We caught up with one of our wonderful, longer-term interns, Sophie Olivier, all the way from the UK!
4 Fun-Fact Questions:
Favourite South African food?
A good braai with lots of meat!
Favourite spot to visit in South Africa?
The mountains!
Funniest /most interesting South African phrase or slang word that you came across?
Figuring out the “just now”,” now now” and “now”
Describe your internship experience in South Africa using only 3 words…
Exciting, new, challenging
Interview Questions:
Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Sophie and I am 32 years old. I am from the UK and I currently live there. I work in the charity/development sector mainly in fundraising. I work part time as a Supporter Relationships Manager for an international children’s charity called ‘Viva’. I spend the rest of my working hours as an Independent Fundraising Consultant for a few South African non-profits.
What first inspired the thought to go to South Africa?
I studied International Development Studies as my degree and always wanted to work in the non-profit sector in some capacity. I visited South Africa back in 2008 on a 6-week trip with my sister and we worked with churches and their charitable organisations. I fell in love with the country and its people and knew I would come back. The following year I met my husband who is South African and we decided to come to South Africa – we ended up staying for 10 years.
What, in turn, actually made you decide to go to South Africa to do an internship?
When we moved to Somerset West, one of the first people I met was Dee Moskoff (the founder of iKapa Impact & former director of Connect Network) through a mutual friend and she offered me the internship on one of our first meetings! At the time I was on a visitor visa, so was not able to work and keen for work experience with non-profits– so it was the perfect match! I loved Dee’s enthusiasm and the amazing work the network was busy with in seeing real change for women and children in the Western Cape.
Tell us about the project that you worked on while doing your internship
I worked closely with Dee on project administration and fundraising for Connect Network during my internship. I also had the privilege of visiting various non-profits that we worked with and getting to know the grassroots work in the townships.
Did your internship influence your career path in any way?
Yes! It definitely cemented my love for seeing change in communities and people’s lives through programmes and projects that meet the real needs.
What was the all-time highlight of your time in SA?
I guess meeting the people that work tirelessly for their communities and seeing the real change in people’s lives – the difference an organisation can make.
You ended up staying in SA for a longer period of time, what made you decide to do this?
Well I guess in my case, being married to a South Africa made it easier to stay! We were always open to be in South Africa for as long as we felt it was right – and that ended up being 10 years. We miss it a lot and especially the people – that’s what makes the rainbow nation so special.
You ended up staying in SA for a longer period of time, what made you decide to do this?
DO IT! An internship experience can really change your life. It can open you up to new experiences and opportunities you might never even have thought about.
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