Page 53 - 國合會2016電子書-英文

Special Reports

Interview 2

Yeh Hsiao-chun, Volunteer,
St. Lucia

Becoming a volunteer
gave me another life

As some of the countries with and often faced problems such as she became a TaiwanICDF volunteer
which Taiwan has diplomatic arranging interviews but having in 2012 and has been dispatched
relations are Small Island Developing them cancelled on short notice or overseas three times in four years.
States (SIDSs), in recent years, having difficulty finding the location. In her first service as an agricultural
cluster evaluation has been actively Moreover, the interview period was marketing volunteer in St. Lucia,
promoted to review the results during the rainy season and she she actively promoted the “local
of the TaiwanICDF’s agricultural often got soaked on her way to and production, local sale” model and
projects in this type of country. The from interviews. Transport was also was praised by the country’s Ministry
evaluation is based on the criteria of a big challenge. Tractors had to be of Agriculture. During her second
relevance, effectiveness, efficiency used to reach farmers living inland stint as a food security volunteer
and sustainability, and questionnaire due to the poor state of the roads. in Panama, working together with
surveys and semi-structured The ability to respond to unforeseen the International Federation of Red
interviews are used to collect the situations was very important, Cross and Red Crescent Societies
opinions of various stakeholders with where hitching a ride or changing (IFRC), responsible for education,
respect to project results. the interview location were useful training coordination and project
As well as dispatching expedients. “Luckily, I had the help implementation, her efforts were also
TaiwanICDF staff to carry out of the Taiwan Technical Mission in well-received.
such evaluations, project-based St. Lucia, which allowed my work to “Being a volunteer has not only
volunteers are also enlisted to go smoothly. I also handed out some allowed me to realize my dream
collect the opinions of project- promotional materials provided by of travelling around the world, the
related stakeholders, so as to the TaiwanICDF and these received challenges faced in each mission
sum up their experiences and a very good response.” have let me learn new expertise.
use them for reference in future Hsiao-chun emphasizes, In particular, working together with
strategy formulation and planning “Although this mission had its tough the outstanding young people
management. Yeh Hsiao-chun side, overall I gained so much!” Her and volunteers of international
served for two years as an English language ability improved organizations has filled me with vigor
agricultural marketing volunteer significantly. Through caring and and enthusiasm. Being a volunteer
in St. Lucia many years ago. She listening in interviews, she showed has really opened up another life for
returned to St. Lucia in October 2016 local farmers that Taiwan and the me,” exclaimed Yeh as a footnote to
to conduct a survey of stakeholders, TaiwanICDF see them as very her career as a volunteer.
interview them, organize the results important people and she received
and carry out initial analysis for the quite a few thank-you emails
St. Lucia Plant Tissue Culture Project. afterwards. She was able to use the
contacts she made and interviewing
Caring and listening show experience acquired in her first
farmers that Taiwan sees them service period in St. Lucia to collect a
Talking of this mission that required large amount of statistics and make
her to interview farmers in the north the survey more in depth, which
and south of St. Lucia, “It was was a substantial help with regard to
more challenging than I expected,” follow up assessment and analysis.
admitted Hsiao-chun. She had to Setting aside her job as a senior
identify suitable interviewees herself marketing analyst with a foreign firm,

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