Comments on: Uniterra Leave for Change Volunteer Project in Nepal

By: Diana Consell

Diana Consell — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:26:39 +0000

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.

By: jibesh

jibesh — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 04:00:46 +0000

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.

By: Angela via FB

Angela via FB — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:48:00 +0000

Where will you be in Nepal?

By: Ian Selvarajah

Ian Selvarajah — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:48:00 +0000

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.

By: Ian Selvarajah

Ian Selvarajah — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:47:00 +0000

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!

By: Ian Selvarajah

Ian Selvarajah — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:39:00 +0000

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..."

By: Pascale

Pascale — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:43:00 +0000

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…

By: Ian Selvarajah

Ian Selvarajah — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:31:00 +0000

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!

By: Daria via FB

Daria via FB — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:30:00 +0000

Sounds stimulating and fulfilling…How did you get involved at first?