Volunteer Blog Post - Making an Impact

Jadwinia Jadziewicz • May 12, 2025

My name is Jadwinia, I am a CSR manager in the international media company Dentsu Aegis Network.



In 2016, I received the "Employee of the Year" award. This award is financially and any award-winning employee can decide how to spend it in accordance with its development or current role in the company. I decided to spend this money on volunteering in Africa. My dream was to look at how the NGOs in the world work, what volunteers fight on the spot and I wanted help in the field, and not from behind the desk in an elegant office building in Warsaw.


I decided to work for 3 weeks in the Nourish organization located next to the Kruger Park. I liked their holistic approach to helping the local community, education and elements related to environmental protection. I also had the impression that the work of volunteers is well organized.


A few weeks of preparation, establishing contacts thanks to CSR Dentsu Global Team in London, short training in London in the organization Global Giving and ... I started the adventure of my life in South Africa.



In Nourish, positive energy, good attitude despite various difficulties, lots of ideas and happy people nearby are unique. I also liked the diversity of projects and the ability to try many things. One day we went to nearby schools with donated books, on another day I worked on the capsules of Moringa powdered leaves, and the next day we persuaded the local community to look after their dogs. In the afternoons, I played with children in the library. I was open to what would happen to me. 3 weeks is definitely not enough to feel the impact. Or maybe this "impact" is sometimes only a smile, a good word, simple gestures and showing that I CARE?



It was definitely a great lesson of gratitude for what we have (basic things: access to water, electricity, education), but also a clash with stereotypes about "poor Africa". In fact, the children who came to Nourish every day often do not have their own beds, wardrobes full of clothes, extra activities, but they did not look unhappy. They have beautiful nature, clean air, are surrounded by family, they feel free. Sometimes I would like it for my children in Poland ☺! The only thing that I think is missing is good education and that's what Nourish does.


Volunteering is one of the best ways to get to know the real, beautiful Africa (or other place on earth). I am very happy that in this way I realized my prize. 

Come here and try it! Thank you Nourish Team for an unforgettable time!


By Dermot Kavanagh May 12, 2025
It’s hard to imagine what must go through the mind of a poacher when we see the image of a defenceless Rhino with it’s horn savagely hacked off. When the chopper I was in flew over the rotting corpses of three innocent beasts within a few miles of each other, all killed within the previous three days, it’s hard for even the most empathic of people to feel sorry for those behind this slaughter. However the grimness of these horrific crimes stretches much further than the seemingly senseless murder of these animals in National Parks and private reserves all across Africa.
By Danielle Khan Da Silva May 12, 2025
Grace works at Nourish ( www.nourishecovillage.com ), an NGO that addresses the problem of poaching by addressing poverty. Every day Grace, along with two other grannies, provides nutritious meals to many children who would otherwise go hungry...because nobody can learn and develop into a healthy, strong individual on an empty stomach. After work Grace goes home to help her daughter with house work and takes care of her beautiful grandchildren, both of whom are also supported by Nourish’s literacy, education and nourishment programs. There’s an evolutionary theory called the “grandmother hypothesis” that posits menopause is an adaptation signalling women to stop reproducing in old age and to expend energy instead on taking care of others. It is argued that by providing sustenance and support to their kin and communities, grandmothers enhanced their social networks, advancing genetic interests and kinships, all of which resulted in better resource acquisition and also more intelligent and developed grandchildren. Traditionally, science and evolutionary theories have excluded women and their role in advancing human development. There is much more to the grandmother hypothesis and it is one theory of many; regardless how one feels about it one thing is for sure: there is something very special about grandmothers and the women who raise us. Happy Mother’s day to all the special women out there! Credit to Danielle Khan Da Silva for article and photography
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