Be The Change

This episode is dedicated to the stories of volunteers and staff who have contributed to Global Volunteers’ Reaching Children’s Potential program (RCP) in Tanzania.  It’s a demonstration program to address childhood stunting – and the effectiveness of short-term volunteers in helping halt this disastrous affliction.

What does it take, to take on such an expansive goal? Carol explains, from the informed perspective of a professor of anthropology, that a careful, respectful, and deliberate approach ensures a true partnership at every level. Hers is an important introduction to the personal reflections on service that follow.

Lisa, another college professor, says her experience is that RCP is effective because of its focus on a very specific outcome through very specific interventions.  Families’ lives are forever improved, she says, because volunteers are able to contribute to projects addressing “every aspect of the first few years of a child’s life.”

Tim says the opportunity to be part of a program on the ground level to actually challenge the conditions causing childhood stunting “is fascinating.”  He was empowered to make a real difference working with preschool children who still have their futures to learn and grow.

Finally, Anna, Global Volunteers’ Tanzanian team leader, expresses her hope for the program – the families and volunteers together – is to see children grow and thrive to become “great people.”  She says she expects that as the program expands, some of these children, whom she’s working with today, will become presidents, teachers, and others who have lasting impact on her country.

Episode Storytellers: Carol, Lisa, Tim, and Anna 

Where there’s a dreamer, there’s a way! These storytellers from all walks of life benefited from unique ways to help fund their service programs – and found that the challenge of earning the privilege to serve made the experience that much sweeter!

Tristen, a high-school senior, received a service-learning scholarship from a generous couple who enabled him to live his commitment – to travel to help others. His motivation will surely inspire you!

Gabe’s employer encouraged him to take a journey of service and discovery on the Blackfeet Reservation. And although he volunteered without this financial support, knowing his contribution was recognized and appreciated further increased his respect for his company.

Sarah represents a company that believes whole-heartedly in enabling their employees to give back to others around the world. Nine employee teams over five years have served with Global volunteers this way.  Sarah says their staff volunteers call the experience “life changing.”

Amy enlisted her daughter to help her set up a social media strategy to crowd-fund her service program. She found a generosity and support among her friends and colleagues she couldn’t have expected!

Episode Storytellers: Tristen, Gabe, Sarah, and Amy

This episode takes us to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Northwest Montana – in the shadow of the great Rocky Mountains.  Once part of the land that now cradles Glacier National Park, to most visitors, this sovereign nation is but a “pass through” on the road.  But, a closer look reveals a spirit that’s as majestic as the mountains themselves.  Reservation volunteers take the time to learn about the traditions, history and heart of the reservation – directly from those who live, work and struggle there. Our storytellers define the line between what we think we know, and what we are privileged to learn, about Native Americans.

Global Volunteers Co-founder Michele Gran provides a context – and sense of place – for this episode’s storytellers.  “I’m always energized when I go to the reservation,” she says.  “We work with the leaders, and the seekers, and the visionaries, and the doers in the community.  And it’s nothing short of inspirational.”

“Everytime I’m there, I wonder what the United States would look like if we had adopted their ways instead of washing them,” says Cindy Murray, a team leader.  They have a grace and elegance, as well as a history and culture, Cindy explains, that we all can learn from.

International Operations Director Peter Kelly defines two of the service projects – supporting elders – that put volunteers in the midst of the day-to-day life on the reservation.

You can expect cultural insights each day, at the work site or on the way to assignments.  Gabe, a volunteer, describes encountering a bald eagle – and the tradition of honoring this symbolic animal in the Blackfeet culture.

Episode storytellers: Peter, Gabe, Michele, and Cindy

We continue with our report from Ipalamwa, Tanzania.  Our host Ruth Curran brings us four unique interviews with team members who’re experiencing rural African life for the first time.  We get to listen in while they explain what – and who – most impressed them about the character and magnetism of the community.  Please note – the ambient sounds and rough audio is due to the field recording – and brings you into the scene!

Amy affirms the beauty of the children’s voice in song outside the village church upon the team’s arrival; it’s incomparable to children’s choirs in her hometown, she says.  The soulful music, emanating from deep within their hearts, anchored her fully within the spirit of the village. She knew immediately she was in a special place.

Robi says a “series of small moments are huge” in grasping Ipalamwa residents’ reality.  Visiting homes opened her eyes to the children’s struggle with so few resources. Volunteers may indeed feel despair amidst hope when confronting these conditions: “You see the pride, you see the poverty, you see the hunger, you see the resourcefulness, you see the shy smiles… you really kind of see it all .”

The expansiveness of the surroundings, the wildlife, and the village’s natural beauty in contrast with families’ lack of material assets was immediately striking for Kelly – emphasizing that wealth can be recognized within a community’s people and culture, most of all.

Captivated by the exquisite landscape and the vast and decorated sky, Dan declares:  “I sit here in awe of the natural beauty of the area, and the natural welcoming of the people.   It’s hard not to fall in love with a place when it’s beautiful and you’re welcomed.”

Episode storytellers: Kelly, Amy, Robi, and Dan

It’s a rare opportunity to get a glimpse into a day of on-site volunteers – while they serve on the other side of the world. It’s even more special to hear their stories in the very moment the sights, sounds, and emotions swirl around them.

This week, our host records our storytellers in the moment. We hear that fresh, pure perspective of their personal journey to Ipalamwa, a small village in the Iringa District of Tanzania. Each of them was a part of the first team introducing the Reaching Children’s Potential program, an integrated effort to eliminate stunting and increase the quality of life for families in this corner of the world.

