Life of a Volunteer

Discovering the Extraordinary in Everyday Moments

When I arrived in Korrop, I didn’t realize that the smallest moments would teach me the biggest lessons about belonging. children chasing a goat along a dusty path, women sharing a basket of grains, women...

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How Simple Gutters Can Transform Water Security in Our Communities

Water is life, but in many rural communities, it is also a daily struggle. As climate change alters rainfall patterns and seasons become less predictable, every drop counts more than ever. Yet one of the...

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Village life is a gentle clock, ticking with heartbeats rather than hours

As I reflect on my integration phase, I can’t help but feel overjoyed and warm-hearted by the way the community has embraced me. The opportunity to learn, connect, and share in the simple joys of...

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AMBIVALENCE: A NEW BEGINNING IN YERRO BAWOL

Ever since I was dropped off in my host community, Yerro Bawol in The Upper River Region and the deployment team drove away, I felt something I had never experienced before. As I stood there...

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More Than a Training: A Lesson That Prepared Me to Serve in the Rural Community

When I first heard that I would be working with a rural community in Machinga, Malawi my heart danced with excitement. I pictured warm smiles, shared meals, and people living in harmony, a place where...

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FROM TEARS TO TEA BREAKS: FINDING PURPOSE IN MBALLO TEGA

Mballo Tega, a small village in the North Bank Region of the Sabach Sanjal District predominantly wollof and fana fana became the place I am fortunate to serve and unknowingly, the place that would gently...

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What my douar Taught Me

I arrived in Addouz Douar thinking integration was something you do. I later learned it is something you live through. In the beginning, I went from door to door, introducing myself to women, sitting on...

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MY FIRST DAYS IN MY COMMUNITY KUNUNKU

The real test of everything learned during PST began on 16th December 2026. First day in my community Kununku when Theory Meets Reality. It was the second day of deployment, exactly at 12:44 p.m. on...

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THE POWER OF REFLECTION: MY INTEGRATION JOURNEY AS A CORPSAFRICA/MALAWI VOLUNTEER

Integration does not just mean becoming one of the community members, but coming to understand them. For you to understand them, you need to listen deeply through the lens of empathy. Listen to the things...

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Reviving old wisdom: How a Charcoal Briquettes making activity sparked new appreciation of the past

During one of my routine walks through the community, I encountered a man on the road who immediately drew my attention with his thoughtful demeanor. He greeted me warmly and asked if I knew anything...

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