My friends often ask why I am so passionate about volunteering. Answering this question requires me to look back over my life’s experiences. In the quest to find my purpose, I found great wisdom in Mahatma Gandhi‘s words, with one of my favorite sayings being, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Volunteering provided that avenue for me to serve others.
Initially, I volunteered to meet the community service requirements for the bronze, silver and gold levels of The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award program, a non-formal education program that I was actively involved in while in high school. I have fond memories of experiences such as helping with community awareness programs on HIV/AIDS at the Sachibondu Rural Health Centre in the North-Western Province of Zambia. The limited phone network coverage in the area provided the perfect opportunity to detox from social media and appreciate the simpler things in life, like going for a walk and star-gazing as we sat around the brazier. After successfully completing the DofE Award program, the overwhelming sense of achievement gained from serving others inspired me to continue volunteering.
From as far back as I can remember, I was taught to give back to the community whenever an opportunity availed itself. While engaging in community activities, I was exposed to the harsh realities of poverty and suffering. Amid the gloominess of it all, I learned about the resilience and courage that we as human beings possess when we set our minds to it. Over the years, my volunteer experiences involved an array of activities, from advocating for HIV/AIDS prevention and malaria eradication in Zambia, to refurbishing the floor of two classrooms at Empash Community School in Kenya, to working with coursemates to raise funds for the Bradford food bank in the United Kingdom.
Volunteering activates the spirit of ubuntu within us. Ubuntu is a Zulu phrase that is translated to mean, “I am because we are.” Ubuntu forms the foundation of many African cultures as it speaks to unity and a shared purpose. The core principles of volunteering directly relate to ubuntu, as they are focused on giving of oneself for the betterment of the greater good. For this reason, when I volunteer, I feel that it brings me back to the roots of my culture as it allows me to focus on the betterment of others, as I give of myself.
Other highlights of my volunteer experiences include serving as the Projects and Events Coordinator of the Commonwealth Youth Human Rights and Democracy Network (CYHRDN). In 2018, I had the privilege of working with other youth leaders from across the Commonwealth to form policy recommendations to problems faced by young people and present these to the Commonwealth Heads of Government.
I also have been able to volunteer through ISACA. I initially registered with ISACA due to the requirements of my work as a Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), but when I saw the opportunity to contribute as a writer for the ISACA Now blog, I was immediately drawn to it. The ISACA community consists of some of the most brilliant minds across the globe, and I saw the volunteering opportunity as a chance to not only grow my skill set, but to also contribute to thought leadership in the IT industry.
As varied as my volunteer experiences have been, I would not change any of them, as they have each contributed to making me the person who I am today. I have visited projects in the slums working to better the community, but I have also sat in the same room as world leaders and technocrats as we discussed solutions to challenges facing young people. When all is said and done, if I can help even just one person through my acts of service, then I will have done my part.