Met my kick-ass Cuso International volunteer mobilization advisor today, the lovely Mariana, (pictured below in the centre) in chilly Ottawa, where I am immersed in a three-day skills and safety training course before leaving for Saint Lucia beginning April 23^rd. Mariana has been with since the start of this incredible opportunity, walking me through the intake process and required paperwork.

I also met fellow Cuso volunteers Chio, destined to Peru, and Talyn, who is headed to Jamaica, where the closest in-country Cuso office to Saint Lucia is located.

As a volunteer Communications and Engagement Advisor for Cuso, I will be working full time with the Government of Saint Lucia’s Gender Division and local women’s equality organizations to implement the Blueprints for Gender Equality project, a four-year, $2.5 million project funded by Global Affairs Canada. The project aligns with Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy and aims to strengthen the capacity of public institutions to address gender equality issues faced by women, girls and marginalized groups.

Blueprints for Gender Equality is a new Eastern Caribbean program for Cuso, and I will be the first volunteer sent to work on it.

A huge thank you to friends, colleague’s and family who responded to my social media announcement, sent encouraging messages, shared my Cuso fundraising page and made donations to it. I am halfway to reaching the required $2000 😊 and I am so deeply moved and grateful for all the support and kindness💗🙏 It truly means so much to me.

Fundraising and sharing this life long goal on social media sure was a crash course in vulnerability I hadn’t foreseen! The first of many growth experiences to come, no doubt.