Inspirational Volunteer Journeys - Blog

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Elvia in Montserrat - 12th July

(Houses at the foot of Soufriére Hills Volcano in Monserrat)

I’m really enjoying being here. It’s just a pity my family isn’t here with me. Saturday 6 July was a busy day. First I went with Ravo to KJB radio where she was being interviewed about the Summer Holiday Rocks event that she and Erika had organized. This was an opportunity for me to talk publicly about IVJ. I didn’t know until I got there that this was going to be live, which is probably a good thing because I wasn’t nervous at all.

The afternoon was spent watching cricket, Antigua V Montserrat. That was my first experience of a live professional cricket match. There wasn’t a huge crowd but enough to create a good atmosphere. Montserrat weren’t playing so good, they were fielding and kept dropping some easy balls. It was funny watching some of the crowd getting frustrated.

Later that night we went to a party at the Cultural Centre. It was supposed to start at 10pm but it didn’t, it was about midnight before anything happened. Anyway as the night went on things started to bubble, there was a nice atmosphere and the people were friendly. I didn’t see people standing around with vexed faces or giving people dirty looks. Sad to say this is what happens in the UK. Black people seem to have forgotten how to enjoy themselves and each other. Well that was my first proper night out in Montserrat and I didn’t get home until 4am.

I’ve spent a couple of days with Mappi, the head gardener of the National Trust. I was planting flowers, doing some cuttings and pruning the roses. Mappi talked a little about medicinal plants, but I will learn about those properly another time because there is so much to take in.

One afternoon I went to get some lunch and I got chatting to a top business man and his friend. He showed me a picture he had taken recently of the house he lived in when the volcano erupted. I said that he must feel sad looking at the property. He said “No not really, we just move on”. I asked them how comes no one seems to feel sad about something so devastating and his friend thought about it for a while and said, “We see ourselves as strong people and we just move on”. I’ve spoken to a few Montserratians that say they always walk with their passport and important documents, so they are ready to go. It really made me realise how so attached we are to things and property in the UK. That’s a whole heap of STRESS right there.

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Ravo in Montserrat - 9th July

(Photo of the 'Mountain Chicken', one of the largest frogs in the world).

All week MNT accommodate the “Mountain Chicken Recovery” workshop. So, Monday we set up the conference room to ensure that everything was ok for the next day. In the afternoon, we went to the town to get flyers and posters that I designed for our “Summer Holidays Rocks” event. Mr Francis, the Cultural Coordinator, provided the printer. He is also a member of the Steel band and will perform during the music event. On the way back, we met some people, then we talked about the event and stuck posters in the shop.

I also tried to get people to participate in the environment awareness activities.

The first day of the workshop was mainly an introduction to each person, welcome & opening of the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to develop the new long-term vision and detailed recovery plan for the mountain chicken. A Montserratian who is working on this project presented the past conservation activities and survey results.

In the afternoon, Mr Winston drove us all around the island (mainly the most active areas) to distribute flyers and stick posters up. We went to all the supermarkets, banks, post office, airport, bars and shops. We planned to put posters at the schools but we thought that school had already finished for the summer. We found out later that they were still open, so Donna took some for us.

The second day of the workshop was about reflection on vision. Further to that, they defined a realistic goal towards the vision. We participated in the brainstorming of obstacles to the goal or vision, and to the working group to organise cause/effect chains for each obstacle. Afterwards each group presented what they had done. We received one answer of the call of participation. Only one association proposed their help to make signs in cardboard.

The third day of the workshop was to fill out the activity table by working in groups.

At the same time, we continued to organise the music event. We were thinking about different games that we could create for the day, with the resources we had, which would be about the environment. We also had a meeting with the Executive Committee of The National Trust to explain what will be happening during the music event, the aim, and to ask for their support.

The last day of the week, was mostly spent finalising the organisation of the music event. Prepare rules in English, explain the game, word meaning, and look for information about animals… We also had to make sure we had all the material we needed and finally prepare the quiz questions.

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Erika in Montserrat - 8th July

The first day we prepared the room for the Mountain chicken conferences.

In the afternoon we were occupied with preparing for the day of the music (flyers and advertising).

The second day we attended the Mountain Chicken conference and there were introductions and then the facilitator talked about the structure and aims of the workshop and after M. LLOYD Martin did a presentation of “past conservation activities and survey results”.

The third day of the week we sought ideas for activities for the day of music. We looked for games to do with the environment and recycling.

