As I reflect on my second year of service, I feel deeply grateful to be part of CorpsAfrica once again and for the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of incredible people in my community.. Over the past few months, I worked closely with fellow volunteers to identify youth to work with at our project sites. Because I already had experience working at the site, I was happy to support others, and in the process, I strengthened my leadership skills. By the end of the third week, we had identified more than 60 youth, which was a great achievement. However, in my own village, I had not yet found any youth to work with, and that made me afraid and discouraged.

Instead of giving up, I put in more effort. By the end of the fifth week, I had successfully mobilized 61 youth 17 men and 44 women. Together, we began making real impact. From our shared ideas, I introduced lending initiatives where youth started small businesses using both their own savings and money borrowed within the group. We also used CorpsAfrica revolving funds, which played a crucial role in supporting small business projects for 40 youth in my group. These initiatives did not only improve livelihoods but also built confidence, responsibility, and teamwork among the youth.

Being part of CorpsAfrica is truly more than serving; it is a powerful learning journey. It is about being shaped into a better leader, entrepreneur, and innovator. During our first in-service training on project proposal writing, I gained skills that I immediately applied when we returned to the site. Last year and again this year, I applied for funding from the Tony Elumelu Foundation and was awarded USD 5,000. This success came from commitment, discipline, and leadership skills that I gained through CorpsAfrica. More than service, CorpsAfrica is transforming who I am and who I am becoming.