Fundraising

My team have been fundraising since November. Basically, the people who don't

drive, sell magazines in the streets to raise many to go to Africa. Our job consists in

standing with a board around our necks where you can read " I am going to Africa as a

volunteer" or "Help me, help others".

We make the magazines at the school. Inside, you can read some reports from

the teams which are in Africa or India and some articles about our activities and

actions. Each magazine costs £2.

Let's be honest. Fundraising is not the best job in the world. Sometimes you get cold

and other times, you feel invisible... and the truth is that I never ever in my life

thought about selling magazines in the streets. It reminded me of those people in the

streets of Lisbon selling the magazine "Cais" and it didn't seem suitable for someone

who has fought and studied hard to reach certain goals. Still, I knew that this was part

of the program and I agreed with it. Anyway, I had sold calendars in the streets before

when I was a scout girl.

Quickly I realized that this with selling magazines has nothing to do with selling

calendars as a scout girl. First of all, I'm not a scout anymore. I'm a volunteer, a grown

up (although I look like a 17 years-old girl, which helps sometimes ) who decided

to be a volunteer, or at least, in some people's point of view, I am someone who

says that is going to Africa as a volunteer. Secondly, I am not British - they say I'm

American, Indian, Mexican, Venezuelan,Spanish or Italian - but actually I'm

portuguese just like Cristiano Ronaldo and José  Mourinho, who are, in some people's

point of view, "quite arrogant" (Luckily, there's lot of British people who have been in

the Algarve and say that portuguese people are nice !). Finally, there are more people

doing the same as I do for other causes. This is amazing, but it also means that I have

concurrence.

I have been fundraising in Hull, Withernsea, Beverly, Manchester and York. In all these

places, people have different reactions. While some shout "get a job!", others are very

nice and supportive. They want to know more about me, the school, the project and

the place where i am going. Some of them tell me their experiences in Africa. And the

most important, they smile at me and wish me all the best. This is my motivation to

continue to fundraise in the streets. I feel useful.

I love when I get the chance to talk to the people ! It's nice to hear what they have to

say, even if what they have to say is not so nice. I remember a man who assured me

that Africa was a country. I tried to explain him that Africa was a continent with many

countries, but in his opinion, I was totally wrong ! I found it both sad and funny. I

decided to go for the funny side. That kept me smiling all day .

Regarding my concurrence, I usually find homeless people selling a magazine "The

Big Issue" also for £2. Their motto is "working, not begging". Last week in York,

I decided to buy one magazine from one man I found in the same street I was. He was

very happy and we started to talk about our jobs. Next day, he didn't forget me! He was

in the same spot and he said hello.

It's good find nice people! I feel really happy when it happens. So, I have a request for

you:

If you find me fundraising in the streets, even if you are not interested in the magazine,

please smile at me. My day will be better :)

Choices

Everybody has to make millions of choices per day.

Getting up in the morning, taking a shower, getting dressed are examples of simple choices which we include in our daily routine. However, we can choose not to get up, not to take a shower and not to get dressed. But then, if we choose not to do it, there will be consequences : we can miss work or school, we can get fired, we can fail an exam … With all this consequences, comes one of the worst feelings ever – disappointment.

Disappointment is related with high expectations and it comes not only from the others, but also from yourself. We are pressured by the people around us to make the right choice, but actually the right choice isn’t the same for everybody.

When I decided to be a full-time volunteer, many people around me didn’t see my choice as the right one. They wanted me to pursue my studies and enrol a Master’s degree. Some said that going to Africa was not for me. They knew that this was a good thing, but there were afraid of its consequences. I would have a completely different life in a completely different place.

For me, this was the right choice. I wanted to be a volunteer, studying and  living in community, so I could help others in Africa. I felt really motivated to make a difference, so I enrolled the 18 months program at CICD.

When I came to CICD, I realize that living in a community is very different from living in a student accommodation or in a family house.  You live 24h/24h with the same people. Plus, everybody has to co-operate in daily tasks such as making breakfast, lunch, dinner, dishwashing and cleaning. When you live in a community you’re part of a big machine : if you do it wrong, the machine won’t work. A community life is based on trust. You have some rules and you expect people to follow them.

Once again, people make choices. It’s very easy to get disappointed. People are not all the same, we have different reactions. We are not perfect. We get disappointed with ourselves. We make mistakes and we learn from them. We find solutions.

A community life is a different life because we leave our comfort zone. It’s different from all you’ve known before. Sometimes it seems that we lost our motivation and our focus, but in fact, i believe if we really want to do something, we never loose our focus and our motivation. Another times, it looks like a dream come true. Sun is shinning and everything seems bright and cheerful.

The most important for me now is always to keep in mind my right choice and never let it go. Of course, it isn’t an easy task; I make mistakes, I make good things, I cry, I will laugh, I ask myself what I am doing here… Nevertheless, I know that if I follow this right path, I will grow as a person and become a better human being.

Welcome !

Hello ! My name is Mariana and I am a volunteer who wants to work in a community based project in Zambia.

A couple of months ago, I decided to come to CICD - College for International Co-operation and Development, in England, (http://www.cicd-volunteerinafrica.org/) to follow a 18 months program, which combines studies and volunteering.

It's been 4 months since I'm here and I think I already changed many things in my life.
The aim of this blog is to share my experiences with you. Hope you enjoy it !

Meanwhile, take a look at my team's facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/helpustogotoafrica

See you soon !