My name is Boubacar Biro Diallo, I am 25 years old, and I am originally from Zinguinchor, southern Senegal. I have a degree in Sociology from the University Assane Seck of Zinguinchor.  I have acquired lots of experience in the field of community service, such as when I organized many activities for the benefit of different communities in partnership with ChildFund Senegal, UNICEF, and the World Food Program (WFP).
Since March 11th, 2016, I am based in the commune of Baba Garage where I am serving as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Senegal.

​ Located in central Senegal and East of Dakar, Baba Garage is in the Diourbel region and in the department of Bambey. In March 2014, Baba Garage, then a village of 1900 inhabitants, was established a commune as part of the implementation of Act III of the decentralization policy of the government of Senegal with the creation of district municipalities.
Baba Garage covers an area of 156 km² and is a cluster of 52 villages with 16,000 inhabitants (out of which 53% are female inhabitants).

I spent the first week at my site mostly observing and meeting with a local women’s association whose activities focus on the transformation of local products.  Although there are no paved roads in Baba Garage, it is an intersection of two roads, namely the axes North-South and East-West, thus its nickname of “cross road village”. The commune of Baba Garage also has five other unpaved roads that make the area more accessible.

The major ethnic groups include Wolof, Serere and Poular and most of them practice Islam. Agriculture, farming, small business ownership and artisanal craftsmanship are the main economic activities of the village.
Below is is a group of women I met at center of Madame Diop who produce soap out of natural plans like the leaves of lemon trees.  

​With this brief description of my site, I would like to welcome you all to my CorpsAfrica Blog.

Thanks, and until next time!

Version originale en Français 
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Le Début d'une Bonne Aventure

Je m’appelle Boubacar Biro Diallo, âgé de 25 ans, je suis de Ziguinchor, dans le sud du Sénégal. J’ai obtenu un diplôme en sociologie de l'Université Assane Seck à Ziguinchor. J’ai acquis beaucoup d'expérience dans le service communautaire, comme quand j’ai coordonné plusieurs activités au profit des différentes communautés en partenariat avec ChildFund Sénégal, l'UNICEF et le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM).

Actuellement, je suis volontaire de CorpsAfrica au Sénégal ; je suis en service  dans la commune de Baba Garage depuis le 11 mars 2016.

Baba Garage est situé dans la région de Diourbel au centre du Sénégal à 120 km à l’est de Dakar, dans le département de Bambey. Ce village de 1900 habitants est devenu commune depuis le mois de mars 2014 avec l’entré en vigueur de l’acte III de la décentralisation avec la création de communes d’arrondissement.

Baba Garage compte environ 16000 habitants répartis dans 52 villages sur une superficie de 156 km² avec 53.3% de femme.

Ma première semaine dans le site était basée sur l’observation et à des rencontres avec les organisations de femmes transformatrices de produits locaux. De ce fait, on peut constater qu’il n’y a pas de routes bitumées, mais 2 axes Nord Sud et Est Ouest se joignent à Baba Garage appelé ainsi village carrefour. Cinq autres pistes de production rendent la circulation plus fluide au sein de la Commune d’arrondissement. 


Les ethnies présentes sont majoritairement les Wolofs, les Peuls et Sérères dans certains villages. La religion musulmane est la plus pratiquée et  l’agriculture, l’élevage intensif et extensif, le commerce et l’artisanat sont les principales activités des populations.

Ces femmes que j’ai trouvées au centre de madame DIOP font la fabrication de savon à base de plantes naturelles comme les feuilles de citrons etc.

C’est par cette petite description de mon site d’intervention que je vous souhaite la bienvenue dans mon blog de CorpsAfrica.

Merci, à bientôt !
Boubacar Biro DIALLO

Written by Limbani Kamanga, CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Malawi
Reposted from Tobiyasi in Chiradzulu

Hello! My name is Limbani Kamanga - some people call me Ada Kamanga - and I am one of the 12 pioneering CorpsAfrica volunteers in Malawi. As you may know, CorpsAfrica has recently expanded to Malawi and Senegal in its continued effort to address development challenges in neglected African communities using local human resource, particularly the youth. I am excited to be a part of this initiative.

Through this blog, I will be publishing monthly updates on the progress of various development endeavors that I, in my capacity as a CorpsAfrica volunteer, and the residents of my site in collaboration with CorpsAfrica's development partners, will be initiating throughout the course of my service. I hope this blog will captivate your interest and that you will feel the need not only to peruse my posts but also to contribute your insights through the comments section.
"But, who is Limbani," you may be wondering. Well, here is my brief backstory. I am a young and enthuastic Malawian, and I hail from Nkhata-Bay. Academically, I hold a BA in International Relations, which I obtained in 2015 at the College of Wooster. Within the IR discipline, I have vested interest in development issues, particularly issues relating to the African continent. I guess this explains why I am with CorpsAfrica at the moment.
A Brief Profile of My Site: Located in Chiradzulu, a district that neighbors Blantyre (Malawi's main commercial city), my site is within Group Village Headman (GVH) Likoswe area. Interestingly, I am almost 35 minutes away from Limbe, such that a one-way minibus ride to Limbe costs approximately K300.00 ($1 = K750). This means, in terms of proximity to a "proper" city, I am better off than most of my fellow volunteers. But, fundamentally speaking, this aspect, does not make my job easier by any means. I still have to abide by the same rules as stipulated in the CorpsAfrica handbook. Anyway, GVH Likoswe's area is subdivided into 9 villages, namely: Likoswe, Nkumba, Magombo, Nancho, Ntepere, Thamangiwa, Nkasa, Mwenye, and Mzembere. I will be spending the rest of 2016 and probably the beginning of 2017 in these 9 villages.
I hope you will be keeping up with my endeavors, through this space, as I try to find my feet in GVH Likoswe area. Thank you all.

