Volunteer Stories – Moses

Moses registered to volunteer with VAL. Read how he helped with the COVID-19 vaccination process to support his local community.

I moved to Leicester at the start of 2020 and in the next few months, the pandemic begun. I always had this zeal to help people so when I saw the news and the scale on which this pandemic started spreading across all countries, including the United Kingdom, I decided I have to get involved in helping the communities.

Initially, he started to help by looking after his elderly next door neighbours. He then went onto helping out with the door-to-door campaign, encouraging people to get tested and follow the guidelines which were set by Government. Later, when he saw the vaccination breakthrough which the scientists had achieved in the UK, he knew that this could be the way-out from the pandemic. He decided to go onto our VAL Volunteering website and applied to register as a vaccination volunteer.

I have never volunteered on this large scale on a national level like this before. To start with, I have always had issues with anxiety and talking to complete strangers. To stand in front of people, greeting them and guiding them has significantly improved my confidence. Moreover, it was a very humbling experience to meet people from all walks of lives. I was new to the city of Leicester and this volunteering experience has helped me use my language skills. Now I feel more confident in talking with people of various cultures.

I consider the opportunity provided to me by VAL as a foundation for my volunteering work here in Leicester. Now, I feel more equipped to help and talk with people. The flame which VAL has ignited in many volunteers like myself is being passed on from one torch to another.

With the experience and skills provided through his volunteering journey, Moses now feels very confident and optimistic for his future in wanting to find a job that can improve the lives of people and help communities. He is currently looking for employment where he wishes to continue to extend his passion of giving back and helping people.