CMI Volunteering Interview
Name: Melanie Beham
Age: 20 (19 at the time)
Country where I completed my voluntary service: Ecuador
Area of responsibility during my voluntary service:
My main task during my voluntary service was to spend time with the children in the children’s home - whether it was having breakfast together, helping them with their homework or organising leisure activities. I looked after the children in their everyday lives and accompanied their development over nine months.
1 . How did you get to know about the CMI programme?
I heard the name CMI for the first time when my older sister was preparing for a voluntary service with CMI. At first I was a bit sceptical, after all she would be away from home for 9 months. But through the photos and stories my sister shared, my desire to go abroad after graduating from high school grew more and more. - I wanted to get to know the world outside Europe, live in a different country and experience first-hand what it means to be a ‘Marist’.
2. How did the preparation for your voluntary service go? Were you able to choose the country of your voluntary service yourself? (If so, why did you choose Ecuador)?
My preparation started with the information weekend together with other interested people. Apart from the two other future volunteers from Furth, I didn't know anyone else and generally didn't really know what to expect, so I was quite nervous.
But everybody was very friendly and the atmosphere was welcoming. We were given detailed information about the volunteer service programme and were also able to talk to former volunteers who told us about their projects, which made the volunteer service a little more tangible for me.
After this weekend, I had two weeks to decide whether I wanted to move on to the next preparation phase and do voluntary service or not. This preparation phase consisted of various workshops on intercultural communication, team building and resilience training. We new volunteers were also invited on a trip to L'Hermitage.
In addition to the personal development part, the organisational part was of course also important in the preparation. This included, for example, visas, health insurance, vaccinations and also which country or office I would actually be going to.
I was free to choose the country where I wanted to go. I wanted to speak Spanish and therefore wanted to go to South America. CMI presented me with two countries and their offices to choose from: a job in Bogotá in Colombia and a job in Loja, a small town in Ecuador.
Well, I started googling and when it said Loja was the garden of Ecuador and Bogotá had 7.9 million inhabitants, Ecuador was a done deal.
3. Why would you advise other former (Marist) students to do voluntary service with CMI?
Doing a voluntary service is certainly not the right thing for everyone, a certain amount of locura (Spanish) is definitely part of it 😉 (Locura means something like craziness). For those who want to go abroad and really want to live in one place for a longer period of time compared to a round trip, voluntary service is a good way to get to know the country and its people.
I would highly recommend volunteering through CMI, as it is a family-run organisation and you are really individually prepared for and supported during your time abroad. In other larger organisations, you might just be a number and get lost in the mass of volunteers. There are also many programmes where the financial possibilities of the volunteers play a major role.
At CMI, the value orientation of the Marists is paramount. This value orientation also conveys a sense of security, as it is the same all over the world. CMI sends you into good hands that follow the same Marist values. You are not simply being sent to another country on your own, but you are just moving into another house that belongs to your Marist family anyway.
4. Describe your CMI experience in three words.
Insanely beautiful, challenging, ground-breaking
5. To what extent did your time at a Marist school and the CMI experience contribute to you feeling like a member of a global Marist family?
To be honest, when I was at school I had little idea who or what the Marists actually were and what they stood for. Of course, I knew Marcellin Champagnat and also that certain customs at our school, such as morning prayers, church services or Christmas celebrations, were Marist in character. But somehow I couldn't grasp the bigger picture.
My voluntary service allowed me to immerse myself in the international Marist network for nine months. The Marist school at my place of assignment in Loja has a very good reputation, as it provides a high level of education. I realised how many young Marist brothers are actively involved and how their life dedication is to the education and training of children and young people against the backdrop of Marist values and faith.
I now feel like a member of the global Marist family, as I have been able to contribute a small part to this community through my work and I know that if I go to Ecuador again, I will be warmly welcomed in every Marist community with the words ‘Bienvenida a tu casa’ - welcome home.
6. Final thoughts:
I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I was able to have, because I was able to learn my lessons from every single one and the positive aspects will remain with me for a lifetime.
