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Thursday May 04, 2006

Why did I start volunteering?

Why did I start volunteering? There are several aspect to why I started volunteering, Maybe it was in built; at 3 I took my mums credit card to play school for the africans because mum wouldn't give me enough money.

Maybe it was my up-bringing: Mum always sponsored children in Africa, and I would read the letters we recieved, along with updates of the situations, at the time, when I was only 7 or 8 I didnt think what I was reading was unusual for kids my age, and I never understood why my school friends didnt have the same questions as me.

Maybe it was God: I have always had a key question that I have demanded of every religious person I've met; Why does God allow suffering? When I was 14 I got involved in a local church and questioned every person I could get my hands on, they gave me a lot to think about and the end situation was that helping those people was down to me, or us as people.

This spurred me on, and began my research with my best friend, who shares similar ambitions to me. Her way into the future was work through her church family in Gambia, but I wanted to escape the religious aspect, as I felt that limited my acceptance and open mindedness as well as possibilities. I chose to travel with a gap year company to Ghana on my own at 17...I volunteered in an orphanage for 5 weeks, and this was my first ever volunteering. I loved it, and that's why I will continue to volunteer.

Posted by Emily ( 11:41 AM )
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