The past two months have been very eventful. As the days keep rushing by, the service is drawing closer to an end. I find myself reflecting on these past months, it has now been six months living in this community. Currently, the service is getting sharper as we go. Much planning is required as we expect to implement a community project. The pace is picking up, and this has by far been the busiest time over the past six months, but I know that it will get busier as we go.
I am now working with a group of forty women to implement a goat pass on project. The journey from problem identification, developing a solution, and proposal writing has not been an easy one. The prevailing problem in my community is a lack of income. This problem leaves a lot of households in distress as they are unable to provide adequate food and decent education for their children, often leading to malnutrition in children and high levels of school dropout.
Working with these women has been a great experience, as we are working together to implement a long term solution that can address their unmet needs and bring in a source of income through the rearing and selling of livestock. Their commitment towards the community project has shone through the weekly meetings they attend and their contribution of money and resources towards this idea.
However, this journey has not come without its downfalls. Working with a group of people who have different characters and opinions is not an easy task. As a facilitator, you often find yourself in the middle of conflict and constantly trying to navigate stumbling blocks. Finding ways to bring people together to see the shared vision may not always go as expected. Therefore, it is wise to seek help and insight from others.
Leading is often thought to be dictatorial but serving as a CorpsAfrica Volunteer has shown me otherwise. Leadership requires patience, humility, having an open-mind and a willingness to build towards a shared vision. Leadership is hard work and CorpsAfrica has shown me that perfectly.
