by Germán Robles Osun

27 August 2010

Abeche, Chad: ”Many people and organizations have made a difference in my life, and I want to give back. I come from a low-middle income family in northern Mexico, and I have been exceptionally lucky… I remember seeing foreigners doing volunteer work around my community… I wanted to talk to them but I never did. And then suddenly, I woke up here in Chad with my ID from the UNV programme next to my bed. It is a great way to wake up! I can’t express the happiness, emotions and also the level of responsibility that I feel. UNV turns to reality my dream of giving back to society. The work done by Sérgio Vieira de Mello, a former Brazilian and UN diplomat, was an additional inspiration for me to become a UNV Volunteer.”

Germán Robles Osun, joined as the UNV Support Office Project & Advocacy Officer with the United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (MINURCAT) in 01 May 2010. There are more than 200 UNV volunteers in Chad, each with unique skills and perspectives. Germán was challenged with the mission’s initial phase, including maintaining the trust of local NGOs and volunteer organizations, building capacity, transferring knowledge to local partners and organizing volunteer activities.

Since his deployment to Abeche, the fourth largest city in Chad, he has applied his knowledge and experience in political and social affairs to strengthen the local social structures for development. Germán advocated for capacity development in local organizations with the involvement of UNV volunteers in MINURCAT. Creating and increasing awareness of UNV’s impact at MINURCAT demonstrates how joint-citizen efforts can be the catalyst for development.

“About eleven years someone asked me a question that marked my life: ‘Once you get into the field, what are you going to do?’. I have heard debates at the European and British parliaments as well as at the U.S. capitol. I have also heard the voices of local organizations in Latin America, the Middle East and now here in Africa… Furthermore, all the books and speakers I read or heard during my graduate studies end with the same conclusion, ‘We have to develop the local capacities’… The question is how? And that has become my quest. As a Project & Advocacy Officer, I feel a special responsibility because advocacy is about change, civic engagement, volunteerism, and thus, it is about developing the local capacities. In 2015, I believe that the development of local capacities will also be one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), perhaps MDG #9. Developing local capacities is as important as natural, financial and material resources... I think UNV volunteers play a key role [in this area].”

The first obstacle that Germán had to overcome was building trust. However, he says that in the end, the biggest challenge was actually maintaining and transforming the trust into cooperation. “I think this is when mentoring and coaching comes into place.  I am devoting my time to building trust and allowing our partnerships to grow.” According to him, time was a challenge too. “But we want to leave a mark, all of us, that’s why we are working extra-hard.”
 
Germán’s main indicators for achievements thus far are the number of Knowledge Transfer trainings, the number of participants in relation to the NGOs, the number of women, and the number of participants,   which remained constant during the sessions. 

The sessions started during the last week of June 2010 and are directed mainly to the top three or four members of the local NGOs. On average there are about 12 participants and two types of sessions, a group session involving all the NGOs, and individual sessions with each NGO. In one month, they have had four Knowledge Transfer group sessions; they were about: (1) the role of the UNV volunteers and local NGOs for development, (2) fundraising with emphasis on grant-writing, (3) partnerships for the MDGs, and (4) the planning process.

The methodology for each session is collaborative learning. Germán also tailors each meeting to focus on issues specific to the NGO. Some of the NGOs are on their third individual meeting (lasting an average of 3 hours). These meetings allow them to get a better understanding of the NGO and its needs. “The representation of women has been limited to one woman only in two sessions. In the group sessions, we have discussed gender equity. The men have shared their concerns, but it is necessary to turn into action. I am currently training national staff in the UNV Support Office, so that eventually they actively engage women in the trainings.” 

The NGOs are eager to learn and apply what they have learned to improve their practices.  Germán tells the NGOs that “we are not here to tell you what or how to do your work… We can offer perspective of what has worked and what has not worked in other countries, and you choose whatever you consider is applicable to your case.”

“This is tremendously important to understand from both sides. I believe this approach is increasing their ownership of the projects, and thus increasing their level of commitment. They have invited me to see what they do and learn how they work. We are here to provide perspectives, which together with commitment and professionalism are three of the competitive advantages of UNV volunteers.”

“I will not forget how they were debating in which MDG we could have greater impact by using limited budgets. Issues of sustainability and monitoring and evaluation were all discussed. They are the leaders of civil society in Abeche. They know where they want to go. Our role is to support them.” Germán would like NGOs to implement this new knowledge, organizational and event planning improvement in two areas.

In the first area, UNV volunteers are helping NGOs to improve their organizational and technical skills.  Through workshops about grant-writing, project management, communications, outreach, and topics related to their area of expertise, such as food security, environment, HIV/AIDS and human rights, NGOs learn valuable skills from the UNV volunteers. They also learn how to manage their partnerships, especially on conflict transformation. 

In the second area, event planning, the NGOs work with the UNV volunteers in Chad to conduct events to have an impact on the community. This way, when events are organized, they also think about new concepts and ways of doing things. “I think we can say: ’improving their practices by learning and doing.’ My role is to learn how to mentor and coach them.”

The UNV Support Office is currently arranging workshops so that UNV volunteers can share their perspectives with NGOs and in turn learn from local partners. By working together in joint-initiatives targeting the priorities of the local population, the UNV programme in Chad is focusing its efforts on achieving the MDGs. Specifically, this collaboration is working towards MDG #8, a global partnership for development.

What’s next for Germán? “I feel very proud, happy, and often tired. Nevertheless, I have a great mentor who keeps me well focused and motivated… Working in Emergency Operations brings very unique professional and personal adaptation challenges. But despite all that, I am looking forward to more. And we cannot forget the MDGs indicators!”