Volunteers Supporting Volunteers

At the beginning of my service, I was selected to be a member for a committee called Volunteers Supporting Volunteers.  VSV is an organization within Peace Corps that offers support to volunteers in many different ways: planning orientations where PCVs can meet each other, providing mental health support, improving trainings, providing a safe space for PCVs to discuss issues, etc.  Members of VSV sign confidentiality waivers and are trained in active listening and sensitive topics, like sexual assault.  We have turned into a peer support group that often gets referrals from the Peace Corps Medical Office and sometimes when we are talking with PCVs, we refer them to the Medical Office. 

Attending a VSV meeting was like going to a super positive support group meeting.  We encouraged each other and took time out for the touchy-feely stuff.  Hey, we needed it.  After many long months of being a support system for numerous volunteers, it was nice to be able to turn to my fellow VSV members and have a heart-to-heart, too.  It can be a draining task – Peace Corps is not easy and living in Malawi can be challenging - physically, mentally and emotionally.  There are daily challenges and long-term challenges that grind on you and it’s nice to know that a member of VSV is there to listen without bias or judgment. 

My last meeting of VSV was last week and it was bittersweet.  I served as the Northern Regional Representative for a year, organizing orientations and providing support to volunteers in my area, as well as being a liaison for members of VSV North and VSV leadership (since we only met twice a year, it was important to communicate often and much).  I am sad to say good-bye, as we have really developed a strong support group and we’re full of new ideas.  I know the new group of VSV members are extremely capable and have a full agenda ahead of them.  I wish them luck!