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The Glory of CorpsAfrica

5/16/2022

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Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Ms.Witness Chawinga
“A positive attitude may not solve all the problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” – Herm Albright

This is the literalness about CorpsAfrica in Malawi and other countries by trying to make a difference in bringing change to communities by placing volunteers within their own countries. These volunteers have emerged to be more tactical and have brought more impacts in the communities placed. They have grown to more fitness, adaptability, and experience and acquired all the necessities for success while at their sites.

The first weeks of my service were very unsettling; I would dread conducting meetings, how am I going to speak before people who are mostly older than me (chiefs inclusive); and make sense? But I still needed to conduct those meetings, mobilize people for different development activities and get started on my work as a volunteer in my site. This was the fear of most volunteers as I follow stories of my fellow volunteers from their different sites across the country. Yes, fear is only as deep as the mind allows but the secret of success is constancy to purpose. And so, with the skills and mindsets equipped by CorpsAfrica during the one-month training, I knew I had to strive for growth, change, success and sustain the glory of CorpsAfrica. I stood up to the obstacles, held the thought firmly, did what should be done every day, and now every sunset sees me that much nearer the goal of CorpsAfrica; promoting the professional and personal development of young Africans. 

A few meetings down the line, I was able to identify a farmer’s club for a tree planting activity. It was heart-warming to see club members committing to this exercise and uniting as a community, and also the passion they had in conserving their own environment. This first tree planting project in my community gave me hope that it is possible.

My stay at my site, I have been given an opportunity to discover other passions and skills I didn't know I have, and a platform to grow in those skills. Skills that will not only help during my service but also when I finish the service. You see, that's the beauty of being a volunteer for CorpsAfrica. CorpsAfrica has helped and continues to help many volunteers, like me, work through complex development structures and it's inspiring how CorpsAfrica is building up the youths in this country into strong young leaders.

A lot has happened and continues to happen. The impacts of different projects by volunteers in their respective sites cannot be hidden and these true value changes brought by CorpsAfrica to volunteers and the communities are lasting and consistent. 

Indeed, nothing endures but change. The glory of CorpsAfrica is, but to live on.
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No Longer an Outlander

5/9/2022

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Written by CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer Mr. Kaitano Maison
In the beginning of my stay here at the site, most things were new to me because the environment itself was a bit tough for me to familiarize myself with. I am confident now that the environment has suited me in terms of social, topography and weather. I was a stranger to everyone at my site and I didn’t know where to start in a new land where I haven’t been before.

I have been trying to make relations with different groups of people like students, people in the community, vendors, police, teachers, religious groups, local leaders and health workers. My attempt has been a success through implementation of COVID-19 project and I worked with health surveillance assistants, village heads, teachers, Ligowe Community Development Organisation and Community Based Organisations. 

I am teaching at a Community Day Secondary School in Form 2, 3 and 4. This has really helped me a lot to strengthen the bond with the students. Wherever I decide to take a stroll in the community, I am frequently greeted by the students and have some chit-chat. I have also made friends with my fellow teachers at the school.

The relationship that I made with the locals in the community is just wonderful and strong, I have blended myself with them. We always exchange stories and laugh. I am just like one of them and I learnt lots of things from them. 

When I came to the site, the first people I made friends with were my host family and local leaders who were there for me whenever I needed help and up to now. The relationship has grown so strong which makes me able to work with the community easily, and at the same time enjoyable.
All these instances have strengthened the bond with different groups of people at my site and made me cease to be an outlander.
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Together We Can, Success Time!

5/7/2022

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Written by CorpsAfrica/Rwanda Volunteer Ms. Impumbya Anitha
"If you can't fly then run if you can't run then walk if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward," Said Martin Luther King.

Living in someone's life, feeling how they feel, facilitating, and empowering people in different ways of life were my most dreams and were achieved when I become CorpsAfrica Volunteers. Being proudest of yourself requires sacrifice and it is what I did so as to leave my dream. Frankly speaking, I'm so proud to be one of the CorpsAfrica Volunteers in my country. Now I'm serving in the Southern part of my country in Gisagara District, Nyanza Sector in Agahehe, and Akasemabondi Villages. My community has more valuable resources that had helped them to achieve more performance for the only five months that I spent there with my community, sincerely read my story.

When I reached my site, the community welcomed me well and I felt like a lovely daughter in their families. I took time to do door to door in my community so as to familiarize myself with my new community as well as build a concrete relationship. Visiting each community member the question was repeatedly the same. Everyone gently asked me whether we can set weekly meetings with others so that I can share the discussions. I said yes! And I tried to facilitate them how to be more resilient and discover their inner potentials which led them to discover their assets and gifts and how they can be explored to change their lives for the better. That was my first achievement and was hoping for more to come.
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Weekly meetings and community works had been more and more impactful, the community has completely changed and started to develop ideas that are necessary to use for changing their life mainly based on the result found during the community mapping exercise which helped them to identify available assets they have in their villages that they will use to apply the social and economic change in their communities.
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My community meets every week and they save the money, the saving schemes has become more profitable and changed their daily life because the community solidarity initiative has come out from their own saving scheme where every family in the community buy rabbits or kitchens for their self-development from the money they weekly lend.

My community used to face the challenge of malnutrition issues due to none could afford to eat a balanced diet made of vegetables. Working with the community to make kitchen gardens, currently, I am proud of 140 community members that have kitchen gardens in their homes that help them to afford green and fresh vegetables.  Which is helping to significantly reduce malnutrition cases.

I also took part in mobilizing students in my community to go back to school by carrying out different campaigns for a mass of school dropouts that have gone back to school. I was, am, and will be working with my community to make long-lasting impacts.

For ensuring the sustainability of those activities I inspired my community members with a sense of ownership and self-reliance, with the support of CorpsAfrica, local leaders and youth volunteers have trained on the HCD and ABCD CorpsAfrica approach, and We have numerous junior CorpsAfrica whom we work together and they are there to inspire the next generations of community members.

Concluding, I am very happy that the Community believes that coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is a success!
Community members are now harvesting numerous vegetables from the kitchen garden.
The community built nursery beds to begin growing more trees for fruit and to mitigate climate change.
The moment immediately after building a new kitchen garden with the community.
Fresh water is now available closer after we repaired the local well.
Training local leaders in Human Centered Design and Asset-Based Community Development
Working one-on-one in the fields with another community member.
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