“If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.” — Kofi Annan

This quote from Kofi Annan really resonates, given everything that our world is facing these days. AND – it’s National Volunteer Week! Now, more than ever, I think we can all benefit from inspirational examples of American volunteers making an impact around the world.

In the last year, Winrock engaged 70 volunteers on assignments in nine countries, primarily through the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (F2F) Program. These volunteers donated a collective 1,400 days of time to 59 host organizations, lending their skills and expertise on topics ranging from agricultural production and processing to curriculum development and pedagogy, to business planning and financial management. They have empowered farmers and entrepreneurs; strengthened training institutions and schools; improved quality, diversity, and safety of food products; and directly improved the lives of thousands of individuals in rural Africa and Asia.

This week, in particular, we celebrate these noble and meaningful efforts.

Here are some of our volunteers in action in the last year:

Volunteer, Dr. Hameed, shows off the mushroom pizza the Mushroom Producers Association made together in Ghana

Volunteer Kerry Richards and a local farmer practice plant transplanting in Guinea

Volunteer Gary Wingenbach visits demonstration plots and research project on the campus of Adeyemi College of Education in Nigeria

Volunteer Olumide Mitchelle Makanjuola poses with the women of AFSM and AWLAE in Mali after her workshop on building successful business practices

Volunteer Dr. Kassama works with CLCOP women to create enriched flour to sell in Senegal

In addition to imparting valuable – and oftentimes, critical – technical knowledge to enable people to improve their livelihoods, our volunteers also contribute to increased cross-cultural understanding, building a bridge between our countries and reinforcing human connections.

Many of our volunteers stay in touch with their host organizations and field staff after the end of their assignment. It’s been heartwarming to see an increase in this outreach during the coronavirus crisis, with volunteers and field staff reaching out to each other with concern and solidarity and to deepen the bonds that they formed over the course of their assignments. Especially now, these are such important reminders that we are all in this together.

THANK YOU, volunteers, for your generosity, kindness, hard work, expertise, and perseverance. You have made a difference, in more ways than one.

And though we are currently pausing international volunteer travel due to the global coronavirus pandemic, we are anxious to continue to serve our beneficiary communities around the world. We hope to resume travel later this year – and as always, open volunteer opportunities will be posted on our website: www.winrock.org/volunteer.

My mother-in-law has lived a long and full life because of the kindness and sacrifices made by an American volunteer. She loves to tell the story of her life and how her daughter was saved by a daring doctor during the Nigerian Civil War.

In 1967, she was in labor for one week and risked losing her child. At this time medical facilities; where they existed in any form, were either destroyed through air raids or their personnel had fled to safety. In the face of extreme danger, she and her husband sneaked under the cover of darkness to the sounds of gunfire and mortar into a nearby medical facility where an American doctor worked. On arrival at the medical facility, they were met by the lonely figure of a night watchman. He was there to guard the American doctor as she waited for the next evacuation by her home government.

The situation at the medical facility seemed hopeless. The building where thousands of lives had been saved was destroyed during an air raid; power supply to the medical facility was also affected, there was neither personal protective equipment nor basic equipment required for this level of medical work available. However, as in the case of Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers; in the eyes of this doctor, there was a glimmer of hope. The volunteer doctor chose to help this couple despite the challenges and the danger she herself faced. Within a few hours of arriving at the medical facility, the baby was born, the weeklong trauma had ended, and mother and baby were in good health.

Then the beleaguered couple awoke to the realization that they had no toiletries, napkins, baby clothes, etc. More so, the couple and their baby who were deemed discharged on arrival had no means to return home that night since their safety wasn’t guaranteed inside the hospital.

Going above and beyond, the volunteer doctor did not only provide her skills and the materials for the satisfactory execution of her work, she again filled the gap by volunteering to drive the couple and their newborn baby that night back to their village. The couple were eternally grateful to this doctor but were worried whether she ever made it back safely to the medical facility. They later heard from the lonely night watchman, that ‘the American government came and took the Doctor home;’ meaning that she made it back safely to the medical facility.

The above story has often made me reflect on volunteerism and the motivating factors for people to help one another, even under precarious circumstances. While Winrock’s Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers are never in danger like the volunteer who helped my mother in law, they certainly face challenging situations during their Farmer-to-Farmer assignments. Every Farmer-to-Farmer assignment is unique, and every volunteer is equally unique. Every volunteer has a similar or more touching story written or told about them. Stories they may never get to read or hear told.

