My reasons for deciding to become an overseas volunteer still remain the same, and these can be found at the Belize 04 Why I Volunteered page. Since my first experience I have felt compelled to return to Belize to continue the work I was doing. This desire is based on a mixture of work related and personal reasons. In this section I shall outline the key factors that have influenced my decision to return to Belize.

Currently the Rights of Older Persons do not feature high on the Belizean political and legal agenda. With people living for longer, and with an increased growth in the number of people over 60 there is a real need for legislation that protects Older People in Belize.

The initial placement was too short a time to complete the work. I left Belize with a lot of things still to be done. While some work has been taken over the majority of it is still as I left it. I feel that my return shall enable to complete most if not all of the outstanding tasks.

Older Persons - Prior to my Belize 04 Placement I knew very little about the real issues that affect Older Persons; not just in Belize but even in the UK or Kenya. Working with the NCA taught me the importance of becoming an advocate for Older Persons rights. In the three months that I was there I learnt nearly everything I now know about Older Persons and I would like to build upon this knowledge.

As a volunteer member of the NCA, Ms Jeffery allowed me to become heavily involved in all NCA activities. The opportunity to join an organisation and be given a chance to become as involved as I was in such a short space of time is very rare. Spending an extra 6 months with the NCA will certainly prove to be an invaluable learning experience and I hope to leave with the skills and experience necessary to undertake similar work in places such as Kenya.

At present the NCA has only one member of staff, Ms. Jeffery. With the support of the Board members she single-handedly takes care of the day-to-day running of the NCA office as well as carrying out duties in her capacity as Executive Director. The NCA is concerned with Older Persons on a national level and this is a huge task for just one person to undertake. While my primary task is to draft an Act for Older Persons I plan to spend as much time assisting with the daily administrative needs of the NCA.

I have always been interested in race culture and identity and Belize is by far one of the most culturally and racially diverse places I have ever visited. The ability to interact in such an environment yet still remain as an observer on so many levels is one that I would love to repeat.

The friendships I made and the relationships I established with most of the people I met shall be with me for a long time. Undoubtedly the best friendship I formed was with the lady I was living with, Ms Emily Martinez. As a host she was incredibly hospitable and I began to view her as both a friend and a part of my family. While I had always hoped that my home life in Belize would be comfortable I never imagined that I could have been so far from home yet still feel at home. The home-away-from-home factor has been one of the reasons that have made me want to return.