Solidarity for Change

For CECI, international volunteering represents a professional and personal commitment through which individuals play a crucial role in enhancing the impact of partner organizations, contributing directly to their evolution.

Our approach to volunteering is based on exchange, sharing and respect, aiming to encourage intercultural collaboration.  For us, volunteering has to be synonymous with egalitarian relations. All parties involved on both sides identify and develop learning objectives and share the benefits of the process. Volunteering requires a critical thinking on the dynamics of international power.

It mobilizes volunteers to share skills and expertise with partner organizations, supporting their development and promoting mutual learning and the values of social justice, equality and inclusion. 

We aim to building fair and egalitarian societies by:

• Enabling women to increase their income and financial control by entering employment or creating or developing a business, whether formal or informal.

• Strengthening female leadership for environmental sustainability, climate change adaptation and community resilience.

• Strengthening women’s rights, from a diversity and inclusion perspective.

Our volunteer assignments aim to respond to organizational development priorities defined by partner organizations, to amplify their impact on women’s economic empowerment. These development needs may involve changes in leadership, governance, processes, tools, or team management, impacting all organizational functions (human resources, communication, finance, programming, etc.). In order to meet these needs, various support skills are requested, such as advice, coaching, training and participatory animation, in addition to requiring specific expertise (technical skills).

The profiles we are looking for cover a wide range of expertise: entrepreneurship, gender equality, rights and diversity, environment and climate change adaptation, business administration, project management, feminist studies, communication, social marketing, management, social innovation, sustainable development, web development, monitoring evaluation learning and many more.

Sample mandates: As a volunteer, you may need to help an organization develop an advocacy campaign, by collecting data and assessing the national context. You would then guide your colleagues in setting goals and creating tools, then support them in meetings with key actors of change.

To volunteer, you must:

• Have a Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status and a permanent address in Canada.

• Wish for a transformative experience and be sensitive to international issues.

• Be available to travel internationally for the duration of the mandate (4 to 12 months), or be available a few hours per week to carry out a remote mandate from Canada.

• Match one of the assignments’ profiles and be selected by a partner organization.

Dedicated offices and staff in all countries of operation ensure the health and safety of volunteers. 

In addition, CECI offers:

• A pre-assignment training course. This training will help volunteers deepen their understanding of CECI and develop the skills and knowledge required to work during their tenure;

• Support for visa and work permit procedures and related costs;

• Reimbursement of vaccination costs approved by CECI;

• Medical insurance and emergency support;

• Support from a national team throughout the assignment;

• Monthly allowances for accommodation and subsistence;

• A return economy airfare between Canada and the assignment’s country;

• A return report.