CECI is very pleased to announce the return of the volunteer cooperation mandates outside of Canada! Are you a Canadian citizen or resident? You can now plan an international volunteer mandate. Mandates are possible in the following eight (8) countries: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Guatemala, Haiti, Nepal, Rwanda and Senegal.
If you speak French, English or Spanish and can commit between 3 months and 1 year, here are the areas of expertise available to you :
What is volunteer cooperation?
International volunteering is a chance to get involved and contribute your specific expertise to projects that promote greater social justice on an international scale. By sharing your skills and expertise, and working closely with local partners, as a CECI volunteer you contribute to the economic empowerment of women and young women, as well as the resilience of communities to climate change.
Is volunteering for me?
Volunteer cooperation is not only for experts in international development. On the contrary, it is for anyone with specific expertise who wants to share their knowledge while living an enriching experience on a personal and professional level.
Therefore, there is no typical profile to embark on the adventure of volunteer cooperation. An international volunteer could be a business person who takes a few months off to support local businesses in Guatemala. Or it could be a retired communications consultant looking for new challenges. An international volunteer could also be a new graduate in international studies who decides to support a cooperative of women rice producers in Burkina Faso.
François de Montigny's experience in Bolivia
The diversity of the profiles of CECI volunteers is certainly surprising. From young graduates to seasoned professionals, the experience and expertise are varied, multiple, and sometimes surprising. I am certainly part of this enriching heterogeneity because of my somewhat atypical profile (...) If I share with you today this process, and the many benefits that CECI has brought me since the beginning of my mandate, it is first and foremost to convince some of you, who may be hesitant to take the plunge, to take the plunge and get involved in what will be, at the very least, an excellent opportunity to learn, share and grow. François de Montigny, volunteer for CECI-Bolivia
Why volunteer with CECI?
As François de Montigny testifies, volunteer cooperation is an experience of sharing and exchange: "The beauty - well, one of the beauties - of CECI's mandates is that they really emphasize cooperation. You will not be the expert telling you what to do, but you will put your skills at the service of a partner organization whose work, challenges and successes you will share. Like your colleagues, you will learn as much as you collaborate, in a mutually beneficial relationship that benefits everyone. And let's not forget that you will be actively working towards the ideals that you certainly hold dear, and supporting the work of people who are trying to make a better life for their fellow citizens every day.
By becoming a volunteer, you contribute both through your expertise to have a positive social impact by working with local partners, while developing on a human level. The exchanges, the encounters and this cultural discovery will leave a lasting impression on you.
I can tell you that, for my part, I did not regret it even for a moment. François de Montigny, volunteer for CECI-Bolivia
