Linda Bui climbed a mountain, survived a flood, fundraised for disaster relief and fulfilled two different job roles during her co-op in Sri Lanka.
“Working in the context of international development and in the non-profit sector often means that you're wearing different hats and going with the flow, so you need to be open-minded and flexible to changes,” says Bui, a fifth-year student in the International Development Studies Co-op Program at U of T Scarborough.
She started her placement as a monitoring and evaluation officer at the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, which provides micro loans to 5,000 women in villages in Southern Sri Lanka. When the organization suddenly needed a marketing and communications adviser halfway through her term, Bui switched gears. By the end, she had produced the program’s first annual report, created two promotional videos and conducted communications training – all in addition to her daily responsibilities.
Bui also conducted primary field research for her thesis on violence against women in the local community. “Having the opportunity to lead interviews and focus groups was a rewarding experience, as many of the women participants found it informative.”
“Having the opportunity to lead interviews and focus groups was a rewarding experience, as many of the women participants found it informative," says Bui.
While she says this research was her greatest accomplishment, the most memorable moment of the co-op was climbing more than 2,200 metres to the summit of Adam’s Peak, a mountain in the country’s central highlands. “We started the trek at 1 a.m. to make it up in time for a beautiful sunrise.”
Shortly before she returned to Canada, Bui witnessed a very different natural phenomenon – the worst flooding Sri Lanka had seen in 14 years. “Luckily, my staff, myself and everyone in my immediate circle were safe, but knowing how much it impacted our women entrepreneurs was challenging,” she says. “We arranged some care packages for our members, and I was part of a group that mapped and crowdsourced needs to connect with resources. It was a small action, but the feedback and support we received were uplifting. It led to the country's Disaster Management Centre taking notice on social media.”
The entire experience reaffirmed Bui’s ambition to pursue a career in community-based development with a focus on her three passions: the environment, health and gender. Her recent nomination as a 2018 Ontario Council for International Cooperation Global Changemaker Ambassador has been an exciting development in her final year at UTSC. “It’s a huge honour,” she says. “The calibre of talent recognized previously, including some alumni of the IDS program whom I've had the privilege of meeting, is incredible. To be considered a part of this group make me feel deeply grateful and humbled.”