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My name is Scott and I have been volunteering at COCO since February 2018. I’m currently a Master’s student at Newcastle University in Politics where I focus on global justice, international relations, and global governance.
After four years of studying at university I was worried suddenly thinking about career options. I knew that I wanted to work in an area that did good in the world, and so thought of working at the United Nations on their development program. Because of this I wanted to gain some more experience in development to prepare myself for a career in that area. However, I was dismayed after the previous work I had done for an international charity came to nothing and where it felt like we barely made any difference.
I started volunteering at COCO after a friend had recommended me to the charity and I had heard about the great work that they do. I was surprised that it was such a small charity given the amount of money they have donated and all the amazing projects they run. Their dedication and sense of mission particularly struck me “we provide sustainable sources of quality education to children living in poor and marginalised communities”. So not only did it help give children an education, it was also committed to sustainability. That sounded perfect to me.
Given that my BA and MA are in research heavy disciplines – history and politics – and the fact I’d like to go into research, I am currently writing an impact report on COCO’s eighteen-year history. The work is fascinating, it’s almost like being a historian looking through the charities archives at all the amazing work it has done. One thing also struck me which was just how many people it has impacted over that time.
For anyone wanting to help and make a difference or to learn more about development I’d fully recommend COCO.