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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-03-09, Page 1414 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, March 9, 2005 Life begins at 44 for development volunteer TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — "I refer to myself as the planetary homeless now. This is something I'll be doing as long as I'm able. I don't know where to call home anywhere but Exeter is as much a home to me as anywhere I've been." After only being home for five months following a two and a half year term volunteering in India, former Exeter resi- dent Brent Wilson is once again on the move, this time to Vietnam. Wilson left Feb. 26 and will be assist- ing the Improved Livelihood for Mountainous Communities Project (ILMC) as a small busi- ness and marketing advisor. Wilson, 49, worked at the Royal Bank in Exeter for 10 years from 1992 as regional sales and mar- ket manager for agribusi- ness banking But after 23 years with the bank, at the age of 44, Wilson said he came to the realization he had no idea "what I wanted to do when I grew up...so I took an early retirement package and began seek- ing out that which I've fallen into now." He got his start in vol- unteer work after being approached to sit on the board of directors of the Huron United Way as treasurer. As an avid motorcyclist he was involved in the Child Abuse Prevention Protection Youth (CAPPY) motorcycle ride. Through friends, as well as his work with the United Way, Wilson said he became aware of international develop- ment. He began looking at various opportunities which led him to the Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) which operates in 26 countries to fight poverty. After being selected by CECI, Wilson said the organization thought his skills and background would be suited for a new project starting in India. Beginning in April 2002, Wilson's work in India involved economic development in agricul- ture. "There were two com- ponents to the project. One was establishing agricultural cooperatives and the other was sav- ings and credit coopera- tives." He said the work involved mobilizing peo- ple into self-help groups of around 20 people in various villages, "and start acquaint them with the concept of growing crops to generate income as opposed to growing crops for their own suste- nance. With the income generation comes the savings and credit, encouraging people to save and setting up small credit organizations where people would invest. The savings would be loaned out to help them develop their farm or small business enter- prises." According to Wilson, with many of the villagers having limited income gener- ating poten- tial, the pro- ject involved doing market studies to identify crops that had potential in the market and increas- ing both the efficiency and income of the "India is a country of stark contrasts. You don't see the contrasts in a developed country as you do in a developing country. You have a nice house and a fairly well to do family right next to a crumbling wooden shack". BRENT WILSON villagers. Some of the crops focused on were green bell peppers, peas, french beans, ginger and garlic. Once the self-help groups were established, Wilson said they started moving towards coopera- tives which could get into collective marketing. Originally a four year project, CECI is looking to secure funding to extend it for another three years. Wilson said the priority is to build the capacity of the local organizations. Although he had done some international trav- elling before going to India, Wilson said there was still some cultural shock when he arrived. "You're on an emotion- al roller coaster the entire time you're there. You experience highs unlike those you have ever experienced before and lows unlike any you've ever experienced before. "India is a country of stark contrasts. You don't see the contrasts in a developed country as you do in a developing coun- try. You have a nice house and a fairly well to do family right next to a crumbling wooden shack. "There is no question India has a very strong developing emerging economy,..but when you relate that to a billion people, they are still struggling. One of the big roles of CECI in India is not just from a project prospective helping remote people in the mountains deal with their poverty...but also to help local organizations and government itself to build their capacity to be able to deal with the poverty After spending the past two years doing volunteer work in India, former Exeter resident BrentWilson has left for another project in Vietnam. (Above) Wilson stands on a rooftop in Pithoragarh in the Indian Himalayas near Nepal (Below) Wilson presents a co-op signboard used to teach the use of logos and signage to mem- bers of the co-operative. (photos/submitted) and social problems they do have. So we did a lot of work that way also." After arriving in India, Wilson attended lan- guage school for a month as well as living in a vil- lage for two months. But just after, due to tensions between India and Pakistan, Wilson's group was evacuated for three months. "As a consequence of that, coming back I had pretty much lost my lan- guage skill and I had to start from scratch. I was able to negotiate with rickshaw drivers and go to market. I wouldn't say I was fluent but I was able to get by." After being in India for several months, Wilson said he knew it was something he would want to do again and will be doing the same type of work in Vietnam. One of the differences, unlike in India where the project was just begin- ning, is the Vietnam pro- ject is starting to wind down. "My primary responsi- bility will be to go and just reinforce the training they've received." The contract will be for 13 months but Wilson said he is hoping other projects will be in the works to extend his time in the country to the full two years. After being home for five months, Wilson said he is ready to go again. "The last month, two months it's just been `I'm ready to go now'." Other areas Wilson would like to work include Africa, where his partner Erica Stillo, who was with him in India and will also be going to Vietnam, has worked previously. Another area of inter- est is Central America where Wilson's team leader in India was recently transferred. "There was one thing after 23 years as a banker that I was sure of, that I wasn't a banker and didn't want to be a banker anymore. Now one thing I'm sure of is that whatever I do will be along these lines...it's good to get there and come to the realization there is a lot more to life than the social script we've been raised on."