The NGO SAVIO, within its projects, sends volunteers to Azerbaijan who work in the capital, Baku, at a center for leisure activities. SAVIO implements the project in cooperation with Caritas and it is financially supported by the grant program Youth in Action – European Voluntary Service. Katarína Kružliaková and Veronika Strigáčová led various courses, tutoring sessions, and clubs for children from socially disadvantaged families in Baku for almost the whole year.
Na úvod dvakrát prečo. Why volunteering? Veronika Strigáčová (V.S.): For me, it was a desire to be useful, to pass on my gifts and abilities further, and to have the good feeling that I could serve through my existence. Katarína Kružliaková (K.K.): During my university studies, I attended a lecture by missionaries from Russia at the University Pastoral Center, and the possibility of volunteer work spoke to me. The missionaries inspired me, and I wanted to experience something similar. In addition, I had studied pedagogy, so I also saw the possibility of using my education in volunteer work.
Why Azerbaijan? K.K.: There were several options, but because I do not speak English and Russian is fairly close to Slovak, the choice narrowed quickly. In the end, the decisive factor was that Slovak Salesians are already active in Azerbaijan. For me, it was important that I would be able to communicate. V.S.: In my case, it was sheer chance. I longed for a mission in Africa, and I even attended volunteer preparation for that. But there were many of us interested in an African mission. At first they offered me Russia, but once it had already been decided that Katka would be placed in Azerbaijan, they needed to find her a partner and I accepted that challenge.
You were in Azerbaijan for almost a year; how did your understanding of a different environment and your ability to adapt to it develop? V.S.: Over time, we got used to strong cultural shocks and, instead, we went deeper—we found out what people are like in their essence and why they behave as they do. Often it was difficult for me to accept and understand some situations because I did not understand them. For example, we met people who seemed to have made peace with the situation in which they live and did not desire change. I did not know how to show them new possibilities, how to motivate them to want to stand on their own feet when initiative did not come from them.
Did you have the feeling that it would be better to leave them to live as they wish? How did you handle such a dilemma? V.S.: That can certainly lead to the feeling that if we left them as they were, they might try to help themselves. By supporting them, they lose motivation to work and rely only on the money they receive from us. It helped that we talked about this a lot. I realized that perhaps we do not see the real consequences and cannot assess what is best for people in Azerbaijan.
You went to Azerbaijan to help. Was there ever a moment when you felt that it was you who benefited more? K.K.: There were many such moments. For example, when we organized camps for children and played with them in the sea, swimming together. They know very well how to express love, how to show gratitude with a smile or in other ways. I felt then the deep meaning of our work.
Young people, after finishing university, think more about finding a good job. Is it not risky to spend a year abroad instead? V.S.: I tended to see it as, if I do not go right after school, it becomes difficult later. I will start working, get used to colleagues and to children, and then it will be hard for me to leave them. Going right after school is a unique opportunity—to see another world, gain experience, compare, and then teach from life experience, not only from the theory I learned at university. I can imagine that when I teach history and religion, I will use practical examples from Azerbaijan. It will help me not only teach students but also educate them.
After this experience, what is your definition of volunteering? K.K.: Volunteering means giving yourself and the good that is in each of us. V.S.: It is a path of self-development. A young person may not realize it, but we learn a lot through volunteer work. We experience things we would not experience in ordinary work settings, and that opens new horizons for us.
The article appeared in the bulletin Rozvojová pomoc - Jar 2012. It is published by Platforma mimovládnych rozvojových organizácií (MVRO), which is an association of legal entities—an umbrella organization of 31 Slovak nongovernmental organizations (23 full members and 8 observers), which are mainly engaged in international development and humanitarian aid. http://www.mvro.sk
The full issue of the journal Rozvojová pomoc - jar 2012 in PDF