In the afternoon we went to the mountain chicken meeting and talked about the new Development, long-term vision and detailed recovery plan for the mountain chicken.

We discussed the problem for the mountain chickens, which was the infected trees and afterwards we worked in groups and talked about cause and effect.

The fourth day of the week, we organised and prepared games, quizzes about the environment, puzzles, ball games, etc.

In the afternoon we attended the mountain chicken workshop, and continued with the problem of the trees and were given a more detailed explanation on how to improve things.

Later in the day we talked to the Directors of Montserrat National Trust about financial help for the Summer Holidays Rocks project.

The last day of the week we did the final preparations for the music day.

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Elvia in Montserrat - 5th July

I’m coming to the end of my 2nd week on the island of Montserrat. This isn’t just a holiday; I’m actually going to be living the life of a Montserratian for nine months. I arrived here on 22 June. I caught the ferry from Antigua to Montserrat. The boat pulled up at the port at about 7.45pm and it was very dark. It was like stepping onto the set of an old black and white movie because the scenery was so mountainous and dramatic. I love old movies so to me that was brilliant.

I have come here to do some voluntary work for the Montserrat National Trust, which is set in a beautiful botanical garden overlooking the sea and that is where I am based. I will also be managing two volunteers that have been sent by Inspirational Volunteer Journeys, a Non Government Organisation in the UK.

When I arrived at the apartment where I’ll be staying for a while I met the two volunteers from Luxemburg, Erica and Ravo who were both very welcoming.

I met Sarita Francis, the Director of the National Trust the next day and she was so welcoming. Instead of shaking my hand she opened her arms to hug me. I was so surprised by this gesture, but at the same time I welcomed it. I was told that the people here were very friendly and it is so true. Even as you drive past in your car people are waving and saying “good afternoon”. At first I was wondering why drivers were so impatient and continuously honking their car horns, but I soon realised that that is how they said hello to other drivers and pedestrians.

My first two weeks have been spent being shown around, introduced to and meeting people; members of the National Trust staff, Government officials and Architects from the Montserrat Development Corporation. I spent a day working with Donna at the Museum, which is also part of the Trust. I’ve been to a party, where I met some top level business people, male and female, who were all black (that was a very uplifting experience). I’ve been shown around parts of the island and I’ve seen the volcano that caused such devastation all those years ago which is still very much evident now.

The first week was very difficult because I was so tired due to jet lag and the heat and I was missing my family who I have never left for more than a few weeks at a time. This week I am feeling more settled, although I still need to get used to the heat. Its one thing holidaying in the heat but working is a whole new ball game.

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Zimbabwe bound - William's Journey

Well, try as I might, I would not have imagined that William was sat on the tarmac in Lusaka, for 5 hours no less, when he should have been well on his way to Matetsi. He eventually arrived safe and sound and has been warmly embraced by the villagers, especially the children.

Now the hard work really begins. Over the next few days William will be meeting with the School management Committee and the Safari Lodge committee to assess their needs and areas for development. In the meantime here’s a photo of what William loves to do best – teach.

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Hi Vennetta William here. Arrived late, had to divert to Lusaka Zambia coz of failure on landing light on aircraft. Stopped 5hrs on plane in Zambia. Given a can of pop for the inconvenience of diverting to Lusaka, bless KLM.Setting off for Matetsi very early tomorrow, Sunday. Will email you my mobile number. Not contacted Conleav yet but will do as soon as I can. Kind regards William

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Zimbabwe bound

I always have a sense of nervous anticipation when one of our learners is off on their volunteer journey.

I try to imagine where they are and what they might be experiencing at that moment. There are easier ways to do ILM programmes, but surely none so rewarding as to learn through volunteering in some of the most challenging regions in the world.

I think by now William will have landed in Harare. He is on his way to Matetsi, a small village around 50 km just south of Victoria Falls. He is going to work with Conleav, a young man determined to improve the lives of the villagers through better leadership and management of the hunting lodge, which is their main source of income.  

Building commitment to vision and values is both the title of the ILM module and the core of the task at hand. Grappling with the issues of extreme poverty and environmental conservation, balancing the respect for culture and wisdom with the need for new approaches to leadership and management; it's enough to test anyone's strategic leadership skills and capacity to make a difference in the world.

It will take William about 2 days to get there travelling overland, stopping off at Bulawayo, the halfway point on Saturday evening. Follow William's journey here and on our facebook page.