​Written by Vanessa Chimutu, CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Malawi
Reposted from veezinsight

Am not much of a blogger/writer to begin with, but hey , there is always a start for everything, so let me share a few things about my service with CorpsAfrica with you all. They say the most beautiful things happen to those who least expect it, well what can say, but yes, its true. I was overly nervous about getting out of my comfort zone and start staying as part of a community with people whom I practically don’t know, oh did I mention this is supposed to be in a rural community? Well, there you go.
So the day to be deployed to my site arrived , this was on the 27th of February 2016 ,I was so nervous, am sure people who know me better could actually tell that hey Vanessa is nervous although I was trying to contain myself. I got into the bus and suddenly things were becoming more real, funny enough, my counterparts Tusa , Limbani and Sarah seemed more excited than nervous ( well at least from what I saw ) and before we knew it , we had dropped off Limbani in Chirazulu and the next site was mine, Zomba! The nerves started kicking in a little bit more and 30 minutes later we had arrived at 6miles which is the junction into my community, at first I thought we had arrived as we had to wait for Mphatso who works at the organization which am partnered with , Age Africa ( I will tell you more about that later).
Now you see, when Mphatso joined us, I knew things where getting more real by the second, and as the bus started moving into the village , I Just sat there thinking to myself “wow, am really doing this?” it was until Tusa started teasing me about how far my village was from the main road when I snapped out of it and just laughed all the way until we arrived.
My oh my, we here! I could see people’s smiles and faces of excitement as we arrived at a school known as Nsala Community day Secondary School, in a village known as Ipululu. The headmaster of the school Mr Tsoka, greated us warmly as he introduced Miss Sawali, the only female teacher at the school who is also my host, and from nowhere all the nerves were gone just like that, isn’t that great?
I was then introduced to the rest of her family , her two sons, KK and Joel, her Nephews, Pride and Chisanzo and Daughter Joanna, who were eager and excited to meet me. And in no time, neighbours , and friends all started coming along to make acquaintance. I didn’t expect this at all, it made me feel more comfortable and secure, and I knew from then, that I was right were I belong, am happy that I was surprised at how the people welcomed me, my host had so many stories to tell me, I must say, she was the most excited to have me. I am already learning a lot from the people here, so the next 365 days will be exceptional, as I get emerge myself into their culture, lifestyle, learn from them as well as work hand in hand with them through out the year. I expect to be surprised every step of the way. Am glad I am finally here.

Written by Adnane Sounni, CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Senegal

My amazing journey as a volunteer with CoprsAfrica/Maroc is finished; however, another one has started but this time with corpsafrica in its start-up program in Senegal. January, 28th was the time date we (Walid and I) headed for Dakar. We had two days to stay in Dakar before we went to Thies city to start the training. Thus, we had the opportunity to chill and visit places there. 

Among the great places we visited was Île de Gorée (i.e. "Gorée Island"). A gorgeous island located 2 kilometers at sea from the main harbor of Dakar. It is not big (It is an 18.2-hectare), but it has a heavy history. From this place the some African slaves were transported to the new world. The Maison des Esclaves (House of Slaves) is one of the oldest houses on the island. It is now used as a tourist destination to show the horrors of the slave trade throughout the Atlantic world. To get into the island, we took the ferry. The ferry trip takes 20 minutes and you can book a tour if you wish to from the docks in Dakar. Goree Island is calm compared with the noisy streets of Dakar. There are no cars on the island and it is small enough to find your way around on your own although there will be plenty of "Guides" offering you their service. Across the island many people are selling traditional tricks. It was there where the first time we tested some Senegal juices, e.g., “Bissap”. The island was visited famous people such us president bush and Obama, the singer Akon, and others. In general, we had great moments in the Island. 

Learning Wolof in that center was an opportunity for us to meet different people from different countries. Some of them are there in a student exchange program to learn languages usually French and Wolof. Some others are already have a good career and are there to learn the language. Many of them have already been in morocco, and know about its traditions, food, and geography. 

