Volunteering chronicles…

As our students enter the final months of their work in Malawi and Zambia, their contributions to education, healthcare, and development have made a difference.

28.07.2024 | By Lyndsay Jensen | Pictures: DRH Lindersvold

Organisation: DAPP Zambia

Volunteer For Change student: Natalia from Colombia

Final reflections and cultural insights.

In the final months of Natalia’s project work with Young Farmers Club in Zambia, she continues to observe Zambia’s challenging political and economic situation, which includes widespread poverty, high debt, and unemployment. The lack of essential services like electricity and water further hinders community progress and the project’s impact on local farmers. These farmers, struggling with unreliable services, find it challenging to improve agricultural practices, making it harder for the communities to cultivate crops, add value to products, and improve techniques. Addressing these difficulties is a key focus of the project, which aims to equip farmers with tools to find solutions.

During her last two months, together with her Project Leader, Natalia aims to complete key initiatives, including training on record keeping, a Pig Pilot Project, and EU fund follow-ups.

Her investigation into Zambian culture, specifically polygamy, revealed deep-rooted traditions. Yet, despite a patriarchal system where men hold power, women play a crucial role in agriculture and household management, where they play a vital role in their communities and the country’s development.

Organisation: DAPP Zambia

Volunteer For Change student: Victoria from Argentina

Empowering communities in Zambia

During Victoria’s final months in Zambia, she gained firsthand experience of the country’s social and political landscape, particularly its severe drought conditions, which have heavily impacted agriculture, agroindustry, and energy production. Despite the challenges, DAPP Zambia’s project focuses on empowering communities through training sessions aimed at improving financial management and sustainable agricultural practices. In the remaining two months, Natalia and Victoria aim to complete these training sessions, increase community engagement, and ensure thorough documentation of their work.

Victoria has researched family dynamics and agricultural practices, discovering that women, though heavily involved in farming, often need to learn sustainable fertilisation and pest control methods. “In response, we developed and implemented training programmes that empower women with practical knowledge. I am grateful for this opportunity and plan to share my insights with interested parties in my home country of Argentina.”

Organisation: DAPP Malawi
Volunteer For Change student: Elena from Mexico & Diogo from Switzerland
Lasting contributions in Malawi

During their final months in Malawi, Elena and Diogo achieved significant results, including a second preschool teacher training featuring story discussions, bracelet-making, and the introduction of a sanitary pad project. They also provided clothes and food to preschoolers in cooperation with a former volunteer from our school and worked on healthcare initiatives, such as wound treatment for children and support for a disabled child. With only two months left, they plan to focus on reopening preschools, organising additional teacher training workshops on sanitary pad maintenance, and collaborating on a media project showcasing local success stories.

Diogo and Elena also engaged with the community, learning about rising food costs and contributing to local medical work by assisting a doctor at the community clinic. Their time in Malawi has been marked by proactive community engagement, healthcare support, and preparations for sustainable, long-term impact.