Volunteering is an immensely valuable use of your time not only to contribute towards an initiative you are passionate about but also making a positive impact in the lives of people and communities especially those you know are helpless. Different people do voluntary work for a variety of reasons such as gaining experience, making new friends, giving back to the community and among other reasons related to volunteering.

Voluntary work offers individuals opportunities to engage in activities which affect community members. Hence, voluntary work demands passion, positivity, compassion, an open mind and willingness to pitch in wherever needed and at the end, it brings satisfaction after playing a role in someone else’s life by helping them when they are not able to help themselves.

Tamara Luck from Germany, is among the few selfless volunteers who had left her comfort zone, overcame all difficult barriers and gave her time, knowledge and skills to do voluntary wo

She is a German primary school teacher in Berlin pursuing her Masters degree in Education. She chose to

volunteer at our Values Based school situated in an impoverished area like George compound, sharing her teaching skills with the teaching staff and rendering her free services also to the Vulnerable and Orphans (OVC not VOC Children.

Below is her testimony with regard to her voluntary work at TOSF School for OVC.

THE VOLUNTEER`S TESTIMONY

‘’mulibwanji? (how are you?)

At first, I arrived at the school with not of an idea of what to expect. My overall aim was to get to know the Zambian school and to gain a new outlook of the institution of the school and studying. Through the insights into all year groups, I quickly picked up on the routines and received an overview of the local school.I sat down with the local teachers and we discussed German teaching culture and methods. Due to many different methods and ideas, we were able to organize three (3) workshops over the past three months. The goal of these workshops were to inform and enlighten the local teachers with teaching methods and student-beneficial study techniques.

Now the main focus of teaching lays on student`s learning progress unlike having the teaching personel being the focus of concern. Through different learning approaches such as restructured lesson plans, outdoor activities, we were able to modernize the learning process.

The fourth grade was passed on to my hands as their teacher was pregnant. I was able to give the students a variety of insights into and helpful study techniques. Through rituals, games and German influence, the kids were able to grow concerning their learning curve. Their teachers were able to see the positive influence these new teaching methods had on the kids and how the kids themselves continue to include and use those in ongoing lessons.

It was a great pleasure for me to be able to stand by your sides and give support with knowledge that I brought from my experience as a teacher in Germany. Even though our time has come to an end, I want to thank you all I am happy that we have become such a great team over the past months. I am glad that we could give the school a new image, outlook and a new aim. Studying is fun! I am looking forward seeing you again and remain with the kindest regards and best wishes”

We have heard it for ourselves, from Tamara Luck’s own perspective. I am sure that if we can emulate Tamara, the continent can no longer be a limiting factor to anyone else to come and render services that can uplift the life of a vulnerable child who may not have the privilege to acquire the best education due to financial constraints. The modernizing of the teaching pedagogies has made the teaching and learning very interesting and easy for both learners and teachers at TOSF. From her teaching skills, we have seen most of our learners becoming independent in their learning process which was not put into practice much prior to her arrival and sharing.

As teachers at TOSF School, we are extremely thrilled with Tamara`s pedagogies of teaching because it has brought an enormous change in our teaching approaches. All thanks to Tamara.

The Other Side Foundation School for OVC is most fortunate to receive help from well wishers from the “other side” of the continent who have heartedly put in resources and time to help a child who is from a marginalized community. Our school invites more volunteers who want and have the heart to change the lives of very vulnerable children, who will not have this opportunity otherwise due to the disempowered and disadvantaged lives they lead.