Volunteering in Dominica

This post is long overdue but I’ve had soooo many other pressing tasks on my plate…

I spent 5 days in Dominica back in January and what an experience! I visited and sat in on a young women’s workshop at a local high school. With the donations of school supplies I received from people I know, I was able to help open a children’s space and I also visited 2 other children’s spaces.

It definitely was an emotional experience as well. Hearing first hand stories (especially from young children) of what it was like the night Hurricane Maria wreaked havoc was enough to bring tears to my eyes. Listening to them recant what the last 4 months without electricity, and limited supplies to live off had been like was just heart breaking. And with no clear date in sight of when life will return “back to normal”, it was just amazing to see how they still remained positive through it all.

Just being there for 4 nights was enough for me to be grateful for all that I have at home that I take for granted; running water in varying temperatures, flipping a switch and having a light turn on, being able to store food in a fridge…these were all things that the storm had robbed the island of. And I was fortunate that my accommodations came with a roof; many homes still had a tarp covering and were waiting to be rebuilt.

Words cannot begin to describe what I saw and how I felt, but I most definitely can share pictures and videos. I am working on compiling a vlog of the trip (stay tuned) and I’m proud to announce that I will be returning very soon to volunteer again, and hopefully this time, leave even more of an impact!