African Impact Blog

Proving Volunteering is for everyone on the beautiful island of Mozambique!

Mary Pat and her husband Fred volunteered at Mozambique Community Project in March 2012. Mary Pat works at a Pre-School for children with learning disabilities and Fred is a Television/ Film Producer. These are Mary Pats’ reflections of the experience since returning to their life in Toronto, Canada.

I had this thought a while ago, what is it in people’s lives that spur them to work so far from home? Why volunteer somewhere so remote? What are they “running” away from? Why do they think the western/first world ways are so much better? What do they really think they will accomplish? My list was long; my head was full of questions and assumptions.

After three weeks volunteering in Vilanculous, Mozambique with African Impact, some of my questions were answered, more have opened up, assumptions corrected or dropped and a new passion is now burning in my heart. Firstly, all these wonderful souls that devote their lives to jobs in distant countries, so far from the comforts of home – are not running away from anything. They are running to life, following their passion, where they can really make a difference at the end of the day, where they can see the fruits of their labours change lives daily, hourly….

These are the people who are actually walking their talk. They operate from their hearts, which is so very hard to do in today’s crazy left brained technologically connected world. They generally earn next to no money, work 24/7, and flop into bed every night physically drained probably trying to figure out how they will get it all done the next day. Humm, I just reread that, and think I just described any busy young mother.

Before we left Mozambique, I was asked by African Impact, “Was this a life changing experience for you?” Let me say, I am a grown woman, who has raised four children, travelled the world, have had some pretty difficult, life shattering times, basically seen a lot of a lot in my life. So my initial reaction to the question was, Nope, it wasn’t a life changing experience for me.

Well time has passed and that question is still on my mind. I think I would like to change my answer to “Yes, it was a life changing experience”. It’s been pretty hard for me to return to the life I have here in Canada. I want to continue to make that kind of a difference on a daily, hourly basis forever. I do volunteer here at home but when I was in Vilanculous I didn’t have to worry about driving, paying bills, running the house, etc., so I had more time to give of myself.

And let me add, it wasn’t just me “helping” them; they were helping me. Helping me become a better person, finding new strengths (which is a wonderful thing at age 55), learning new skills, shaping me in a way I am proud to be who I am, happy to jump out of bed every morning ready to tackle whatever the day brings, feeling connected to people half way around the world, who I can not even speak with (Mozambique is a Portuguese country, I don’t speak Portuguese). I was operating totally from the heart and it felt GOOD!! I was experiencing joy every day. (those cute kids were meaning enough for me to jump out of bed and feel joy, happiness and love).

In closing, these are changing times we are in now – 2012. The end of the Mayan calendar; the financial crisis, global warming, solar flares, earth changes, wars, the list goes on…. Universal love is the message of this new earth. If we all open our hearts, universal love will sweep away all the boundaries and limitations and make anything possible, if we are willing to open to it. And being in Vilanculous – well, it was just easy for me to open my heart, to give unconditionally, love unconditionally and accept it back (because these beautiful people give love so easily).

There are five easy steps to living your life, to opening to universal love, (these are not my words but someone we all know in our hearts). They are Prayer, Forgiveness, Service, Giving thanks every day, and Surrendering your will to God. Doing the service portion in Vilanculous was easy, enjoyable and yes, life changing. Now to plan my next visit….!

If reading this blog entry has made you curious and you would like to join us at our Pre-School Orphan Teaching & Community Project in Tropical Mozambique, follow the link and take a look at the project and the other projects we offer on our internet set.

The magic of Cape Town!

Sara Bäckström from Sweden is one of the volunteers that joined us in Cape Town in April 2012. She has recently graduated from school and is now using her gap year before starting law school to see a little more of the wold and to volunteer. It was the first time she left Europe and did not see her parents for such a long period of time, however, as you can see when she describes her experiences below, she absolutely loved her time here and we hope to see her return some day.

The best thing about this project is, without any doubt, the kids. The kids are adorable, wonderful and so full of life. Even though many of them have been through a lot of horrible stuff, they always put a smile on their face when they see you.

Just the thought that you might have taught one kid to write their name or taught one kid to count to twelve makes you feel warm inside. That feeling is one of the greatest I have ever experienced.

I have never before had any experience with teaching or playing with kids but after just one day I felt like I had done it for every day of my life. The kids are very easy to love and they give me so much joy. Many of them are such a good example of not letting bad stuff in their past stop them from smiling. The kids, the other teachers, volunteers and the crew of African Impact opened their arms and gave me a home instantly. I am very grateful for that.

So even if you have had no experience with kids before, you still can come here, take part in this project and have an amazing time!

