“POST” VOLUNTEER PROJECT
As Aaron and I were winding up our International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ) Livingstone, Zambia volunteer stint,
we both enjoyed a strong connection to our assignments, and in Aaron's case, a
real desire to "make a meaningful difference" that he could be sure
had a beginning and a long-lasting outcome. To that end, the
Francine
Perry Painting Project was born at Linda Farm.
Francine Gilman Perry is Aaron's younger and
only sister. She was 54 when she died earlier this year after 2 1/2 years
battling cancer.
SOME
BACKGROUND ON LINDA FARM:
The farm has 12 houses which are not well
maintained with lots of cracks and leaking roofs. Some accounts suggest the
houses have not been updated for 35-40 years! The main activity on the farm is
vegetable farming and poultry on a small scale. Blind and handicapped people
each have a portion of garden in which they grow vegetables for selling in
order to sustain and support their families. The gardens are surrounded by a
small stream where they fetch water using buckets or other containers to water
the vegetables. This is very challenging for these people. There are approximately
90 people living at the farm, among which, 60 are children. Aaron's volunteer
project with IVHQ, was to help finish the brand new preschool built on the premises,
for the local children and plant a flower garden around the school and
playground. The new school building, perhaps, highlighted the state of
disrepair of the Linda Farm homes in comparison.
"BEFORE"
PROJECT PICS----------
THE
FRANCINE PERRY PAINTING PROJECT:
Due to the above problem with houses, a
painting project started in November 2014. We wanted to fund a meaningful
project for the Community to repair and paint their houses in memory of Aaron's
sister. The idea of a housing related project has particular significance to us
as both Francine's husband, Hap and brother, Stuart are in the
construction/trades business, Francine's daughter, Sydney is a new
preschool teacher and Francine, had a flair for home decor. She would be very
happy to have the Linda Farm homes look as nice and "fresh" as the
new preschool and its' flowerbed surroundings, thus giving the Community
residents' a real sense of pride.
Dream Livingstone Zambia, a local non-profit and
IVHQ's partner, contributed to our financial contribution to make the Francine
painting project a reality for Linda Farm. Rabeccah and Kennedy, our sponsors
at Dream Livingstone, also supervised and monitored the work until the project
is done. The project was completed in approximately 3 weeks, with a combination
of volunteers and Linda Farm community residents participating in the effort.
WORK
IN PROGRESS:
"FINISHED" PROJECT PICS:
We encourage volunteers
to look for meaningful, sustainable “post volunteer” opportunities that benefit
their projects' recipients. This could be a memorial as in our case, an
honorarium, a dedication or “just because”. It's not everyone who can create a
legacy (modest in our case), in another part of the world! We hope to do it
again when it makes sense. We have since learned of additional funding through
our volunteer sponsor, IVHQ, via Booster Grants as
well as other GoFundMe options that
could complement fundraising for similar or larger projects. We hope this
inspires others to consider local volunteer projects in their own way.
UPDATE: This video clip (4 minutes) was made shortly after we left Zambia. It's a great overview of what some of the volunteer projects are like and gives you a sense of Livingstone, Zambia. Click on "PLAY VIDEO," then click again on the "arrow" in middle of screen. Check it out! IVHQ in Zambia
