If you think students spend all their spare time avoiding studying, going out with their mates and having a good time then you'd be right. Well our student bloggers do anyway. While they assure us they don't slack on the study, they've got a lot to answer for when it comes to enjoying themselves while volunteering.

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Sunday Oct 07, 2007

Back in the UK

I returned from Tanzania a couple of weeks ago.  After book distribution we went to Zanzibar for a few days and had a launch event for our charity at the British Council in Tanzania.  The attendance of the British High Commissioner and other civil servants showed how seriously READ International and the work it does is being taken in the country.  The presence of some business men working for companies in Tanzania was also pleasing.  If the country is to continue its development then people like these are key.  Already a huge amount of western money is flowing into Tanzania.  If a bit of that could be diverted into projects which equip Tanzanian people to become successful and perhaps work for the companies which have provided the money in the first place the country could go along way to solving the problems it has at current.

The READ book projects are taking place at eleven UK universities this year.  This means the charity has effectively doubled in size.  People are every level of the charity, from the chairman and trustees, interns, project leaders and returning volunteers are working hard to ensure this expansion is a successful one.  At Warwick I and the other two project leaders have been hard at work this week recruiting volunteers, attempting to find warehouse space and planning how our year will take shape.  The goals of collecting 25,000 books, raising £10,000 and getting as much publicity as possible can be a bit daunting.  However if you get a group of committed people together it quickly becomes achievable.

At the start of last year, I was daunted by the targets.  However our group of volunteers became friends and had a laugh whilst we did most things.  I'm sure the same will happen this year.  Volunteering can be tough sometimes and it's not always the fun, satisfying experience people advertise it as.  However in the end, if it's a cause you believe in, and with a group of people you like it can become very enjoyable.  I think above everything that's what I will take from the project last year and my trip to Tanzania.  I could blather on about our achievements, personal fulfilment, personal development (probably my most hated phrase, up there with 110%) and the like but most of all I had fun.  I had fun collecting the books.  I had fun fundraising.  I had fun in Tanzania.  I saw some pretty depressing things, that make you realise how much work there is still to be done but I was with a fantastic group, saw some fantastic things and laughed.  A lot. 

What more could you ask for?

Posted by Tom G ( 12:00 AM )
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