At Conciliation Resources we are very proud of the work we do and the difference we can make to those living with violent conflict. However, our work simply wouldn’t be possible without our incredible volunteers.
Anita Bianchi was a volunteer with our Partnership Development team. She explains her role and motivations:
Volunteering has always played an important role in shaping my interests and in helping me to discover which path to follow. For example my time volunteering in Mozambique with children in local communities inspired me to do a Master in development studies.
During my studies, I learnt about armed conflicts, their drivers and their consequences. And when you read about conflicts, you want to know about peace too. This is how I discovered Conciliation Resources and I closely followed its work throughout my studies. When I saw a volunteering vacancy with Conciliation Resources advertised, I did not hesitate to apply!
I already knew that volunteering as a Fundraising Assistant would be a great addition on my CV, what I didn’t know was that I was about to embrace an experience that would teach me so much.
I have been able to gain a rounded understanding of how a peacebuilding organisation works. It has been great to be surrounded by colleagues from different parts of the world, with different backgrounds, and I have worked on wide ranging tasks. Furthermore, at many organisations my role would be narrow, but not here.
During my volunteering time I have attended internal workshops on the role gender in peacebuilding, gained an in-depth understanding of donors’ priorities, and got a better insight on how projects are funded. This experience has been a unique opportunity to put into practice the things that I have been studying for the past year.
Once again, volunteering has been a very rewarding experience. Volunteering with Conciliation Resources has helped me to better understand what I want to do in my future, which are the challenges that I might face, and which are the skills I have to strengthen.