A life for a cause

It’s 7 pm. Simona Costanzo Sow turns off the computer, puts her coat on and leaves her office at the United Nations Volunteers’ premises in Bonn. She rushes not to miss the subway. At home her two little daughters, Fatou (10) and Anna (8), are waiting for her. After getting off the train, one last stop. She still needs to get lettuce for tonight’s dinner. Her husband is spending a month in his home country, Senegal, so she has to think of all the details of their daily life and make all the arrangements to make the logistics of her family continue working, despite her long hours in the office.

Just a few hours earlier she was on the

phone with the former prime-minister of Haiti discussing future projects. The 42-year-old is currently the project manager for the millennium development goals achievement and the post 2015 agenda at the United Nations Volunteers (UNV). Her work involves lots of travelling and long office hours, but it does not bother her. “I studied a lot because

I wanted to have a fascinating job and I’m so glad I have one. I know I’m not so present in my two little daughters’ lives but I really like my work and I would not give it up to be a full-time mother, as much as I love them”, she says.

Committed to making a difference in the world and passionate about her job, Simona Sow is not ashamed to say she would not give up her career to be a full-time mother

“I would not give up my job to be a full-time mother, as much as I love my daugthers.”

By Karen Silva

Photo: UNV

Although young, Fatou and Anna are well aware of how important their mother’s work is, both for society and for their own family. “They help the poor people and do good things in the whole world. It’s a very important job”, says Fatou. “When she is travelling I miss her, but I know that she brings the money to our family”, adds Anna.

Simona admits managing a family and a high position at an international organisation is not an easy task. It demands a lot of energy and logistics, but according to her, it is definitely worth it. “I know that I may be sacrificing something but I do it for a cause and I believe that I am making a difference in the world”. She says it’s neither about the money, nor the glory or reputation that a job at such a renowned organization could possibly bring. “You have to find it gratifying for yourself. If it’s not for the cause, there is really no point”.

Fighting for a cause

The project manager has been working to promote volunteerism for several years, either as a volunteer herself or at the backstage of civil society organisations. The first time she volunteered was in her home town, Alpstadt, in southern Germany. At the age of 14 she gave German classes to refugees from Sri Lanka, encouraged by her math teacher, who was an activist for amnesty. “It was not only about transmitting knowledge, but also receiving a lot. It was about learning and changing perception”.

She remembers she didn’t always think of working in an international context. As a kid she first wanted to be a teacher, then a dentist, then a Turkish-speaking gynecologist for immigrant women, but the year she spent in the United States as an exchange student at the age of 16 changed her mind. Both her host parents had been Peace Corps volunteers and that’s what made her realize she wanted to dedicate her life for a greater cause. Later on she found out about an organisation that arranged volunteer programs for young people, through which she volunteered in several countries after she finished high school, such as Scottland, Greenland and Uruguay. “I didn’t need to have any specific skills, just the good will. I worked

Responsive citizens for sustainable solutions

Facts and figures about volunteerism around the world.

- 16% of the world population volunteer their time to improve the lives of other people- If volunteers were a nation, they would be the 10th largest country in the world in terms of population

- Over 11 thousand people contribute their skills online to help organisations address development challenges every year- 61% of the online volunteers come from developing countries- Yearly 8,000 qualified and experienced professionals from over 160 different na-tionalities volunteer in over 130 countries with the sponsorship of the UNV

Sources: Gallup World Poll, The John Hopkins Com-parative Non-Profit project, UNV

Want to engage? Check out the web-site “Responsive Citizens for sustain-able solutions” for some inspiration. Visit www.responsivecitizens.org

Photo: Simona Costanzo

at a home for mentally challenged elderly people, renovating historical building, all things that didn’t require any expertise but that were useful and made sense”.

Simona studied in southern Germany, first in Passau and then in Munich, where she did a PhD

on social geography around the questions related to migration in the northern African countries. Being the daughter of a German mother and an Italian father, the

issue of migration had always been present in her life.

She herself immigrated a few years later to France to work as the director of the Coordinating Committee for International Volunteer Service (CCIVS) and start a family with her Senegalese husband, whom she had met in Italy during one of the countless trips she had paid to the country, where her father lives.

Her two daughters were born in France and raised there until 2010, when Simona got her first position within the UNV, and the whole family moved to Bonn. Interesting enough, Simona was born on the exact same say and year as the UNV, December 7th 1970. “When found it out, many years ago, by chance, I thought: maybe I will work there one day”.

If there is such thing as destiny? “Who knows?”, Simona laughs and announces dinner is on the table.

“I believe I’m making a

difference in the world.”

Born in France, Fatou and Anna are growing

up in a multicultural environment.They

already speak German, French and Italian.