A difficult goodbye from THAF

The last seven months seem to have flown by, filled with so much laughter and so many smiling faces, that when I look back on my time in St. Lucia I feel proud to be part of such a wonderful team and organisation. The work that is achieved here overwhelms me and I have loved that I have been able to be a part of it.

When I started in September 2012 after volunteering earlier that same year, I was unsure of how much I would be able to achieve as this internship was unlike anything I had done before. But as the weeks went by I felt more and more comfortable in the role and with the help of the team we managed to include and introduce more people into the work that happens in St. Lucia.

As well as fundraising and handling donations I got to spend time in the communities and working on the projects. Although I had already volunteered with African Impact St. Lucia on the medical project, interning was a different experience altogether. 

As an intern, I looked at the projects from a different angle and saw the people in a new light, which was enjoyable in a different and new way. I loved the challenge of having to handle day-to-day issues that I would not have done as a volunteer.

The local and international staff that I have worked with have all been incredible and they have shaped this experience into what it has become. It is such a team effort on the part of the St Lucia staff and those based around Africa, and it was a pleasure to work alongside them. I got the feeling that I was part of something truly special. 

This internship would be very difficult without the knowledge of the local Zulu staff as they are cultural experts and can let you know if you are going about things in the right way. It is very important to go through the correct procedures when doing anything with the communities and it would be very hard to do this without this team that I have been lucky enough to work with.

Now that my time here as an intern has come to an end it doesn’t seem possible that I have achieved all that I have. I would encourage everyone to intern at an organisation like this as it will change your life completely. I have worked with some of the most inspiring people in the most inspiring place and I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been a part of it.