We thank Sara for sharing her experiences with us and wish her all the best for upcoming months and a lovely time traveling along the garden route this week. We are sure that with her positive and hard working character and attitude she is going to go a long way.

If you would like to join us on our Cape Town Pre-School Teaching and Education project, visit our website or give us a call in our office in Cape Town at 0027 (0)87 751 3977 or email Emma@africanimpact.com

Posted at 9:59 AM in Tips, Tricks and Travel

Introducing our newest cubs!

Some very exciting news…

Our Victoria Falls Lion Rehabilitation project, will be receiving 2 new cubs to join their pride. We are extremely excited about the new development and can’t wait to have the cubs join the family!

If you have dreamed of working with lions and especially with baby lion cubs then this could be your opportunity. Not only do you get the opportunity to see the Might Victoria Falls but you can also be part of our ground breaking Rehabilitation Programme.

As a volunteer on this project you will be involved in the vital research of the lions’ behaviour, and enjoy hands on work with the lion cubs. This is a fantastic opportunity to be apart of the world’s only significant programme for the release of lions into the wild.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, then email Lesley@africanimpact.com or click to learn more about the Hands-on Lion Conservation Volunteering – Vic Falls, Zimbabwe

Posted at 12:25 PM in Tips, Tricks and Travel

Useful tips before you volunteer

We love the enthusiasm and passion that our volunteers often arrive with when coming to volunteer for the first time. Full of ‘oomf’ to help make a difference but with this enthusiasm, there can often be unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved.

In this article we hear from our Project Manager in St Lucia, Alanna Wallas, on some great tips to prepare you before you come, to manage the emotions that often come with volunteering.

‘Making some alterations in what it means to make a “difference” can make a big impact to volunteers expectations when volunteering. They can feel like they’re part of a process of development that’s making a great impact on the communities in which they work. To do this volunteers must overcome the emotions surrounding the voluntourism process that can often start off feeling elated and with a ‘save the world’ attitude and which can lead to a sense of disappointment and helplessness when this is not met.

Upon their arrival, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, volunteers are eager to jump into projects with both feet. Whilst it is a great attitude to have, it’s a lack of preparedness that leads to the feeling of pessimism that follows. Often this is because volunteers arrive with a certain picture in their minds, only to have that picture altered when they land at their destination.

Once the rollercoaster of projects is introduced, some volunteers experience a feeling of discontent, perhaps feeling helpless or powerless against the development process. Many of the ups and downs that come with volunteering on the projects are based around the notion of making a difference, and what constitutes the measurement of a difference made.

When working with sustainable development, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where life’s pace is very slow, making a difference can seem like it takes a lifetime. As a volunteer (and even a staff member) it is important to remember that with each day on projects comes a success. Every day means we are moving towards the achievement of our goals as volunteers, staff members and as an organisation.’

African Impact are here for the long haul… we build and create long term sustainable projects, this sometimes means you can’t always see the good that is being done. Your time energy and effort when put with the bigger pictures creates a huge impact, last year we achieved the following:

In 2011 we facilitated 1951 volunteers to over 60 different projects across Africa. This is estimated at roughly 2,949,617 hours of work that volunteers were helping in communities, clinics, conservation projects as well as other specialised projects.

Across the 6 different African countries African Impact supported and refurbished 12 schools, providing safe and secure areas for the children. Educational assistance was supplied to 13 schools and 12 children centres – allowing us to help over 1300 children in education last year.

Using education as a tool for empowerment African Impact has facilitated over 220 attendees to 10 different HIV education awareness programs with 84% success rate. Adults have been educated in over 19 different skills workshops.

Much needed support was provided to overburdened staff in 13 different hospitals and clinics across Africa and 2184 patients were visited at their homes and given basic medical care.

Two self sustaining prides of Lions (7 individuals) have passed through stage one of the programme, are now living in Stage Two release sites. 5 semi-wild Lion Cubs have been born within the release sites.

And this doesn’t include a whole host of a smaller achievements. Without the support help and love of our volunteers we would never have been able to do this. Afrian Impact would like to take this opportunity to thank all our past volunteers for all there amazing work in helping us achieve where we have got to today and we invite all potential volunteers to come and help us be part of the bigger picture!

If you’d like to make a difference during your short time as a volunteer, think about the following quick tips before embarking on your experience:

Do your research – Reading up on African Impact, the project you’ll be working at and the area you’re travelling to will all help you acclimatize easier once you’ve arrived on site, particularly if you’re volunteering for only two weeks.

Fundraise and bring needed materials – Often a project will send you a list of items that are needed to help the projects work, or can supply you with a project “wish list” upon your request. Sometimes it’s as simple as bringing lightweight art supplies (like cotton balls or pipe cleaners) or medical materials like bandages, which you can see being used while you’re out on projects.

