Tag: volunteer

A New Way to Adventure

Featured by Tracy, posted in Career and work, Personal stuff, Remote Year

When I called myself A Travelling Accountant in April 2017, I imagined myself posting about vacation trips with some volunteering travel mixed in.

My first posts were about my first volunteer assignment through Accounting for International Development (AFID), to Cambodia, where I spent May and June 2017 working as a pro-bono accounting consultant.

Sole passenger on the mighty Mekong – Phnom Penh

Life happened quickly and dramatically, and somehow, I celebrated my 5th anniversary in Kampala Uganda in January 2024. Here is a sunset view from my lovely garden.

Though Cambodia was the first time I volunteered abroad as an accountant, it was on a different type of volunteering trip in 2012 that the seed of the dream was planted. That trip, I was one of nine employees selected to travel to rural Peru to provide solar lighting for 30 families living outside of a small village in the Andes. I shared a small post and some of my favourite photos here in October 2018.

I still suck at selfies but this young lady and I shared some laughs

Like many people, the Covid pandemic gave me a taste of remote work. I liked it. A lot. In early 2021, I was fortunate to land a remote role with the NGO that brought me to Uganda, saving me from Kampala commutes to the office, and now I can’t imagine working any other way.

After almost 5 years with that NGO it was time to move on. I took some steps to prepare for a new career as an accounting consultant – I revised my LinkedIn profile, bought a portable second monitor, travel keyboard, long range flight gear. The Universe listened. And AFID helped, of course. Now I work fully remotely, for a UK NGO that operates in Zambia. I live in Uganda, travel to Zambia and, best of all, can work from Canada too. I am no longer limited to 4 weeks of vacation to visit my family.

Why the background? To share how a girl from a small town in northern Manitoba somehow ended up living in Uganda, working as Director of Finance for a small NGO that trains young Zambians in construction and who will spend April 2024 living and working in Valencia Spain!

Me & my Zambian colleagues before pelting each other with paint – Jan 2024

I will be in Spain for the entire month of April and intend to post weekly while I am there, sharing my adventures and daily experiences on the Spanish Mediterranean, travelling with Remote Year.

Who/what is Remote Year? A travel agency? Yes. A community? Yes. From the website: Work remotely.
Explore the world.
We’ll handle the rest.

I would love to do a full year tour of all the continents but I will start with one month. Maybe next time it will be a four month tour.

I hope you will come along with me through my posts. And if you are interested in trying Remote Year yourself, I have a referral link that will save us each $100!

Their website /https://www.remoteyear.com/ https://dashboard.remoteyear.com/my-referals

About STT, Advocacy and Empowerment

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

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I am in Cambodia as a pro-bono accountant (volunteering) working for Sahamkum Teang Tnaut, or STT as they go by.  I have taken the following from their website to share

“Mission

To provide pro-poor technical assistance for housing and infrastructure and to inform dialogue and raise awareness about urban issues

Background

Phnom Penh based Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (‘STT’) was set up  in September 2005 and officially registered with the Ministry of Interior in December 2006. ‘Teang Tnaut’ means ‘Sugar Palm Leaf’ in Khmer and is used for house construction, thatch roofs, sugar and packaging. This icon of the Cambodian landscape evokes a simplicity and  usefulness which STT tries to reflect in its work with urban communities. From the outset STT has had a focus on  infrastructure upgrading but over the past decade many communities have been impacted by development-related land alienation and evictions. Because of this STT has strengthened its research and advocacy to draw attention to  a development policy that in Phnom Penh alone has led to 150,000 residents being displaced since 1990.  By supporting genuine community complaints and grievances STT and its partners have been  helping communities articulate their concerns to local and international media, donors and other NGOs & INGOs.”

I am very proud to be associated with STT, even in my small role.

If you are interested in reading about one particular example, google

Boeung Kak.  Many were displaced, and STT works diligently to try to prevent more instances such as this.  Another example is the White Building, which is going on presently