Written by CorpsAfrica/Rwanda Volunteer Ms. Flora Gihozo Kwizera

It is crucial to feel that I am contributing as a Volunteer, and I do absolutely. I always felt I was needed and capable of providing positive assistance. The community I was deployed to is incredible and during my integration time, they came to be near and dear to me. My experience on-site is amazing. Reaching my welcoming family in the Rulindo district, I was so welcomed by the home mother. She played a big role in helping me familiarize myself with the new community that I was going to serve. I could do door-to-door visits with her companion and I liked to learn everything new each day. A fortnight at my welcoming family I attend different events like weddings and other big days of the community members that lead us to get along and I becoming a part of the community.

The next day after deployment in September 2022, I joined my community as they received passion fruits ready to be planted from the community nursery bed and I presented myself that moment. The community was a crowd of mountains and it was my first time climbing, but this had nothing to do with me because volunteerism was my passion. Continuously, I got to hear all the ideas from the community members who were full of a strong spirit of humor for development and my heart was like “Wow, this is going to be my biggest year in volunteerism”. I couldn’t wait to facilitate my community moving on that good running pace for development. The community established a strong saving scheme where everyone has a saving book and a big book for the whole group. With a keen interest in having CorpsAfrica Junior, I am closely working with Ngarama Secondary school students in senior four and five to help encourage them to pursue their academic studies seriously and boost the volunteerism spirit amongst them. Moreover, with the community facilitations we were able to launch our first Early Childhood Development [ECD] home that was going to help ensure children’s safety and protection when not with parents as it is aligned with the government’s policy. Empowering the community in finding what can generate income, some families choose to start ducks rearing as they are resistant animals to different factors that hinder animal rearing in the area.

This has only taken about 3 months of my service to have this well-designed impacted community that gives hope that more is to be done in this year through various facilitations hence achieving a sustainable community and development that doesn’t compromise future generations. Nelson Mandela once said “The time is always ripe to do right”, I do believe that this year is my ripest time to impact more to the community.