After years without thinking about it I learned that little things can make a difference and can really change some people's life!
Today I have this special feeling that I can give a small piece of what I have to someone who has got nothing or someone in a need of a change. But this peace doesn't always have to be money, clothes, food but also a smile, a touch, an idea or even a word of positiveness.
How do you volunteer in Mozambique or how do you learn to be a volunteer in Mozambique? Almost impossible. My mom is a volunteer and she is one in 1000 in Mozambique. She's got a small house that she have built for some kids from the street in Quelimane. Quelimane is in North of Mozambique where my mom lives. She always worked and had enough money to raise 7 kids and also enough to have a pretty good life however, my mom and dad were educated in the catholic church and they had this habit of not spending so much money with us because the world is different outside and we couldn't be so privileged than others.
Bellow photo - painting a wall in a Farm in Canada
So, going back when questioning how you learn to be a volunteer in Mozambique – I think is quite difficult as there are more poor people than the opposite. Of course there are more reasons, like some youths just thinking about themselves, Business churches stealing money from people instead of teaching them the word "sharing", people who didn't learn to stand up and make a diference or be counted, people who don't like to be challenged, etc. But I understand - I fell like I was also like them before participating in this exchange programs. I guess first thing we need is motivation but before that there are important steps to happen in your life like participating in an exchange program, see others and start doing in your home or community or look at yourself as someone with the capacity to do somenthing for someone and for the world. But let’s go years back and I will tell you what happened to me.
My surprise, I was told by a cousin that there was a Canadian volunteer program about to start and they were searching for volunteers. At that time I didn’t think about volunteering but I thought about getting out of my life a little bit as I wasn’t happy at all. I wasn’t staying with my parents anymore and they completely stopped sending me money. This was their behavior cause I decided not to go back home anymore. I had a job at that time but decided to fly to this adventure. Did not say anything to my parents and left to Canada. That was the beginning of a beautiful change in my life.
Bellow - planting threes in Manhiça - Mozambique
I started giving my time and my energy to this new situation. I have done the first program in Canada and Cape Town. It was somehow scary at the beginnig for sure as the environment was different, I was surrounded by strange people and following lots of procedures. I also had to learn about not expecting a salary at the end of the month.
How do you survive with no money? I had a host family, a work placement and some cash every week just to buy snacks and a few cafes at the café bar. I had a reason for doing this – I wanted to forget about my life and I wanted to enjoy the opportunity of helping and having fun at the same time.
Bellow - gardening in Penticton
It's definitely overwhelming to see a satisfation face just because you've done something so small to somebody. My first work placemnt was working with kids at the libray in the morning and doing meals on wills in the afternoon. Meals on wills was working with very old people who cannot go out of their homes. I had to pick up their food and deliver at their houses.
Ups, bellow, we were in Manhiça distributing books when the car had a problem - It was funny, the girls were just watching and taking pictures of corse.
Smiling after that problem :-). Now lets move on and see the smile of the kids from that region.
This is the welcome - lots of kids happy to receive their books
I met this enthusiastic woman when delivering her food, she was very very old and she told me that it was the first time she saw a black girl so close to her. I started smiling when going to her kitchen and putting her food in a plate. She liked to talk about her stories . My english was so bad at that time but I had to seat down for at least 15 minutes cause I knew she would feel happy to tell me those stories. She was really a funny human and seemed to have a busy life before.
Teaching Portuguese to volunteers
I kept wondering how that people can still smile being so lonely and depending on someone to bring them food every day. I thought, at least they have food and a nice apartment comparing to what at see back home.
My work at the library was fun, lots of good stories. The crazy thing was talking with the kids, they spoke good english and I did not. How would I read stories and help them? It was really fun surviving in that situation. The best part was receiving many post cards disigned by each of them when I was coming back home.
Ups, a bit of hard work in a Priest home in Canada
Fumigating in Manhiça.
In a radio Station
The next 3 years were also volunteering but this time I was a Project Supervisor so things were very different. You volunteer and you also have to take care of 20 people from different countries. Nothing that I thought I would be doing in my life so I had to be like a mom and make my participants follow procedures, respect the communities and see how important they are by leaving all their lives to help others.
I had to stop volunteering unfortunately - I wish I could continue but I also need to help myself buy working and having some money. But I am very happy for the time I spent with all the volunteers in differents communities, all the host families, all the lessons I had about life and sharing with others.
It really make's you feel a better person when you see these smiles. This kids are not asking for money on the streets, they were helping us distributing the books in a School.
Warm hugs to everyone who helped and participated in my life when volunteering.
