The biggest challenge for me during my volunteer work was feeling like I fit in at my host organization, ImagiNation Afrika. Although it was run by an American and most of the other people who worked there spoke English, I felt like I should speak French, and most of the time I was really shy so I didn’t talk to people as much as I would have liked to looking back on it now with some 20/20 hindsight. I think I was especially self-conscious of my French-speaking abilities because many Americans are often not very nice to people who go to the US and don’t speak English very well. I doubt people here would have been equally as judgmental but I finally realized that that was the reason I felt so shy.
Things got better when I started working with the Americans at University of Michigan who are helping with the Men na Nekk multimedia project. Feeling like I had something that I was contributing to the organization (there wasn’t very much work to be done towards the beginning) and feeling like I had a reason to be there gave me a better sense of belonging.
Since the Men na Nekk project is still in its beginning stages and there aren’t any visible results yet, it’s hard to say that I feel particularly proud of any accomplishment so far. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep contact with some people at the organization and hear about how the final project turns out. Once I see ImagiNation Afrika start making a difference for real kids in the Casamance, then I’ll definitely feel proud that I was able to at least have a small part in that work.
This volunteer work has definitely enhanced my study abroad experience. For one, it gave me a chance to experience the NGO culture in Dakar. There are a lot of NGOs everywhere on the continent, and before I came here, I spent 6 weeks backpacking around Tanzania and visiting some NGOs there to learn about the work they are doing. It was interesting to be able to compare the NGO culture of East Africa and West Africa. Second, it was also great to get to see a different area of Dakar.
Commuting to work every week made me a lot more confident with the public transportation infrastructure. Finally, with one of my classes this semester, I was able to take a week’s trip to the Casamance region. Learning about another area of the country from two different angles really increased my interest and understanding. I wrote a final paper for class about development efforts in the Casamance region that are aimed at preventing youth radicalization, which I was inspired to research and write about thanks to my volunteer work.
I’m really excited to get back to DC. Since my freshman year, I’ve worked with DC Reads (now called SMART DC), and I’ve missed it a lot. I’m really looking forward to working there again next semester.