Volunteer in Africa

Carmen Lindie, an Educators Overseas employee, traveled to Africa as a volunteer with an organization called Visiting Orphans. Here is an interview with Carmen about her experience - an inspiration to others! Browse the Destination menu on our site for information from Carmen on volunteer organizations and lodging in Uganda and volunteer organizations and lodging in Uganda.

What made you want to volunteer in Africa? Ever since I can remember, I was always fascinated with Africa. The land, the people, the history, the imagery. whenever my teachers in elementary and middle school assigned us to write reports, I always chose something to do with Africa.

Why did you decide to go to Uganda? Last year, I went on a two week mission trip with an organization, called visiting orphans (www.visitingorphans.org). we were to spend one week in Ethiopia and one week in Uganda, with the last leg of our journey being in Uganda. we were in three cities: Jinja, Pallisa, and Kampala. we were only able to spend one day in Kampala, the day we were traveling back home, so our time was limited in Kampala; but, I fell in love with the orphanage we visited there. I remember saying to my friend who works for VO that I wish we had been able to spend more time at return Uganda (the orphanage in Kampala). Months later, I felt God move on my heart that I was supposed to go back to Africa on another short term mission with VO, but stay when they left. I didn't yet know what country I would stay in, what I would do, etc. I thought the most convenient thing would be for me to stay in Ethiopia since I had another friend moving there, but, a lot of road blocks were thrown up. Then, I was communicating with pastor Samuel Bubonero on Facebook one day (he is a native Ugandan pastor who started return Uganda), and was telling him I was going back to Ethiopia/Rwanda that summer for two weeks, and felt like I was supposed to stay. He commented that he wished I could come help them, because they need a lot of help and immediately, my heart leaped, and I said, "yes!" thinking, "I'm not married, I don't have children, why not!?" so, we communicated some more, and it really just fell into my lap.

What is the hardest thing about your experience volunteering in Africa? Seeing how much need there is, all the orphans, and wanting to do it all, but knowing you can't do it all. and then having to leave, that is so difficult. I think about returning every day. I see those faces in my dreams; I feel those hands in mine every day.

What is the most rewarding thing about your experience in Africa? Knowing that I am living out James 1:27. knowing that I can't change the world, but I can change one, two, three children's worlds, and that matters to them; so it's incredible to me to know that I am impacting at least one life that was once void of hugs, embraces, kisses on the cheeks, and whispers of "God loves you soooo much!"

What advice would you give someone who is considering volunteering in Africa? Don't be discouraged when you see the need. It can be overwhelming; just remember the words of Mother Teresa: "If you can't feed 100, feed one". You can't do it all, but you can do something, and that matters to somebody. Go ready to work, hard. It's not a leisurely time of sitting around talking about life and Jesus and help and love. It's put in action. It's service. It's humbling. It's harder than any work you will ever do here.

Is there anything you wish you had known before you arrived in Africa? That most people are willing to help donate supplies, goods, etc., you just have to ask. Be prepared to tell people what you are doing, be ready to openly relay the emotion behind your desire to go there, be ready to answer in a loving way when people ask (sometimes condescendingly) "why". I wish I had known that nothing here matters. I wish I had better understood that all my past, all my life, all my present does not/did not matter, the only thing that matters is how we reach each other, how we love the outcast, the forgotten, the neglected, how we serve those who have nothing to give back but a smile, and sometimes not even that. I also wish I had known that I needed to bring a lot of turkey jerky, there's not a lot of protein to eat there. =)