Way More Than I Expected!

Volunteer Positive, an international service organization comprised of people living with and affected by HIV, has assembled its first group of volunteers. The group is in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Here are their stories of working with sex workers, at-risk youth, children orphaned by HIV and other groups.

By Zaidi M.

Pre-departure

International volunteer service is relatively a new concept to me. I have never had any experience doing international volunteer service. I came upon Volunteer Positive in a more personalized arrangement in some aspects than the rest of the inaugural volunteers. For this particular post, I am putting volunteer hat on as I am not only volunteering but also coming as part of volunteer positive management team. So, here I wanted to replicate as much reflection as possible as part of the inaugural volunteers for this historical program.

I started my application for the program like the other volunteers months before the program application deadline. Having had no international volunteer experience, I told myself, I want to do this. First question that came through my mind was, why am I applying for this program and what so interesting about this as compared to other international volunteer services. I remembered my initial response to my question is that; this is so cool and interesting program to be part with. Then the reasoning started to fill in as I process it further, I can put it in the personal and professional perspective.

On personal perspectives, being affected instead of infected allows me to experience how and what are the actual feelings of being perceived as living with HIV. I always considered myself living with HIV because I am in a sero-discordant relationship and wondering what this volunteer experience will engender in-depth understanding upon this matter. Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor, being in an inter-culture/inter-faith relationship, I saw an opportunity to be able to connect to an international group of people who survived the virus and how that will be able to broaden my understanding within the domain. Furthermore, the idea of being the only Asian volunteer enticed me to make myself visible and be part of a global connection.

Professionally, working with the leading HIV organisation in Malaysia and be part of the global HIV prevention program will allows me to pick brains. I anticipate this program benefits me in a way that is beyond my comprehension because of the cultural, socioeconomic, generation gap integration and exchange that is happening among the volunteer. These are some of the expectation and mental preparation that I made prior the program commencement.

Post-departure and week I

The program started with a 3 days orientation to the volunteers in facilitating them to have the sense of the place and the cultural value of Thailand especially Chiang Mai. Being the centre of Thailand’s cultural and art movement, Chiang Mai has so much to offer. The orientation covered the topic of Thai’s history and political background, the history of HIV in Thai, Sexuality and Gender issues in Thai as well as the trip to Wat Doi Suthep, a sacred and magical temple up in the hill accompanied by two leading Buddhism scholars.