Richmond Vale Academy volunteers off to Africa

On Saturday, February 2, 11 young people left St Vincent and the Grenadines for Africa to take up volunteer work in Mozambique.{{more}}

The volunteers are from areas as far flung as Asia, Eastern Europe and the USA, and have been living and training at the Richmond Vale Academy (RVA) for the past six months.

The volunteers were taught Developmental Studies, as well as HIV/AIDS education. They were required to learn Portuguese, as that is the main language spoken in Mozambique.

Funding for training was provided by the participants; they also raised funds by public appeal to facilitate their journey to Africa. However, some participants were given scholarships by the school.

The lone Vincentian in the group Kenia Joseph, a former legal clerk from Dauphine, Belair, who told SEARCHLIGHT that she is really excited to be part of the group. “I want to help, travel and put my feet down in Africa,” she said. In Mozambique, Kenia will provide support for persons living with HIV/AIDS and will help dispel stigma and discrimination; that project is called Hope. Kenia said that she would like to thank the Vincentian public for their assistance.

The group’s travel itinerary took them through Barbados to London then Nairobi, Kenya to Lilongwe, Malawi, from where they will take a bus to Blantyre, Mozambique, where they will be based.