Cain – Volunteering in SA was life changing

Austin Cain, a volunteer attached to the Richmond Vale Academy, is thrilled to share his experience with Vincentians after spending one year and four months at the institution.{{more}}

Cain, a resident of Park Hill, is even more ecstatic to share his experience in South Africa, where he spent six months doing voluntary work under the Richmond Vale Academy’s Development Instructors’ Programme.

The 22 year old’s stint ends on August 5, 2010, but Cain believes the entire venture was worth it.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that he joined the programme sponsored by Humana People to People in March 2009, and journeyed to Chateaubelair, where the Richmond Vale Academy is based.

He said the first six months of his programme saw him engaging in community work and executing a clean-up campaign from Fitz-Hughes to Chateaubelair.

He added that he and other members of his team assisted the Spanish teacher at the Petit Bordel Secondary School in teaching the subject. During that time, Cain claimed that he also spent time working with a police youth group in the North Leeward District.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, Cain said while his programme here was rewarding, the six months that he spent in the Limpopo Province, South Africa, from November 5, 2009, to April 28, 2010, was a life changing experience that has contributed significantly to his development.

He was a part of an 11-member team with representatives from all over the world that journeyed to South Africa.

Cain, a former student of the St.Vincent Grammar School, said his enriching experience included leading a group that worked with persons affected by HIV, sensitising them about the disease, Tubercolis and Malaria. He said his team distributed condoms and participated in a mobile HIV/AIDS campaign encouraging people to get tested.

“I also worked to establish partnerships with the Department of Agriculture so we could have assisted persons in the form of a Trio Programme; when someone is tested positive we set up a garden and the fruit of that garden will go to the person,” Cain explained.

“I learned to be an initiative taker because a lot of persons were looking to me to help them,” said Cain.

The young man said he is hoping to work with youth and community organisations here to share the knowledge that he gained while working on the Development Instructors’ Programme.

“The programme was a great learning experience for me. That’s the best way to sum it up. Mind challenging,” said Cain.

Cain noted that he is grateful to his parents Sonia Cain and Ezekiel Morgan for their support, as well as his sister Vasita “First Lady” Cain and friends.