A Unique and Special Place
Sue Royle, who joined our February 2019 Volunteers, shares her experience of a Dust Project Team Trip...
From the moment my friend Alison asked me to be part of the Dust Project team back in June, I was excited… An adventure like nothing I had ever experienced before. I couldn’t have imagined how eye opening and exceptionally valuable this real world experience was going to be. Learning so much about this beautiful country and meeting such high energy fun ladies, which proved an essential part of the build to keep spirits high in the heat as we shovelled tonnes of sand, breeze blocks and cement, taking the build from foundations to final build. Laughing daily until I ached, crying at the moments of high emotion and sharing experiences with the locals often on and off the beaten track. Overcoming the language barrier with a version of what felt like charades, especially on the building site, sampling the local cuisine and being handed fresh coconut water each morning. Birthday cake ceremonies at the orphanage, giving out sweets at the Refugee Camp and really being welcomed in as part of the community.
Departure day arrived too soon and we took our last glance at all our hard work; a painted home, a well and a toilet block for the children to name but a few of the experiences. I learnt a lot in those few weeks and have such wonderful memories of this unique and special place, which will always make me smile.