Author Archives: cosv

Interview to…Doha, finance officer In Lebanon

When did you start working with COSV? And how?

I  started with COSV at the end of 2007, through checking a website  for job vacancies.

What does it mean for you working for an NGO?

It feels very comfortable to work with an NGO because they provide high respect  to employees and the society, and it offered me the opportunity to support my Society on various levels.

How is your involvement in an international NGO perceived within your social context?

I see lots of appreciation from the community for the type of Services that COSV presents.

Which have been the most meaningful experiences?

During one of the projects that we were running for the part related to Human Rights, we had to work with migrant workers, and I heard lots of stories from maids that were working and made me realize how racist and arrogant our society is and that was a shock because I always assumed that my society was very fine!

Have you experienced changes and disappointment in these years?

What is sad about my career is that I get used to people that work here in Lebanon and learn their way of work and all the related details, and we feel that we are a family, but then they have to leave. It is very frustrating because it feels like you say farewell to one of your family members.

What do you expect from your future?

I hope I can maintain a good progress within my work, and to be able to be a good mom on the personal level, because I live a bit far from my work, so most of my time is spent away from home.

How do you see Lebanon in 20 years?

I hope we learn to be more united, less racist, and to have more developed social, educational, environmental and health services because we are missing lots!

INTERVIEW TO…Rejoice, midwife in South Sudan

When did you start working with COSV and how you got there?

I started in February 2013, after responding to a vacancy that COSV had published in Juba.

What does it mean for you to work with an NGO? How is your involvement in an international NGOs perceived within your social context?

Working for COSV is offering me the opportunity to give support to the people of my country, perhaps in a more concrete and direct way than it would be if I worked in a private company or for the government. My family is happy with the work I do, and, working in a place far from home,  I can avoid pressures (such as requests for money) which often occur from people of the extended family to a relative who has a steady income.

What is the impact of what you are doing?

The community I serve proves to appreciate my work, because people receive important information on pregnancy and the support to mothers, and because my job sometimes helps to save lives, and also because I am one of their compatriot.

Tell us about a meaningful experience.

I cannot forget the time a pregnant woman died right before my eyes from complications of childbirth and we could not intervene.

Have you experienced changes / disappointments?

Since I work with a community that speaks a different language from mine, there is often the frustration of not being able to communicate directly with patients who do not speak Arabic.

What do you expect from your future?

From the future I hope to be able to help others even more, thanks to more detailed studies that intend to pursue in order to achieve a more specialized professional level.

How do you see your country in 20 years?

I think it will be more developed, with more schools, more adequate health services, and the elimination of ethnic and tribal contrasts that cause so many divisions.

INTERVIEW TO…Reginald, administrator in Zimbabwe

When did you start working with COSV and how did you come to know this organization?

I joined COSV in June 2003. I was previously employed by a Commercial Bank where COSV held an account and an outgoing expatriate administrator who used to liaise with me at the bank offered me the job. At the time earning a salary that was denominated in USD was extremely attractive, so I grabbed the opportunity.

What does it mean for you to work with an international NGO?

International NGOs in Zimbabwe are more stable and receive direct funding from International donors i.e. EU, USAID, WFP etc. They are a reliable form of employment due to the regular funding for projects and they are also major players in the alleviation of hardships faced by the vulnerable population of rural areas as well as disadvantaged persons in the country as a whole.

How is your involvement in an international NGOs perceived within your social context?

International NGOs and their staff are highly regarded in the communities they serve and being an aid worker gives one a lot of satisfaction because your efforts are for the good of the disadvantaged. Communities view us as lifesavers and constantly request us to intervene where Government has not addressed their plight or is incapable due to funding constraints, especially in the delivery of social services.

What do you think is the impact of your work?

Livelihoods are greatly improved in the communities we serve. There is greater food security in areas where food security interventions are implemented. There is also better health services provided in communities where health interventions have been implemented. The HIV/AIDS programs greatly reduced the incidents of HIV transmission from parents to newly born babies and within the sexually active age groups as there were intensive/extensive awareness campaigns; furthermore we have also guaranteed care of people who are already infected, so they can live better and longer thanks to the ART programs rolled out.

Which changes have you experienced in your work in these years? Which disappointments/ achievements?

Aside from the period between 2007 and 2008 when there was a massive economic down turn in the country and goods where difficult to procure, my job has been fulfilling. The only disappointments to note are the good project proposal that have not been accepted for funding or have not been extended for longer such as a project that was benefiting the disabled living with HIV, a constantly overlooked population sector.

Which have been the most significant experiences of these years?

Surviving during the dark years of 2007 & 2008 when the economy had totally collapsed and there were no commodities in the formal market.