Volunteer profile: Meet Elena!
Over the last few years, Made With Hope has grown into a wonderful community of people dedicated to alleviating poverty in Tanzania.
We have a strong team of trustees and volunteers who work hard to develop multiple aspects of Made With Hope.
We thought it would be nice to introduce our volunteers - welcome, Elena!
We asked Elena a handful of quick-fire questions to get to know her better…
Role at Made With Hope: Marketing and Communications Assistant
Place you grew up: Bologna
Favourite food: Tie between sushi and mashed potatoes…even if little Elena used to say “smashed potatoes” :)
Favourite song/album: King Crimson - The Court Of The Crimson King
Favourite thing you’ve watched on TV/at the movies: Russian Doll / Parasite
Favourite hobby: All outdoor activities!!
Best place you’ve been: Mayan ruins in the Yucatan
Place you’d most like to visit: Mongolia…the Gobi Desert and its singing dunes and the Orkhon Valley
Biggest motivation: Change! At its core, change encourages growth and pushes you to become a better person
We appreciate all our volunteers who choose to dedicate their time at Made With Hope. Elena reveals all about why she decided to support us she’s passionate about international development and why she chose to support us.
What is your biggest passion within International Development?
Having studied Anthropology at University my biggest passion is to foster a better world, built on the principles of tolerance, equity and mutual understanding. Another big passion of mine is optimization and I would love to define and explore a concept to enhance the impact of MWH initiatives.
What made you decide to get involved with MWH?
In July I read the article “Almost half of UK charities for world's poorest set to close in a year – survey. Demand for services overseas has risen during Covid-19 but lack of financial support will force 45% to shut their doors”. The article caught my eye, shocked me, and inspired me to act. The title was strong but the content was even more shocking and as a result, I found myself researching charity organisations to volunteer with. Made with Hope stood out, I was amazed by how a small charity was well structured, valued people and was implementing quality projects that will have a long-lasting impact on rural communities in Tanzania. I was keen to support MWH and use the experience that I have gained through working in multinationals over the years to help others.
What do you enjoy most about working at MWH?
I love working at Made with Hope because everyone shares the same vision and is dedicated to the tasks at hand. MWH offers a wide variety of opportunities and this brings varied work and challenging projects and a strong and cohesive team makes it possible to tackle each challenge (even during a pandemic!). I'm a very curious person and I like to understand how things work or why things are the way they are therefore I really enjoy being a part of MWH.
What are you most looking forward to at MWH in the future?
Three things that I'm looking forward to in the future are opportunities to roll up my sleeves and put to good use my project management skills and experience, to learn and grow my skills from a technical standpoint, and a chance to learn more about international development over time. I would also enjoy travelling to Tanzania and see first hand the results of all our efforts!