THE UNWAVERING SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERING

You are not alone!

This powerful blog post is inspired by a family of VSO/ICS cycle 7 volunteers from two continents; Africa(Uganda), and Europe (United kingdom).
As the world awaits for calm and normalcy to return after so many weeks in lockdown, our unwavering volunteering spirit is yearning to help those who have been affected by this crisis, as well as help ourselves get through it by keeping busy. All we have used is love, passion, time and skills. 
From helping build breathing respirators for critically ill COVID-19 patients, to offering online emotional support to lonely friends and family, we are here to share with you inspiring acts of solidarity.
We hope our stories inspire you to do something to touch a life during this trying period!

• Lucy Shyle- United Kingdom 

Lucy Shayle - United kingdom 

I have been keeping busy by doing physical exercises, in particular running and horse racing. I've also offered to help go shopping for elderly neighbors who cannot do it themselves, and thankfully they are all sorted and do not require anymore help.My community now has a group chat so anyone can message on there if they need any further help or support.

• Regina Nanyonga- Uganda 

I am a social distance ambassador in my community, and spend a lot of time sensitizing others about the essence of maintaining atleast 3 meters distance between themselves.During my free time, I walk to a nearby Health facility in my community and help the team there ensure that every patient who goes there hand washes and sanitizes.

• Byron Muyimbwa- Uganda 

Lockdown started off like one of those prolonged weekends or never ending public holidays. The numbers started to increase all around the world, that's when it started to sink in.
And it's been no different ever since.yeyyy🙂😕🙁
I decided to come up with ideas to keep myself and everyone positive.
Writing a blog with all these ideas, providing emotional support to friends and family, sensitizing people near my home area on how to sanitize, how to make a face mask using just a hankie and rubber bands.
 Aside that I've pushed myself to learn something new everytime I get the chance like improve my photography, dancing, art work, writing skills and most importantly my prayer life.

I applaud you if you're doing this too, stay strong this will be over soon.

• Rachel Witchchurch- United Kingdom 

I have tried to keep myself motivated each day by cooking all family meals and experimenting with new recepies.Being around horses and horse riding has also been a key way to maintain sanity.
I mainly help others to do the weekly shop for the elderly and those too vulnerable to leave the house, which has ensured that they are keeping healthy and well fed.

• Brenda Nanfuka- Uganda 

I have been helping out children aged 7 to 15 years. I realized that most of my neighbours' children are taking coronavirus as a joke and they seemingly don't know what it is. Whenever l could hear them playing they could call themselves names like 'corona', 'COVID', '19', 'coro', 'virus', and some you could hear them crying because they don't want to be called like that. I felt so touched that these children really needed to understand what coronavirus is and why they should take it seriously. I have been teaching them about Coronavirus, how they can safeguard themselves against it. Why should they wash their hands and so on.

• Iona Havard- United Kingdom 

I've spent a lot of time visiting Thelma, a 71 year old elderly neighbor battling with terminal cancer. Since she is not supposed to have any visitors, I am the only company she gets on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I help her cook, clean around and wash. Sadly, she has not been into hospital and missed her last few months of Chemotherapy. I think she feels very lonely as her family has not been able to see her.
On top of that, I've been home schooling my brother and looking after him, doing fun and educational activities such as gardening, cooking, and tent pitching .

• Gerald Bekunda- Uganda 

The safety regulations on the current COVID-19 global pandemic like social distancing and staying at home means that a person like me with a volunteering spirit has to devise other means of helping people in need during this period other than face to face interactions. With that being said, I have helped out by staying socially connected through social media with all my friends and some members of the community, providing emotional support and useful ideas of how to get through this.
I have also managed to participate in a fundraising activity in my community of Bunga to raise money to buy a few basic materials for extremely low income households. I am reading books with useful information like " The Success Principles " by Jack Canfield and also  watching movies to kill boredom and keep myself entertained .
I am positive that I will keep doing all that I can to help out during this period .

• Hannah Strafford-United kingdom 

I have done a lot of cooking and had fun making Ugandan foods like chapattis, rolexes and mandazis.I've also enjoyed running and cycling, and found a lot of new footpaths around my village!
I am a 'check-in and chat volunteer' for the NHS so I can be asked to call people who want to have a chat to reduce loneliness during this lockdown. I can also be asked to go shopping and collect medicines from pharmacies for people who have to isolate.

