Darry Malka Kyakimwa
21 years old, Kingston

My Story

Living in a refugee camp in Congo has turned me into who I am today. It wasn't an enjoyable experience, but it has inspired me and forced me to become a better person. I remember people coming to the refugee camp for visits. They were foreigners. Most of them worked with the Red Cross. They came just to help us survive and that amazed me when I was younger. Growing up, it inspired me – I was planning to do the same in the future.

My family and I landed in Canada in July 2005. I had no idea what kind of life I would live, I only knew that I would be in peace and safe... I had my first -- and many more -- Kingston meal at a charitable restaurant that provides meals to those in need – Martha’s Table. Volunteers were friendly and welcoming. They were patient with my family. None of us could speak a word of English, but we made friends there and Kingston became our town.

When I realized that my new community needed help as well, I got involved – I started volunteering at Martha's Table. It was my turn to take the time and to serve people in my community. It is also my way to say thank you.

Learning experience

I have learned the same thing as Maya Angelou, an American writer, did: ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.’ Volunteering is important for me because it gives a meaning to life, it is needed everywhere and because I am happy when I make someone else happy.

Get inspired

Get involved! If you don't like it, try once more at a different place or with a different group. There are many volunteering opportunities around you. Just search on Google! You can even start your own group...

One of my teachers had this quote on one of her lecture slides: 'People who care, who practice justice, and who serve others are individually healthier than those who do not. Their actions also create more health for their communities and for the planet', Robert Ornstein and David Sobel. It is from 1987, but says enough to encourage me to keep volunteering. Read it carefully, remember it and use it...

For her volunteering work Darry Malka Kyakimwa received the Volunteer Recognition Award from the Kingston General Hospital, the Kingston Mayor’s Award for Youth Volunteerism and, as she said "a lot of 'thank you's."