Two faces of volunteer work

Volunteering is probably the best and most rewarding thing you can do in your life.  I can't think of anything better than spending your life helping other people and getting to see the impact you have on their lives.  Plus you have the benefit of meeting some of the most amazing, interesting, and kind hearted people in this world. 

I spent six weeks volunteering at Malaika Kids Orphanage in Tanzania.  To sum up my trip i fell in love with 18 wonderful kids.  One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was leave them.  It thought seriously about taking one home with me but thought declaring a 50lb african child at customs wouldn't go over so well.  They were in a month and a half of my life and will forever be in my heart.  I only hope to one day go back to see them once again.  I will cherish ever memory I have of them.  

I have been to Africa once before on a mission trip to Swaziland and experienced the joy of volunteering.  The people were nothing but loving and appreciative and everything in the trip went smoothly.  This experience was some what different and I learned a different side of volunteering that no one really talks about.  

First of all Africa is anything by organized.  Even huge volunteer corporations have difficult times running smoothly to say the least.  There was no such thing as a schedule and the people who were in charge of the volunteer operations in the country were very unreliable and absent.  

Second, I started to become familiar with the way things worked in Africa.  At the orphanage there were two ladies that lived at the orphanage and did EVERYTHING!  They did all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, got the kids up and ready for school and put them to bed at night.  They have no days off and hardly any down time.  They are paid $1 per day.  Absolutely ridiculous, I know.

Then there was Amita, the "manager" and "mother" figure for the children.  She was there five days a week from about 10am to about 3 or 4pm.  She spent her entire time at the orphanage sitting in a chair ordering the kids and workers around.  She was completely ungrateful of anything the volunteers did for the orphanage or the kids and further more assumed we would pay for things or buy things that were not our responsibilities as volunteers.  I am a recent college graduate who spent all my money to go to Tanzania, I came back broke and now in debt.  I do not by any means have a ton of money to spend.

I came to realize from my experience and experiences of other volunteers, that places in Africa that frequently get volunteers become so accustomed to receiving gifts and help that they come to expect it and loose the grace and appreciation.  

Just a warning for those who volunteer, because I know it is a lot of time and money, not all people that you meet and help are going to be the loving, appreciative and humble people that we always hear stories about.  And if you do have an experience like mine, you aren't the only one.