Saints in the Spotlight: Mlézi Youssoufa
Mlézi Youssoufa came from France and the Comoros of east Africa for two months this summer to work alongside United Saints in New Orleans, La.
I found United Saints online and I thought that was a good idea to come to New Orleans, even if I had no skills rebuilding. Moreover, the volunteer coordinator encouraged me to volunteer in New Orleans. So, I became a volunteer for United Saints from early June to late August 2012. It was a really rewarding experience for me.
During his time at United Saints, Mlézi performed several different tasks such as painting, roofing, foundation work and rebuilding.
It was a pleasure to help homeowners in the poorer communities of New Orleans. My favorite homeowner was Mrs. Hazel even though she could not pronounce my name. We worked several weeks on her place and she was so nice with all of us volunteers. But the work was extra hard during the summer because of the intense heat and humidity!
Mlézi mentioned how friendly and helpful the United Saints Staff was, especially: Katie, Steve, Daryl, Kone’, Liz and Twiggy. He also remarked about those he had the opportunity to work with and the charm of New Orleans.
I worked with people from almost all over the world: Morroco, Canada, England, Ireland, France and from many states throughout the United States. Indeed, each week there was a new group of volunteers. I constantly met and made new friends. It was really funny to work with them. Also, New Orleans is a city very unique city! Its history, architecture, cuisines, and culture is like no other in the world.