Fourteen years ago, CorpsAfrica began with a simple but radical idea: What if young Africans could serve like Peace Corps-style Volunteers in their own countries?
Today, as I reflect on this journey, the most rewarding part isn’t just the wells dug, the schools built, or the 150,000 lives touched—it’s witnessing the profound growth of our CorpsAfrica Volunteers and the enduring relationships at the heart of our mission.
When I served in Morocco as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the 1990s, I met a young Moroccan woman in Marrakech who asked me, “Can I be a Peace Corps Volunteer like you?” Her question planted the seed that sprouted into CorpsAfrica. As of today, thousands of young Africans have answered that call, proving that local leadership is the cornerstone of sustainable change.
From solar-powered irrigation in Senegal to community gardens in Rwanda to earthquake response in Morocco, our Volunteers arrive with open ears, not pre-conceived solutions. They live alongside communities, eating what they eat, sleeping where they sleep, and listening deeply to uncover real needs.
One of my greatest joys is seeing alumni return as staff, donors, or lifelong advocates for volunteerism. Take Boubacar Biro Diallo, a Volunteer alumnus from Senegal from the 2016–2017 cohort, who rejoined CorpsAfrica as Alumni Coordinator under the Atlas Corps Fellowship. He now builds systems to support former Volunteers in their personal and professional lives.
Among our most inspiring successes is Amadou Alpha Ba, a Senegalese Volunteer also from the 2016–2017 cohort, who secured a grant from the National Basketball Association in the US to build a basketball court for a refugee camp in Malawi. Peter Mndalasini, an alumnus from the 2018–2019 cohort in Malawi, serves as a Volunteer Liaison and works with Leap Girl Africa, a cross-racial network combating gender-based violence.
Similarly, many of our country office staff are alumni who embody the ’servant leadership’ ethos that we champion. This cycle from Volunteer to change-maker fuels CorpsAfrica’s impact far beyond any single project. These and many other human-centered, youth-driven community impact stories remind me that development isn’t about projects but about people and their resilience, ingenuity, and the bonds that endure long after their service year ends.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, all of our Volunteers chose to stay in their villages, distributing supplies, sharing information, and proving that trust forged through shared struggle is unshakable. Their courage humbled me. As I told our team then, ‘Locals listening, connecting, loving, and helping locals, that’s the revolution.’
I’m deeply grateful to our partners and supporters for believing in the CorpsAfrica model. To aspiring CorpsAfrica Volunteers, please apply to join our ranks of grassroots change-makers. The rewards will surprise you. And to our alumni, you all have taught me that success is measured not in scale but in depth through the friendships forged, the mindsets shifted, and the lives forever changed.
As we advocate to bring this opportunity of volunteerism to more countries across the continent, I’m reminded daily that CorpsAfrica’s legacy isn’t just mine but ours as a collective of positive impact across the continent. It lives in the laughter of children on that basketball court, the pride of a village maintaining its well, and the energy of alumni WhatsApp groups buzzing with ideas and collaboration.
That’s the joy I never anticipated and why I’ll keep showing up, sleeves rolled up, always ready to serve.