My experience – I almost going to travel back to Colombia

This is my last week as volunteer in MCDF after two months in Kenya. So, I want to talk about my experience during these two months, then I am going to talk about the things that I learned from MCDF and in Kenya in general and may be talk about the things that in my personal opinion I think that are great and an example for another countries and also somethings that could be improved, and at the end I want to share the things that I want to take with me to Colombia.

About my experience with MCDF, I talked before about some of my experiences in the “NOPE Conference”, “CSR with L’Oreal in the Citizen’s Day”, the “trainings in Molo and in Mariakani”. So, I’m not going to talk about the same things, I only want to share my experience in general during these two months as a volunteer in MCDF and according my first letter of my expectatives about it.

One of the things that I wrote in that first letter was this: “So, when I was in Colombia I always thought that I would like to live in Africa and then I came here, and confirmed my intentions, yes I am pretty sure that I want to live in Africa.” The reason of that I want to start talking about my experience with MCDF repeating something that I said when I started to work with them, it’s because right now I believe that I’m more convinced than never of this words and that fact it’s a symbolic reflect of how I feel after meet this NGO, this beautiful and amazing team and some places of this great country. So, I only can say that the experience was more than perfect but not only because the working that they are doing it’s a great one, but also because that the whole team it’s wonderful –one each of them- and today that I am going to travel I know that I am leaving part of me in this country and also part of my family, but at the same time I’m  taking with me a spectacular experience and also a part of Kenya.

I made emphasis in the people and in the team when I was talking about my experience with this NGO because I’m pretty sure that are them who make special the MCDF’s work, it’s their attitude and energy that make a MCDF a unique, positive and effective NGO. So, for me it was a honor to have the chance to work with them because I learned a lot of things not only about to work with the community and try to be assertive with their needs, but also I think that I learned more things that are going to help me as a person throughout my life.

At the beginning of this letter I wrote that at the end of this I would talk about the things that I want to take with me to Colombia, but now I said some of this before, however there are some other things that I also want to take with me, like the importance of the fact of work as a family that is one thing that I learned from MCDF, and also the importance to work with the youths for the youths that it’s like ‘to work with the present for the future’, that it’s not only something that I want to take with me but also a good example for a lot of another countries. And one of the most important things it’s about to make small but at the same time big changes in the world empowering communities and people. So, the rest of the things –the memories and the most values- I’m always going to take with me in my mind and in my heart wherever I am, not only talking about to be in Colombia.

For finish, I am only  going to say  a lot of ‘THANK YOU’ to MCDF (Emily, Martha, Winnie, Esther, Noella, Charles, Sylvia, Ken and Moses) and each one of you, and also to Kenya. And I’m going to say a cliché even if I don’t like the clichés, but like now it’s something that I believe and I want ‘I hope be sure in saying that this is not goodbye but a see you soon’.

Hasta pronto...

Lina Fernanda Perico Martínez

Volunteer on MCDF
Student of Political Science with Emphasis on Conflicts Resolution and Peace Research
Pontifical Xavierian University, Colombia