Morenike Olaogun, 22 years old, worked alongside volunteers from Malawi for 10 weeks as part of the government funded development programme, International Citizen Service (ICS).
Morenike worked on a project run by the youth development charity, Lattitude Global Volunteering which aimed to educate young people about HIV and AIDS.
ICS allows young people aged 18-25 to contribute to long-term development projects in one of 28 developing countries. The scheme offers young people the chance to develop personally and learn about team working and leadership on projects that are of genuine value to communities around the world.
Volunteering
When I arrived in Malawi, I was fortunate to work with an organisation called APAUSE which stands for ‘Added Power And Understanding in Sex Education.’ It is a peer education initiative which aims to deliver lessons on sexual health in schools and youth groups. The programme aims to teach young adults how to build healthy relationships whilst avoiding peer pressure to have sex. We also taught the young people about the negative consequences that occur from having sex. I was very fortunate to be a part of this programme as it encourages abstinence; an action which I think is the most powerful form of contraception to avoid sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.
My experience in this programme was very eye opening and led me to acknowledge how important it is for organisations such as ICS continue to operate. Many of the young adults that we taught had no idea that infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea existed. This was surprising, considering that in the UK young people aware of this as early as 11 years old. This was a very fulfilling part of the trip as it not only made me thankful about the access to information that we have here in the UK, but also that we were able to enrich the people’s minds with knowledge that they may never have come across without our programme.
A highlight on my trip was when we planned and conducted a youth awareness event focusing on HIV prevention, sanitation and waste management. Our team were fortunate to gain sponsorship from Airtel one of the biggest phone companies in Africa and Mzuzu American Corner who work in association with the American Embassy. We held auditions for the talent that would be showcased, hired a DJ and MC and also planned how the event would be facilitated. The ICS team built the stage that we used from scratch with timber wood and to our surprise it was very stable.
This was particularly important to me because it highlighted how we may not always have trust in each others abilities but if we come together with a common goal and work hard to achieve it with a positive attitude, we will always excel as a team. We learnt that organizing an event in a developing country is extremely challenging. For example, we struggled in particular with a relatively small budget, lack of resources and a lack of easy communication methods which made it difficult to contact potential sponsors (i.e. whilst in the UK an email will suffice, we had to spend several days walking around town asking businesses personally!). All the ICS volunteers helped on the day, with many of us on our feet for 12 hours in 30 degree heat. The event took place on September 13th 2014 with over 500 young people that attended. I was extremely proud to be a part of such a successful event.
Host family
On the programme I lived in a host home. This meant I had the chance to really experience the country I was working in. I stayed with the Mwale family which was honestly the best part of the trip for me. They were very kind,loving and treated me like their very own daughter. I can honestly say that they are my second family and will always have a very special place in my heart. My experience in their home taught me how to be appreciative of everything that I have. I found happiness and joy in that environment even when the electricity or running water was not constant. I learned to wash my clothes by hand under the hot sun but for some reason I really enjoyed it. There wasn’ta cooker in the house, but I loved sitting outside with my host sister, making food on firewood or coal under the night sky and having long interesting conversations despite our language barriers. This is one part of the volunteering experience that is invaluable and I am forever grateful that I was able to experience this.
What I learned
Overall, since volunteering on the ICS programme my expectations for change has become more realistic. I know that volunteering abroad will not change the world, but I also know that the biggest impact can be made through small steps. The APAUSE programme and working with people directly has taught me that we cannot change people, people must first change their attitudes and the way they think themselves before a difference can be made. Our role is to try to help people to change certain ideologies that they may have. Educating people is key and it is definitely the first step to changing the world. Therefore I can definitely say that my mind has opened to realistic ways of how development can be achieved.
In addition, I have always known that I would like my future career to focus on Africa; however I am more positive that I would like to further focus on children. I believe that the children are the future leaders and change should first start with them. This programme has opened my eyes to how special the children of Malawi are but unfortunately their education and well-being is not always a primary concern. As a result, many children in Malawi are not well educated which limits their abilities as adults. I am grateful that the ICS programme has opened my eyes to these issues as it has made me aware that this is an area that I would like to focus in the near future.
You may get in contact with Morenike by email: renike_0807@hotmail.com or linkedin: Renike Olaogun
To find out more about ICS or to apply, visit www.volunteerics.org or call 0208 780 7400.
