I have now officially completed my internship. I could tell a rosy story where everything went smoothly, but that would be a lie. The final outcome of my internship was not the one initially planned due to challenges that arose along the way, but I managed to overcome them. I believe that any volunteer could have an experience similar to mine, and that’s why I want to share it with you today—so that as a volunteer, you are ready for anything!
I worked for three months with CEEB, a local Bolivian organization. From the start, my experience was marked by significant delays. It took a long time for my role in the organization to become clear. This was the first time in two years that this small organization had hosted a volunteer. I believe there may have been a lack of preparation on their part or a misunderstanding of what it means to host an international volunteer remotely. When the objective was finally clarified, my teammate—another Canadian volunteer—and I realized that after a month, the organization still did not have access to the official documents needed to carry out our work. We had to overcome many obstacles and apply a lot of pressure to obtain the necessary information.
By the time the project—a nationwide survey in Bolivia—was finally set up, I only had two weeks left in my internship. As a result, my last two weeks were spent making calls. However, my team and I were unable to complete the required number of surveys, which meant I had to finish my internship without seeing the results of my work. My team is still conducting interviews and gathering more data, and I remain in contact with them because I want to see the final results of our surveys.
Even though I am disappointed that I couldn’t participate in the finalization of the project due to all the delays and obstacles we faced, I am extremely satisfied and proud of my work. With very little experience in women's entrepreneurship or surveys, I successfully designed a nationwide survey to collect quantitative data on the barriers women face in accessing financial products and services—something that, at the beginning of my assignment, I thought would be impossible.
As volunteers, we must be prepared for any changes in our work plan. We must be patient and self-sufficient. Many delays and unexpected challenges can arise, and we need to know how to manage them while continuing to learn. Our experiences may not always be what we hoped for, but we will always gain new skills and abilities that make us better. In doing so, we learn the true nature of international development—a field that is not always easy but has the potential to create lasting positive change in the world.