Volunteering has given me a platform of expression where my deepest desire dwells, being a development enthusiast and finding the opportunity to understand community development issues at the grassroots level has propelled me to even want more knowledge of this endeavor. Serving at my site in Mzimba, I have come across several opportunities to impart knowledge and also gain knowledge. Indigenous knowledge systems are essential in mainstream development works, without a proper understanding of these tenets one ought to have a single story about rural volunteerism. After our Pre-Service Training fully equipped with tools to help us cope, survive, and transform the communities that we are serving. The CorpsAfrica volunteering experience is one of a kind such that youths are given a purpose in this devastating economic environment. Being in a rural area alone and away from family and friends is when the innovative mind of a person comes out due to the exposure to the realities of the rural setting and the operations of their day-to-day lives can also boost one’s capability of seeing the world through a different lens. In most rural areas, there are an immeasurable number of assets that only need activation for them to work for the community’s progress. 

This kind of progress can be done through mindset change people should improve their view of certain things that are taken lightly. As a volunteer in this area, I am trying to activate the spirit of active participation among the youth. During my first meeting in this community, I was saddened to see that I was only addressing older people while the youth were nowhere to be seen. After the meeting, I went around the community and talked to a group of young people who have gathered together to query while they don’t attend development meetings like these. The answer was not quite convincing and I urged them as a fellow young man that progress rests in the hands of us and let it not slip away because we are caught up by unnecessary things. At the next meeting, I noticed a change in the number of young people attending the development meetings I held. As I mentioned earlier on my plan to work with youths continued, I planned a reusable sanitary pads training to equip girls with skills that they can pass on to their friends and how they can go about with issues of menstrual health, this training also included the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence. So I talked about menstrual health along the lines of gender-based Violence. 

In this journey of rural volunteerism, I also have implemented several activities aimed at fostering community development. At one time I held career guidance with primary school students so that when they are pursuing their education they should at least have role models to look up to so that their dreams and aspirations should be fueled up and achieve success. With efforts from CorpsAfrica and its development partners, we also complemented the government’s efforts of restoring forest in National Forestry Month to plant trees replacing a burnt school forest at a local primary school, this may seem like little progress but to me and the community I am serving these are no minimal achievements towards elevating the area.

Lastly, progress can be achieved in rural volunteerism when we put the people at the center of it all. Being an ear, not a mouth is one of the principles of achieving this progress. I have fully immersed myself in their culture and by now I am no longer a visitor to them. I have given myself roles that make people appreciate my work in the area. Try to chase this progress by trying rural volunteerism where you will change your perspectives around the things you take for granted.