This text is part of the special section on International Cooperation
When we think of volunteers sent to international cooperation projects, we often think of a CEGEP student filled with ideals who wishes to help the world while discovering it. It happens that this desire remains over the years and that it encourages parents to continue the adventure with their children. Stories.
The first time that Jolyane Bérubé carried out an international cooperation mission was in 2005, in Rwanda. She was on an internship, single, childless. Returning to Rwanda in April for a renewable one-year term, her situation is quite different: she now has a husband of Rwandan origin and three daughters.
Even if the logistics are more complex with the family, Jolyane Bérubé could not resist when she saw the possibility of becoming a country representative in Rwanda for the CLÉ program (Skills, leadership, education) implemented by the Paul Gérin Foundation. -Lajoie, Éducation internationale and the Fédération des cégeps, and funded by the Government of Canada.
The CLÉ program focuses its actions on three national priorities: increasing the participation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, improving inclusion and increasing the quality of vocational and technical training.
“We had to start by gaining the trust of our partners in the field of education,” explains Jolyane Bérubé. Then, they had to establish needs and we are recruiting volunteers to help them meet them. Volunteers are starting to arrive now. »
It remains that for her daughters who had come to Rwanda in the past only for short stays, the adventure requires a great deal of adaptation. At school, for example, teaching is done in French and English, and they also learn Kinyarwanda.
“It is certain that it is pocket to change school, to have to leave his friends, but at the same time, it is very instructive as an experience, comments Maëla, 13 years old. The Rwandan school covers many international subjects, such as globalization and the different ecosystems. My English also improved a lot and I learned some basics in Kinyarwanda. »
In addition to bringing this experience to her children, Jolyane is happy to show them the power of cooperation. “There is really a good exchange between different countries, different cultures, and that’s what helps to find more innovative ideas,” she explains. One of our partners is the Ministry of Education of Rwanda: there is really a political will to improve the quality of education. It’s motivating. »
To get closer to her husband’s family and get to know the culture better, Cyrielle Riocreux moved to Benin this year with her family. Specialized educator trained in France and who worked for several years in Quebec, notably at the Fondation Dr Julien, she decided to take the opportunity to share her expertise by carrying out an international cooperation mandate. Thus, last September, she became a special education counselor in the CLÉ program.
Cyrielle works in the Hibiscus primary school which integrates children with disabilities. “It’s already good, because generally they are rejected by society and we don’t really care about their education”, remarks Cyrielle Riocreux.
But the school has great needs and Cyrielle is implementing strategies to facilitate the inclusion of these children and enable them to succeed better. For example, to help non-verbal and autistic students, she created pictograms so that they could know the course of the day in class. “A pictogram indicates, for example, that it is time to greet everyone, to color, to have a meal, lists Cyrielle. It is very reassuring for these students to arrive in class and see all the activities planned for the day. »
She is also working on capacity building to ensure these initiatives are sustained beyond her nine-month tenure. “I work with the staff in place, but I also participated in the process of hiring and training new school life assistants whose role is to accompany these students in class,” she explains.
In addition to devoting herself to this school, Cyrielle must ensure that her own children, aged three and six, adapt well to Benin. “We chose a French school because the culture here is very different from France and Quebec,” she explains. In Benin, even if it is forbidden, children are sometimes beaten in certain schools and they are not necessarily given the right to express themselves, to give their opinion. »
Despite the challenges, she is happy to see that her children can have a different experience of what minority is. “In Benin, it’s me, like Blanche, who is part of the visible minority,” she says. This puts things into perspective. »
This family experience lived in Benin does not prevent the small family from wishing to return to Quebec in a few years. “For the children’s studies, but also because we like the Quebec way of life. »
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, pertaining to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.