ICS blog

To serve there is no distance,

To support there is no difference,

To help we come together,

To achieve results, that’s how we triumph,

Great Britain beautiful and elegant nation,

Nicaragua a poor nation with love,

Where the beauty, elegance and poverty,

Come together, understand each other and where there is happiness.

We are people from different places,

We carry out all of the work with love,

With different customs and traditions,

But with one aim; to support.

Six months ago, I began my International Citizen Service (ICS) placement with Progressio in Honduras. Honduras is a developing country with many serious issues and the educational system is underfunded. Our main goal was to visit the local schools and teach the school children about the dangers of drug abuse. Our aim was not only to steer the children away from drugs, but also to point them in a better direction, towards success and a better quality of life. We were there only for three months, and we spent just a day at each school.

International Citizen Service (ICS) was such an important experience for me personally, and I don’t think that I truly realise how much I took away from it and how much of an impression it had on me and on my perspective on my own life and the lives of others. It was much more that simply filling time between graduating university and entering myself into the world of work.

Quiero contarles lo que hemos hecho durante estas dos semanas en mi hermosa comunidad de Parcila. Es impresionante lo que con un poco de ayuda y mucho trabajo se puede realizar. La satisfacción de hacer algo para ayudar a las personas, el deseo de seguir ayudando y ver unas caras de felicidad al ver suplida una de sus muchas necesidades y mejorar un poco el nivel de vida de dichas familias.

Over the last couple of decades, countless schemes have been introduced across the UK to encourage the reducing, reusing and recycling of our waste materials. These three R’s are important as they save the world’s natural resources and have the potential to drastically cut the amount of energy that is required to make a product from scratch.

The 5 December is International Volunteer Day, a day which celebrates the power and potential of volunteering. Having volunteered in different ways from a young age, I have been able to see first-hand the effect volunteering has, not only on those you are seeking to help, but also on you as an individual. Volunteering provides the opportunity for you to use your skills and talents to help others but also teaches you new skills and allows you to develop new talents. It is one of the best and most direct forms of charity.

Many people asked me when I organised my career break, what on earth possessed me to give up my well paid London job and spend 3-6 months in a foreign country, living in a host home with a bunch of 18-25 year olds – not most of my colleague’s idea of a relaxing holiday! Maybe you are a bit like me, you may have taken a gap year before or after university, you might be over the age of 25, but looking for a new challenge and the opportunity to develop new skills.

Whether you want to volunteer next summer before the grad scheme or incessant job hunting starts, or to gain new skills whilst still a student, there seem to be so many companies out there prepared to offer you ‘the experience of a lifetime’. Searching the internet for volunteering opportunities can feel overwhelming - a quick Google search finds a plethora of different opportunities available.

Durante esta octava semana finalizamos la construcción de la última pila, todo un éxito. Las personas beneficiadas se encuentran muy felices.

Una de nuestras voluntarias, Carla, salió de promoción de su carrera universitaria. Los voluntarios la apoyamos en su graduación y lo disfrutamos “muchas felicidades”.

En la séptima semana realizamos encuestas sobre la gestión y prevención de riesgo. Nos ubicamos en la comunidad y en pareja, casa a casa, entrevistando a toda la comunidad sobre el nivel de riesgo, la vulnerabilidad y potenciales que tienen ante un desastre. Estuvimos reunidos con los beneficiarios de las eco-estufas y pilas, y les presentamos los proyectos, los materiales para la construcción de las pilas ya se encontraban en la comunidad y las familias beneficiarias de las pilas procedieron a retirarlos.