Being open-minded involves being receptive to a wide variety of ideas, and information, critical thinking, and asking questions. It also involves embracing other people’s beliefs and ideas to learn and grow personally. Integration in communities has not always been easy but having an open mind while interacting and living with the community members has helped me to understand them better and have effective communication with them. I have learned how the community members have much knowledge on how to deal with their problems and take part in development activities. After the first months of integration, accepting change and embracing the new environment has gotten better as I can learn and also share my experiences with the community members as we move towards sustainable development. “Embracing change is accepting that you can’t keep everything under control. As frightening as this thought is, it is also very liberating. Embracing change is an overall key to your growth as an individual” – Intelligent change. 

As a way to be an active member of my community, I volunteer every week at the local health center. My responsibilities involve entering data on maternity and family planning services. During my volunteering, I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with various women from both my community and neighboring ones. It is through these interactions that I have learned that most girls in the community become mothers at a very young age. In addition to my volunteering work, I facilitated a training session for reusable pad-making at the local primary school, which gave me the chance to interact with many girls. From my interaction with them, I learned that the cases of early marriages and teenage pregnancies were high due to poverty and peer pressure. I gained a deeper understanding of the root causes of these problems. To get a better understanding of the community, I also shadowed community members in their households and attended different community events such as weddings and funerals. During these events, I was able to learn more about their beliefs, values, and problems. It was encouraging to see that the community members were proactive in finding solutions to some of their challenges such as maintaining roads, rather than always waiting for external help.

Through my Volunteer experiences in the community, I have developed a deep appreciation for the capabilities and values of the locals. I have learned that through supporting each other, we can achieve great things and that there is always something valuable to gain from such interactions. As I continue to serve, I aim to maintain an open mind, which will allow me to build stronger relationships with community members, and gain new experiences and knowledge. As Jim Rohn said, “Life doesn’t get better by chance, it gets better by change.”