Where are you from?

Hi, I’m Liesbeth (in Africa better known as Lizzy) and I’m from the Netherlands.

What project did you sign up for?

I signed up for the childcare project to help at the NCPs (Neighborhood Care Points) in Eswatini. Because of school holidays, while I was there, I also joined both the projects Build a Future and Sports Development. This change of plan turned out perfectly because I loved doing all these different kind of activities, including the homework clubs in the afternoons. It gave me the possibility to experience and learn so much more.

What do you do for a living?

When I came to Eswatini I just graduated. Afterwards, I started working as a Consultant at Capgemini NL.

 What does volunteering mean to you?

To be honest, at first, I saw volunteering in Eswatini as a way to travel and discover another culture. It was also about helping people who need it of course, but the impact it had was so much bigger than I expected. Now I see that volunteering is about showing people that you care, spreading love and help them wherever you can. All Out Africa shared this quote from Dr Loretta Scott a while ago: “We can’t help everyone, but… everyone can help someone”. You won’t change the world with your work as a volunteer, but you can change someone’s world. Never underestimate what you can achieve by investing time in other communities and its people.

Reason for choosing All Out Africa?

I didn’t really choose for All Out Africa since I booked at their Dutch partner organization and wasn’t really aware of the local organization in Africa. But now I know All Out Africa, I can really recommend this organization! The staff there is so enthusiastic, sweet and helpful. They offer great activities and are doing a great job with their work.

Your experience as a volunteer, did it had any positive impact on your life?

My life has definitely changed for the better because volunteering is not only about helping others, but you also get so much in return! The society there (in my case mostly children) made me see what is important in life. My time as a volunteer gave me more self-confidence and helps me to put things in perspective and to find the positive in every situation. The children I met were so strong and gave me so much love in return, I will never forget that. But I guess it was the whole experience of volunteering, being in a completely different world for a while and meeting a lot of amazing people that had a huge impact on my life. I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to experience all of this, I really miss all of it!

Click here if you would like to know more about our Childcare (Eswatini)

On 15th March 2019, Cyclone Idai made landfall in central Mozambique with its epicentre close to the 4th largest city of Beira.  The slow-moving cyclone continued across the country and into Zimbabwe dumping a catastrophic amount of rain across a large area of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

As further upstream Zimbabwe was forced to open dams full of water, Mozambique suffered further flooding. While this disaster was a long way from our Marine Research Centre based in Tofo, Inhambane Province (similar distance as Berlin is from London) and all is good here, we have obviously been engaged in helping our neighbours in central Mozambique as much as we can.

We have gathered donated items and united with coordinated aid efforts to have the greatest positive impact and reach the people who need help the most.  With many areas cut off for days we split donations and sent some via container ship from Maputo into Beira port, and others we sent via land convoy to the southern-most extremity of the flooded region of Buzi Province.  These donations have all now been gratefully received by people who need them.  And we continue to work.  Collecting more donations of items with a special need for:

• Water purification treatment
• Medical supplies (antibiotic and antiseptics)
• Rehydration treatment
• Food/water
• Solar/wind-up devices (torches, charging devices)

Please help us if you can.  While Tofo continues to be a paradise location filled with wildlife and happy people, we need to continue coming together and working to help those in the central Mozambique provinces who were not so fortunate. We will continue working, researching and helping. Join us.

Below is the link to our Tofo Community Coordinated Aid Effort in the wake of Cyclone Idai: https://web.facebook.com/Tofo-aid-for-Cyclone-Idai-520936911768808/

Where are you from?

I am from India

What project did you sign up for?

Build a future (Eswatini)

What do you do for a living?

I just graduated high school and I’m currently on a gap year before I head to university

What does volunteering mean to you?

Volunteering to me means taking out the time to help a community that deserves support but doesn’t necessarily have access to a lot of it. Any form of help that contributes to improving people’s quality of life is always appreciated and volunteering provides an organized and thus effective way of accomplishing this. I believe it’s important to bear in mind that the impact of the help given doesn’t always have to manifest immediately, but contributing to a bigger cause by taking those small steps is what matters. Volunteering abroad also often encompasses travelling, which is an integral part of learning too – through travelling, it is possible to find out more about the community you’re volunteering in and as a result, you may find it easier to cater to the needs of the community and be a more effective volunteer.

During my time on the building project, we started to build a new Neighborhood Carepoint, a pre-school care centre, where kids learn the basics such as the English alphabet. All out Africa has seven NCPs, and the eighth one coming up would serve as an opportunity for more kids to join and spend their early years in an organized centre that aims to nurture them not only intellectually but emotionally too.

Stepping out of your comfort to volunteer abroad could be quite daunting, but once you do it, you will fall in love merely with how much you get to learn from your experiences and the people you meet, like-minded or otherwise!

Reason for choosing All Out Africa?

All out Africa seemed to have a wide range of projects in countries across southern Africa that encompassed quality travelling into your itinerary, without compromising on your time dedicated to volunteering! Volunteers are fully immersed and involved in their projects, making their efforts effective and widely appreciated by the communities that receive help.

Your experience as a volunteer, did it had any positive impact in your life?

My experience as a volunteer changed my life, my whole perspective on life and taught me so much about the world and myself! I learnt so much about Swazi culture, one I had no clue about, but is, in fact, so rich with traditions and festivities, and I met the most amazing, like-minded people that I still talk to on a regular basis!  It was truly one of the best weeks of my life and I thank All Out Africa for making this experience so unique and unforgettable!

Click here if you would like to know more about our Build A Future

The informal study group initiative conducted by All Out Africa has been beneficial to the students since 2015. This may include creating a great platform of dynamic learning and more importantly, sharing and helping one another. Basically, it is a two way communication platform in such a way that the learner receives help from the tutor (volunteer). Also the tutor gets the opportunity to engage more with the learner (student), as this is in most cases a one on one session. Interestingly, the homework club  does not only focus on just helping the students with their homework. It creates a platform for the learners to make friends and also learn to work together as a group.

A Big thank you to our dedicated team of volunteers, student and All Out Africa staff members in coordinating such a worthwhile after school activity. This has been a eye opening experience for me and a lesson learnt. It shows that we should all strive to ensure that students and learners do not struggle with their fundamental education, which include difficult subjects or topics. Those that struggle with their subjects, a pathway should be created and a responsibility for us to explain in ways they will understand.

Written by Nokwetsemba Penelope Lukhele (Marketing Intern 2019)