“Volunteers are not paid not because they are worthless but because they are priceless”

This quote has become a mantra for me because looking back now, I am beginning to connect the dots on my volunteering journey. Let’s take a trip down this path. It is my tiny way of inspiring and pushing you toward the priceless life of volunteering and selfless service.

I have shared how my volunteering story started with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)in 2014 where I lived and worked with volunteers from the UK in Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria. During these months, I had focused on developing my report writing, advocacy, budgeting and facilitation skills. 

Fast forward to a few months after this experience. I got a job as a Care and Support HIV/AIDS officer in an NGO. I was tasked with planning and implementing the HIV/AIDS component of a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) project.

Guess what? 

Although my job role was daunting as I was also managing the Youth programmes of this reputable organisation, I found things less difficult because the skills I developed in Ikorodu came alive. Soon afterwards, I started training corp members as Peer Educator Trainers (PET), many of whom have gone on to impact lives after the training.

While there, I applied to several opportunities to advance my career and in one of the applications I made, my volunteering experience was required. Personally, I knew it spoke volume to my application. This application was successful, and I was fully sponsored to further my studies. I went ahead to study a course that I had applied severally in Nigerian schools but never got in. 

While volunteering is necessary for the advancement of one’s career, what is even more fulfilling is living, knowing you are working towards making the world a better place.

Volunteer for a good cause today, help someone in need and live a life which when you look back, you would say ‘Yes, I really LIVED’.

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