As I reach the end of my service as an exchange volunteer with CorpsAfrica/Kenya, I look back on this chapter with deep emotion and gratitude. This journey has been more than volunteering; it has been about believing in people, walking with them and transforming ideas into reality, one step at a time.

The contributions from the community came slowly not because of a lack of willingness, but because many were in crisis, Life in the village was hard. Families were trying to survive, and our timeline didn’t always match their daily realities. There were moments when I asked myself, will we really make it? Will this project ever come to life? But even when progress felt slow I saw a deep willingness in people to keep going. That kept me going too.

Eventually, through patience, repeated engagement and mutual encouragement we reached the target we needed and that felt like the first big victory. The community showed true ownership and we began the implementation.

We initially thought the activity would take two days but it ended up lasting more than a week. Still, no one gave up. In fact, people became even more interested and committed. Seeing the joy and pride on their faces as they perform in project implementation I will never forget.

Yes, it was tough. Yes, it took time. But yes together, we made it happen.

And finally, we launched our project.

With Gratitude in My Heart

To my host family, thank you for making me feel at home.

To the community of Kotur, thank you for trusting me, working with me and believing in the process. Your strength and unity inspired me daily.

To CorpsAfrica and all the staff thank you for your endless support and for giving me this opportunity to serve beyond borders.