Jennie Rasmussen

A 12 week volunteer experience, turned into so much more. I fell in love with South Africa as a country and all its beauty, the people and their resilience. I loved meeting volunteers from all over the world with the same motivation to help others. I ended up living and working in South Africa for six years. It became home and was a journey self discovery, cultural understanding and filled with amazing experiences. Unintentionally, I gained far more than I gave.

I learnt what Community really meant. I’ll never forget the first time I visited a South African Township or “Location” as the residents call it. I’m still not sure exactly what I expected, but instantly I felt an overwhelming sense of community. Children playing happily, no electronics in hand, shops on the side of the street opening up for the days business, people making their way to work, the smell of fresh meat being braaied on the streets. Community members that are proud, positive and work with what they have. Creative and resourceful. People work hard, often supporting multiple family members. Conditions are not the best, education isn’t great, and there aren’t the opportunities, but still this sense of pride shines through every day.

Volunteering is a mutual learning experience and every person that you meet is your teacher. There are a lot of organisations out there doing great work, made up of passionate people with a desire to make a difference. It is important to do your own research, to make sure you gain everything you can.

For me, it felt like more a cultural shock moving back to the UK. My travel/volunteer experience helped me to grow as a person, I have a wider understanding of the world and more of an appreciation of the opportunities I have had growing up. I am a parent myself now, and as soon as my daughter is old enough, we will be volunteering again together.