Platform2 is a global volunteering experience funded by DFID and run by Christian Aid, Islamic Relief and BUNAC (British Universities North American Club).

It’s for 18-25 year-olds in the UK who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to volunteer. It aims to send 2,500 young people to work in a developing country between 2008 and 2010. Groups of 10-15 volunteers go away for about 10 weeks – this year to South Africa, Ghana, Peru, India and Nepal – to construct community buildings, care for and teach children, do ecological work and assist in HIV clinics. All volunteers are supported when they return home to reflect on their experiences and share them with others. Three volunteers spoke to Paul Northup.

Muna Sheikh, 22, a law student from east London, spent 10 weeks working in a community in Ventanilla, Peru.

I’d always wanted this
Volunteering overseas is something I’ve always wanted to do. You see so much going on in England and you can’t really do anything about it. You protest and you want things to change, but it’s not within your power to change anything. I also used to care for my bed-bound brother but I felt I couldn’t do anything for him. I wanted to get out of the country and do some good. So I grasped this opportunity with both hands.

My parents were worried
I’ve got seven sisters and two brothers – all of them have stuck to the convention of getting married at 19 and so on. I’m the one to break the rules. They’ve never stopped me pursuing my dreams. But they were a bit hesitant and worried about what could happen when they weren’t there to protect me.

We all chipped in
The school we were working at was for three to five-year olds in Pachacutec, a village in a very dry, mountainous and poor area. The kids would take lots of days off school, or not eat when they were there, because they couldn’t afford their meals even though they only cost £4 a year. We all put one week of our allowance aside and paid for a year’s meals for the four kids with the worst attendance.

The days were long
From 8am until 1pm we worked on building the new toilet block. Then we’d come home and have activities – stilt-walking and guitar playing – from 3 to 6pm with another group of kids. Then we’d have dinner in our homes and then evening activities with the community – and Spanish lessons.

We changed the image
There weren’t enough tools for everyone to work on the toilets at the same time, so four of us started to work on the park in La Flores where we were living. There was a wall facing you as you entered the village with graffiti of a man with a bomb and one with a gun. It gave you an image of the community. A shame, because they were a lovely, warm community. It took a week to scrape off the paint! One of the volunteers was a graffiti artist and he made a lovely ‘La Flores’ sign. It gave a different feel to the area. And then we remade the park for the kids.

We want to go back.
The people were so amazing – so warm, so welcoming. That’s why so many of us want to go back. I’ve been calling them every week. They talk so highly of all the things we’ve done for them. We think it was nothing, but they think it’s amazing that we took time out to do something for them.

You could see the potential
I was shocked to find that young women who fell pregnant were not allowed to continue in education and over-16s had to pay. You could see the potential of these kids and yet because they had no means to carry on, they did nothing.

It opened my eyes
I’m studying for a law degree at Nottingham University. I’ve always wanted to go into human rights and this experience has confirmed that. I’ve also caught the volunteering bug. Once you start you can’t stop. Because it really does open your eyes and it changes you as a person – you appreciate so much more. Were it not for Platform2, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to go and see for myself.

I’m more independent
If you’d asked me a year ago if I’d be living away from home now, I’d have said ‘no’. But when my parents saw me look after myself for 10 weeks away, things changed. I asked them if I could move away when I returned and they agreed! I think it’s made them trust and respect me a lot more. 

SHAUN WELCH, 22, a welder and artist from Birmingham, spent 10 weeks working in the Volta region of north-east of Ghana on a conservation and construction project.

Right up my street
I was torn between my life as a welder and as a performer. I was looking for something to do and I’ve always wanted to travel the world. So when I saw the Platform2 ad I thought, “that’s right up my street.” I’d heard about this sort of thing, but never thought I’d have the chance to go. I felt I had to do it. Like it was a calling.

It was overwhelming
I’d only been to Spain and France with school before. I was really excited, but wanted to go without any expectations. I’ve got a lot of streetwise friends and so I know that ‘the hustle’ is universal. But from the moment the airport taxi drivers flocked around us on arrival, it was overwhelming!

I’ve never seen rain like it
We were based in a remote village called Bledi Chebi, an hour and half’s drive from the nearest town, and we worked in Bledi Begomme, a village about an hour’s walk away. We worked at the foot of the Afadjato mountain. We cleared forest, using the clearings for storage and the wood for building. We worked on the reserve, setting snares and traps, and monitoring the species and the health of the forest. We did a lot of physical labour: laying roads and paths, building sanitation blocks. What was challenging was the heat. It was so hot. And I’ve never seen rain like it!

