Irish charity staff sends postcard from Zimbabwe
Nollaig Hulme is the SERVE Monitoring and Evaluations officer based in Zimbabwe. Nollaig sends a postcard detailing first impressions.
Please read below:
I have been in Zimbabwe for a little over 2 weeks now. However, when I look back my journey here began in late 2017 when, as a college student, I decided to sign up to the SERVE Volunteer Programme.
Fast forward to July 2018 and I am volunteering at the Young Africa Campus in Beira, Mozambique with SERVE. From there I continued working with SERVE by volunteering in Vietnam in 2019 and being involved in ‘Think Global Act Local’ and the ESC funded Global Goals project.
I then became SERVE’s GCE and Volunteer Programme Coordinator. Since my first introduction to Young Africa through SERVE in 2018, I knew I wanted to get more involved. So, when the opportunity arose to become SERVE’s Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer based at the Young Africa International Hub in Harare, Zimbabwe, I knew it was not an opportunity I could pass up.
Which brings me to now, writing this from the Hub in Harare where I have been welcomed with open arms by everyone and feeling like I have been here a lot longer than 2 weeks. I have gotten straight into work at the Hub and visiting two of the YA centres in Chitungwiza and Epworth. In my first week here I spent a day visiting these centres and collecting the beginnings of what will turn out to be Impact Stories for students who have just enrolled as new students in Young Africa.
Hearing stories from the students about what they have endured so far in life can very rapidly put things into perspective for this eager westerner who has chosen to move here, as I am reminded that this country has one of the highest rates of unemployment at 95% (from anecdotal evidence) and to not take my position and privileges for granted.
While many of my friends back home in Ireland emigrate to Australia/New Zealand/Canada, I am very thankful to be able to do something a little different and spend time here.
---
You can join our newsletter for updates.
