived in a small village we saw each other every day for three months, even when we didn't plan to, because there were only 2-3 places you could actually go. Because of this we became incredibly close, more so than my friends back home. A perfect example of this was the return volunteer weekend. Even though I had been home for three weeks and spent a lot of time with my friends, I felt more comfortable and normal on the train down to London as one of my group happened to be on the same train. In three months we went from total strangers to close friends, and that is another reason why I would recommend the ICS programme.
At Harare Airport after 10 weeks in Zimbabwe
Friends aren't the only thing you take away from the placement, you also get a lot of confidence. Once you've used a hole in the floor as a toilet for three months there is nothing that life can throw at you that will faze you. Leadership and people/communication skills are other aspects that you improve on. As the Scottish accent has not yet reached Zimbabwe, I had an issue communicating with most people that we met, and that includes the other UK volunteers, so I worked on communication and speaking in a way people could actually understand. However, since returning home, the accent has come back. But more important than any skills that you gain or improve on are the memories and experience that you will come back with. As I mentioned before, most cities and towns look fairly similar when it comes down to it but the people, landscape, scenery and wildlife in each country are as different as the one before it.
Team DOMCPP presentation at the Returned Volunteer Weekend back in the UK
Another key aspect of the ICS programme is the host homes that the volunteers stay with. The host families completely adopt you into their families and treat you like one of their own. If you need anything you just need to ask, they are constantly asking how you're doing and making sure you're ok. From living with our families we each learned different skills. As I've never lived away from home before, this was a new experience for me and has given me more confidence for leaving home.
Zimbabwe cycle group photo the Returned Volunteer Weekend back in the UK
“Once in a lifetime” is a phrase that was said to me so many times before and after I went, but why does it just need to be the once. After you've completed an ICS placement, all you'll want to do is travel and because of the skills you learn while away you will be able to.
Written by ICS Alumni Greg Hamilton (January - March 2016 cycle, Team DOMCPP, Zimbabwe)
