A life for a cause

A life for a cause

Photo: UNV

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

By Karen Silva

It’s 7 pm. Simona Costanzo Sow turns off Just a few hours earlier she was on the the computer, puts her coat on and leaves her phone with the former prime-minister of office at the United Nations Haiti discussing future projects.

Volunteers’ premises in “I would not give The 42-year-old is currently the Bonn. She rushes not to manager for the millennium up my job to be a project miss the subway. At home development goals achievement her two little daughters, full-time mother, and the post 2015 agenda at the Fatou (10) and Anna (8), are as much as I love United Nations Volunteers (UNV). waiting for her. After getting Her work involves lots of travelling my daugthers.” and long office hours, but it does not off the train, one last stop.

She still needs to get lettuce bother her. “I studied a lot because for tonight’s dinner. Her husband is spending I wanted to have a fascinating job and I’m so a month in his home country, Senegal, so she glad I have one. I know I’m not so present in has to think of all the details of their daily life my two little daughters’ lives but I really like my and make all the arrangements to make the work and I would not give it up to be a full-time logistics of her family continue working, despite mother, as much as I love them”, she says. her long hours in the office.

Although young, Fatou and Anna are well at a home for mentally challenged aware of how important their mother’s work is, elderly people, renovating historical Responsive citiz ens for sustaina both for society and for their own family. “They building, all things that didn’t require ble solutions help the poor people and do good things in the any expertise but that were useful whole world. It’s a very important job”, says and made sense”.

Facts and figures about volunteerism Fatou. “When she is travelling I miss her, but I Simona studied in southern around the world . know that she brings the money to our family”, Germany, first in Passau and then adds Anna. in Munich, where she did a PhD - 16% of the world population volun Simona admits managing on social geography teer their time to impr ov e th e liv es a family and a high position at around the questions of ot “I believe her people an international organisation is related to migration in - If volunteers we I’m making a re a nation, they not an easy task. It demands a the northern African would be the 10th large st country in the wo lot of energy and logistics, but difference in the countries.

Being rld in terms of population according to her, it is definitely the daughter of a world.”

- Over 11 thousa nd people contrib worth it. “I know that I may be German mother and ute their skills online to he lp organisations sacrificing something but I do an Italian father, the ad dress development chall enges every year it for a cause and I believe that I am making a issue of migration had always - 61% of the onlin e volunteers com difference in the world”. She says it’s neither been present in her life. e from developing coun tries about the money, nor the glory or reputation that She herself immigrated a few - Yearly 8,000 qu alified and experie a job at such a renowned organization could years later to France to work as nced professionals fro m over 160 different possibly bring. “You have to find it gratifying for the director of the Coordinating nationalities volunte er in over 130 co yourself. If it’s not for the cause, there is really Committee for International untries with the sponsors hip of the UNV no point”.

Volunteer Service (CCIVS) and start a family with her Sources: Gallup World Poll, The Jo hn Hopkins ComFighting for a cause Senegalese husband, whom parative Non-Profi t project, UNV she had met in Italy during one The project manager has been working to of the countless trips she had Want to engage ? Check out the promote volunteerism for several years, either paid to the country, where her website “Responsiv e Citizens for su as a volunteer herself or at the backstage of father lives. st ainable solutions” for some inspira civil society organisations. The first time she Her two daughters were tio n.

Visit www.respon sivecitizens.org volunteered was in her home town, Alpstadt, in born in France and raised southern Germany. At the age of 14 she gave there until 2010, when German classes to refugees from Sri Lanka, Simona got her first position encouraged by her math teacher, who was within the UNV, and the whole an activist for amnesty. “It was not only about family moved to Bonn. Interesting enough, transmitting knowledge, but also receiving a lot.

Simona was born on the exact same say and Photo: Simona Costanzo It was about learning and changing perception”. year as the UNV, December 7th She remembers she didn’t always think of 1970. “When found it out, many working in an international context. As a kid she years ago, by chance, I thought: first wanted to be a teacher, then a dentist, then maybe I will work there one day”. a Turkish-speaking gynecologist for immigrant If there is such thing as women, but the year she spent in the United destiny? “Who knows?”, Simona States as an exchange student at the age of 16 laughs and announces dinner is changed her mind. Both her host parents had on the table. 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 Born in France, Fatou and Anna are growing up in a multicultural environment.They already speak German, French and Italian.