By Temisan Boyo

Many young people aspire to a career in the international development field, where they can devote their lives to helping others. Yet, we are often unaware of the variety of positions in such work as well as the countless paths taken to get there. In the premiere of this Shift series, we chat with employees at the World Vision Canada National Office in Mississauga about their life and work.

For Crystal Penner, Humanitarian & Emergency Affairs Program Manager for Asia and the Latin America and Caribbean regions, development was not a main focus early in life. She studied Music Therapy and Voice in university and had a part-time job playing the piano at performances and concerts. However, eight years ago, she took a job as an Administrative Coordinator for the Africa TD (Transformational Development) Team and “got hooked.” In the aftermath of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, she got involved with the emergency relief team and has been there ever since.

Seeing Disaster Firsthand
When an emergency, such as an earthquake or hurricane, occurs in her region, Crystal first works with the government and other donors to secure money for people in need. These funds are then sent to the World Vision field office that will carry out the programs to help the affected peoples. Crystal also often travels to the site of the disaster to see firsthand the recovery programs in action .

Although Crystal must occasionally endure late night or early morning conference calls with her colleagues in faraway parts of the world, she loves that her job allows her to meet and interact with such a diverse group of people. She particularly credits the people she meets who “are part of the programs and experience disasters” and values all they have taught her.

Crystal is definitely an example of the stunning variety of backgrounds present in development work. Her hard work and dedication has helped so many people and, at present, she still pursues her passion for music in her second job as a singer. Her advice to young hopefuls is to “always have a bag packed” as you never know where life will take you.

Learn More
Interested in studying development? Or not sure if it is for you? Check out this article for tips and suggestions.