"I was born and raised in Bulgaria, and I immigrated to the USA in 2000. Since then I have travelled extensively and I lived in China, Hong Kong SAR and now Switzerland.
"My journey in online volunteering started back in 2006, when an unexpected and exciting opportunity to move to China and complete my MBA degree in Hong Kong changed my personal outlook and demonstrated firsthand the need for social prerequisites for a country to advance its economy and the wellbeing of its citizens. Both fascinated and confused by the effects of globalization on my new home, Asia, I was motivated to pursue volunteer opportunities with UN Online Volunteering that would allow me to learn more about the positive and negative impact of globalization within emerging markets. I reviewed and tagged ‘Communication on Progress’ reports for UN Global Compact, assisted UNDP International Poverty Center in Brazil in creating a standard database of organizations focused on alleviating poverty in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, and researched Small-Sized Enterprise Development in Sub Sahara Africa and South China.
"While finishing my MBA in Hong Kong, I started looking for a more hands on, direct involvement approach to interacting with communities on the ground. I was seeking opportunities to learn more about the ways individuals can make a difference and through onlinevolunteering.org I joined Nabuur, an online volunteering platform, in 2007. I have been a loyal ambassador to the concept of the platform ever since.
"On Nabuur I assisted and facilitated projects focused on knowledge transfer and capacity building in small communities in Africa and Asia. I was fascinated by the opportunity to work with people from all over the world who were dedicated to change the status quo by providing education on disability issues, developing water catchment system, fund-raising for mosquito nets. Nabuur let me apply my knowledge in engineering and business to daily life problems. Communicating directly with the local representatives of the projects and being able to discuss the feasibility of different ideas and solutions with the people who would use them on the ground was one of the best reality checks on our understanding of the problems we faced together.
"Nabuur gave me opportunity to do a little bit of everything– from being a foot soldier to leading a team and collaborating on ideas how to make the model of Nabuur better and easier to use. Of course it was not a smooth sail all the time. The level of commitment between team members would vary; technology and tools would not be available or fast. Different cultures, different languages, different time zones would make misunderstanding easier. But despite all challenges I met amazing, interesting people and made great friends across the globe.
"I gained a better understanding of the world and the ways people communicate and listen or choose not to listen to each other. I worked with volunteers from all over the world, discovered different leadership styles, and appreciated the importance to see both the problem and the solution from different perspectives. Now I log in on Nabuur almost daily- there is always a discussion that is interesting and that can enrich me or can use my advice.
"Currentl,y I co-facilitate a project, focused on creating a vocational skills training program in a small school for orphans, in Kimilili, Kenya. The Small-Scale Gardening Vocational Training Program in Kimilili will help women's co-ops and youth groups to learn best gardening practices so they can grow healthy crops efficiently and increase their harvest and decrease their costs. The goal is to create small scale gardens that can supplement their present income. The participants will receive training about various new gardening or farming techniques (e.g. drip irrigation versus mulch system). In a nut shell the program next steps are: purchase land (3-4 acres), recruit a person locally who would supervise the project and act as mentor/trainer to the youths.
"Online volunteering influenced my life tremendously. My beliefs were challenged; my knowledge and my curiosity grew. My interest in social and economical sustainable development was partially triggered by online volunteering and now is an important part of my personal and professional life and commitments. I am currently developing and leading a volunteer program for a professional network in Geneva- a result of the knowledge I gained trough online volunteering and online volunteers management."
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