Highs and lows of life in Munsieville

Sarah Hatfield, a GSK PULSE volunteer currently working in Munsieville, shares her experiences from the last month: "Some days I feel on cloud nine with the excitement of what’s being accomplished here. Someone will totally impress me but then something else occurs, usually not to long after something positive and it will take me down to a low point. We had scheduled a wonderful inspirational day for the leaders of the seven hubs of The Thoughtful Path. I had put together a workshop to educate the leaders of each hub on how to write an operational plan. We went over vision statements, mission statements, objectives and tactics for each hub. Everyone was so engaged and sharing their hopes and dreams for the children of Munsieville. It was so exciting to see everyone sharing their goals and visions for a bright future. In the afternoon, Paul (the Executive Director) along with Betty and the rest of the team had a wonderful presentation which included having the children come in and dance. It was a celebration of what The Thoughtful Path has achieved since it started in Munsieville 3 years ago. Everyone was excited when they left that day. It was truly a great day of celebration and learning. We announced the new members hired from the community who start late August early September. The following day, was a low point. We found out that, that evening a shack had burned down with children inside.

But then there was something positive that picked me back up again.......The Youth Hub organised a health day for the kids aged 6-14 on Saturday, August 18th. The youth teachers taught the kids about the dangers of substance abuse, although this is just one of the very serious issues that people have to deal with here. One of those issues is abuse (including rape, domestic assault and child neglect)and the sad thing is so little is done about them, although The Thoughtful Path is trying to change that. Watching these young teenagers provide a great positive influence to 100 kids was truly inspirational! This week, I was able to be uplifted again as I started the Leadership Academy selection interviews. One of the mamas helping me with the interview process was a graduate herself in June and is now one of the new members of The Thoughtful Path as a full time employee. She conducted a workshop this week where she used the skills she obtained during the 6 courses in the Leadership Academy, to teach others in the community about conflict management and communication.

One of the candidates I interviewed this week for the class of 2013 shared his thoughts on why he wants to be a part of the Leadership Academy and helping the community. He said, “You need to be the change you want to see. I need to be that change.” He was referring to being a role model and leading others towards the positive. I was moved by his genuine spirit and passion to help his community. Another candidate, almost brought me to tears as she shared her role in helping kids who have no one else. She runs a safe house and orphanage and she talked about how many of these young kids have no one to love them and while the community talks and judges them, she just shows them love and the right path for moving forward. She shared her story that she has things in her past, but the key is to look at who she’s become and that’s what she shares with these children to show them that they have a choice. These are people that inspire me, and I hope that I am also having an impact on their lives."