ICS blog

Although most of us accept the idea of climate change, it still seems to be a somewhat abstract concept in people's minds, particularly in the western world. We often associate it with an indefinite future of melting glaciers, dramatically rising sea levels and an atmosphere filled with dark smog; these apocalyptic images seem so distant from our current reality that it's easy to continue with our everyday lives, seemingly unaffected by global temperature changes. 

The days go by and the rains have yet to come. We may be approaching the end of the first month of winter, but rain has still not arrived in La Sabanita. For the farmers this is bad news, but for the volunteers, the delay has allowed us to make progress on the seven vegetable patches being constructed in the homes of this community’s neediest families.

In the week of 1 June we received training by the staff from Volcano Masaya on how to build concrete signs that will be used to promote environmentally friendly behaviours in the community of La Sabanita, as well as the correct use of the new bins that we have built using old tyres.

From Tuesday on, we covered the buildings of the recycling centre with old canvas advertising signs, to keep the rubbish to be out of reach for the children. We also built a warehouse where bottles can be stored before being sold.

This week signalled the mid-point of our project in Nicaragua and reflecting upon the experience has conjured up a mix of emotions. An overriding realisation has been an acceptance of the limited time, which we have remaining in Nicaragua. This is a prospect, which to date has been absen, whilst we have been so fully focused upon the task in hand. However, amongst this somewhat premature anxiety of departure is a genuine feeling of achievement and a sense of pride. 

I begin this blog with a quote by Nelson Mandela, because education in developing countries is so important. We know that universal primary education was one of the millennium development goals. In Nicaragua, charities and the government are fighting to wipe out illiteracy and promote the values of citizenship among children. 

This week in La Sabanita, the community where national and British volunteers are working, there was a campaign to promote reading among children. The idea was also for them to understand their rights as children, thus enabling them to prevent violence. 

You can visit a country and get all sorts of different experiences from it - you can visit the famous touristy places and buy souvenirs, you can go hiking up the highest mountain, and you can explore the streets of an old town. But what ICS can offer is a rare experience: to get under the skin of a culture and learn about it from the inside; the bits that the guide books don’t teach you. 

First of all, I’m really pleased to be part of this project with Progressio ICS, which gives us, as young people, the opportunity to learn new skills, develop what we already know and meet other young people from other countries with whom we can share different cultures and experiences despite many barriers. 

“Makadini” (How are you? - My favourite Shona word, or probably the only Shona word I remember!). 

We are in our fifth week in Nyanga, Zimbabwe. I can’t believe we have been here for over a month! It has been a dream of mine to volunteer in a developing country for as long as I can remember. So far, it has been such an overwhelming experience. The people here are so positive you almost forget for a while how much poverty the community is in. Despite the majority of the community members lacking in basic needs, they still have lots of laughter and smiles to share!

Describe the British in one word: brisk

We, the British are brisk, in the way we walk, the way we talk. More than once, I have been told I speak too quickly and on our way from the DOMCCP (Diocese of Mutare Community Care Programme) Team house to the bus stop it is, more often than not, one of the UK volunteers at the front, striding out, pretending they can cope with the level of heat in Manicaland Province.

On the 14 May I was fortunate enough to assist in the reunification of Lloyd B. Lloyd had previously been on the streets before, as his family couldn’t afford to pay school fees, but after being identified as a vulnerable child he was eligible for the BEAM programme. BEAM (The Basic Education Assistance Module) was setup by the government and UNICEF to help orphans and vulnerable children to attend school.