What is “Leave for Change”?
Leave for Change is a subprogram of Uniterra, one of Canada’s leading international volunteer programs. The program offers individuals and companies the opportunity to contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). While Uniterra offers longer term projects, the Leave for Change program is unique in that it offers shorter projects that last 2-4 weeks. These are well suited for professionals who may not be able to take leaves of absence, but would like to offer their expertise as a volunteer. For more details on how the program works for employers and employees and how you can get involved, please visit the Uniterra website at www.uniterra.org.
Can someone make a difference in 2 to 4 weeks?
This is the most commonly asked question and the answer is “Yes!” The key strength, and what makes short term mandates work, is focus. Since the partners know the volunteer is only there for a short while, everyone works more efficiently to maximize their time. Most people don’t have the same sense of urgency to get things done when a volunteer is on a longer term project.
Knowing some of the complexities and challenges in humanitarian work, I knew I had big shoes to fill when the organizers kept telling me that the last short term volunteers were incredible! In the end, everyone was pleased with the results and I received these kind words from the partner I worked with:
“Your courage to choose a country that experienced a decade long civil war, diligence to get things done rightfully, a skill-set to adapt to a new environment and upbeat and pleasant personal traits in combination mitigated all challenges to make the program successful.”
What was your mandate?
The partner organization and I offered a “Business development and social entrepreneurship awareness” seminar to 8 of the largest NGOs in Nepal. The NGOs in attendance dealt with a range of social issues such as healthcare, energy, finance, forestry, media, etc. The participants also varied in age and experience so the audience was quite diverse. We presented business concepts in ICT, marketing and finance as well as recommendations around potential income streams to minimize donor dependence. The feedback received after the seminar indicated that it was a great learning experience for them.
Leave for Change mandates are focused on capacity building, so unlike a reconstruction mission I did after the Tsunami in Sri Lanka, this was more of a knowledge transfer/educational project. While this project wasn’t in the field at the grassroots level, as many volunteer projects are, the transfer of skills was still a very satisfying experience.
Who did you work with?
My project was a multi-partner placement; however, I worked primarily with Magnus Consulting, a social enterprise based in Nepal. Magnus has only been active in Nepal for 4 years, but, arguably, they’ve done more for the country than some NGOs that have been there much longer. Their current focus is to bring ICT to local farmers in rural areas of Nepal.
The founders’ courage and determination to push forward in a country that is experiencing significant political change is inspiring. Their core values of integrity, transparency, good governance and efficiency in everything they do, make Magnus a good example of why social enterprises are the way of the future in driving social change.
Would you recommend this program to others?
Absolutely! After my experience with Tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka, I feel everyone, at some point, should volunteer in a developing country. My experience in Nepal further cemented that belief. A short term Leave for Change project is ideal as it allows you to sample volunteerism. Although humanitarian work isn’t meant for everyone, Leave for Change is a great way to get your feet wet! It’s an amazing experience both personally and professionally; I highly recommend it!
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask as I’m happy to share my experience!
Sounds stimulating and fulfilling…How did you get involved at first?
Hey Daria! Good to hear from you!
Yes, definitely stimulating and fulfilling! In terms of how I got involved, I had my first taste of the humanitarian sector when I went to Sri Lanka so when I heard Deloitte had a partnership with Uniterra for volunteer projects, I wanted to be a part of it!
An organization can become a Uniterra partner (see the website for details) and send however many employees they can afford. I was fortunate to be one of the 2 selected for this year’s Leave for Change program!
Hummm! Intéressant Ian tes propos quant au fait de focuser davantage et d’avoir le sentiment d’urgence en affectation court terme…
Je positionnerais les choses autrement toutefois. Les interventions des conseillers volontaires court et long terme sont par définition complétement différentes.
En court terme, l’apport du conseiller volontaire est forcément ponctuel et basé sur des actions spécifiques, ciblées, précises. D’où le “focus”.
En long terme, le conseiller volontaire agit comme un agent de changement et ses actions s’encrent davantage dans un processus de changement en profondeur. On ne parle pas ici de bâtir un puits,un orphelinat ou un dispensaire et de repartir, pour reprendre cette image clichée sur les humanitaires ! Mais bien de changer des mentalités, de transformer des systèmes. Par exemple : donner accès à l’éducation aux jeunes ou encore favoriser l’accès au micro-crédit pour les femmes. De tels changements impliquent la transformation de mentalités et plusieurs acteurs doivent être considérés pour permettre ces changements, pas seulement les bénéficiaires. “L’urgence” n’est donc pas LA façon de faire pour y parvenir !!!
Ce qui est intéressant, c’est de voir la complémentarité des actions des conseillers volontaires long et court terme. Le premier agit en profondeur et le second vient soutenir les actions favorisant le changement par ses compétences spécifiques.
Ce n’est donc pas que les conseillers long terme et leurs partenaires ont moins ce sentiment d’urgence, mais plutôt que leurs actions nécessitent du temps pour être efficaces…Dans ce cas, la ligne droite n’est pas le chemin le plus court…
Thanks for the insightful comment Pascale! For those who might not speak French, let me do a quick translation since she brings up some really good points:
“That’s an interesting comment about the sense of urgency on short term mandates…
However, I would position things differently. The projects by short and long term volunteers are, by definition, completely different.
On short term mandates, the focus comes from the fact that the volunteer’s advice is for specific, targeted and precise actions.
On long term mandates, the volunteer acts as a change agent and their actions are entrenched further for a deeper change. We’re not talking about digging a well or building an orphanage and going home- if we go back to the cliché image of volunteers!
We’re talking about changing mentalities and transforming systems. For example: giving youth access to education or to promote access to micro-financing for women. These types of changes imply a change in thinking and many stakeholders, not just the benficiaries, must be considered to allow these changes. So, “urgency” is not THE way to accomplish this !!!
What is interesting, is to see how both long term and short term mandates complement each other. The former is in depth while the latter comes to support change with their specific competencies.
Thus, it’s not that the long term volunteers and their partners have less of a sense of urgency, but rather that their actions require more time to be effective. In this case, a straight line is not the shortest distance…”
Pascale – Thanks for the comment and I agree with you completely that short and long term mandates are completely different.
Believe me, I wasn’t trying to say that one was better than the other, but simply to point out that there is more of a sense of urgency on shorter mandates because of the time factor. I didn’t mean to imply that long term volunteers don’t have a sense of urgency at all!
For example, in Sri Lanka, it was fine to delay a meeting by a week or 2 because I was going to be there for 6 months. Had I done that in Nepal, I would have wasted 2/3 of my time there. I also knew several volunteers who felt they were wasting a lot of time because the beneficiaries would frequently postpone workshops/meetings because they had the luxury of time.
You brought up a great point about how short and long term mandates are complementary and I think that’s why Uniterra is said to be one of the leading programs in Canada!
Thanks again for the discussion!
Where will you be in Nepal?
Hey Angela! I was actually there for the project this past December.
I was staying right in Kathmandu in Lazimpat just off Prime Minister’s lane.
I thind that Uniterra is a organisation which help in the increse of food value in countries it covers all the aim of the organisation, isn’t it?
I am from Nepal. I am studying. I want to work in this organisation can I.
I will be going to Nepal too! I have only 2 weeks there so I am doing a lot of preparation in advance. My mandate is centered around the marketing of Bio-Briquettes.
The company that is sending me with Uniterra is Armtec Infrastructures and I am hoping that more of our structural engineers also participate in the program in the future. They have so much knowledge to share with developing countries.
Looking forward to sharing information with you Ian.