Mama Christina shares how volunteering helped her thrive after disaster

Thank You!

Your gifts touched the lives of thousands of people in Mozambique this year after two devastating cyclones struck the country in a matter of weeks. Despite losing nearly everything, Cristina joined the Medair team because she wanted to help others who were suffering. During a training day, she shared some profound thoughts with us:

“It’s a wonderful thing to feel like a bridge between you and my people. One of the most terrible things when you are hit by such a disaster is that you feel powerless. You suffer, and you see the people you have known for a long time suffering, but you don’t know how to help them. How can you help others when you yourself have lost everything you had? The opportunity that Medair is offering me is unique: it makes me feel useful again.

The things you distribute and that other organisations offer us are useful and indispensable. But they remain things, and time consumes them. The stock of soap will sooner or later end; the tarpaulins we will use to repair the roofs in a few years will have to be replaced. But what you are teaching us here today remains.

Knowledge is the only thing that remains, that can change life and broaden thought. When you organise this type of training, you give us the opportunity to learn something that we can reuse in the future. I am a little ashamed to say it, but I have been using a chlorine-based product to disinfect water for many years. I thought I knew exactly how to use it. Listening to your training, I found out that I need to let the water settle for 24 hours before adding it. The little things like this can change the quality of life a lot. Things like this will stay once Medair leaves.”

Are you interested in volunteering opportunities? Contact a Medair office near you.

‍