On Thursday, November 24, AVSI Iraq organized an event in Erbil to celebrate AVSI's 50th birthday, with the participation of all other offices in Iraq. This occasion was a great opportunity for the whole staff to share their experiences and lessons learned over the past few years.
Lorenzo Ossoli, AVSI Iraq Country Representative, opened the event with the greetings of AVSI MENA Regional Manager Marco Perini, and delivered the entire speech that AVSI’s Secretary General, Giampaolo Silvestri, made at the learning event “AVSI50: Beyond development, the future we want."
AVSI is one, we are now present in more than 39 countries, we have a common goal and mission. In addition, we have big responsibilities towards each other, as the results every branch has are all connected together and affect the organization as a whole. This means that our work is a contribution to the work of our colleagues worldwide.
Lorenzo Ossoli, AVSI Iraq Country Representative, then added a few more words about the history of our presence in Iraq.
Challenges faced and lessons learned
During the following part of the event, the projects implemented in Iraq over the years were showcased, so that everyone could reflect on the achievements and lessons learned. After presenting each project, the floor was given to colleagues whom participated in their implementation, so that they had an opportunity to share their insights on the project and describe the main challenges they faced.
Teamwork and passion
The last part of the event featured team-building exercises, that emphasized the importance of working together and express one's passion within the organization.
“The person is the center”, this was the caption that marked the beginning of my new journey in 2017. I moved from AVSI Lebanon to AVSI Iraq, to volunteer my time. I wanted to fully commit to the work needed to support AVSI’s operations in the most passionate way. Supporting the community is an opportunity for me to grow as a person, to better understand how I should fit into the world around me.
Abdallah El Majzoub, AVSI Iraq
