Why Belarus?! Why not?

Welcome to my first blog ever! 

I'm proudly Mexican, a masters student in the MPA in Development Practice program at Columbia University in New York City, and if there's a logical intersection between the empowerment of marginalized groups, children and youth development, and the design of sustainable cities through smart and meaningful investment, well... that's where I would be.

After years working in Mexico, first in the Mexico City's Humans Rights Commission (MCHRC), then as a corporate consultant, and finally in an impact investment firm, I decided to go back to school. It was a long and sinuous process but I finally got accepted at Columbia University (yay!) → fast forward→ I'm in school → fast forward→ I have to spend a Summer in an Organization as part of the requirements to graduate from my program → fast forward→ NO! WAIT! This is important. There were several options I could have chosen, so why the UNFPA? Why Belarus?! (as the majority of Belarusian that I have interacted with have asked me full of curiosity and surprise).

Dear reader, wait no longer because I'm about to explain myself. As I wrote before, there were several options I could have chosen but all of them seemed too close to what I was doing before (which wouldn't have given any added value to my professional experience) or were to far from my interests ( since I just think agriculture in rural Africa is not for me, but I'm glad that a lot of friends in my cohort are devoting their Summer to address this issue). Then I came across this United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) opportunity. 

As an International Relations undergraduate I would be lying if I said that I never thought of working in the UN system as my dream job. I also would be lying if I deny that I feel inexorably attracted to what the mandate of the UNFPA dictates as their main goal. 

During my time in the Human Rights Commission I had to deal with very serious cases that faced me with the reality that millions of children and adolescents live around the world. Unfortunately, when those cases arrived to the MCHRC the damage was already done. In the UNFPA I see an International Organization that works tirelessly to "deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled". [UNFPA] This active and preventive characteristics are what attracted me the most.

That makes sense, I guess. So, why Belarus?
Short answer: why not?
Long answer: I was born male, cisgender, heterosexual, in a big city, fully physically able, I'm studying in a prestigious school, and yet everyday I try to acknowledge my privilege. I have come to realize that countries might be different; cultures cannot be more distant from each other; you can live in the country with the largest GDP or deprived from the most basic services but there are some structural problems that affect all countries in different degrees: Gender-based and domestic violence, gender disparities, lack of sexual and reproductive health and education, and a lack of political representation of the youth. I came to Belarus because I believe that every country has something to teach, one piece (or two) of advise that can be replicated in other settings. I wasn't wrong. 

The UNFPA Office is small but full of committed people who since the first moment made clear that they expect great things from a Columbia student; doing my job up to their expectations is my main motivation. During the summer I will be involved in the redesign of the UNFPA's Y-Peer Program, an interesting method to reach to Belarusian youth through a peer-to-peer approach. I will be meeting with members of the civic society, medical students, philanthropic organizations, business, donors, and most important the Belarusian youth to come to a holistic approach on how reproductive and sexual education should be transmitted and shared to increase its outreach.

I'll keep you posted!