Jackie Cronin belongs to that select group of VSA volunteers who have pursued assignments in more than one country. After a ‘life-changing’ initial assignment as a Policy and Procedure Advisor in the Solomon Islands in 2017-2018, Jackie returned home and discovered she was keen to repeat the experience. She applied for an HR advisory role in Tonga but Covid disrupted things.
With the border to Tonga closed, Jackie took up the challenge of a VSA assignment in the Cook Islands in 2022, and excitedly made her way to Tonga in 2023 when the border opened, being placed in her original assignment. She will remain in Tonga until 2025. Alongside her three in-country roles, Jackie has completed three e-volunteering roles. ‘It just gets under your skin,’ she laughs.
Jackie leading a policy presentation on assignment.
Jackie’s current assignment, as a Human Resource Specialist at Tupou Tertiary Institute, involves developing policies and providing training and advice to implement them. Her primary role is to assess what the Institute has in place as regards human resource management, then work with local staff to develop a suite of HR policies.
‘The work can be a bit dry,’ admits Jackie, ‘and it can be challenging to balance the writing and developing policies part with the training component. But it is rewarding.’ Over the past year, Jackie has worked with her partner organisation to complete the writing and training on three policies. In the next year, she aims to build capacity at Tupou Tertiary Institute to complete several more.
Jackie (right) leading a training session with local staff.
But Jackie says it’s not just about the big-picture achievements. ‘Being a volunteer…can be really about the small things. It’s about, oh, I showed someone how to use Excel, or Gmail, or Calendars – I showed someone how to send invites so they can set up a meeting,’ she says. ‘All those little things that you just take for granted, they can be really new to those in-country. It makes such a big difference to share that knowledge.’
Jackie has enjoyed all of her assignments, which have ranged in level of challenge, she says. Across the Pacific, she has come across immensely friendly people, but a particular highlight in Tonga has been getting to know the language a bit better than in either the Cook Islands or the Solomon Islands.
‘I’ve not been in a country yet where they haven’t appreciated you making an effort to hold a conversation in the native language,’ she says. ‘It’s great to be able to gain a bit more of a foothold in Tongan.’
Overall, she says her considerable volunteering experience has provided her with incredible memories. ‘I think if you’re thinking about [volunteering], just do it. You’ll have so many amazing experiences…it’s hard to put into words. It’s fantastic to be able to help, but that old saying about volunteering is really true: you get just as much out of it as you give, if not more.’