HARAR, ETHIOPIA — In this land of extremes, you can stand in the hottest place on Earth — The Danakil Depression in the country’s northeast sector — and watch as the thermometer rise to over 50C, as my travelling partner did. Or, as I experienced, you can freeze in its higher elevations when the mercury dips below 0C.

Swaziland was not on my bucket list. I didn’t even know where it was when I first heard about a volunteer position with the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse. But, during my stint as communications officer with the organization, my eyes were opened to the jaw-dropping beauty of this tiny kingdom of 1.2 million, tucked between Mozambique and South Africa.

ACCRA, GHANA - Last year,I found myself living in dusty, dirty Accra. I was volunteering with Crossroads International and working with a local partner called Pro-Link, doing communications for their projects in maternal health and HIV/AIDS education. Our office was in a bleak industrial zone and I was ready for a break.

OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA - I love elephants. I have ridden them in India and played with them at sanctuaries in Thailand. So I was thrilled when on a journey through Botswana our small plane began its descent to the Okavango Delta airstrip and I could see clusters of the gentle giants munching contentedly on tender shoots growing in the marshy waters.