"I've developed a real passion for causes worth fighting for."
Lucy Jenkinson, 20, hopes to work for a charity when she finishes her studies. She volunteers with CAFOD’s community fundraising and campaigns teams during university holidays.
By studying politics and international relations, I learnt what an important role development agencies play on a global scale. After hearing a talk about CAFOD’s work at my university chaplaincy, I was keen to get some practical experience of my own.
I fully believe in human equality and think that it is totally unacceptable for so many people to be living below the poverty line in 2010. Being a Catholic gives me my sense of moral responsibility to those less well off than myself, especially when I have so much to be thankful for.
I suppose a lot of what I did would be considered admin, but it felt like so much more than that. Each time I’ve volunteered for CAFOD I have felt part of a team with an infectious optimistic spirit. I’ve put together fundraising packs, helped arrange a post-race reception for marathon runners and campaigned for climate justice at the Greenbelt Festival.
Volunteering at Greenbelt was an amazing experience. I got to meet the band Athlete when they signed our petition after playing at the festival. That was awesome.
I’ve recommended volunteering with CAFOD to my friends. My best friend is doing a similar course to mine at a different university, and when she heard what I’d been up to, she was really keen to get involved. So together with a group of volunteers, we both travelled to Copenhagen to protest at the international climate talks.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first international campaign march. We met ex-city workers, primary school teachers and environmental activists from all over the world, as well as mermaids on stilts, pandas on bikes and polar bears handing out pamphlets. I now believe it is the determination of ordinary people, organising themselves on a global scale, that will provide the answer to tackling climate change.
Through volunteering, I’ve developed a real passion for the causes we’ve been fighting for. As a result I’ve decided to do my dissertation on how climate change is affecting development. I’d love to work in this sector when I leave university - I just need to get through my exams first!
For every £1 given to our Give it up! appeal this Lent, including Lent Fast Day, the government will donate another £1 – doubling your donation and changing even more lives |
884 million people do not have access to clean, safe water. Pray with us this Lent that waters may flow and injustice may be washed away. |
Help us turn the tide on water poverty. Join our Thirst for change campaign and ensure world leaders hear our call: taps and toilets for all. |