First, Stephanie, a high school English teacher, paints the picture of what it felt like to not just teach at the Secondary School but to also be accepted and welcomed by her students in a way that is both unfamiliar and gratifying.

Grace helps us understand that often there is more to a story than meets the eye, and that by listening closely, the whole scene – and your perception of it – can change dramatically.

Next, Amy describes the joy of holding a book for almost 100 kindergarteners – possibly giving them a first-time experience.

Finally, we get a rare look back as Sarah reflects, a week after returning home, on a portion she wrote for the team journal while in Ipalamwa.  Her wistful tone and thoughtful words tell the whole story.

Episode storytellers: Sarah, Grace, Stephanie, and Amy

We know that things are rarely as they first seem.  It’s natural to approach new experiences with expectations of how they might unfold.  But, if we’re truly open-minded, our discoveries can be much greater than we first imagined.

Our storytellers share how this dynamic works on volunteer programs, each with a personal view on taking a closer look.

First, Cindy eloquently relates how volunteers who suspend their assumptions can enrich their volunteer experience. “Those are the people, when at the end of the week, have been moved – have been touched the most.”

Lisa says you might understand a need from your own limited experience, but a closer look often reveals another side. Her hard-hitting example may sound familiar to you.

Being part of a volunteer team is how Julie and her daughters gained valuable perspective. Fast forward – they’re still learning!

Summing up, our Ecuador Country Manager, Maggie, recalls how a high-achieving team member was forced to consider how a simpler solution might be the best course.  This is a lesson for all of us!

Episode storytellers: Cindy, Lisa, Julie, and Maggie

Carol, an anthropologist and university professor, relates how the experience of working with local people in a non-assumptive way has reframed her daily life in a positive way.

“Just give me a translator and a stethoscope,” Lisa said when she first landed on a Global Volunteers program. She quickly learned that she had to find her “inner teacher” to help make sense of the service give-and-take for those she served, and for herself.

Jeff says the most important benefit he gains personally by working through Global Volunteers is the sense of accomplishment, visibly from day to day, and also on a “heart and soul” level.

Providing direct service in Cuba captured Mike and Elisa’s imagination in surprising ways, and they quickly learned how that experience lays the foundation for future inner reflection and motivation.

Episode storytellers: Carol, Lisa, Jeff, Mike, and Elisa

Why do some volunteers return to serve the same community time after time – sometimes several years annually?  What have they discovered about how they can affect change?

Our first story teller says a legacy of service brought her back to Tanzania. “You’re part of a long chain of providing service and hope and community” says Lisa.  Two weeks of your life can have a profound, long-term impact, especially when you’re part of a stream of volunteers returning year after year.  It’s the continuity that makes the difference.

Pam, who has led over 50 volunteer teams has personal experience witnessing the change in a community over time. “When you see what happens, the little, little bit that you do.  And the next person does a little bit, that’s what it is.” She says the work of leading Global Volunteers teams is repaid by experiencing the contributions every team makes.

“What can a short-term volunteer do in just a couple weeks?” Jeff asks. It may not be obvious at first. He retells the story of Liliana and José in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba.  His answer may surprise you, but it’s sure to encourage you.

Mike, our final storyteller, offers a youthful perspective on this question. “We must be doing something right,” he says.  “I can take the first step, and afterwards, someone else will come and carry on our work.” It’s a model he asserts should be followed by every volunteer effort.

Episode storytellers: Lisa, Pam, Jeff, and Mike

Do you ever wonder about your place in the world? Sometimes, we have to take a leap of faith in to discover the true impact we can have. In this episode, our storytellers open up about the moments that brought this reality into focus.  And how it changed them.

Pam tells us about being moved on her first team leading experience in Romania.  She realized how profoundly needy the children were; one baby in particular who had little physical tone or strength. When she returned three months later, she was astonished by the child’s improvement in the meantime – through sustained volunteer care and love.

Daniel talks about what happens AFTER a volunteer team leaves – from the perspective of one who lives inside the community served by Global Volunteers. “I do see the effect the volunteers have over the years.  The children see they keep coming and spend time with them.” Daniel cites how in the children’s home in Lima, the children refer to volunteers as “Hannah” because they remember how caring and attentive this special volunteer was, and the long-term feeling she left in their hearts.

Ken beautifully capsulizes the pure and penetrating human connection possible, as a volunteer caring for a child with hydrocephalus. “He couldn’t react much, but I played him a lot of Joan Baez and Grateful Dead on my Iphone. The first time I saw him he grabbed my heart.”

Jeff reflects on the realization that volunteers have throughout the world: “There’s more to be seen…there’s more to be taken in…  The people are anxious to become friends, and accept what you have to offer.” That’s how you experience the true heart and soul of a community.

Episode storytellers: Pam, Daniel, Ken, and Jeff

Being asked to stretch outside our comfort zones can be exhilarating and intimidating. The “can-do” spirit arising from a team of devoted volunteers can gently push individuals to apply themselves in unexpected new ways. Our storytellers report that contributing personal skills and talents in a new setting can feel like “flying high in service.”

Carol describes how, as a team leader, she helped community leaders engage volunteers in a wide variety of unplanned ways to maximize their contributions to children and families.

Lynn recalls the highlight of her Cuba program was the opportunity to use some of her marketing skills to teach a Cuban tour operator how to sell his service to English-speaking tourists.

Pam gained new skills she never thought she’d need – carrying rocks on her head for a mile from a riverbed to a road in Ipalamwa, Tanzania!

Our new storyteller is a professional trainer. Donna explains how she provided business consulting to Chinese entrepreneurs in Xi’an.

Episode storytellers: Carol, Lynn, Pam, and Donna