• Ogwal Isaac- Uganda

Lifestyle and other aspects of life greatly changed for everyone globally due to the national lockdowns and Coronavirus pandemic. Passionately as a professional Biomedical laboratory technologist, during the Corona virus pandemic and lockdown most of my time is spent at work delivering laboratory diagnostic services to the population. Most of the services including hospitals are not be easily accessible to the individuals including the vulnerable people like the elderly, youth people, and pregnant women therefore staying in service favours the nearby clients to access other diagnostic services for diseases and conditions such as malaria, HIV, Typhoid, Rheumatoid arthritis, Brucellosis among others.


After work I spend some of my time writing blogs and sharing information about Corona virus disease to create awareness through my social media platform (WhatsApp) named ‘Bridging info Gap.’

• Georgiana Osborne - United Kingdom 

Since returning to the UK, the country has been in strict lockdown. As I have been unable to visit friends and family, I have spent much of my time learning to bake and then sending my creations as gifts to friends and family around the country to let them know how much I love and miss them.

In addition to baking, I have also taught myself how to sew and have used fabric bought in the Lira markets to make facemasks for friends and family, as well as neighbours and keyworkers at the local hospice. I hope that these small efforts can keep people smiling and reassure them that they are not alone. We will survive this all together.

• Nsubuga Umar-Uganda 

For the past few weeks people have been saying, “nothing like this has ever happened in my lifetime”, “this doesn’t feel real” and “I really didn’t see this coming".

A few weeks ago, when things were bad but not lockdown bad quite yet, I started to think about what would happen next — how can this internet enable me to connect with everyone both around me and those that are not. In that regard, as a volunteer who prevails to be an active citizen; I used the internet to work on blogs that can sensitize the online community and I believe they can help support someone not only mentally but also both physically and spiritually.

I have tried to reach out to many of circles in and out on different media platforms to make sure that they are supported, and as well as follow up our stays during this uncertain outbreak.

• Mia Bridges- United Kingdom 

During the coronavirus pandemic I am doing many things to help keep my own spirits positive and uplift those around me. The main thing that this involves is a new job I have started at the company intersurgical. I am working 8:30-5:00 (Monday- Friday) making respirators that will be used in hospitals in the U.K. and eventually around the world to help people with coronavirus. I was so grateful when this company emailed me with the job offer as I was so excited to have found an opportunity where I can directly help people affected by the virus. I find that the job gives me a purpose and I feel much more positive when I get to socially interact with others during this time.

Furthermore I am finding that exercising in this time lifts my personal health. I love the workouts by body coach Joe Wicks as they focus on how exercise should make you feel and not how it should make you look.

Lastly I have just been trying to monitor how I’m acting towards people during this tome as people are much more fragile. I believe that Making sure to smile at strangers, reaching  out to others who wouldn’t expect it from you (particularly those living alone) and being kind to yourself makes a huge difference now more than ever which I why I am trying to remember to do these things as often as possible.

• Josephine Gladys Nantege - Uganda 

I was quite depressed during the first few days of the national COVID-19 lockdown. But staying socially in touch with friends and family lifted my spirits always.That's why I decided to put my writing skills to use and reach out to all those finding it hard to adjust to the new life of uncertainty .I started this blog to inspire others to stay not only mentally healthy, but also have gratitude for what they have.
Each day I make sure that I am connected to the internet to check on how my friends  are doing through watsapp .The lockdown caught some of my friends away from family, thus making them feel so lonely sometimes. Checking on them and having a worthwhile chat keeps them positive and moving.
I am also acting as a moderator for our Lira Team watsapp group, to make it always active so that members feel socially connected to a family that they feel they connect to. This expressive therapy is not only helping me, but all those am in touch with!

Our message to you

• You are not in this alone! 
• Be afraid Not, for we shall overcome this pandemic crisis and enjoy normal lives again.
• By helping others, you can find inner peace and healing too.
• Do something to improve your mental health as well.

We have shared our stories to show you how we have overcome the fear, stress, depression,loneliness, sadness brought by this crisis . We have turned all negative energies into positive vibes, and have found that possible through the strong bond we have, for social distancing doesn't mean emotional distancing!
Hopefully you have been inspired .Stay safe!

"Challenge yourself to change the world "

Lots of love and prayers,
VSO/ ICS family