Testimonial - Ben       Ben's time with MVO Ben Rogers From: England Aged: 25 Project: Malawi Teaching Volunteers Volunteered: July-October 2010 Duration: 10 weeks As I write this I am hoping that I can find the words possible to describe how life-changing and incredible my time in Malawi was, and I'm hoping I am able to persuade you to go there too. I hope this not only for Malawi's sake and the life-long friends I have there - they will surely benefit from any volunteering you can offer them - but I also hope I can persuade you to do this and to benefit from this opportunity. It doesn't matter how old you are, or what you are doing in life, or how well travelled you are - none of those things matter. The only thing that matters is that you are willing to make a difference and bring some happiness to the lives of people that haven't had it as good as you, and haven't had the same opportunities to make their life what they want it to be. I had recently left my job in the London corporate world to become a teacher. I had some free time before my course started, and I wanted to do some good and volunteer, particularly in Africa. There are fortunately a plethora of volunteer opportunities out there, but I am very glad that I chose Malawi and MVO. MVO is staffed by incredibly passionate and hard-working people striving to improve Malawi. It was a privilege to volunteer with them. The project work was challenging but ultimately very rewarding. I taught classes at Monkey Bay Primary School. It's a primary school but the age range I was teaching was from 10 to 18. I was also there during school holidays and ran summer school classes, and could teach them whatever I wanted (during term you have to stick to the curriculum) - this was really enjoyable. There's not much out there so you have to improvise - I was teaching them about negative numbers and angles using the dust in the ground outside, and a stick! My solar mobile phone charger also came in handy to explain a science lesson on energy. I met some amazing people - both kids and adults - people I'll never forget. For this reason I'm already thinking about when I can go back! So are many of the good friends I met in the volunteer house. Yes, it's tough sometimes...yes, there are (rarely) bad days... but they are all part of the learning and personal development experience you also sign up for, and I wouldn't change a thing about my time there. I know that I've done some good and helped many people. They've also helped me realise what is important in life. The real culture shock is when you go back home and realise that nobody smiles and everybody avoids eye contact with each other! So, in summary - go for it! It'll be the best thing you'll ever do. Choose Malawi and choose MVO! Ben back to testimonials If you'd like to make an enquiry about volunteering with us, please use the request form or visit the contact page.