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Making an Impact
Do international volunteers really make a difference? What happens when I return home? Will the collective effort of volunteers be sustained by future volunteers and the local community? Will I be able to contribute fully in a less accessible environment? These are just a few of the questions commonly asked when considering volunteering abroad.
The International Volunteerism Resource Center offers these words of advice: “Make sure you have realistic expectations about what you can accomplish. Change takes time—often a lot of time. Unless you can stay for years, assume that you will likely not see much immediate impact from your efforts. Instead, focus on your contribution being part of a long continuum of other international and local volunteers, each of you giving time and energy to making a difference and collectively making it happen. At the same time, try not to underestimate the power of simple acts of human kindness; a smile and a willingness to learn can have a bigger impact than you might expect. Lastly, remember that while you can play a pivotal role, the future of your efforts is ultimately not yours but the community’s in which you serve. The best you can do is assist them with their vision.”
Matthew Clark, a wheelchair user who volunteered in Afghanistan with The Mobility Project, questioned whether or not he could really make a difference in a country with so much need. “Here there were just a few of us with a handful of wheelchairs. I didn’t think we would even make a dent. But once I actually got there, I realized it was about more than a wheelchair. It was about showing the worth of people with disabilities. The fact that a bunch of people from the United States would spend all of this time and money to help people with disabilities in Afghanistan, there must be something there. They must be worth something.”
Pam Houston, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kiribati who has cerebral palsy, reflects, “The fact is, some international volunteers will see results from their work, others won’t. Remember that much change is unseen, immeasurable and not quite quantifiable. Just as a tree’s roots – the part of itself that provides longevity, stability and sustenance – are largely invisible, so might be the impact of our presence and work as volunteers in another country.”
Volunteers with Disabilities Making a Difference
“All of my students who were learning English were visually impaired, like me. This similarity based on our disability created a bond between us right from the start, especially among the high school students. Seeing me there, fulfilling a life-long ambition, helped them to believe that their dreams could also come true.”
Lorie Singleton, a Peace Corps volunteer in Levoca, Slovakia, who is blind
“To see someone like me contributing and accomplishing so much, and just being out by myself pushing to the Internet café…it certainly changed the expectations that they have of people with disabilities in their own country. That was certainly one big reward.”
Matthew Clark, a wheelchair user who volunteered in Afghanistan with The Mobility Project
“I know that each one of us came back feeling more worth in ourselves. I remember asking my friends, ‘How do you know if you’ve made an impact?’ and the answer was, ‘You just feel it.’ It was a life-altering experience for all of us.”
Tamer Mahmoud, a Global Reach Out Initiative, Inc. volunteer in Thailand and India who is Deaf
“While working with Adapted Physical Activity International Development in Kampala, I was able to see first-hand the almost instantaneous conversion of several children from being shy and withdrawn to emerging as active, independent, and empowered young people. It was simply amazing to watch this unfold in front of my eyes.”
Cheri Blauwet, a wheelchair athlete who volunteered in Uganda to increase the inclusion of youth with disabilities in sports programs
“I had a powerful experience in Mongolia where I met peers my age with spinal cord injuries. It hadn’t occurred to them to press for inclusion in higher education even though they had a strong desire to go to college. The universities did not have ramps or accessible bathrooms, and the students’ perceptions of their own limitations were so strong that they didn’t consider advocating on their own behalf. I later learned that one of the students I met in Mongolia decided to approach the administration at a local university to discuss ways to make simple and inexpensive accommodations in order to pursue her higher education dreams.”
H’Sien Hayward, a wheelchair user who volunteered with United Cerebral Palsy Wheels for Humanity in Mongolia and Costa Rica
“I definitely feel like I had an impact. I lived in a small village and the Deaf school was very small. I felt like the hearing parents were very negative about the deaf children and wanted to hide them away, and here I was, a Deaf adult with many skills getting a Master of Arts degree. Word spread throughout the village that here’s a deaf man with a degree. I became a role model. The parents of the Deaf children would look at me and have this huge realization that my child can learn, succeed, go to college and become a teacher… I noticed that during my time there, the school began to grow as more and more children were enrolled.”
Erikson Young, a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya, who is Deaf
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