Personal stories

During my studies in international development cooperation, I had the opportunity to discover the world of Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation when I carried out an internship in a Luxembourgish NGO and also within the NGDOs’ Cercle de Coopération. My experiences in these internships really strengthened my desire to work in the area of development cooperation. After my studies, I was looking for a job in a development project on the ground in order to apply the skills I had learnt and to expand my knowledge while living in a developing country. When I found out about the junior technical assistant (JTA) programme, I realised it was the perfect route for realising my personal and professional ambitions.

My work as a JTA in the VET and Employability programme in Senegal is very varied. Each day is different. The tasks I carry out alternate all the time between the LuxDev technical office, the Senegalese Ministry of Vocational Training and field missions at training centres and technical high schools. I am mainly responsible for monitoring the programme’s operational programming and indicators, but I also monitor the partnership agreements. In addition, I work on facilitating and optimising collaboration and communication within the team. However, the field missions are one of my favourite activities because they enable me to observe and analyse at first hand the programme’s impact on the beneficiaries.

My experience in Senegal has included many unforgettable impressions in both professional and personal terms. My professional highlight has been creating a partnership between three high schools in Senegal. The personal commitment and tireless motivation of those involved were impressive and reaffirmed my passion to continue to work in this field.

I started the JTA programme in September 2019 and I work in Cabo Verde for the Employment and Employability Programme. Before working with LuxDev, I worked for a microfinance NGO as project officer and for a research company in Brussels. I have a political science degree and a European master’s degree in human rights.

To give you a different way of looking at things, I’m going to tell you about a working day during a mission. We start with a team meeting at breakfast to review the day’s programme, and then we meet our driver and travel to the meeting points. I have carried out most of my missions on the island of Santo Antão, where we have to travel along steep paths to get to the places we are visiting. The associations supported by the rural tourism project have built small tourism units, such as restaurants or guest houses. We reach the meeting places and start with a review with the association on what has been achieved and the problems encountered, then we start the planned training or workshop. At the end of the day, we check in again with the team to prepare for the next day before the evening meal. On these days, I can see the progress made by projects on the ground and discuss with the beneficiaries their needs, and, above all, share in their day-to-day experiences.

My highlight while here is the people I work with. Cabo Verde is a very welcoming country and the Cabo Verdeans are its best ambassadors. The team is very considerate, and this is a key element for well-being at work, especially at the beginning when I didn’t speak the language. I was able to work with my colleagues on the various projects, discuss them with them and ask them all the questions I had. It is a pleasure to work with the local partners and associations and share their knowledge of the country. Through their commitment and willingness to share I have been able to learn a lot.