Some dream of it without really taking the plunge. The implementation of voluntary exchanges and skills (Vec) by the Catholic Delegation for Cooperation (DCC) now offers an opportunity to go abroad, for a mission lasting from one to six months, in the service of a solidarity project.
This period includes preparation in France and possibly a work phase after the stay in the field. This device concerns anyone aged 25 to 75, “with strong technical skills meeting the needs of partners”we say to the DCC.
Four months in Chad
At 50, mother of three children aged 18, 22 and 25, passionate about Africa, Élodie Arrault is the first volunteer to have benefited from these measures thanks to the DCC. 1er December 2021, she left for Chad for four months, working for a partner she knew. “I worked in the coordination of international actions within another NGO. When I turned 50, I wanted to leave myself, I gave myself this gift, but it is also a gift for others. »
In October and November 2021, she prepared this project from France, before diving into the realities on the ground. “I left the year of my son’s baccalaureate, unworthy mother! », she confides, laughing. We had to fight the guilt of leaving the latter… and also her husband. The DCC, an organization she did not know, helped her.
“During the week of preparation for departure (dispensed to all volunteers, editor’s note), I discovered the spiritual dimension, which brings depth to the meaning we give to this commitment and the choices it entails. We are accompanied. » This experience in Chad will be useful to her for the future: she intends to leave again this autumn for Africa, to connect Dakar to Djibouti, following the route of the Great Green Wall. With the idea of forming a traveling caravan that will mobilize different local actors involved in the fight against desertification in the Sahel.
A medical center in Togo
Chantal and Bruno Marinthe, retired nurse and hospital doctor, have also chosen the Vec to realize a dream that dates back to their marriage in 1986. Parents and grandparents, here they are finally available to try the adventure. Their mission will take them from September 15 to December 15, to a care center in Togo. “We met on my return from Cameroon, after my two years of volunteering, says Chantal. We wanted to leave. But with the children, we weren’t ready, we said to ourselves: “We’ll see when we retire!” »For Bruno, the idea is to go practice in a country where the medical means are not those of France, it is a challenge ».
They will work for Jacob’s Well, a Christian community which has a medical center in Sokodé. “We want to continue to grow in humanity and we know that we are going to be shaken up by this experience. It is an invitation to sharing and meeting. » On site, the DCC will accompany and support them. A springboard before repeating the test as they hope. Volunteers in Vec can decide to leave as many times as they wish.
To know : The Catholic Delegation for Cooperation (DCC), Catholic development NGO, is the international volunteer service of the Church in France. Present in more than 50 countries, it accompanies more than 400 volunteers each year.
Do you want to get into humanitarian work, and if you opt for a short mission?