You Always Remember Your First…
Written by: Dana Tumbaga
You always remember your first. Your first is where it all begins. Your first is where the course of your life changes. Without your first, you wouldn’t have your second or your third. And while the second and third are different and amazing in their own right, the first is always special.
GIVE was my first. But it certainly wouldn’t be my last.
I was one of the first cohorts of volunteers that set out to build a school of plastic bottles in Jiquilillo, Nicaragua back in the summer of 2012. I remember the blood, sweat, and tears that went into that project. I also remember going to the primary school in that village and playing with the kids. We were all there for those kids: to give them something more, to give them opportunities. Being a part of this project was the first time I truly felt like I was making a difference. Quickly, I became addicted to that feeling.
Since GIVE, I’ve participated in volunteer projects in many different countries. I’ve volunteered in orphanages in Russia, Italy, and Morocco. I’ve done environmental projects in Spain and visited favelas in Brazil. I have volunteered at an animal shelter in St. Petersburg and in an after-school program in Barcelona. Most recently, I spent my spring break in Guatemala for another school-building project that reminded me of why I continue to seek out ways to make a difference.
I am more knowledgeable, more compassionate, and more determined than I ever was before my GIVE experience.
With all these experiences, I’ve come to a few realizations.
The first is that there is a large part of the way the world works right now that kind of sucks. The reason why all these initiatives and projects that I have participated in exist is because there are so many problems in the world today. This is a hard reality to face. It can be easy to list all the problems and be so overwhelmed by them that you give up, but giving up is not the way of an aspiring change-maker.
The second realization that I’ve had in the past few years is that, love and compassion are the catalysts of change. By connecting with all these organizations around the world, I have met amazing people doing amazing things and they all had one thing in common: they cared. They cared so much that they dedicated themselves to helping others; they cared so much that they were actively making positive change happen.
I don’t know if the people or the children or even the animals in the communities I’ve been in know the impact of volunteer actions—I certainly don’t. I don’t think we can really know what kind of change we bring; we can only know what we hope will happen. We can’t always control the outcome—this is the third thing I’ve come to know to be true. On this journey, it became equally important for me to realize how much I’ve changed by seeing all the problems.
I want to see a world where we all take care of each other.
So, even if my actions make only a small difference in the world, I can at least find solace in the fact that I, myself, am greatly change and touched by the lives of others, and I will continue to use this as a fuel to see more change in the world. And one day, it may be the case that no one in Jiquilillo remembers the group of volunteers that built their school. But that’s not the point. The point is, I think, that we do what we do not for the recognition, but because we love.
That is why I volunteer—for myself, for the people, for my community, but most importantly, I do it in the name of love.
***Alumni Update***
Dana Tumbaga has turned her passion into a career, and now works as an Ameri Corps Volunteer. She is currently working with survivors of human trafficking and commercial exploitation, and although it’s heartbreaking work, she continues to commit her life every day to helping others.