Meet Pauline. She hails from the small nation of Belgium, dreams of owning a goat, and has a smile that radiates all the way from her brand new office in Obo, Central African Republic (CAR). Invisible Children is excited to welcome Pauline to the IC Africa team as the CAR Programs Officer. We don’t know how we’ve gotten so lucky!
We sat down with Pauline during her training in the San Diego headquarters to learn a little bit about this international dynamo:
Let’s start with the basics. What’s your name and where are you from?
Hi! My name is Pauline and I am from Belgium. I actually lived in the exact same place until I was 21… Belgium is just so small.
I hear that you’ve lived a number of other places since then. Can we get a count?
Oh this is a hard question because I have moved around quite a bit since leaving Belgium. But, let’s see. Montreal, London, Canterbury, Goma, Kigali, New York, Brussels…and now Obo! When I was a kid, I always told my parents that during my 20s I would live abroad. I’m not sure why no one believed me – because that is exactly what I’ve been doing, it seems.
You’ve held a lot of different international positions in those cities. But, what was your dream job growing up?
When I was 8 years old, I wanted to be an astronaut. I always wanted to travel, so that seemed like the best opportunity for travel. For the record, I still want to go to the moon someday. But, I decided to let that dream go when I realized that I didn’t love to study science. So, then I wanted to be a war journalist. So, I studied journalism and learned that I definitely wanted to use the media and go abroad, but I was not sure how. I wasn’t always sure what I wanted to be, but I knew that I wanted to really do something useful that I believed in.
Well, we are so happy that you have found your place at Invisible Children! How’d we get so lucky?
I’m really interested in seeing how young people can become peace builders. Specifically, I am interested in seeing how young people who have grown up in conflict zones can become leaders in their communities. That interest led me to work with the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative on some of their research projects in CAR, and it was there that I met someone who introduced me to Invisible Children. I became instantly bonded to this organization from our shared idea that young people really can do something to make this world a better place. In my new role, I am so excited to work on programs that assist former LRA Combatants in becoming catalysts for change within their own communities.
On that note, what are you most excited about in your new role?
I am definitely excited for the Community Protection Committees. Working with communities to welcome former LRA combatants home peacefully will be incredible. What I love about Invisible Children is that we are constantly innovating and doing things that have not been done before. I am excited to experience it all. But, to be honest, my other dream is also to get a pet goat. I haven’t requested it yet, but I hope that it will happen.
Besides playing with your new pet goat, what will keep you inspired in the field?
What keeps me going in the field is remembering that it is a gift that I am out there in the first place. The positivity, hard work and resiliency of the people I work with is so inspiring. Also, when you are in the field, it is easy to work all the time because the mission is obviously so important – but I believe that you need to have a safe space to take good care of yourself. I think that is most important. So, I do a lot of yoga! Maybe I will start a yoga club in Obo. I’ll also bring a lot of chocolate, of course. I am from Belgium, after all.
Chocolate and yoga…absolutely fool proof. What other advice do you have for young people looking to enter the field?
Never go to a place thinking that you can bring all the answers. Just be open to it all and keep asking questions.
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