These foolish things

Packing for an 8 week trip is not easy - I've just spent 2 days on it!  I've had official advice from the volunteer website, plus conversations and emails with previous Welsh volunteers, which meant I've ended up with an amazing amount of stuff.

The weather will be hot and dry at first, but I'm going up into the north west hills so it should be cooler than in the capital, Yaounde.  Then when the rains come, someone told me rain bounces off the road and it's cool.  But if you're used to 30 degrees or more, what feels cool?

Clothes have to be smart, and there's a big emphasis on keeping your shoes well polished.  I have to make a good impression to live up to expectations and show the proper respect for my new colleagues and the others I meet. 

Then there's the medication.  As well as my malaria tablets, I've been advised to take pretty well anything I might need for whatever may happen - from athlete's foot to verrucas!  I've got about half a litre each of anti-mosquito stuff and Factor 50 suncream; plus shampoo, shower gel ... it all makes for very heavy luggage.  Of course, I shan't be bringing all this stuff home, whether I need it or not (and I hope not!)

I'm also taking pens, pencils, paper, teabags - all recommended as gifts for local people, a way of making good connections.  It's going to be important to build up relationships if my work is to be effective.

Anyway, the bags are packed, and I'm ready to go.  Just a last minute problem of how I'm getting to Swansea tomorrow for the National Express coach to Heathrow...

I heard it through the grapevine

Sometimes information for volunteers comes like drips from a leaky tap, then suddenly the water pressure is turned up and we almost drown in the torrent. 
Two large files hold my downloads from the VSO website - country briefing, health and safety, equality and diversity, programme area plans and updates....  It's hard to take it all in, but I've gained an overall impression of Cameroon as a country with immense difficulties. 

One striking fact is that if I had been born and lived there, I'd probably be dead by now! Life expectancy is not much over 50.  And the infant mortality rate is pretty high - I can only imagine the impact of losing your babies, thank goodness it never happened to me.

VSO's training at Harborne Hall in Birmingham has been inspiring. Excellent co-trainers work hard over intensive weekends to open our eyes to cultural difference, learn new ways to facilitate groups and focus on genuine participation.  I've loved it, felt more inspired by this than any other training course, including my PGCE.

So much is gained by meeting other volunteers - a marvellous mix of ages, skills and experience.  People have different motivation but all want to make a difference.  Life isn't just about survival in our western european luxury, upgrading our phones and TVs seen as the measure of success.  These volunteers seek to do far more than that.  And it's clearly a life-changing experience, even for those, like me, who are only going for a short time. 

What's going on?

Excited, anxious, hyperactive, indolent, enthusiastic, cautious, optimistic...

In just a few days' time, I'm setting off to spend 8 weeks in Cameroon in West Africa. No, it's not a holiday - I expect to work hard most of the time, and face some pressure to get results.

I first heard about this scheme a couple of years ago. "Wales for Africa" - the Welsh Assembly Government were putting money and effort into development work in sub-Saharan Africa, forging links between organisations, schools, and communities.

A branch of WAG had set up a project for Welsh public sector managers and leaders to do short-term work placements through VSO, an international volunteer organisation. The idea behind these "International Learning Opportunities" was that of shared learning. The people who went out to Africa would share their transferable or specialist expertise, helping to build the capacity of local people to develop in their own way, to achieve their own goals. Returning to Wales, they would bring their own learning back to benefit their home organisations and the public sector in general.

Great idea isn't it? WOW, I thought, wish I could do that! At the time, no way. But then last July my boss sent me an email. Public Service Management Wales was holding a drop-in event in Lampeter University to publicise this ILO scheme. Why not go along? So I did.

And now, many months later, here I am, getting ready to depart at last!