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Durham resident fulfilling childhood dream
Aug 17, 2007 By: Danielle Milley(Previously published Sept. 15, 2005)
DURHAM -- Mark Simmons is about to embark on the experience of a lifetime.
It's going to be a life without the comforts of home -- hamburgers, Diet Pepsi and The Simpsons are some of the things he'll miss -- but the 29-year-old Durham resident is sure his experience in Accra, Ghana is one that will enrich his life in ways he can now only imagine.
Speaking at his mother's Courtice home before his Sept. 21 departure, Mr. Simmons seemed excited and prepared for his five-month volunteer internship.
It was March when he saw the posting on a not-for-profit job board and decided to apply for the position through Canadian Crossroads International. He'd been toying with the idea of going overseas for two years.
"Every time I read about someone's experience it sounded like a wonderful thing to do," he said.
CCI interviewed him and he soon found out he would be heading to Ghana to do computer training. He is going to be setting up a computer network at the West African AIDS Foundation (WAAF) office.
"I'm going there to teach them how to use computers and use them to make their jobs more efficient," he said.
When most people imagine volunteering in Africa, it includes visions of healing the sick or feeding the hungry, but Mr. Simmons' notes his job is important too.
"It will allow them to reach more people and do their work quicker so they can concentrate on the more important things," he said.
Mr. Simmons also gets the opportunity to work in the AIDS hospice and travel to villages to help with volunteer testing.
"That's probably the stuff I'm most excited about," he said.
To pursue this next phase of his life, Mr. Simmons is quitting his job as a web administrator for a not-for-profit organization in Toronto.
"I hope this is going to open a door, be a new chapter for me," he said, admitting leaving "is a little scary.
"I'm at the point where I want to do something new and I've found if you take risks it can be scary but they usually work out."
Mr. Simmons always had a bit of the travelling bug -- previously venturing to Ecuador on an eco-tour -- and Africa was on the list. The trip combines his desire to travel with his drive to help people.
"The main reason is I've worked with not-for-profit groups for most of my career so I have an interest in doing work that helps people," he said. "And I've always wanted to go to Africa, it's like a childhood dream."
After Mr. Simmons applied he was surprised to learn there was so much competition for the positions. Craig Anderson is a program officer with CCI. He said over the last few years they've changed the way the program is run and now fewer volunteers are sent overseas. Mr. Simmons is one of two Ontarians leaving for WAAF in September.
CCI is a 40-year-old international, non-profit organization funded by the Canadian International Development Agency and other government and non-government supporters, as well as international donors. It organizes partnerships between organizations in the south and Canada. The Ontario office works with India, Kenya, Togo and Ghana.
"Now with our partner overseas we develop a special job criteria of the kind of volunteer we need," Mr. Anderson said.
There are always more applicants than positions.
"Typically we get hundreds of applicants -- dozens of qualified people for a handful of positions," he said.
Qualified applicants are interviewed -- usually by a panel -- and CCI makes a recommendation to the overseas partner (sometimes they're included in the interview by speakerphone) who sees the interview summary and resume before making a final decision.
Mr. Simmons' reaction was mixed when he found out he had been selected.
"I was very excited and then after a few days a little bit nervous because I realized it was going to be a complete change for my life," he said.
As part of his training, Mr. Simmons has been learning more about the customs, culture and citizens of Ghana.
"A lot of the cultural information is what I found most interesting," he said. "For example, it's considered rude to hand someone something with your left hand and I'm left handed."
The CCI training has focused on cultural awareness, health, and the purpose of why they're going over. To that end he spent two weeks with the AIDS Committee of London, which is WAAF's partner organization. His stay there included a visit to an AIDS hospice.
"It definitely gave me a lot of insight into HIV and AIDS in Canada and by extension how it will be in Africa," Mr. Simmons said.
Mr. Simmons also did training through NetCorps, which is funding his internship. NetCorps is an international internship program managed by a nine-member coalition, of which CCI is a part. It is funded by Industry Canada and is a part of the federal government's Youth Employment Strategy.
The program is open to those between the ages of 19 to 30. When it began as a pilot project in 1997 it was the first that recruited volunteers in the information and communications technology field.
In addition to training, researching on his own time and brushing up on his IT knowledge, Mr. Simmons has been busy fundraising. Each volunteer is required to raise $2,000 to not only help with CCI's operating costs, but also to raise awareness about the organization and the cause.
He's contacted service clubs and corporations. As well, he set up a booth at venues across the region to raise awareness and money. For information about donating, call Mr. Simmons at 905-436-7453.
"People have been very supportive," he said. "That's really increased my enthusiasm about what I'm doing."
Some costs associated with the trip -- flight, vaccinations, training -- are covered for volunteers, and they are placed with a host family and given a modest living allowance.
"The reality is they're almost certainly better paid than the workers in the organization," said CCI's Mr. Anderson. "It's not enough for anyone to save but it is enough to live comfortably in the country they're in."
There were a few things to consider before Mr. Simmons accepted the position -- he would be away from his friends and family for months, including during the holidays and his 30th birthday -- but in the end the decision was clear.
"I was a little scared but I realized that if I go I may end up regretting it but if I don't go I'll definitely regret it," he said. "And, I really don't think I'll regret it."
