Blogs
| Leave for Change | |
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Larry Bergeron (Nova Scotia Community College) – NSCC Culinary Adventures Vietnam English 2010 Larry Bergeron, Chef at Nova Scotia Community College in Halifax, went to Vietnam as a Cooking and Baking Advisor. Bergeron offered training on curriculum design, marketing strategies, customer service and business concepts to students from the Hoa Sua Vocational School in Hanoi. Larry’s blog makes you feel like you’re traveling with him through words and images. The four-storey Hoa Sua hotel, officially named 'Baguette and Chocolat' is located in Cau May Street, up a small hill leading off the centre of Sapa town. It's a project managed by the famous Hoa Sua School based in Hanoi - a charity that recruits disadvantaged children and equips them with the skills necessary to enter employment in the catering and hospitality industry - The Hoa Sua is one of those places that defies easy classification. The training restaurants and Hoa Sua's other retail outlets are the 'finishing school' of the enterprise where the students put their skills into practice. (en anglais dans le blogue) |
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Angela Y. Chang (Deloitte) - Angela in Botswana Botswana English 2009 When I came back from climbing Kilimanjaro last year, I promised myself that I would go back to that continent "one day" to focus on giving to the local people. I felt that I've been given so much by experiencing a small part of Tanzania. I never expected the "one day" to come so soon, and I am stoked! I know my romantic view of Africa will be challenged on this assignment. This assignment will put me to work alongside local residents.(en anglais dans le blogue). |
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Fraser Milner Casgrain employees - Leave for Change Various countries Bilingual 2009 Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP (FMC) is pleased to participate in the Uniterra Leave For Change Program, enabling FMC members to use their specialized skills and knowledge to assist in worthy international development projects. In addition to providing their services to those who need it, firm members are able to expand their personal and professional goals through this unique and challenging volunteer opportunity. |
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Employees from University of British Columbia - Leave for Change Botswana, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Vietnam English 2009 I’ve conducted two Content Management Systems (CMS) Made Simple training sessions over the past couple of days, and the Women Against Rape staff have proven to be quick studies! I’m feeling quite positive about the staff’s willingness to learn and the user friendliness of CMS Made Simple. I think ongoing practice combined with the user guide I’m creating will be sufficient for the WAR team to maintain their website successfully. - Claire Moller, a 2009 Leave for Change participant, volunteered as a Web Designer in Botswana. She is currently a User Experience Architect for Enrollment Services at University of British Columbia. |
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Crystal McNamus (Nova Scotia Community College) - Vietnam2009 Vietnam English 2009 Crystal worked with the Vietnamese Ministry of Education to deliver a series of workshops on a variety of softwares and to help the Ministry with its communications. "My first days here were spent designing a new logo for the local Primary school along with a banner for their web site. Designing a logo via an interpreter in a country whose culture you don’t quite understand is a bit of a challenge. Somehow I have come up with something they are happy with. Whew!"(en anglais dans le blogue) |
| VOLUNTEERS | |
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François Rancourt - La Famille Rancourt-Giguère Nepal French 2010 Au tour de nos petits de voir le monde, de tracer sur la route de la coopération. Pour commencer, pourquoi pas un mandat d'un an avec les parents sur le toit du monde ? Récit d'aventures et d'un engagement familial dans la vie népalaise! |
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Alia Abouzeid - Coopérante au Mali Mali French 2010 Chez Cossette depuis 7 ans, je pars à l’aventure au Mali dans le cadre d’une année sabbatique. C’est en un mois seulement que tout s’est mis en place pour que ce beau projet se réalise! Ma mission: Oeuvrer en développement internationale pour une ONG de Bamako, l’Association Conseil pour le Développement (ACOD). Transférer mes connaissances en communication et assurer la pérennité des projets sur lesquels je serai impliquée. |
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Christiane Dupont - La vida en Bolivia Bolivie French 2010 Christiane est volontaire comme Conseillère en système écologique de dépuration d’eau à La Paz. Elle partage son expérience bolivienne, ses états d'être et ses états d'âmes par l'intermédiaire de son blogue. |
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Andrée-Ann Corbin – OieBolivie Bolivie French 2010 Volontaire comme Conseillère en développement touristique pour la ville d’Oruro, en Bolivie, Andrée-Ann et son compagnon Alain Couillard partagent leurs impressions sur la Bolivie et le travail volontaire via leur blogue dans le journal coopératif l’Oie Blanche de Montmagny, Québec. Le lendemain de notre arrivée, nous rencontrions le personnel et d’autres volontaires du CECI (Centre d’Études et de Coopération Internationale) travaillant à La Paz pour une journée d’orientation portant sur leurs programmes en Bolivie et divers aspects techniques. Le surlendemain, nous étions déjà à bord d’une camionnette en direction d’Oruro, ville où nous élirons domicile pour l’année à venir. |
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Jérôme Leblanc - Dji au Ghana Ghana French 2010 J’ai pu rencontrer, avec grande joie, hier la directrice de l’organisation partenaire avec laquelle je vais travailler, PAMOJA, qui était au Brésil depuis une dizaine de jours. Le partenaire originel auquel j’avais été affecté a changé. Mon nouveau mandat, davantage axé sur le développement organisationnel, correspondra davantage à mes compétences. Madame Millicent Akoto, Directrice de PAMOJA, nous a aidés hier à chercher un endroit où placer nos têtes sur nos oreillers pendant la prochaine année. |
