Volunteer Programs in Zimbabwe with African Impact

Why did you decide to enroll with African Impact in Zimbabwe?

Gregory: At first I was only going to accompany my daughter, who had always had a desire to go to Africa to teach in an orphanage.

African Impact had a community program in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe that allowed us to fulfill that lifelong desire of my daughter.

After deciding that African Impact had the program we wanted to participate in, we researched African Impact as an organization, to be sure it was reputable, and that we would be safe while participating in their program.

We discovered that African Impact was highly regarded in the volunteer community and had good reviews by organizations such as GoOverseas.com. We also communicated directly with Shelley Bolle from African Impact, and she was very good at addressing all of our questions and at alleviating any fears we may have had.

Even after all of our research and all of our efforts at independent verification regarding this organization, we still weren’t completely confident that African Impact was totally legitimate. However, as people of faith, we took our desires and our concerns to the Lord, and He gave us that last bit of assurance we needed to make the decision to commit our time, money and security to African Impact. Now we are so glad we did.

If you could go back and do something differently, what would it be?

Gregory: We spent two weeks in Zimbabwe, and it really was just a mere introduction to the country, the people, the needs and the opportunities. We divided our time between many different projects and cultural experiences, which included helping at the Rose of Charity orphanage, helping at the Old Folks Home in the Chinotimba section of Victoria Falls, and helping in the community gardens.

We were also working with the lions at Lion Encounter, helping with biodiversity research in the Victoria Falls National Park, as well as doing tourist activities like going on an elephant ride and bungee jumping off the Victoria Falls Bridge. If I could go back, I would concentrate all of my time and resources to learn more about the community projects, particularly projects to help the children and orphans.

I would realize that my time and ability to help while in the country would be very limited, so I would spend more time working with the local leaders to develop ways that I could continue to support their efforts after I return home. I would try to develop plans to build schools and orphanages with money and resources provided from my fundraising efforts back home. Going back to Zimbabwe, I would focus all of my efforts to help the children.

Tell me about one person you met.

Gregory: When I got to Zimbabwe, I was hoping to find people that I could trust to be my local experts for helping me to determine how best to use my resources to benefit the people of Zimbabwe.

Norman Moyo is the primary reason I would trust to send donations back to Victoria Falls and feel confident that the money would be spent in a wise manner for the greatest benefit to the people of Vic Falls.

He was the African Impact staff member who was in charge of the community project in Vic Falls. He is 50 years old and is a native of the area.

Somehow through his education, his employment, his faith in God, and his working with the people of his community, he has received a vision of what can be done to help his people through a partnership between volunteers and African Impact.

He has a vision of building a block school in his village where only grass huts with no walls function as a school when weather will permit. He has a vision of building an orphanage in his village, which is about 10 miles from Vic Falls, where no services exist for children orphaned by AIDS or other tragedies. His love for his people, and especially the children, was so obvious.

You should hear how they respond to him, and love him in return, how the women of his village danced and sang with delight as we brought donations for their children. Norman is great example of the best that Zimbabwe has to offer.

What was the hardest or most challenging part of your experience?

Gregory: The hardest thing for me was seeing great need and having not the ability or resources to remedy the problem. At the community garden they had a well with a single hand-operated pump to provide water to a village of 250+ people.

To provide water for their homes and gardens they had to fill 5 gallon buckets, then carry them on their heads for as much as a kilometer. I know there must be systems that can simplify the pumping and delivery of water, leaving the women of the village more time to do other things, but don’t know what I can do to help.

At the orphanage there are wonderful boys and girls that just need an adult to love and give them help and guidance. I’d love to be able to adopt several of them, but I can’t. Seeing all kinds of extreme needs and not being able to help was very difficult, but resolving to do what I can and relying on God to lead me, and know that I can make a difference in the lives of many of those people in need.

What was the most rewarding part of your experience?

Gregory: At the orphanage there was a young boy of about 10 years of age named Angle. He was part of the small group where I was assigned to teach them some basic math skills.

He was very intelligent, and caught on to new concepts very quickly. This was a young man, given the opportunity, who would thrive and progress and make something of himself.

It was fabulous to just be able to interact with this young man, and other boys at the orphanage and see them soak up like sponges all the love we had to give.

Even though we only had two weeks of working at the orphanage, every day lifted my heart and gave me hope, because I could see God’s love being manifest in the services being provided by so many wonderful volunteers.

Any tips for future program participants?

Gregory: Yes – learn all you can about the program before arriving. Take advantage of the contacts provided of former volunteers like myself who can share their experiences and give you a running start on what you will be doing when you arrive.

Be prepared to work hard. We worked 6 days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but every minute was a joy. Every night I would write in my journal and marvel that each day had been better than the day before. Also, bring as much as you can to donate to the children, especially clothing and school supplies.

I wish I had brought so much more. Also, be prepared to fall in love with the people of Africa. Your life will never be the same. After volunteering with African Impact, you will forever after have a spiritual bond to the people that you won’t be able to deny or forget – at least that is my experience.

What position do you hold at African Impact? What has been your career path so far?

Kylie: I am a Destination Manager at African Impact, and I focus mainly on our East African volunteering programmes. I was inspired to join this team because African Impact was an organisation that focused on making a difference in local communities and in conservation efforts in Africa.

I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, and then decided to do some work and travel in the UK for a few years. Before joining African Impact I worked in a Logistics Department for an Electronics company in the UK.

Did you volunteer abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Kylie: I’ve always been very active volunteering with my church and working with children at Sunday school, but unfortunately, I have never had the chance to go and volunteer overseas. Since joining African Impact, though, I have had the opportunity to visit many of our projects and experience life as a volunteer!

What inspires you most on a daily basis?

Kylie: I really enjoy the fact that I am able to assist volunteers from all over the world with a passion for giving back, to come to Africa to help where they can towards making a difference in the local communities we work with, and to assist with conservation efforts in East Africa. We also have an amazing team on the ground at our projects, who I work with on a daily basis and they certainly help to make my role even more rewarding.

What should volunteers know about East Africa when considering it as their next volunteer destination?

Kylie: East Africa is rich in local culture and wildlife, but it is not without its dangers. When travelling to East Africa, it is advisable for all volunteers to have their vaccinations up to date (especially the Yellow Fever Vaccination which is a requirement when travelling to East Africa), and carry a copy of their certificates them when travelling through airports.

The most common language in East Africa is Swahili, so if you are able to learn a few words before you visit, it will make your time out on the projects even more rewarding! You will also find the local people very friendly and they really appreciate all the help and input they receive from African Impact volunteers. East Africa also offers some of the best safaris in Africa, which volunteers can book to do over weekends!

What makes the African Impact volunteer programs in East Africa so unique and special?

Kylie: The projects in East Africa are amazing and include a variety of amazing programmes. We offer a conservation project in the magnificent Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya, Teaching and Community projects on the tropical island of Zanzibar, high impact community projects in Kenya (teaching / medical / disabled care), and an Educational and Community project in Moshi, on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro!