This week is volunteer week, as Temwa’s new Communications Assistant volunteer I feel I am equipped to talk about the rewards of using your spare time with purpose! Before starting at Temwa, I had done some volunteering but only on a small scale; I now feel I am properly able to engage with what the not for profit sector is all about. I think the issue can be that young people do not know how to get involved; though in my case it was as easy as coming across an advertisement online looking for a volunteer communications intern whilst looking for something valuable to do with my long summer holiday!

Although I am only in my second week here at Temwa, it has already been a very worthwhile experience. I understand why working at a charity attracts passionate young people who are looking to make social impact in both small and big ways.

One way in which I have felt I have made an impact, albeit a minute one, has been raising awareness for the current food crisis in Malawi through Temwa’s Facebook page. In my first term at university, I was required to do a research project on modern day famines, though during my scouring of the internet not once did I come across an article concerning the food crisis that is devastating southern Africa. Despite the urgency of the issue and the necessity for relief assistance, there still doesn’t seem to be that much discussion in the mainstream media concerning this vulnerable situation.

As Temwa’s main goal is to facilitate community development in Malawi its projects have a vital role of safeguarding the lives of the communities they work with. I can’t think of anything more worthwhile than helping to promote an organisation that is making a difference to a community that is entering a period of extreme food insecurity. Since starting at Temwa I have learnt so much, I was previously completely oblivious to the fact that Malawi was the poorest country in the world, never mind the fact that they were experiencing famine.

At the end of the day, I can’t think of any other periods in my life that have been as meaningful as the times at which I have volunteered. Volunteering at Temwa has been the ideal opportunity to be around likeminded passionate people!