Volunteer Interview – Alex
June 8, 2015Would you like to know more about what it is like to volunteer with African Revival? Here, we talk to our Communication and Fundraising volunteer, Alex, who is one of the newest members of our team. Alex joined us in May 2015 after studying Political Science in Vienna and Nottingham. Alex has volunteered in Austria and South Africa, and has previously worked in a research institute.
How long have you been volunteering with African Revival?
I joined in May 2015, so I have been volunteering for AR for 4 weeks.
Have you ever volunteered before?
Yes, I have volunteered in a school in Austria and in an orphanage in South Africa.
What motivated you to get involved with African Revival originally?
I felt that working with African Revival would allow me to gain valuable working experience in the context of international development. Additionally, as my position is based in Gulu, Uganda, I was not only looking forward to experiencing a new country, but also to seeing AR projects develop right in front of my eyes and to being in touch with the locals here, which I treasure and appreciate very much.
Furthermore, I believe that we all have a right to live our lives to the fullest. However, we are faced with many challenges and inequalities that hinder us to do so; some of us more than others. In order to overcome these, activism and engagement of each individual is necessary. However, we need to be empowered by, first and foremost, knowledge and the ability to question current structures and conditions. I see education as the tool to empower people. This is why I felt that working with African Revival and supporting its vision of equal access to quality education would be an amazing opportunity to contribute to the process of the empowerment of the individual beyond any kind of borders.
What kind of activities have you been involved in at AR?
As a communications and fundraising volunteer, I am involved in lots of different activities; starting from research tasks, helping with and writing funding applications to going out into the field and reporting on the progress of our projects and of course, keeping our supporters updated on social media with lots of photos and stories about what is happening here in Uganda is also one of my tasks.
What’s the best thing about working with AR?
I can’t really put my finger on one best thing, but I’ve managed to put it in a sentence: The best thing about working with AR is being part of an amazing and committed team and contributing to improving access to quality education within a small organisation that is close to the people it aims to support.
What’s the most challenging thing about working with AR?
As I am based in Gulu, Uganda, I think the most challenging thing for me has been settling in here while at the same time starting my work for African Revival. On the one hand, I was confronted with a totally new living environment; and on the hand, new tasks and activities were waiting for me in my professional life. At some points, it has been quite challenging, and I am still getting used to everything, but overcoming these challenges step by step has been very rewarding for my personal and professional development, which is why I love every step of it.
If you want to know more about volunteering, look through our news section for more interviews.
If you’d like to apply to volunteer with us, check out Volunteers page to see our current vacancies. We look forward to hearing from you!
