Beyond Expectations: What My First Month as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer Taught Me About Patience, Learning, and Growth
When I first arrived in my community as a CorpsAfrica/Malawi Volunteer, I carried with me an invisible backpack full of expectations, ideas about what I would do, lessons I would share and how quickly I would make an impact. I imagined myself stepping into the community and immediately contributing to visible change. But as the […]
Planting Seeds, Growing Change — My First Month in Service
When I first got deployed, I was filled with a mix of excitement, nervousness, and curiosity. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I knew I wanted to make a difference. Stepping into a new community, meeting unfamiliar faces, and adjusting to a new environment was both humbling and energizing. I quickly realized that […]
Integration Story: Gamo Doko Losha Kebele
When I first arrived in Gamo Doko Losha, I carried a quiet fear with me. I didn’t know if I would be accepted, if I could communicate, or if I would truly belong in this new place. Everything was unfamiliar: the faces, the language, the environment. I was hopeful, but also uncertain. It only took […]
Soap, Skills, and Ownership: The Journey of Kyeni Women Group
What starts as a simple skill can quickly turn into pride and confidence — just ask the women of Kyeni Group. After several visits, I spent time talking with the members about the trainings and activities they were interested in. From these conversations, the group agreed to start with liquid soap making because it was […]
Empowering Matriculants: A motivational talk for a brighter future
CorpsAfrica came into my life at a point where I had decided that I wanted to use my story to help shape the next generation, but I did not know how to go about it. Being part of CorpsAfrica has deepened my understanding of what it means to serve and drive change. The alignment between […]
The First Months to Remember
After completing my Pre-Service Training, which provided me with knowledge and skills, I was assigned to work in Chikwawa. From the day of my arrival until now, it has been a journey of treading new paths in life. “Rome was not built in a day,” so they say, but I guess that never applied to […]
One Word at a time: Where I Was Sent, Not where I Expected
My name is Yaya Cham, a CorpsAfrica Volunteer serving in the Upper River Region of The Gambia, in a community called Yerro Bawol. The community is predominantly Fula, and the people speak the Fula dialect. When I joined CorpsAfrica, I assumed volunteers would be deployed to communities that matched their ethnic backgrounds or at least […]
From a Heart for Service to a Life of Impact: My CorpsAfrica Journey
Before I joined CorpsAfrica/Maroc, volunteering had always been part of who I was. Since childhood, I loved social work and spent my free time helping local associations in my small city. When I graduated, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020 and changed everything. I spent a year searching for structured volunteering opportunities, especially with the […]
Learning from Selepe: Reflections from a Community-Led Volunteer Experience
I am currently doing my community-led volunteer service in Selepe, a small and privately owned community in the Moretele District of the North West province. It is a place that may appear quiet at first glance, but once you spend time there, you realise how full it is of knowledge, resilience, and deeply rooted ways […]
From Stranger to Sister: My 7-Week Journey of Belonging as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer
Seven weeks ago, I arrived in my host community full of excitement, curiosity, and a touch of nervousness. I didn’t know the routines, and every face was new. But today, as I walk along the community paths to the nursery school, children call me madam, women wave from their stalls, and youth stop me to […]