We stayed, while we were learning Wolof, with the host families. My host family was great. I had mom, two host brothers and two host sisters. My mom is very kind and always prepares delicious dishes like “Yassa Ginaar” (yassa chicken), Yassa djeen (yassa fish), and Moroccan couscous. She is really interested and involved in politics; she is a member in the party of the president. As I am writing this blog she went out to vote in the referendum that is organized today in Senegal. What was surprising to me is that the family knows morocco very well; my host sister spent three years in Fes city studying there, their cousin lived five years in morocco, and my host brother visited morocco three times. My integration with them was quick; I even felt that I am with my family. We spent the time discussing and comparing what morocco and Senegal have in common, and how they differ. 

​In this blog, I tried to give I brief description of what I have done after nearly living two months in Senegal. After two days, I am moving to my community, so stay tuned; the show is about to get started☺. ​

Written by Abdellah Azizi and Soukaina Bouihi, CorpsAfrica Volunteers in Malawi
Reposted from Abdellah Azizi Photography

In a few days we will move to the villages that we were assigned to, our village will be in Mulanje district, many people told us that is one of the most beautiful places in Malawi, it must be true. after spending time getting to know the community, we will work with them to create a project that will answer their needs and contribute to the development of their community.

Working with communities was one of the key lessens that we learned during the five weeks of Pre-Services Training, The training was hold in Naomi Katengeza Lay Training Centre, at the foot of Chongoni Mountain. We had one full week of 1st aid and disaster management training, then so many NGOs visited and shared their knowledge, challenges, and goals with us. Then, the Human-Centered Design team checked in, Garrett the tall energetic Human-centered design trainer, how brought the spirit of New-Orleans to Chongoni. And Aziz, oh we will miss you Aziz, he brought us the Moroccan tea pot, and the Tajine, and Ahidous -Amazight chants-, Aziz made us miss Morocco even more.

Chongoni fields

During the two weeks of Human-Centered Design workshop, Garret t and Aziz changed our views towered human development work, they open our eyes into how to detect the right problems, and how to find the solutions, then re-find the right solutions. Two weeks of theory classes, and practices in the nearby villages made us more prepared to serve our new communities.

Malawians officials, US ambassador in Malawi, and Liz Fanning, the founder of Corps Africa, will witness the swear-in of the 1st CorpsAfrica Malawi Volunteers, Nine Malawians, and us the two Moroccans, we will swear-in to do our best to serve people of Malawi for one year. It is not an easy task, indeed, but it’s an adventure, and every adventure comes with challenges and rewords, challenges that makes you grow, and rewords that brought happiness into your life, that is a true victory.

Garrett Mason with CorpsAfrica Malawi Volunteers and staff.

Written by Emas Potolani, CorpsAfrica Volunteer in Malawi
Reposted from eMas' Korner

Ask me about my life, I would tell you that I have grown up away from my family, of course I usually visit them once in a while. Zomba, a peaceful small city, has been my home since 1996, hence you can't really blame me at all if I tell you that the bond between me and Zomba is somehow unbreakable. There’s more to it though. That’s however for another day.

But today, 26th February, 2016 I have found a new home, a new people a new tribe and a new family. CorpsAfrica has led me to this village in Neno in the Southern Region of Malawi; a place I gladly call home from this moment on. I am now at Zalewa II in Patason village, popularly known as Chitete Village, very few kilometres from Zalewa turn off.

The most exciting thing is that my journey to this place was no ordinary, I was driven here by Liz Fanning, the Founder and Executive Director of CorpsAfrica (http://www.corpsafrica.org). Can it get any better than this? It is the very first time for Liz to do this and I guess am the only volunteer to enjoy this homage! hahaha! Can’t contain the excitement! Anyway, about the road trip, we were together with Abdullaziz also known as a Gama (his Chichewa nickname) who happened to have been busy taking some pictures and videos, I took some few too, c'mon! Who wouldn't?  It’s the most exciting day of my life.

At 2:10pm, there we were at my new home, my site. Before meeting anybody else, we were welcomed by the Chief’s representative, who was accompanied by the Head-teacher for Chitete Primary School and the chairperson of the Village Development Committee (VDC). Well, it was a great honor. I am humbled. To be honest with you, these people are so warm and amazing! First impression am already in love with my work site. Isn’t this awesome? And I think these people are development hungry too, just like me.

My host family is the Nyakwawa (Chief) and his family, of course I am from a royal family myself but wait a minute, did they consider that when they were placing me here? What a coincidence. Am humbled once again, lol. Not to blow my own horn but probably it's just in my blood (. Well want to know about my host family? These guys are simply wonderful people and very warm. Oh! Check this out; the Nyakwawa's wife prepared me some warm water telling me while kneeling down "bambo kasambeni" (Sir, go take a bath), lol. The chief wasn’t home by that time ofcourse, and once he is back from his errands, you don’t have to tell him that the moment I was out of the bathroom, I was welcomed by a really nice plate of Nsima and eggs prepared by his wife.
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 Not that am here to snatch the Nyakwawa's wife, but hey she's dope and kind.  Wait a minute, did I mention the bathroom is a pigs' khola in the night? So cool!

More interesting is the fact that I have a mesho (Room mate). I am never going to be lonely at all. I have the company of a black chicken at the far corner of my room.