10 Month Community Development program in Malawi, Zambia or Mozambique

One World Center is like my home. I spend 3 months in total in this place with amazing people that I will never forgot. I have learned everyday about climate change and poverty and this help me a lot in my personal life but also professional. I feel welcome, safe and really happy thanks to the team. Also the teachers are really good and support you in any case, that is really important. You can take action in community inside (with the building week-end once a months) and outside the school (inside the community to support during an action). I just want to say thank you for this incredible experience that open me many doors and give me a lot of opportunities. Don't hesitate, it's a unique and incredible experience with magic people that you have to live !

The first 3 months of my program were at One World Center, I experienced there a different kind of school, is a place where I learned how to think different, expand my vision and that is not about correct or wrong answers, is about understand the situations around and your opinions are valid because are based on your path life.
The academic part was full of information about world economy, types of aid, history and more. We developed a practical work in the farm every Wednesday, all these lessons working together with amazing teachers, Tom and Joannee.
Also, I interact with many people from different countries, especially my team. We faced situations that taught us how to work as a team to go to Saint Vincent and make successful programs.

One World Center is the place where everything started. I did my preparation period at OWC and I can say that I recieved the best preparation I could have. I learned a lot of things, how to work as a team, global economics, politics, agriculture, etc., plus we had the opportunity to do practical work in the farm. I discovered the tools for having a succesful service period in St. Vincent. I met amazing people being there and spent time with lovely humans beings. The activities and workshops were amazing and full of learnings. If you're interested to make a volunteer program, in my opinion, OWC is one of the best option for it!!

During the program the main learning was the importance of accurate communication. Talking, sharing and working with people from many cultures is not easy, so having the opportunity to listen to different points of view and understanding each perspective was a big challenge and helps a lot to have an open mind and heart.
Furthermore, the preparation period in One World Center was very important to obtain all the necessary confidence to develop new ideas in the Service Period. I consider that feeling confident was the essence to fulfill my goals.

During this program some of the big learnings I obtain were the importance of accurate communication, listen to others, and look for common solutions.
Talking, sharing and working with people from many different nationalities is not easy, but trying to understand their culture and each point of view was a good challenge to gain knowledge and it was a nice opportunity to open my heart and mind.
Besides, our preparation period in the school gave us all the necessary tools to be confident enough during our Service Period. I consider that feeling comfortable throughout the program was the key for me to succeed and fulfill all my goals.

I participated in a program where I completed six months in Zambia, Africa working in Project HOPE. Project HOPE was centered around battling the HIV/AIDS epidemic rampant throughout parts of the continent.

I lived in Ndola and was required to completed tasks and assignments as part of my development instructor project experience.

Now that I think about it, although I put my best foot forward, I wish that I would have even gone further to leave a greater footprint/impact on my project.

My six months preparation was not easy, we were required to fundraise, and plan, and do what was necessary to create opportunity to participate in the project.

I would reccomend these programs to anyone who truly wants to gain an insight to the developing world around him/her and would definitely recommend one world center for being a A-1 location to gain that experience.

I’ve already volunteered at Richmond Vale Academy, the partner school in St. Vincent, when I got the offer do another program, but this time starting in the US at One World Center.
At first I wasn’t sure if that’s the right thing for me, but looking back, it was the best decision!
Learning and preparing at One World Center for our serving period was great, I gained way more and also different knowledge than I did the year before, when I was just on St. Vincent.
During the serving period it was very helpful to have teachers and project leaders from RVA and OWC to talk to at the same time, to get different views on some topics.
The possibility to live in the US first and then experience a life that is the complete opposite coming to St. Vincent helped to remember why I was doing this.
To learn and to gain new experience (what I definitely did!), but mostly to see how the people live, their struggles and problems and how we could work to together to improve their living conditions.
My team and me, we built home gardens and did tours in these gardens, to educate Vincentians about organic farming and why it’s more sustainable.
The work was great, we lived in the community and through the work got in contact with many people, which was probably my favorite part about the program:)

After graduating from high school I knew I wanted to take a gap year and do something involved with protecting the environment while also helping people in need and being immersed in different cultures. Though I wasn’t sure how to do this or if I had what it takes to be a volunteer in a different country, I challenged myself to take a risk and get out of my bubble. Looking back now, taking that crucial step was one of the most beneficial choices I could have made.
Pushing outside comfort zone helped me to opened myself up to so much that I never knew I was capable of. During my time in St Vincent I learned about permaculture farming, built gardens and seed nurseries, mobilized people to visit and learn about gardens, and organized beach cleanups with my team. Participating in these actions allowed me to take initiative, improve my organizational and communication skills, and gain experience being a leader.
Though I learned and grew so much just by doing these actions, I also found myself experiencing growth in many other areas of my life. Through connecting with local people I learned about a new culture and new way of life that was much more open minded and supportive than what I had previously experienced in the US. Furthermore, the attitude of most people on the island was very laid back and relaxed. Being in this environment taught me to be more focused on living in and enjoying the present moment rather than being worried about the past or the future.
Overall, I greatly value my time in my program on St Vincent and would encourage others to take on the challenge of becoming a volunteer.