A Week in the Life

As SIHA International Team members, some of us have found that it difficult to verbalize to friends, family, or potential sponsors, the work we really do here. If we built schools, for example, people understand - there is no need for further explanation. We, on the other hand, “engage with key local and international stakeholders in the development and implementation of sustainable community driven health initiatives,’ a mandate with activities that are more difficult to explain than laying down bricks or building the walls of a school.

As we acknowledge that our work may not be as “clear-cut” as that of other groups who work or volunteer abroad, we thought it would be helpful to provide a rough timeline of the week in the life of a member of the SIHA International Team.

Please note that activities in this chart were drawn from various weeks of Summer 2016 and may not necessarily reflect those of future summers.

As you can see above, our time in the office is spent one of two ways - working on current project activities or planning for the future of SIHA’s International Branch. The latter may include activities such as creating an updated curriculum for the pre-departure sessions of next year’s team, or formulating a document that outlines our long-term goals. As the current travel team becomes next year’s executives members, the experience gained from these strategic planning meetings such as facilitation and knowledge of organizational processes will prove invaluable.

Thanks for reading! Talk to you later this week.

SIHA International Team