{"id":2479,"date":"2019-10-22T08:24:51","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T07:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/?p=2479"},"modified":"2021-11-05T15:46:58","modified_gmt":"2021-11-05T15:46:58","slug":"my-journey-since-volunteering-with-project-trust-by-anna-fraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/hcri\/2019\/10\/22\/my-journey-since-volunteering-with-project-trust-by-anna-fraine\/","title":{"rendered":"My journey since volunteering with Project Trust by Anna Fraine"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Anna<\/a>

Anna Fraine wearing traditional attire in eSwatini<\/p><\/div>\n

This blog has been written by Anna\u00a0Fraine, who is due to graduate in December with a MA in Humanitarianism and Conflict Response<\/a>.\u00a0The blog relates to her experience\u00a0as a Project Trust<\/a> volunteer, living and working in eSwatini for twelve months, and being the\u00a0recipient of the HCRI Global Citizenship bursary,\u00a0which funded her postgraduate studies.<\/p>\n

In August 2014, I set off for\u00a0eSwatini, (formally known as Swaziland) after\u00a0ten months of fundraising\u00a0during my A level studies\u00a0and two residential\u00a0courses on the Isle of\u00a0Coll, where\u00a0Project Trust\u00a0are\u00a0based.\u00a0My\u00a0project in\u00a0eSwatini\u00a0was to run\u00a0a community pre-school and soup kitchen, both of which had\u00a0no running water or electricity, due to being located in\u00a0two rural areas. The first five weeks tested my normally-confident personality where home-sickness,\u00a0limited\u00a0experience\u00a0of pre-school teaching,\u00a0and a lack of\u00a0the\u00a0siSwati\u00a0language,\u00a0presented me\u00a0with\u00a0the biggest challenge\u00a0I\u00a0had\u00a0faced. Soon enough, however, I found myself\u00a0feeling\u00a0extremely privileged to have the opportunity for\u00a0the experience\u00a0and\u00a0was excited\u00a0about the\u00a0goals\u00a0I\u00a0was starting to set\u00a0myself, such as\u00a0finding ways\u00a0to\u00a0work with the local community and\u00a0make\u00a0developments at the pre-school and soup kitchen.<\/p>\n

\"Anna<\/a>

Anna Fraine and children outside school<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the course of the twelve months, my project partner, Kate, and I worked on a number of initiatives. We\u00a0worked\u00a0with the local MP to have a fence and gate fitted around the preschool and to install a water tank and tyre garden. The fitting saved time for both of us, when considering we previously struggled to stop chickens coming through the broken window and into the classrooms.\u00a0 We also set up and registered the school\u00a0curriculum with the government.\u00a0Through our families, friends and churches\u00a0back at home, we\u00a0were also\u00a0able to raise funding for a lady from the local community to go to college and undertake a\u00a0pre-school teaching\u00a0certificate. This was an integral step\u00a0for the lady to\u00a0support her children.\u00a0At the end of the volunteering experience, I was pleased to have been awarded with the ONE Awards qualification \u2013 \u2018Diploma in International Volunteering\u2019. On reflection, the oversees volunteering experience\u00a0allowed me to gain confidence\u00a0and\u00a0develop\u00a0skills. It led to greater self-awareness and the notion of me as a \u2018global citizen,\u2019\u00a0wanting to learn\u00a0and take action on\u00a0the world\u2019s\u00a0humanitarian\u00a0challenges.<\/p>\n

After the experience, I commenced my undergraduate degree in\u00a0English and History from the University of York.\u00a0By the end of my studies,\u00a0I\u00a0had\u00a0become aware of\u00a0the Global Citizenship\u00a0bursary, provided by HCRI for postgraduate studies. I visited the institute and discussed with academics how my volunteering year with Project Trust could be used to strengthen my UCAS application. In due course, I was delighted to be accepted onto the MA Humanitarianism and Conflict Response programme, with bursary funding.<\/p>\n

On arrival at HCRI, I was pleasantly surprised to learn I was not the only\u00a0Project Trust Return Volunteer\u00a0to be accepted onto the programme. I soon found myself sharing details of experiences and projects with fellow Project Trust alumni. The MA programme\u00a0in particular\u00a0has enabled me\u00a0to\u00a0reflect,\u00a0debate and listen\u00a0to my classmates, which has been enriching due to the diversity of their backgrounds and experiences.\u00a0What\u2019s more, through discussing theories and case studies in lectures, I have explored the root causes of humanitarian challenges we face as a global community through an\u00a0interdisciplinary approach.\u00a0My volunteering experience with Project Trust has enabled me to contribute to class discussions and\u00a0critique\u00a0humanitarian issues, despite possessing\u00a0limited work experience due to being younger in\u00a0years compared to class mates.\u00a0\u00a0 For instance, I applied my experience of working\u00a0with\u00a0women\u00a0in\u00a0eSwantini\u00a0who were\u00a0HIV positive\u00a0and\u00a0survivors of abuse,\u00a0when exploring the structural violence\u00a0against women\u00a0in Latin America\u00a0in the\u00a0course unit,\u00a0\u2018Anthropology of Life-Course in Societies Affected by Violence\u2019.\u00a0What\u2019s more, having\u00a0seen\u00a0the legacies of colonialism in\u00a0eSwatini,\u00a0I have\u00a0further explored\u00a0how an unequal global system\u00a0persists through\u00a0the\u00a0course unit,\u00a0\u2018History of Humanitarian Aid\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"Anna<\/a>

Anna Fraine providing food with other volunteers<\/p><\/div>\n

A key highlight from the MA programme\u00a0has been to visit Uganda\u00a0for a research field trip, when undertaking the optional course unit,\u00a0\u2018Humanitarianism and displacement: Researching the legacies of war\u2019.\u00a0During the trip, I engaged with\u00a0NGO workers\u00a0and their beneficiaries, as well\u00a0as\u00a0staff\u00a0from\u00a0the Office of the Prime Minister. Through engagement I\u00a0gained\u00a0insight into how the humanitarian system operates in a refugee\u00a0and displaced persons\u00a0context.\u00a0Other highlights from my time at HCRI, have included\u00a0my role as a\u00a0postgraduate lead\u00a0for the,\u00a0\u2018Young People in Humanitarianism Conference\u2019,\u00a0in\u00a0which I organised logistics and delivered a series of workshops on Human Rights, Refugees, Disasters and Climate Change to local high school students. The latter\u00a0workshop relates to the\u00a0dissertation component of\u00a0the MA\u00a0programme, which I value\u00a0undertaking\u00a0as I have been able to\u00a0conduct\u00a0research relating to the environment and climate\u00a0change\u00a0which is\u00a0an area of personal\u00a0interest.\u00a0\u00a0Now that my dissertation is complete, I am due to start my role as a Research Assistant in the Department of Social Justice in the Catholic Bishops\u2019 Conference of England and Wales based in London, where I intend to make a difference and work for peace through focusing on social justice issues in a UK context.<\/p>\n

On reflection, my experience as\u00a0a\u00a0Project Trust\u00a0Return Volunteer\u00a0enabled me to study at HCRI and boosted my learning experience. In turn, HCRI has strengthened\u00a0my\u00a0professional\u00a0merit to secure\u00a0employment.\u00a0I am extremely grateful to\u00a0HCRI and\u00a0Project Trust for\u00a0providing me with enriching experiences and\u00a0supporting\u00a0me through my journey. I am a proud alumni of both organisations.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Related<\/h1>\n

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+44 (0) 161 306 6000<\/p>\n

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The University of Manchester
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