My mother in law has met many of our Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers while they have been in Nigeria. The actions of the volunteer doctor many years ago eternally endeared her to Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers. When I asked her why she told me; ‘… they are humble and committed, they are also friendly, they respect our cultures, they are ever-ready to learn and to share, they work and make the best use of what materials they find around, they are exposed to all kinds of risks … the work these volunteers do is invaluable.’

Whether volunteers are on the frontlines providing support in a time of war, or poverty, or hunger, or infectious disease, volunteers are one and the same – they are motivated by the need to give. Like my parent’s in-law, these volunteers understand that there are risks. Like the American doctor, volunteers know the potential risks – measurable and hard to measure risks; however, to these folks, the benefits of one saved life and the sanctity of life far outweighs the challenges posed.

At this point and on this occasion of National Volunteer Week 2020 in the United States, I join the good-hearted people of the United States of America and the millions of people the world over whose lives have been impacted in one way or the other by F2F volunteers to doff my hat in honor of this group of wonderful people. I would also like to appreciate volunteers across the world who have given up their safety, time, personal comfort, and other resources and to help the most vulnerable through the COVID-19 crisis – these are the real heroes of our time.

Its National Volunteer Week! This week we celebrate all the great work volunteers do around the world to build up communities by dedicating their skills, time and energy. We are also taking the time to look towards the future and all the great opportunities that can still be met. 

Since 1991, Winrock has fielded over 6,200 skilled professionals as volunteers on development programs in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eurasia, impacting thousands of people worldwide. Winrock continues to seek volunteers with a wide range of experience, including but not limited to:

Technical areas: agribusiness, entrepreneurship, marketing, international trade, food processing, access to credit, farming, agricultural sciences, nutrition, livestock development, natural resource management, community development, renewable energy, gender, education and training, engineering, and information communications technologies.

General capacity building: business planning, organizational development, management, finance and administration, human resource development, and fundraising.

Under our current West Africa Farmer to Farmer program the following countries have open opportunities:

Guinea

Business Planning to Secure Financing

ToT on Leadership and Organizational Development

Nigeria

AET Institutional Assessment and Action Plan Development- FCAHPT Ibadan

Building Faculty Pedagogical Skills to Effectively Deliver AET Curricula

Training-the-Trainers Workshop in Self-Assessment and Improvement for Universities

Building Capacity to Monitor and Evaluate Learner Success and Institutional Effectiveness

Senegal

Enriched Flour Production and Value-Added Flour Product Development

ToT on Soap Making with Agriculture products for ANAMO

Packaging, Labeling and Marketing of Processed Products

With many more to come over the next five years!

If you are interested in gaining new cultural experiences, sharing your expertise with an international audience and creating lifelong memories and friends please visit our website https://winrock.org/volunteer-application/ to apply.

You, too, can volunteer to make a difference.

Winrock International is known for our work across the globe and throughout the United States, but we maintain strong roots in Arkansas, where our work began.

Along with our headquarters, Winrock Initiatives like Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub are still based out of Arkansas. Our U.S. Programs division continues work in Arkansas as well like our work with Lake Village, Arkansas over the past decade, leading to community revitalization.

Winrock also ensures that our roots stay deeply planted by engaging people from across the state of Arkansas in our Volunteer Programs. We have had a multitude of Arkansas farmers and professionals volunteer, but another way we have engaged is through University Partnerships, which have included volunteers from University of Central Arkansas, University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, and University of Arkansas at Monticello, in addition to our 11-year partnership with University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service. According to Tiffany Jacob, Director of International Programs and Outreach at the Clinton School, “Clinton School students have partnered with Winrock International on all three types of field service projects required: Practicum, International Public Service Projects, and Capstone.”

Partnerships began with Class 1 at the Clinton School with student Nancy Mancilla completing her Capstone Project with Winrock International’s Rural Energy Program in 2008. Jacob stated, “A more formal partnership between Winrock International and the Clinton School’s Office of Community Engagement began in 2016 thanks to Jen Snow, Associate Director of Agriculture & Volunteer Programs and F2F Director, and former Clinton School Assistant Director of Field Service, James Mitchell (now Senior Program Associate, Agriculture & Volunteer Programs at Winrock). Together they developed a clear process for placing students with Winrock teams in the field to complete projects. The placements are highly competitive among students and, based on student feedback, have proven to be some of the most rewarding projects academically, professionally, and personally.” Many of these projects through the formal partnership are USAID funded Farmer to Farmer Program projects.