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Daniel Berthiaume - Un coureur des bois au pays du karité Mali French 2009-2010 I’m doing an international cooperation mission with CECI, helping two organizations working with Shea. This blog will allow me to share my experiences, and give you the opportunity to comment and ask questions, which I will try my best to answer while in the country. (in French in the blog) |
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Sandra Demontigny - Notre vie en Bolivie Bolivia French 2009-2010 Sandra, Pierre-Luc, their 3 children - Daphnee (11 years-old), Matisse (7 years-old), Sacha (3 years-old) - and their dog Elsa are living in Bolivia for a year. Come share their experience of international cooperation work, school for the kids, new discoveries and new people, Welcome! (in French in the blog) |
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Sévrine Labelle - Quatre nomades en Afrique Burkina Faso French 2009 Sevrine Labelle was a volunteer cooperant with WUSC within the Uniterra program. She worked as a Finance Research Advisor for a group of organizations fighting AIDS in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Sevrine traveled with her husband, François Begin, and their two boys, Lucas and Raphael. |
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Anouk Malboeuf and Bertrand Meinier - L'eau et le sable, chronique d'une famille au Sénégal Senegal French 2008-2009 Anouk and Bertrand were an Environmental Managment Advisor and a Strategic Planning Advisor in Senegal. Everything started more than 10 years ago, with the meeting of two geographers crazy about adventure and discovery. Since then, the family grew. However, they kept their dreams and decided to share their passion for different changes and scenery with their kids: today, with a cooperation project with CECI. (in French in the blog) |
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Kate Roth - Kate's Trip to Vietnam Vietnam English 2008-2009 Kate Roth went with WUSC to Ninh Binh, Vietnam, to teach Canadian Methodology to Primary Teachers. She shares her personal impressions of her stay in Vietnam. |
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Antoine Jaujou - Nos aventures au Burkina Burkina Faso French 2007-2008 Antoine Jaujou and Geraldine Petiteau worked in Burkina Faso in 2007. Antoine volunteered as an Administration and Finance Management Advisor in HIV and AIDS, and also with Shea butter producers. Antoine and Geraldine’s blog shows lots of images of their stay in Burkina Faso, as well as their visits to Mali and Ghana. |
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Olivier Bertin-Mahieux - Olivier au Sénégal Senegal Bilingue 2007-2009 Olivier was a Management and Organizational Development Advisor in Senegal. His blog, full of images and videos, is a sample of his impressions of the culture and the different regions of the country. |
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Fabrice Larue - Une année au Sénégal Senegal French 2007-2008 Fabrice speaks philosophically about his volunteer work in St-Louis, Senegal in the River Senegal Valley. Above all, I am a man of encounters and discoveries. I came to Ross Bethio as a Rice Marketing Advisor in a volunteer position for the Canadian cooperation. (in French in the blog) |
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Scott Mickelson – Scott’s Trip to Nepal International Seminar participant Nepal English 2010 The village is on the side of a mountain (or a hill by Nepali standards) and the village is all terraced like the rice fields you see in some of my photos I uploaded. Our case study has been really successful we’ve had some key meeting and a focus group discussion with some of the village leaders for the community forest. We also did a presentation to the local school on Climate Change and played some games with the kids. |
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Dhruva Thakar - Dhruvainnepal's Blog International Seminar participant Nepal English 2010 After almost six months of anticipation, I am finally in Nepal! As you may know, I am participating in the WUSC (World University Service of Canada) International Seminar in Nepal. I will be here til end of July working on the theme Sustainable Forests and Livelihoods. Along with fellow Canadian and Nepali students, I will be working on projects in the Community Forestry and local organizations such as FECOFUN (www.fecofun.org/)and ANSAB (www.ansab.org/). I will update more information about my work as time goes along. |
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Jennifer Goemans - 2010 International Seminar in Nepals International Seminar participant Nepal English 2010 The first week we spent in Kathmandu, which was loads of fun. We spent most of the days training, but got to do some sightseeing as well. We finally got to meet all of the Nepali students and start connecting with them! Our groups were formed by the end of the week – I along with three other students (Karima, Kapil, and Manisha) became a group to research Community Based Forest Enterprises (CBFEs) in Ludidamgade, Gorkha! We are already getting lots of information on the two main CBFEs in Ludidamgade – leaf plates and bio briquettes. Don’t worry, I will have lots of pictures and explanations soon! |
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Marysia Parry - Marysia in Nepal International Seminar participant Nepal English 2010 Today I found out that I will be going to a district near Gorkha researching the theme of sustainable forest management (SFM). The best part about the district is that it is the only district that has a women only community forestry co-op and this particular group won a national award for sustainable forestry a few years ago! Isn't that amazing?!? I am going to learn SO much! |
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Niloofar Enterazi – Niloo’s Writes International Seminar participant Nepal English 2010 We’ve been working on our case studies a lot. My theme is pro poor strategies, which is the focus on making community forestry in Nepal benefit low income or marginalized (like women and indigenous groups). We are going to be carrying out our research while staying with our families in a village called Birenchok. We have our problem statements, questionnaires and methodologies all figured out and I cannot wait to get started. |
* The content of Blogs engages their author only, and does not necessarily reflect the views of Uniterra, CECI or WUSC.























