In June 2007, I spent a month volunteering in Zambia. Initially, I had planned to travel with a group of teachers to Zimbabwae. However when my hosts learnt of my love of journalism,  they were wary of allowing me to travel, given Robert Mugabe's hatred of the free press. I was determined to experience Africa however, which propelled me to overcome my fears and travel alone to Zambia.

It was an emotionally difficult experience, but the most inspirational one of my life. I saw extreme poverty and endless suffering. I saw desperation and the struggle for life at a very primal level. My pre-conceptions of Africa were strongly challenged too. It is not a place of only death, destruction and disaster, but of fun, faith, possibility and great hope. They are not economically developed, but in terms of human kindness and a sense of community they are masters. They are innovators, entrepreneurs and doers. I saw how effective a little money, hard work and hope could be in changing a person's life.

I saw toddlers come back from certain death, because we brought maize. I visited orphanages full of the happiest babies alive. I swapped stories with Tribal Leaders with more wisdom than teeth. I met a girl who had her rotten toes amputated due to a lack of B vitamins. It upsets (and infuriates) me that there's a child with no toes because vitamins which are IN MY SHAMPOO are too expensive and hard to access in Zambia.

It taught me to value life. The vast majority of people were HIV positive. So, the majority of people I met will be dead within a decade, while I can plan my retirement with some sort of confidence that I'll be here to enjoy it. Africa re-orientated my values. I learnt to appreciate all that I have. It taught me not to waste a thing. It highlighted what is *really* important - not self-aggrandizement and stuff but faith and friendship. It re-ignited my faith in the power and value of service and leadership and inspired me to explore it further.