I, Nabila, had the wish from when I was 16 to do something for others who need help. I had the idea of going to Africa and perhaps help people to return to their country after a war. I started to work with a youth organization in Colombia and decided to include development work as part of my life.
I, Karen, have studied Human Rights during my time in university. When I found RVA, I decided to enroll in the 10-month volunteer abroad program to put my knowledge into practice, as I wanted to work directly with local people in a community.
An important part of the 3 months training is the community life at RVA which focuses on working as a team, and learning to take care of others, and not just think of yourself. At the campus we live as one big family, sharing the duties of serving food, cleaning and taking care of our campus inside and out. We share our culture and traditions with each other, as we come from so many different countries.
To get an understanding of the country where we will be doing field work, we learn about history, slavery, colonization and the fight for independence, as well as the culture and diversity and resilience of the people we will work with.
A crucial skill is the ability to work together with each other, appreciating our differences as well as our common qualities. We have not chosen each other, but we are here because we all want to learn new skills and ways to create an impact in our lives. In this process we learn how to solve problems and develop our leadership skills.
We learn how to grow and produce food and also how to cook nutritious meals, as well as food preservation. We have many discussions about how to create development and how to mobilize people, how to teach and much more.
The two of us will be working with a vocational school, operated by Development Aid from People to People, Malawi. The school started 29 years ago, and it prepares the students with technical and social skills to use in their communities. We will be doing what is most needed, but overall, we want to encourage the young students to believe in themselves and to dare to do new things. They already have much knowledge, that they can use in many ways in their community – the boarding school, where they live and study for 2 years, as they prepare to become leaders wherever they go in their lives.
Are we ready?
I, Karen, believe my head and heart are ready to work with staff and students to build a stronger community. I look forward to sharing my life with these people for the next 6 months – to learn from them and to share what I know, creating good connections.
I, Nabila, know the context in which we will be working. The 3 months and even longer at RVA will never be enough, but I think our team is ready to deal with whatever will come our way.
You could say, we are open and prepared to be part of the community, and to deal with reality and to collaborate with the local people to find the best solutions to their challenges.
Karen Sanchez and Nabila Jimenez, Colombia, Volunteer Abroad April team 2026.