Following the path of international volunteer work

Lucie and Tharcisse during their mandate in Senegal

It’s been three years now that we have been following the path of international volunteer work. On May 18 of this year, on a beautiful Ontario spring day, we left Sudbury for Senegal. We were travelling to Kaolack, a city located 189 kilometres from the Senegalese capital of Dakar, where we were warmly greeted by members from the Association pour la Promotion de la Femme Sénégalaise (APROFES).

International volunteer work is like an addiction; the more you do it, the more you want to keep doing it. For us, the thing that has kept us motivated to stay involved over the past few years is the simple fact that we’ve seen how we can make a difference, however small, in our host country.

Whenever we set out as volunteers we have specific missions and responsibilities to complete our mandates. For our current roles as Operationalization and Strategic Planning Advisor and Human Resources Management Advisor respectively, these include building awareness about women’s rights, increasing the social, political, and economic roles of women, improving women’s access to healthcare services, promoting economic independence for women, and reducing violence towards women.

Though challenging at times, the experience is always exciting and drives us to put our organizational skills, creativity, and theoretical knowledge to the test. Learning about a new culture is always enriching, in part because we are meeting people and living in a country where we are always learning something new.

An adventure like this brings so much positivity, and we would recommend it to anyone. We encourage everyone who can to hit the road and set off in the same direction – heading towards a better world that is free of poverty. Welcome to the wonderful world of international volunteering.

Lucie Mailloux and Tharcisse Kabeya

Lucie Mailloux and Tharcisse Kabeya are currently in Senegal completing their third mandate as Crossroaders with the Association pour la promotion de la femme sénégalaise (APROFES). From 2012 to 2014, they were working with the Groupe de réflexion et d’action, Femme, Démocratie et Développement (GF2D) in Togo.