"I suppose it's a little bit addictive."
She returned to Dunedin recently after her most recent role with Volunteer Service Abroad, working in the poor rural area of Mthatha on the Eastern Cape of South Africa.
It was the third volunteer assignment in which Miss Morwood (69) has been involved, having earlier helped torture victims in Sri Lanka and Tibetan refugees.
For 14 months in Mthatha, she worked as a physiotherapist while also running a night gym programme where she rehabilitated people with disabilities and helped them gain confidence and independence.
While her four daughters support their mother's work, "they do think I'm a bit crazy".
Despite the deprived conditions, Miss Morwood said the work benefited both the people she helped and herself.
She had gained life-long friends and learnt valuable lessons.
"It's time out of your comfort zone. You learn a lot about people and challenge your own prejudices."
One of the biggest differences between developed countries and places like Mthatha was the commitment to group wellbeing, she said.
"Focusing on the individual is not common; it's all about the group. But they laugh a lot."
