More than just volunteering: Amber’s Afrocats experience

We sat down with Amber, who supported our work at OBADO in Moston with invaluable volunteer work from January to July 2026.

Read on to find out about her experiences on our projects.

Hi Amber, could you tell us a little bit about yourself, and how you first got involved with Afrocats?

I’m from a multicultural African and European background and grew up in Moston/Harpurhey, Manchester.

I recently completed an MSc in Global Development, Poverty and Inequality at the University of Manchester, and my academic interests have centred on inequality, community organising and the ways people care for and support one another, but I wanted to move beyond thinking about these things academically and become more engaged with a community.

'...[volunteering] has also made me think more deeply about care as something created through relationships and through the everyday ways people make one another feel welcome, seen, and supported.'

In the UK at the moment, the sense of polarisation and normalised struggle is more evident now than ever, and I think it is increasingly necessary for communities to remain together not through exclusion, but by connecting with one another.

What inspired you to start volunteering? Was there a specific moment or story that sparked you start doing so?

When I discovered Afrocats’ programme in Moston, it felt like a real ‘full-circle’ moment, and I was particularly drawn to the opportunity to work alongside Black women in a space centred around connection, confidence and wellbeing.

I volunteered at OBADO alongside completing my Master’s, travelling to Kenya for fieldwork, and co-leading a reciprocal learning exchange between University of Manchester students and co-researchers in Kisumu, Kenya.

What does a ‘typical’ Afrocats volunteer session look like for you?

My role involved welcoming and registering participants, then joining the sessions alongside them, and I followed the lead instructor through dance, movement and yoga, while chatting, laughing and getting to know the women over time.

Being able to simply participate and be present was one of the things I valued most.

Can you share a memorable experience you might have had so far through your volunteer role?

Some of the moments that have stayed with me are actually very simple: seeing everyone dancing together, laughing and becoming completely absorbed in the session - there’s a real energy that comes from watching people relax into a space, and connect with one another.

It made me realise how important happiness and playfulness can be as forms of community care.

Outside of volunteering, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?

I really enjoy travelling, spending time with friends and family, and doing things that keep me active and connected to other people; I also enjoy yoga and movement, and because of my own multicultural background I am drawn to learning about different communities, cultures, and ways of living.

'...it is increasingly necessary for communities to remain together not through exclusion, but by connecting with one another.'

A lot of my academic interests spill into my free time too, because I enjoy thinking and talking about questions around inequality, care, and community.

What do you feel the act of volunteering means to you now?

Volunteering has deepened something I was already passionate about, and given me a much more immediate understanding of the ideas I explored through my studies.

It has definitely deepened something I was already interested in and given me closure on what had always felt like a bit of a fragmented cultural background. My studies also made me think a lot about community organising and collective care, but Afrocats has allowed me to experience some of those ideas in a much more immediate way.

I’ve seen how dance, conversation, joy and simply spending time together can build connection and create stronger communities; it has also made me think more deeply about care as something created through relationships and through the everyday ways people make one another feel welcome, seen, and supported.

What would you say to someone considering taking on a volunteer role in the charity sector?

To anyone considering volunteering, I’d say find something that connects with you personally, and just do it. You don’t need extensive experience: just being open, present and willing to build relationships can be much more valuable.

I also think there’s sometimes an assumption that volunteering is about one person coming in to ‘help’ another, but it has felt much more reciprocal, and community work is also about relationships, exchange and recognising what everyone already brings to a space.

For me, volunteering brought me back to the community I grew up in and connected me with something I genuinely care about.

Thanks to Amber for her invaluable time and efforts on our OBADO programme.

To find out more about how you can make a difference for communities across Manchester, get in touch with Afrocats now.