Being better global citizens

Meenal volunteered in Swansea and Mozambique as part of a team of nine UK volunteers and nine Mozambican volunteers. In a small village in Mozambique, they made and distributed leaflets to raise awareness about HIV. They also started off a perma-culture garden to allow the community to grow their own food. Before they left for the UK, the volunteers trained young people in the village to carry on with the projects they’d started. In Swansea, they worked in a soup kitchen and built fences and a compost garden for schools. They also took part in fundraising and campaigning for the charities they volunteered for.

“I strongly believe we can help change the lives of others just by volunteering in our free time,” says Meenal. “As young people, we can be active in our community and use our energy and skills to become a better global citizen as well as a better human being.”

Emily spent her time in Manchester and Rajasthan, India. “Living in two very different and diverse communities has been a very important lesson for me,” she says. “The experience has brought to light the fact that we need to work alongside people to identify what the community needs and to have a positive impact in the realm of community development.”