Everything depends on the idea that everyone has of volunteering, but above all on the willingness with which one opens up to knowing a world that, due to its cultural origins, may seem very far from ours — and yet it is close, because it is driven by a deep desire to be understood and valued.
Being a volunteer is first and foremost a identity and human mission: it means listening, trying to understand the other, learning from him, and only then — perhaps — offering help. But always with a common purpose: Be better, together.
Volunteering means sharing a growth that is always reciprocal, never unidirectional. A growth that seeks to bring together different ways, times and stories, not to make them the same, but to achieve greater awareness of who we are and what we can build together.
Being a volunteer means want to improve, grow and evolve next to the people we meet along the path of life.
Here's what they tell us Chiara and Maria, after their first 10 days of experience at Ampefy...
“Several times while waiting to leave, we asked ourselves what our task would be in Madagascar. Although Teresa, Paolo and Francesco had reassured us and guided us, we would dare say almost pampered, towards our departure, however, the journey represented an unknown. Despite all our forecasts and expectations, only the permanence in this new company and in this working dimension have given us the answers. In a few days we have experienced the smile that is always present on the face of Malagasy people, who never deny greeting with their good manners; we appreciated their irony and their most genuine relationship with the naturalness of life's events; we have seen the preparation of all the health professionals present in the Saint Paul Health Center of Andasibe Ampefy.
We have experienced first-hand what Change created, probably out of nowhere: a home for volunteers with an almost embarrassing comfort for us, the Medical Surgical Center, which now represents a point of reference for everyday diseases and emergencies, the project aimed at combating malnutrition, especially among children, through food education, and finally an optical clinic to allow everyone to have a better view. In short, everything that is ordinary administration in Italy, the minimum guaranteed to everyone. And perhaps it is precisely in the analysis of what we saw that the answer to the question we were asking ourselves is inherent: being here is an opportunity to increase knowledge, improve protocols, promote progress in people's conditions, while respecting native traditions. We will be passing by, hoping to leave some ideas, but the truth is that we will return home with our enriched knowledge.”
Thank you Chiara and Mario for what you are doing, for the precious gift of your time!
