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Our volunteers > Aine Lynch
Aine Lynch swapped a library in Dublin for a library in Minna, Nigeria.
Whereabouts in Nigeria are you based?
I’m based in Minna which is 2 hours north-west of the capital, Abuja.
What does your partner organisation do?
I’m working with the Community Education Resource Centre (CERC). The resource centre houses school laboratories and workshops – in science, technology and languages. We provide teacher training and demonstration classes for local schools that do not have these facilities. I’m setting up the library and helping to build the capacity of school libraries in the area.
What was your initial impression of Nigerian upon arrival?
I was a bit stunned for awhile! Everyone tells you about culture shock but I don’t really think I was prepared. I lost all my safety nets – being able to recognize shops, familiar food, ATMs. I would be lying if I didn’t say it was hard – but the serving volunteers were brilliant. They were really welcoming and helpful, and they made it possible to keep going.
Has that impression changed a lot?
Yes, it has changed completely! My sister visited recently and it was funny to see Nigeria through new eyes again; I had forgotten just how alien things felt when I arrived. But the people in my community have made me so welcome and I feel really at home now. Settling-in is easier once you start to take public transport, shop in the market, greet people in their language etc. The thing I find hardest is the language – speaking better Hausa would help me to integrate more fully, I think.
Did you know anything about Nigeria prior to your arrival?
No, I guess I didn’t. I choose my placement because of the job rather than the country, but now I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
What is your past job/experience, had you volunteered previously?
No, I hadn’t volunteered before. I worked in a third level college library in Dublin for 6 years. I felt like I was in a bit of a rut so I took a career break for two years. Working in Nigeria has been very different – the infrastructure (telephones, photocopiers, funding) that I took for granted at home are really precious and rare here and so everything takes a lot longer. It can be frustrating at times but I guess that’s the challenge.
 What is your role?
I am a librarian. I am setting up a library in the resource centre, and I am helping local school librarians/teachers to set up or improve library facilities in their own schools.
Who are the beneficiaries of your work out there?
Mainly primary- and secondary-school students and their teachers.
What is the highlight of your placement so far?
A local school, Army Day Secondary School, opened their school library this summer. A group of Youth Corp Service Members undertook the project of converting a disused classroom into a school library, and they did a great job. The students were excited to use the library – which is always a highlight for a librarian!
Where you anxious about anything before arrival?
Shari’a law operates in Minna which worried me a little. Shari’a law, as I understand it, is a set of Islamic principles which govern all areas of civil life as well as criminal life. In theory Shari’a does not effect non-Muslims but in reality it is bound to. For instance, alcohol cannot be sold in Minna (except on Federal land – on the army base and airforce base). As an Irish girl that has certainly changed how I socialize! But otherwise, Shari’a hasn’t really had any effect on me.
What do you think a placement in Nigeria offers that is unique?
Nigeria is a huge and diverse country. There are over 250 ethnic groups, each with their own language, clothing, traditions, recipes etc. As volunteers are dispersed throughout the country, there is a great opportunity to visit different places.
Nigeria is a warm, vibrant and challenging place! Despite the massive oil-wealth, the vast majority of people live in very humble circumstances. Many live on next-to-nothing. Yet people are welcoming, and invariably good humour is met with good humour. A placement in Nigeria would be challenging, rewarding and would never be dull!
Is there anything in particular that you miss from home?
People. Every once in awhile I miss the superficial things like pizza and shopping but mainly I miss family and friends. Email is great but it’s just not the same as having a chat!
Is there anything that you don't miss? 
The weather – Nigeria can get really hot but it’s still better than the wind and rain. I am also getting used to life without sarcasm and double meanings – here people say what they mean. Once, when I sent some surveys to stakeholders, one of them was returned with "May God help you" in the Any Other Comments section – it was intended as a genuine good wish (rather than dripping with sarcasm as it would be at home)!
How do you think that you are contributing to the communities in which you are working?
I like to think that the library will be successful and that the community will benefit from it, but without a doubt Nigeria is changing me a lot more than I am changing anything. I think the main changes happen on an individual basis – I feel my colleagues, neighbours and friends learn from me as I am learning from them. Huge organizational changes aren’t always obvious, but people change. There are not too many oyibos (white people) in Minna so living in the community does have an impact. I seem to be a very entertaining sight and people often laugh at me or say ‘well done’ just for taking public transport or shopping in the market! Living in the community breaks down a lot of barriers, both for me and for my neighbours.
What benefit do you feel you are getting from volunteering in Nigeria?
I had not lived abroad before this, and I think most people learn a lot when they live abroad. There is an added dimension when you live in a developing country because I truly had no proper understanding of how affluent my life in Ireland is. Volunteering in Nigeria has opened my eyes a lot.
On a daily basis I have learned to read by candlelight. I have learned that you can fit a lot more people on a mini-bus than you would ever think. I have learned that there are many kinds of wisdom. I have learned to cook my meals from scratch. I have learned to celebrate all religious holidays (by taking the day off work!) I have learned that for many people education is a luxury. I have learned that whenever there is a microphone at a meeting it will eventually be handed to the oyibo! I could keep going for quite a while... mostly I have learned to slow down and appreciate what I have now.
Describe life outside work in Nigeria.
On weekdays I’m usually very tired going to bed. The little jobs take up a lot of time here – washing clothes by hand, cooking meals from scratch, filtering water. But being busy is good because I don’t have a lot of the usual distractions – television, late-night shopping, family to chat to.
I’m usually more sociable at the weekends! The volunteers in Nigeria are a great bunch and we often meet up at one placement or other for the weekend. It has been a great way to see the country. There are also a few Irish ex-pats in Minna which means sharing meals, books and news, and occasionally when someone travels, rashers and sausages for tea!
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