Want a deeper insight into what an ICS placement looks like? Read the amazing blogs written by our past and present volunteers. Enjoy the journey!
We are ‘Team Tiwale’.
Or in English... ‘Let's Shine’.
Yesterday, our team had our first opportunity to live up to this name by visiting a nearby community and shedding some light on important issues pertaining to sexual and reproductive health.
Group dynamics have always interested me. In a group in which there are eight young women from the UK - all fairly feisty in our individual ways - and seven males (now six due to the national Team Leader being offered an exciting employment opportunity - we'll miss you Lomance! Keep doing your thing!), two coming from the UK and five from Malawi, it was quite inevitable that gender would be a bit of a hot topic.
Climate change is a global problem that will drastically affect most areas of life. Some effects of climate change are: the melting of icebergs, sea levels rising, ocean currents shift, changes in the amount of rainfall, the acidification of oceans, more natural disasters and more diseases such as malaria. Despite Nicaragua contributing very little to climate change, they are one of the worst affected.
It hasn’t been the smoothest initiation into a Malawian family but it’s certainly been quick.
My fellow UK volunteer Joseph and I have been rechristened with Chitumbuka Christian names and have adopted the family surname. You can call me Nchindi (meaning Respect) and you must now refer to my little brother Joseph as Vitumbiku (it means Blessings). Or just Vitu for short.
This was an emotional watershed moment but a far cry from four weeks earlier.
Heading into the fifth week of my placement it’s fair to say I’ve got to know Parcila pretty well. What seemed at first to be a community in need has turned out to be so much more. It’s true that yes you might not find a washing machine or even a working tap here, but what you will find surpasses all materialistic needs. In the words of my host father “full stomach, happy heart”, it’s this which makes Parcila so special - the people.
Un lunes muy soleado planeamos la entrega de los materiales de las eco-estufas. Junto con los beneficiarios, todos nos reunimos en casa de nuestra líder nacional, Marcia.
Hola guapos! Friday 12 August 2016 was International Youth Day. This was designated by the UN General Assembly and had twelve main priorities. This year the main focus is ‘the road to 2030; eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable production and consumption.'
There are so many aspects to a placement that people are nervous about as it draws nearer to the departure date. I hope this gives you one less thing to worry about before going on your placement. There’s the first part, which is about a vegan diet, the second part is about a vegetarian diet and the third part is about a gluten-free diet.
Part 1 - Vegan diet
Todos estamos contentos con los objetivos obtenidos hasta ahora y esperamos seguir con ese ánimo emprendedor que tenemos como grupo. Iniciamos la semana con una actividad que la llamamos competencia de inglés, que participaron niños y jóvenes de la comunidad de Parcila, y donde realizamos un sin número de juegos que a los niños y jóvenes les gustó mucho, quienes tuvieron la oportunidad de poner en práctica sus habilidades y sus conocimientos del idioma inglés.
The existence of indigenous people in El Salvador in the 21st century is a largely over-looked issue. In academic studies, they are almost exclusively referred to in the past tense. This is because the persecution of indigenous people in EL Salvador has been continuing since the 16th century. Despite a ten-year struggle against the conquistadores by the Pipil people, the Spaniards claimed victory over the territory in 1528. This set off a chain of events in El Salvadorian history, which has largely led to acculturation of indigenous peoples.
