When Bettina Szabo finished her degree in Biology and Human Ecology in Hungary, she had read every paper she could find on climate change and vulnerable communities. What she had not done, she realised, was meet any of those communities.

"During my university studies, I focused a lot on climate change and environmental challenges," she says. "The more I learned, the harder it became to ignore how strongly these issues affect vulnerable communities, especially in developing countries. Learning and talking about climate change from a theoretical perspective was not enough. I wanted to understand the realities behind the research and contribute in a practical and human way."

That conviction brought her to Zambia.

Szabo, 26, is now serving as a Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction Officer with ADRA Zambia under the Humanitarian Volunteering for Solidarity Activities (HVSA) programme, an initiative supported by ADRA, the European Solidarity Corps, and co-funded by the European Union, which deploys young European volunteers to work alongside humanitarian agencies around the world.

She chose Zambia among several options, swayed in part by the people she met during recruitment.

"During the interview process, the Country Director and my future colleague answered all my questions openly and honestly," she recalls. "They gave me a strong sense of trust and safety before leaving, and confidence that this would be an environment where I could learn and grow."

Pre-departure training delivered by ADRA Czechia, she adds, helped her arrive with "an open mind instead of strong expectations", a mindset she credits with making the early adjustment easier.

The first weeks in Lusaka were a mix of excitement and recalibration. Szabo had never worked for a non-governmental organisation before, and a new professional environment came with new rhythms.

"My first weeks were both exciting and challenging," she says. "There were many new things, different ways of working, and everyday adjustments that I had to get used to. At the same time, what immediately stood out to me was how friendly, patient, and helpful people were. Whenever I felt unsure or needed help, there was always someone willing to guide me."

Her role has taken her across the country, to Central Province dairy projects, to Eastern Province monitoring visits, to community meetings where climate vulnerability looks very different on the ground than it does in a literature review.

"Seeing projects written in reports is one thing, but visiting communities and speaking with people directly gives a completely different perspective," she says. "These experiences help me better understand how climate change affects people differently depending on where they live and what resources they have access to. Successful projects are not only about technical solutions, but also about trust, cooperation, and understanding community needs."

Zambia has reshaped more than her professional outlook.

"A year ago, I probably would never have imagined that my life would suddenly be filled with nshima, 'Muli bwanji?' greetings, long field trips, seeing wild elephants and cheetahs with my own eyes, visiting the Kuomboka ceremony, meeting so many interesting people, and collecting stories and experiences almost every week," she reflects. "Sometimes it still feels surreal how quickly completely unfamiliar things can become part of everyday life."

For Szabo, the experience has also been a personal proof-of-concept. "I wanted to see whether I could successfully combine my scientific knowledge with development and humanitarian work in practice," she says. "This experience has shown me that environmental challenges, local realities, and development work are tightly connected."

She is not finished yet. With several months of her deployment ahead, she remains focused on the work and the learning.

"For the rest of my deployment, I hope to continue learning from the communities and people around me, gain more field experience, and deepen my understanding of climate resilience and sustainable development," she says. "I know there will still be challenges ahead, but I also know that this experience is already shaping me in ways I could not have imagined before arriving in Zambia."

The HVSA programme, through which Szabo serves, deploys young Europeans alongside ADRA teams in multiple countries, building, as the partnership describes it, "bridges of solidarity, learning, and mutual understanding."

This story was produced as part of communications for the Humanitarian Volunteering for Solidarity Activities (HVSA) project. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.