Following are some experiences from Clinton School students in their own words:

Sara Swisher – Practicum (2017-2018)

“I was on a practicum team with three other Clinton School students (Wesley Manus, Wesley Prewett, John Mensah) at the Wallace Center at Winrock International. Our project was to create a recommendations report for how the Wallace Center can engage with community food and agriculture organizations in Arkansas. The biggest lesson I took away from the experience was learning how to work on a team. My favorite part of that project was being able to interview different organizations and learn more about Arkansas and its rich agricultural history. These takeaways helped me in my other field projects in Peru and Little Rock.”

Click here for a Clinton School Blog on this Project

Kirby Richardson – International Public Service Project (2018)

Kirby Richardson

“I was lucky enough to be accepted for a position with Winrock International as part of a project in Yangon, Myanmar. My job over the summer was to support the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team with the Value Chains for Rural Development project.”

“Something that I learned from this experience is that, while I have traveled extensively for pleasure and for study, no experience can adequately prepare you for working abroad besides the actual act of working abroad. It did not seem like it would be such a different experience from studying abroad for a semester, but it certainly is. Life moves differently within the professional context, and I suspect that that is true regardless of where you are. Interpersonal relationships matter in different ways. Communication takes on a different form, often more practical than cerebral. Consequences for mistakes can be more severe. Expectations are often higher, and time is often in much shorter supply. Add those stresses to the stress of having to engage with a new culture, a new context, and a new set of expectations; that is what it is challenging about working abroad. Luckily, the VC-RD staff are excellent mentors, and each of them taught me a great deal about the joys, and the challenges, of international work.”

After graduation from Clinton School, Kirby will be completing an additional volunteer assignment in Myanmar with VC-RD.

Wes Manus – International Public Service Project (2018)

“Working with Winrock International on USAID’s Asia Farmer-to-Farmer Program was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The geography, people, and cultures broadened my horizons and allowed me to conduct final impact surveys of Winrock’s work in Bangladesh and Nepal. The experience gave me the opportunity to interact with young entrepreneurs, farmers, and university students focused on improving the lives of women and youth to develop a new generation of leaders.”

“In Nepal, young entrepreneurs are starting new businesses and disseminating agricultural technologies. In Bangladesh, women-led initiatives are supplementing family incomes with small-scale agriculture and improving their self-determination. In both countries, agricultural universities are implementing water efficiency methods and advanced breeding techniques to reduce environmental impact and improve yields for fish farmers.”

“Winrock’s cadre of expert volunteers, with deep knowledge in everything from business development and public speaking to goat rearing and advanced breeding, are the heart of these improvements in people’s lives. In the short-term, people are able to better help themselves and improve their livelihoods. In the long-term, the literal and figurative seeds planted by Winrock’s volunteers are being cultivated by future leaders who will guide their countries through a new generation of prosperity.”

Andrea Zekis – International Public Service Project (2019)

The 10^th collaborative project between Winrock International and Clinton School is scheduled for this summer. Student Andrea Zekis will be working with Winrock in Nepal to support the USAID-funded Feed the Future Knowledge-based Integrated Sustainable Agriculture in Nepal (KISAN) II project with a variety of research and writing activities.

Andrea stated, “I chose Winrock International for my summer International Public Service Project because I felt our interests aligned. I have a background and passion in geographic information systems, I wanted to expand my skill and experience set into matters involving environmental and agricultural issues. The project requires someone with some professional experience in journalism, which is something I possess. Meantime, I get to work in a country which has expanded its civil rights protections to respect the lives of LGBTQ persons like myself. I see the experience working with Winrock International this summer as an opportunity to bring my entire skill set and self into the work, while working with an organization with clearly defined project and professional expectations in areas which I would like to gain experience. When I learned they would allow me the chance to meet and learn from their own GIS specialists as well, I could not pass the opportunity up.”

