The first time I made Downy is still fresh in my mind. I remember following the procedure step by step, but it was still runny. I hadn’t seen anyone making it so I was a bit skeptical and kept calling my colleague who had shared the procedure. I recall having made more than 5 calls to him and even taking a video for him to show him how runny it was. The worst part of this experience was that I was training someone how to make it and I had to assure the person that it was okay but I needed to observe it for one day. Luckily, my downy was okay, I learned never to use salty water in Downy making.

The second experience was better; this time I was training a women’s group. I was more confident and made adjustments to the first procedure. The results were better and the Downy was a bit heavy. The group gave me some of the products to use as a sign of appreciation. With this Downy, I made another discovery, the longer the Downy was stored, the more it became thicker.

My third time making Downy I made one more adjustment and this time we stored the Downy for a week before distributing it. The results were the best as we now had a heavy and high-density Downy. This has taught me so much as a Volunteer, just like it took us more than three times to get the right consistency in life to achieve perfection there is room for error and as you continue practicing you become better.

Our resilience and perseverance as a community and as a Volunteer-led to us finally getting the right product and not giving up was rewarding. You never learn something without first getting it wrong but with time, just as we mastered the art of downy making you better. Our resilience in making a downy has seen us as a group make more downy and sell it to get income. When you want something the effort you put in ensures the success of any project.