You feel you’ve given them something
Once you’ve built a path you can see that path being used and you feel like you’ve given something to the community because now people can walk safely from A to B. And I loved doing the small things, like communicating with the villagers themselves – especially the kids. We’d go into the schools and teach them – just basic maths, English, geography and history.

It was mindblowing
Our village was at the foot of a ridge, panning around – almost like you were inside the mouth of a volcano. From the top of the ridge you could see over the Volta region. On the slopes, it was like jungle, with waterfalls, leaves as big as my body and trees as tall as tower blocks. Dirt roads get destroyed in the rainy season. Cars were breaking down every day. Also, rain washed down the mountain, flooding the maize fields and eroding buildings at the foot.

It’s made me sharper
I feel like it’s sharpened the tools I already had. I’ve always been focused on offering my services and doing what’s right. Now that I’m back I hope what I’ve been through can help people in street gangs I grew up with. A lot of my friends only live their lives like they do because they don’t know anything else. And I always say, “you can’t be somebody until you’ve experienced something”.

It changes you
I think for someone who’s never had any experience like this, Platform2 will change who they are. This sort of thing would change them and their perception on life – it would open their eyes to the fact that our western way of life isn’t really reality. There’s another reality out there that people are living with all over the world.

We’re in this together
Over there everybody was connected and out to help each other get by. They were all in the same boat. Here, everyone is trying to get into their own boat and sail their own course. Over there they know that if they don’t build a big boat together, they’re not going nowhere. The people of Bledi Chebi showed me what the true essence of community is and I think that people could do with connecting to that – that sense of common unity.

CHARLOTTE SINGLETON, 20, a volunteer youthworker from Manchester, spent 10 weeks teaching in a school in Himachal Pradesh, northern India.

I never thought I could I got expelled from school when I was 13 for basically being naughty and stuff. I never liked school and so I was causing trouble. I didn’t think that people like me could do something like this. I thought it was just for people who were rich. I started reading stuff. And, funnily enough, that Paul Merton in India series was on TV. So I watched that. I’d never been on an airplane before. The farthest I’d been was Wales.

I was shocked
Everything was so different. There was nothing that was at all the same as here. What shocked me was the poverty. There were kids, naked on the streets and stuff. You wanted to help them. But you can’t help everybody. I found this really difficult at first.

I can’t do that!
I was teaching kids English in a school. At first I was, like, “Teaching? How am I going to teach?” But the kids didn’t really know any English, so it was just the basic things. We started with the alphabet and then the days of the week. Just before I left, they were starting to write sentences.

I loved them
The school had 22 kids from fve to 12 years old. I loved them and I miss them so much. And the kids loved me. Even the naughty ones. They used to shout, “Sharlie Gi, come and play.” (‘Gi’ means something like ‘nice person’.) And the wider community think it’s brilliant what Platform2 is doing, because school attendance has shot up.

It was so beautiful
You’d look out of your window in the morning and, even if you were missing home, the scenery would put a big smile on your face.

You can see the difference
I definitely felt like I was making a difference in the school, and even just playing with the kids outside. They were naughty because they had nothing to do. But if somebody puts the time and effort in you can see the change you’re making.

Now I’m another person
It’s definitely made a difference. I’ve already applied for another VSO opportunity. I’m doing awareness-raising events with Platform2. And when I’m speaking to my friends I’m, like, “You don’t need that.” We spend our money on material things we don’t even need. Whereas in India they’ve got nothing and yet they’re so happy. It’s made me look at life in a different way. It’s definitely given me more confidence. I speak about things now. I never used to speak up about anything. It gives you something to be passionate about. It’s made me passionate about wanting better outcomes for all young people, not just in India but in England as well. I didn’t like school, so I thought “these kids aren’t going to like school.” But it’s made me think: “What the hell were you doing?” Because these kids in India love to go to school. They walk, like, five miles up mountains just to get to school.

You can do it too
I’d tell anyone to do it. I’d even help them fill the application form in! I’ve got eight more people to apply already. A year ago I’d never dreamed of anything like this. That’s why I’m saying to people: “If I can do it, you can do it as well”.

More information

www.myplatform2.com