On January 18, a “human library” was set up as part of an event in Ottawa to discuss the contribution of Canadian volunteers to international cooperation.

IBCR members as well as two former volunteers from the Bureau participated in this event, which brought together more than 60 volunteers from the 12 Canadian Volunteer Cooperation Programmes.

Dorra Bannouri who was deployed in Tunisia as a Child Rights Policy Advisor and Malika Saher who was deployed to the Ivory Coast as a Legal Adviser had the chance to have privileged conversations with several interested participants about their experience as a volunteer. Like open books, they were able to tell their stories and share their experiences.

This unique event aslo allowed IBCR members to network with other Canadian organisations working in the field of international cooperation. Since 2015, nearly 2,500 volunteers have participated in Canada’s Volunteer Cooperation Programme to create change abroad and in their communities.