Niamh is an Irish law graduate who is passionate about animal welfare and giving back to the community.
I chose to volunteer with the IVHQ Zambia Program as it truly ticked all the boxes for me. There was an abundance of information available on the website about the types of volunteering available, reviews, and country-specific information.
The kindergarten program appealed to me immediately. The opportunity to help children learn and develop skills in a fun and educational environment was exactly what I was looking for in a volunteering trip.
IVHQ was extremely helpful in the process, and I would recommend to anyone considering volunteering to choose this organization. From my application to the local pick-up at the airport, they really did go above and beyond for all of us. I organized my own flights, activities, and in-country transport myself.
I wish I brought more supplies from home. When you get to the school, it really hits home that these kids and teachers have virtually no supplies to work with. When you consider how many pens, notepads, erasers, etc. you have at home, a sense of guilt resonates quickly. Luckily, there was a great stationery shop in Livingstone that I was able to buy supplies from. My advice to a future volunteer is to bring whatever they can as it really makes a difference.
An average day looks like this:
My biggest fear was that I wouldn't make a meaningful impact to the school. I didn't want this trip to be purely for my self-fulfillment. Once I saw how the school worked, I assessed my role to how I can help best. The teachers of the school do an amazing job, and I was truly humbled and inspired by their motivation and determination to educate the children.
Absolutely! I cannot wait to volunteer again. I would love to visit the school I worked with and see how the children and teachers are doing.
Travelling with a purpose is an amazing thing to do when you have the privilege.
I wholeheartedly recommend that anyone who is on the fence to just do it!