Building a better future for my country

The chance to explore a new region of my country was what influenced me to volunteer in an unknown area of northwest Bangladesh. Having been born and brought up in Dhaka, the country’s capital, I barely knew about how people in villages lived. Right after my team finished a courtyard session on preventing child marriage, an old lady of the village asked me, “How many children have you got, dear?” I wasn’t surprised because that’s what a 23 year old woman in the village is supposed to be - the mother of several children. That’s what we were there for: to change people’s perception. Together with a UK Team Leader, we led a team of ten volunteers from the UK and eight Bangladeshi volunteers. Staying with our host families we learned about the simple life that villagers lead. We felt the bliss of commuting without worrying about traffic jams looming on the horizon. Three months is a very short time to adjust to a roommate from a completely different way of life, let alone develop a cross-cultural professional relationship. However, we had a common factor that tied us all together: the greater cause of bringing positive changes in the community, and in the process we built everlasting friendships. Volunteering with ICS made me confident about working in the development sector and choosing a job that helps individuals in bringing out their potential. I believe each individual has the potential to be a change maker. They just have to challenge themselves to change their world.