Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Dorothy Mapira

I could write a million words but they will all tell the same story of how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer. Time has always been a great teller of all the things done. It's crazy how the world has viewed women as being weak, passive and so on. However, this stereotyped kind of thinking has been proven wrong as I have seen women demonstrating that they have the capacity to bring change. That women are like everyone else and if given a chance to perform, they can do wonders.

I am writing as a young lady who has been inspired and greatly impacted by the efforts of fellow women in changing the plight of our rural communities. They nurtured their dreams so well that it became a reality. For so long, people have despised the spirit of volunteerism, but it is through this that I, together with my fellow volunteers, have managed to reach out to the most desolate communities of our country. It has been a dream come true for me as it has revived a leader in me.

To be a part of CorpsAfrica’s dream is not only a great opportunity for me but also a turning point in my life. Many times, I had dreamt of becoming a change maker in my country but I did not have the capacity to do so. Through CorpsAfrica, I found a platform where my dream has become a reality. I have had the chance to acquire skills and use them during my service. Truth be told, these skills were not just essential to me during my service, but it's a gift that I will carry with me wherever I go and no one will take it away from me.

My service has been so impactful, my time in the community was not only about facilitating the implementation of projects but also creating friendships and partnerships. I have shared smiles with people, and believe you me, these smiles would not have been shared if the needs of my community were not addressed.

During the time in my community, I have been able to implement projects that have addressed some of the basic needs of my community. It has not been an easy journey but it was worth it. I will live to remember the work done and the impacts made. The photos shared serve as evidence of the change made in my community.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Mieke Mmeya

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."  -- A.A Milne 

Dear Reader,

After 14 amazing months, I have to say goodbye to you and my community. This journey is easily one of the most important experiences of my life because (to quote Julius Caesar) I came, I saw, I conquered. Though perhaps my achievements during this time are not as great as conquering a kingdom but through this service I was able to break the boundaries of what I first viewed as my limitations.

Looking back at the past year, the apprehensions of successfully integrating into the community and facilitating projects seems so funny. Do not get me wrong. The journey was not easy and the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic did not make things any easier, but I find that it was the challenges that made the whole experience worthwhile. 

To my host family, thank you for accepting me as one of your own. From the moment I arrived in your home you treated me as a daughter returned from her adventures in the world, never as a stranger taking advantage of your goodwill. You encouraged me to be myself and pushed me whenever I felt like giving up. To my family and friends, both old and new, your physical and emotional support has gone a long way in ensuring the success of my service. To my community, I hope I managed to live up to a fraction of your expectations from me. To the CorpsAfrica staff, thank you for trusting me to take up this mantle. To my fellow CorpsAfrica Volunteers, we did it you guys!  

And finally, to you dear Reader, thank you for granting me the audience throughout this time. Please remember the words of A.A Milne quoted above. Go out there and be the best that you can be. The world is waiting.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Mr. Chifundo Chibaka

I have stayed in my site for over 66 weeks now and a lot has happened. I came as a complete stranger and now as I prepare to leave, I feel like I am leaving home and people I have known all my life. I was fascinated by CorpsAfrica's approach of placing development facilitators right in the community and I believed this to be the best way to kickstart my career in the development sector.

After arriving in my site, I spent the first few days pondering how I could connect with the locals, build trust and a working relationship with them. I immediately decided to attach myself to the local football team and youth club. I developed an interest to work with the youth right at the start of my service. Looking back to this, I feel it was a best way of making my presence known and putting my foot on the ground. I worked on two projects with the youth and their commitment was beyond comprehension. 

As part of my integration process, I took a teaching job at the local secondary school. I clicked instantly with my students because of my interest to build friendships with them as peers. During classes, I opted to be called by my first name and not “teacher” or “sir,” something that helped to make our interactions relaxed and welcoming. One thing I was saddened by was the dropping out of girls from school to get married for various reasons. 

Once I was settled, I began looking for organised groups such as village savings and loans associations (VSLAs), mother's groups, farmer clubs and youth clubs to work with during my service. I believe it was much easier to work with an already existing group to pursue an intervention of their choosing. My plans to work with VSLAs failed to materialise due to the unrealistic expectation that members had but later changed after noting progress made with the groups I worked with. I also failed to work with another group I was interested in because of uncooperative and unwillingness to be engaged. Later on I learnt that our working relationship failed to take off because of my short stature, I was looked down on because of it.

I can confidently say my service was a success and everything I set out to do with the people in my community was achieved. I am grateful to be part of the development story of my community and for the lifetime friendships I have made.

I was privileged to work with a great team of fellow CorpsAfrica Volunteers who supported me left, right and center, and a great support system of CorpsAfrica staff whose support and constructive criticism made all interventions come into fruition.

Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms. Angella Chizimba 

Dear Reader, 

I believe serving comes in different forms, shapes and sizes and is triggered by a lot of things. For me, it was improving people's livelihoods and empowering the local communities. Some of us give our time, some of us our hearts, and some of us give in-kind. Some people learn to give and some learn to feel. Some provide leftovers, some provide what they have and others provide what they do not have. Yet, it's not the amount of services one gives, nor the depth of love that one shows that counts, but rather it is the act itself that matters. The true act of service is humble and devoid of pride. These were some of my reflections during our Close of Service.

At first, I didn't really understand the whole essence of extending my Volunteer service. But, the more you serve your community, the more you want to do for it.  I realized that the more I served the more I understood the needs of the community. Believe me when I say, serving is not only admirable but it is addictive too. What was stuck in my mind and heart was the priceless friendships that I had built with the community members. Fast forward, I finally went to my community, again. So funny I didn't really know where to start. I spent most of my time visiting people, checking up on some and visiting the lake. We were supposed to monitor and evaluate the projects we implemented and I never thought that this could be the only exercise I could do. 

I later realized how the projects in the community needed a very serious monitoring and evaluation. One of my projects was at the verge of falling apart, not due to the recklessness of the project beneficiaries, but due to other social factors beyond their control. When I told the project team that I will be with them for some time, they were very happy. Setting out workable solutions, required me to apply Human-Centered Design and Asset-Based Community Development tools. I have learnt that sometimes we tend to overlook small problems. They look so small, but they have a great potential of causing project failure and can easily destroy what people worked so hard to build over time. So let me please use this opportunity to share with you that no problem is small, every part of it will have an impact on your project regardless of how small it is.

Today, I stand here, to thank CorpsAfrica for the opportunity to extend my service. Achieving project sustainability is not easy, people have to be properly trained, ensuring they fully own the project, ensuring they know the best approaches to use to deal with challenges and most importantly making sure they take seriously the aspects of group dynamics. I am happy today because I am confident that my community and project implementing teams are well equipped to ensure that the projects are sustainable and I am delighted to have served well.

I now look at my host community in a totally different light, and I constantly  encourage them to be the best they can be. I feel a great sense of excitement to see the groups I have worked with accomplish significant  growth and independence,  which they never thought they would.

If we are able to harness opportunities life presents us, we can all learn to serve our communities in any kind of way. It might not be as I did, but a little support to local groups could be another way to serve.