Arrive with personal goals in mind – Think of your skills at home and build some expectations around what you would like to achieve personally. From there, learn all you can about how you can use your skills to positively influence the project as a volunteer. If you’re a photographer, offer your photographs to be used as promotional materials; if you enjoy writing, maintain a blog for the official page or if you possess a green thumb, offer your services more often during farming and gardening projects.

Talk to everyone – Speak to the coordinators and managers of the project you’re on about what their upcoming goals are. Usually they’ll have a task for you to take on or an initiative you can start.

Expect a mixture of flexibility and rigidity – Some things you can change and some things you can’t. Project managers and volunteer coordinators are willing to take volunteer ideas and use them to the best of their ability. However, remember that your suggestions must align with practices that work towards African Impact’s sustainable development agenda.

Throw caution to the wind! – Experience everything and throw yourself into projects. Make suggestion after suggestion and work hard to put your mark on the project. That way, you’ll really see how you’re making a difference in the longrun.

To join Alanna and the team in St Lucia click HERE

Posted at 20:33 PM in How we are helping? | Latest Industry news | Tips, Tricks and Travel | What our staff memebers have to say

Making Headlines… Aslihan Gedik featured in Cosmo

The latest turkish Cosmopolitan issue sponsors one of our great supporters Aslihan Gedik. Asli has lived in many different countries and therefore speaks English, French, Dutch and Spanish. Currently she is living in Frankfurt and is working as a banker. However, apart from being a banker she is also supporting us in our Lion Projects. Here is a summary of the article in the Cosmopolitan for all of you who aren’t fluent in turkish…

“We wonder how did the story of this beautiful and courageous girl start? Asli begins to tell her story by saying, “Why should a banker not also be an environmentalist and animal lover?””

How did you start working with lions?

I have always had a great interest in the cat family, especially big cats! While travelling in Africa, I received an invitation from an organization studying the protection of lions and nature. That day I met with the “king of the forests” and I will remember that day forever.

You have done a lot of work for nature and animals, however we are most interested in your work with lions. Are you not scared of them?

Absolutely not. I think every animal feels your fear. If you show your fear, an animal detects this instantly. He is either also afraid of you or wants you to think so, therefore attacks. I am never afraid of animals.

How did you experience the first moment you touched a lion?

Eleven months ago I had the first physical contact with a lion. I gathered my courage and experienced that moment with the lion experts. But of course to get to that point, I had to learn the necessary things; bend down to the lion, do not turn your back to him and no matter what, do not run away. Furthermore you should have nothing on your head. The solution is to put your shoes together, not wear a hat and extend your hand to the lion in a sturdy manner.

Who took the photographs you have shared with us?

Our lion expert, Leign-Ann Marnoch, and a new teammate Jonathon Conolly took the photographs. Professional photographers often do not want to take such photographs, as they are afraid to endanger their life. Our own little team is able to experience this special moment.

There are photographs of young lions. Did their mothers react to this?

The young lions photographed, were not accepted by their mother. The team looks after them for a while, like a mother (some are nurtured by a bottle). At a later stage, once they have learned how to hunt, they are integrated into the wildlife program.

You work as a volunteer for an organization called “Alert”. What do you do?

In Zimbabwe and Zambia, Alert (African Lion & Environmental Research Trust) is a scientific organization established in order to protect lions and nature. In 1975 the lion population was 200 thousand, but today only 20-30 thousand remain. Can you imagine Africa without any lions? Or a world without lions? What will be the meaning of La Fontaine’s fables “ not the king of the animal kingdom”. The philosophy of this group is to rescue lions, rehabilitate them, let them reproduce and then finally bring them back to nature. Our aim is to let the lions continue their lives in their natural habitat, away from people.

How do you manage to make time for lions in your intensive work schedule?

This is indeed a little difficult…when I have spare time I spend it trying to improve things. Systematically I spend a part of my salary to give back to and improve nature. Although it seems I have very little time, I am able to organize time because this is what I want.

Are you a vegetarian?

Yes. I also prefer to stay away from animal products like eggs. I know it is not right to expect everyone to do the same, but certainly I am against wearing fur, of course.

When you are leaving for a work trip, what do you bring in your bag?

Binoculars, hand cream, lip balm, a few books, magazines, photo camera, Rayban Aviator sunglasses, toothbrush, toothpaste, bikini, sunscreen, cell phone, Swiss army-knife, eye-spray, passport, wallet and full health insurance cards are always in my bag.

Which websites do you recommend to visit for more information?

The basis is to educate everyone. James Cameron’s Avatar film, and the message, “I see you,” is the most beautiful example of this philosophy. Everyone has to do something! If you would like more information and learn about what you can do for lions go to ‘lionalert.org’.