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.
What is a right? Let’s talk about what is right and what is wrong. More specifically, let’s talk about Human Rights. Should a person be denied their human right due to the colour of their skin? Their gender? Their sexuality, or even their nationality? The answer is no.
As our three months come to a close at Simukai, we have gotten to know all the children the organisation helps extremely well. Every day the boys living on the street come to the centre for food, cleaning facilities and games/sessions with us. The more time we have spent here the more boys we have seen regularly coming to Simukai, and in celebration of friendships made, we decided to take a two-night camping trip to the bush!
On 27 November, the team was invited to Sakubva at the Caritas pre-school for their annual graduation; an invitation we could hardly refuse! We quickly learned this was no brief formality to be taken likely, this was an event on a grand scale and would be treated as such. The event hosted two guest speakers, Mr Tondoya and Mr Ngwenya. The festivities continued with an elaborately costumed nativity play, a dance competition for children and parents alike and finally the presentations of the graduation certificates.
World AIDS Day was an absolute success. The atmosphere and support were incredible. I haven’t felt this great since the triumph of our last community event! It went down a storm and we could not be more proud, so now it is time for us to take to our keyboards and tell you all about it. It is a tale of tribulation and triumph that we blush at telling ourselves but, seeing as there’s no one else, here we go.
Everyone expects different things when departing for the developing world, some expect rolling mountains and fresh mangos, and others expect potholes and Malaria. When we departed for Zimbabwe, we came armed with GoPros and Doxycycline, ready to shoot the perfect sunset fit for Instagram and not end up in hospital. Yet one can never anticipate the unexpected pleasures found amongst the unknown, joys that you cannot prepare for, and usually when they do appear, the GoPro will be out of battery.
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,
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.
