Posted March 5, 2015
Before I departed for my service, the most frequent question I am asked in regards to my Peace Corps Service is, "What will you do once you are there?" The honest answer was- "I have no idea."
Even today, well into my service, I it is difficult to explain what I do. My formal title is NGO (Non-Government Organization) Development Volunteer, or Community Economic Development Volunteer. The main goal of this role is to help build the capacity of organizations, governments, and individuals in this country. Capacity building includes strategic planning, grant writing, fundraising, volunteer management, promoting volunteerism, education, etc.
The Peace Corps has provided a short, generic description of the duties of an NGO Development Volunteer:
Before I departed for my service, the most frequent question I am asked in regards to my Peace Corps Service is, "What will you do once you are there?" The honest answer was- "I have no idea."
Even today, well into my service, I it is difficult to explain what I do. My formal title is NGO (Non-Government Organization) Development Volunteer, or Community Economic Development Volunteer. The main goal of this role is to help build the capacity of organizations, governments, and individuals in this country. Capacity building includes strategic planning, grant writing, fundraising, volunteer management, promoting volunteerism, education, etc.
The Peace Corps has provided a short, generic description of the duties of an NGO Development Volunteer:
- An NGO Development Volunteer volunteer will provide assistance to NGO members, municipality employees and other members of Macedonian communities interested in developing their skills focused in their area of interest.
These areas of interest can include:
- Environmental Awareness and Improvement
- Women's Issues
- Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Groups, such as Roma and Physically Disabled
- Multi-Ethnic Collarboartion
- Agricultural Associations
- and of course, others...
Typical responsibilities may include:
- Improving Skills in Project Development
- Strategic Planning
- Resource Acquisition
- Improving Day-to-Day Operational Capacities
Finally, while networking, grant proposal development and grant management skills, and financial sustainability are the main goals of NGO Development Volunteers, host organizations primarily request support in organizational development. Of course, Community Economic Development volunteers make up only half the PCV count in Macedonia, and the other sector is solely TEFL Education (English teaching).
As you read through my blog, you will learn more about how I work with AIESEC Prilep, a non-profit student organization based at the Economics University in Prilep. However, I want to also list some other possible roles and projects other volunteers have while working in Macedonia:
- Municipality: Volunteers who work in a municipality usually focus on a department, and work closely with the political party in power in that town. As one may guess, office culture is dictated by "politics as usual," so it is often the case that volunteers working for a municipality experience a "rain or shine" workload. Some volunteers I know never found a role for themselves at the municipality in which they work. Others work closely on cross-border grants and projects to improve infrastructure and develop programs in their town. It all depends on where a volunteer is placed and how the work culture is at that municipality.
- Environmental: The opportunities to work with these organizations are rare. Altogether, about 1 or 2 volunteers from my group work with NGOs focused on environment within Macedonia, and for the most part they work more closely with environmental education than with conservation projects.
- Youth: Organizations of this nature seem to be the biggest opportunity for PCVs. As it is often said, "the children are our future," so PCVs work closely in shaping healthy habits and professionalism for the long term development of Macedonia. The focus of many youth organizations include developing soft skills, improving their English, as well as focusing on a special issue. Some of these can include improving volunteerism, employment prospectives, and inter-cultural bridging (ie. Macedonians and Albanians).
- Marginalized Groups: The two biggest marginalized groups with which PCVs work in Macedonia include the disabled (mentally or physically challenged) as well as the Roma population. PC Macedonia may soon create its own sector for working with handicapped people.
Of course, volunteers also work on Secondary Projects (in addition to their primary site), that either they initiate or are passed down from group to group. These include:
Interested in earning more? Read the NGO Training Guide on the PC website (caveat: it is just under 200 pages long!)
- Young Men's Leadership Project or Girls Leading our World
- Spelling Bee
- Macedonian Model UN
- Essay Contest
- Environmental Working Group
- Pauza (Volunteer Newsletter)
Interested in earning more? Read the NGO Training Guide on the PC website (caveat: it is just under 200 pages long!)
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