Ravi Jaipaul Profile
November 15, 2015
Interview with Ravi Jaipaul
” Volunteering and working with CFCA solidified my intentions to become involved in the global community, and in a way, I’ve never looked back.”
Ravi Jaipaul Profile
RN – University of Alberta hospital
How and when did you first get involved with CFCA?
I first got involved with CFCA in 2006 when I became co-leader of Project Hope, which builds needed infrastructure through Grant MacEwan Universities Students’ Association. The Project was partnered with CFCA and their Nicaraguan partner FUNARTE.
What have you learned through your involvement with CFCA?
From Project Hope, I learned more about the relationship between sustainable development and how connected it is with local organizations, communities and community leaders. I was given my first glimpse into how essentially grant writing and project proposals are vital to a grassroots organization and how NGO’s like CFCA not only need solid support from their members abroad, but from their community at home as well. The support and interest generated during my time helping with the Rural Roots initiative demonstrated that, as we provided programming and development conferences to high school local youth.
Name a favourite or memorable experience being involved with CFCA.
The Christmas parties. It’s at events like these that you realize how CFCA is truly a large tight knit community of people who are passionate about what they do, and aren’t afraid to have some fun while doing it.
How have your experiences with Change for Children influenced what you’re doing today? How will it influence what you do in the future?
After Project Hope, I realized that I had found a passion for the global village and found my niche in the health sector, completing a BScN in 2009. I taught Nursing at a University in Kigali, Rwanda for half of a year and have returned to attain more emergency room experience to soon fulfill my goal of working with MSF in a disaster zone situation somewhere in the world. Volunteering and working with CFCA solidified my intentions to become involved in the global community, and in a way, I’ve never looked back. I can’t thank CFCA enough.