Patrick McBride – Internship (2019)

I guess it wouldn’t be fair to leave myself out. I am currently a graduate assistant and student at Clinton School, graduating in May. I was attracted to Winrock based on their commitment domestically and internationally, and what I saw as a strong commitment to effective strategies of helping some of the most vulnerable populations. I started an internship at Winrock International in January working with our Agriculture & Volunteer Programs team to mobilize our USAID Farmer-to-Farmer volunteers and help them in the transition from home to their overseas assignments. Since starting, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to engage with passionate volunteers and help connect them with international opportunities.

Here is a list of some other projects Clinton School students have worked on:

2011, Bangladesh (IPSP) – Moksheda Thapa

This project focused on two distinct programs: the Farmer to Farmer project and Rural Enterprise for Alleviating Poverty. For the FTF program, this project produced guidelines for impact monitoring. For the REAP program, this project conducted primary data collection which informed a list of recommendations for increasing the participation of women in the program

2016, Nepal (IPSP) – Sarah Fowlkes

Conducted a mid-term impact assessment to analyze the impact of Training-of-Trainers (TOT) assignments with youth-serving host organizations and informal agriculture education and training (AET) providers in Nepal and Bangladesh.

2017, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal (IPSP) – Caroline Dunlap

Developed an internship model for in-country young adults enrolled in agricultural programs in Nigeria, Senegal, and Guinea. Dunlap developed a framework that will help educational institutions prepare their students to successfully complete internships and help private sector hosts mentor and prepare them for the workforce.

Since graduation Caroline has completed an additional volunteer assignment in Senegal.

2010, Uganda (Capstone) – Elrina Frost

This project provided recommendations for how GIS could be used with socio-economic data from NUDEIL’s monitoring and evaluation department.

2017, Little Rock (Capstone) – Darlynton Adegor

Developed an Evaluation Framework for the Wallace Center’s Community Based Food Systems Project (CBFSP).

Happy National Volunteer Week!

As a proud implementer of volunteer programs around the world, Winrock is always happy to participate in celebrating and recognizing service. Each year at this time, we join many other organizations across the country to reflect on volunteerism — particularly around these three questions: “What’s your story? What does service mean to you? Why do you volunteer?”  

Samantha Williams joined Winrock’s Volunteer Programs team two weeks ago. In her new role with us, she will be supporting volunteer activities in Asia and Africa… and thus, these questions of service and what drives someone to volunteer are in the forefront of her mind.

Here’s her story:

“Some of us are born with an inherent desire to give, but more often than not, it’s a characteristic that is learned. When I was in elementary school I vividly remember my first encounter with giving – at least it was the first encounter that I recognized as giving.

My parents had noticed that my after school program needed new toys, art supplies, sports equipment, and worst of all, board games (nobody even thought about trying to play Monopoly). My mom and dad took my younger sister and I to Toys’R’Us to help pick out the sparkly new supplies. Dolls, coloring books, basketballs, a Monopoly set with 100% of its pieces – it was a kid’s dream. We went home and stashed the items in black trash bags so that nobody could see what was in the bags.

I distinctly remember my parents telling us that we couldn’t tell anyone what we had done. But why, I asked. I would be the coolest kid in school! My name would be forever etched into the After School Care Hall of Fame. Fortunately, that day I was taught a life lesson that has never left my consciousness. We should give not because we want recognition or praise, but because it’s the right thing to do, my parents said. So, we secretly dropped off the bags of toys and the next day, I watched in silence as all of my friends reacted to the surprise with pure joy. These gifts weren’t mine and nobody knew that I had anything to do with it, and somehow I still felt good. Really good. Proud, even. Because receiving could never feel as rewarding as giving, especially when done with humility.

Ever since that day I have held on to the feeling that comes with volunteerism. After college I decided that no matter what job I took, the most important requirement would be that my work benefits others. I have been honored to work in state and federal government, a non-profit serving veterans and their families, and now Winrock International.

Winrock’s mission is one that I could not be prouder to support. For 25 years Winrock volunteers have traveled to 58 countries and completed more than 4,800 assignments. As a recruiter, my job is to find the most qualified experts to assist people all over the world in areas related to agricultural development, economic growth, the empowerment of women and youth, and so on. Although a volunteer’s work will certainly have an immediate impact on the communities they serve, the long-term effect of their visits is what makes our work so significant.

In my new role I am excited to interact with past, present, and future volunteers – all of whom share Winrock’s commitment to changing our world for the better. I’m excited to meet the wonderful people we are committed to serving. Most of all, I am excited to be a part of the next 25 years of volunteerism at Winrock.”

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What’s your story?