Hi folks!
My name is Roxanne Ma and I am a third year student at the University of Toronto Scarborough, majoring in the International Development Studies Co-op Program. I am so thrilled to be going to Malawi for eight months this summer to work for not one, but TWO organizations in Blantyre as a Gender Programme Officer. I will be working with the Girls Empowerment Network (GENET) and the Centre for Conflict Management and Women Development Affairs (CECOWDA). GENET is a human rights based organization that focuses on female youth empowerment and HIV education, and I will be assisting them in organizing events, proposal writing, gender programming, and advocacy. With CECOWDA, also a rights-based organization focused on women’s empowerment, particularly mobilizing against violence, I will be aiding them in the Victim Support Unit with the local Bangwe police, a program supporting survivors of domestic violence, as well as assisting with income-generating activities for local women.
I am SO excited for this position because (if you can’t already tell) I am very passionate about women’s and gender issues as well as development issues. I feel that this position is the perfect match for me and I can’t even describe how much I look forward to getting in the field and starting my job! A short background on some of my experiences: over the last academic year, I worked at the Women’s Centre on my campus, which helped both strengthen and diversify my experiences with working in the area of women’s/gender issues as well as equity issues. Last summer, I went to India (West Bengal) for two months to volunteer with a local organization called Pratibandhi Kalyan Kendra (PKK), which works with children with hearing disabilities in the local community. This was such an enriching experience and I learned so much not only about India and the disability development sector, but also about myself. I can’t wait to see what Malawi brings me!
Much love,
Roxanne