ICS blog

Seven weeks in… time is going so quickly! As we are approaching the rainy season here, the days are getting muggy. We’re lucky enough to have a fan in our room, without which it would be very uncomfortable to sleep. The few days of rain we have had have been intense, with the dusty roads transforming into mudslides and children can be seen running through them bare foot. The power cuts are becoming more frequent, with a full day of uninterrupted power being a God’s gift; I blame the weather.

Leaving home was very daunting, it was full of what in hindsight really were quite selfish thoughts. I thought about how I had only just finished my A-Levels, how all my friends were only just leaving for University and how I was going to Malawi, a developing country, for three months. How I was going to live with a family that I didn’t know and on a project with a whole new group of people, half of which do not have English as there first language. Initially, some of my concerns were met, adjusting to life in what felt like a whole new world is not easy for anyone.

For International Volunteer Day, on 5 December, our ICS volunteers in Zimbabwe wrote a blog reflecting on their experience and the importance of volunteering.

It’s International Citizen Service and we’re the volunteers

Not going to shy from the challenges, we’ve got no fears. 

Team Simukai may be two but we act as one,                      

Everybody knows were coming, sounds of laughter and fun.

Rowa and Urban, both have so much to give,

For International Volunteer Day, on 5 December, our ICS volunteers in Honduras wrote a series of blogs reflecting on their experience and the importance of volunteering. 

For International Volunteer Day, on 5 December, our ICS volunteers in Honduras wrote a series of blogs reflecting on their experience and the importance of volunteering.

For International Volunteer Day, on 5 December, our ICS volunteers in Honduras wrote a series of blogs reflecting on their experience and the importance of volunteering.

The concept of volunteering has been around for years on both a national and international scale. It is a practical and powerful way of confronting social and economic problems, which is why you will often see volunteers in developing countries tackling issues such as poverty and inequality. But why are volunteers important in Honduras?

For International Volunteer Day, on 5 December, our ICS volunteers in Honduras wrote a series of blogs reflecting on their experience and the importance of volunteering. 

For International Volunteer Day, on 5 December, our ICS volunteers in Honduras wrote a series of blogs reflecting on their experience and the importance of volunteering. 

How do you engage four hundred people of all ages, with very limited English, in one large field on a scorching hot day?  With temperatures in the high 30s, unrelenting sunshine, and limited resources beyond a crate of bananas and some bad dance moves, Team Rowa began our first weekend workshop.

I have met a man in Rowa. A man who has taught me endlessly about strength. His name does not matter, his title does not matter. His story does. In 2004, after suffering from chronic dermatitis, he decided to get tested and was confirmed as living with HIV.