Tunji takes volunteer learning out into the community
Tunji Adeleke felt he had a lot to bring to the role of Community Health Champion and says his experience of volunteering has taught him a lot.
Tunji has a strong public health background having worked in Nigeria for 12 years on issues including AIDS, family planning, sexual health and malaria where his roles encompassed project implementation, strengthening systems and training. He also spent one year working with the charity UNICEF as AID/AIDS Peer Educator Traineras part of the National Youth service programme.
After completing his Masters degree at Oxford Brookes University, he moved to Stoke-on-Trent and was encouraged to volunteer as a Community Health Champion.
He said: “Coming to the UK, it’s a different context entirely and volunteering has been part of my learning journey, helping me to understand systems.”
Working with Project Officer Zi Khumalo, Tunji looked at a project to understand what motivates volunteers. Tunji was also invited to attend meetings and learn more about the important role VAST plays in helping voluntary and charitable sector organisations with ongoing support.
He said: “I moved on from that to look at marginalized communities and after undertaking some desk research, I started with the churches with African and Asian members and reached out to make them aware of their access to help services. The work is also about going deeper to understand the needs of communities and helping them to deliver the changes and improvements they want to see.”
Tunji is now able to continue the great work he started in his new job role as a Community Development Officer.
He said: “Vast is an amazing place – the passion of the people to work together and help each other really stands out.”
He also has some advice for future Community Health Champions. “They should look for a need in the community and collaborate – those needs are a cry for help and being able to do something about it brings a lot of fulfilment. It doesn’t mean it will be without challenges but it’s okay to have conversations with the volunteer managers to address those issues.”