Kylemore Stories
After a six-months pilot project in Kylemore during which the inhabitants of the village took part in several programs, Vollar is still very present in the local discussions although the initiative had to stop. More than impacting the lives of its users, Vollar succeeded in creating a sense of belonging in the community.
Putting food on the table
Vollar has improved many aspects of Natasha’s life. She used to wake up during the night, wondering how she would eat the next day. When the opportunity to learn how to garden while earning a monetary incentive presented itself, Natasha saw it as a way to solve this problem and be able to put food on her table. Thanks to the experience, skills and confidence she gained during the project, she later got employed and is now working for the EPWP as a gardener.
Wilma is a local store owner. During the program, she accepted payments with Vollars. This new system made her business wealthier because she suddenly had new and more frequent customers. Wilma was also happy to see that, suddenly, her usual clients were able to afford extra items, like chocolate, cheese or crisps. In her opinion, an opportunity such as Vollar not only gave the chance to the users to take care of themselves and solve their own problems in a dignified way, it also allowed people to escape the trap of poverty while being proud of one’s own achievements. As she says: “There is no shame in being poverty stricken, there’s shame in not asking for help when it’s needed and not taking the opportunity when it’s there.”
Fostering a sense of community
Besides taking some of the economic pressure off of the people, Vollar also triggered a sense of belonging in Kylemore. “It made me feel like I was a more involved member of my community, recalls Janine who had taken part of a project to improve the graveyard. Because of that, I got to see my community in a different light. Generally, people don’t engage with one another. Many choose to stay inside because there is nothing else to do but this gave us the opportunity to come outside, get together and get to know each other while contributing to the community.” Once Vollar left, the groups split but “if the opportunity comes back, people will return” says Natasha, even wishing to be first on the sign-up list so that she could work on gardens and develop artistic initiatives.
“When are you coming back?”
Although the project had to stop, people have been waiting for its return and the interest to get involved in Vollar has increased, even amongst those who had first been doubtful on its usefulness. Some users even came to foster confidence that Vollar would come back. The community is “still talking about Vollar to this day”, states Wilma who often tells her customers that “they have to be very grateful and that they are surely blessed that this opportunity was given to Kylemore because of how much change and opportunity this platform brought”.
For more information on Vollar, check out our website
http://vollar.org
