[PROFILE] Paul Chabert & Romane Guilmet – International Solidarity Volunteering in Côte d’Ivoire

Can you introduce yourselves in a few words?

We’re two former students from IÉSEG (Grande École 2020), currently doing a one-year volunteer assignment with Moi Jeu Tri, an environmental education NGO in Côte d’Ivoire. I (Paul) am the Financial Manager, and Romane is the Project Manager. Moi Jeu Tri develops innovative solutions for the ecological transformation of territories in Africa, as well as for reviving the cultural foundations of local communities.

The organization operates around four main pillars:

- Educating younger generations on waste management and environmental protection;

- Supporting local authorities in their ecological transition through the creation of territorial ecosystems;

- Promoting social inclusion and professional integration in the social and circular economy;

- Creating value from waste and helping provide access to essential services.

The NGO is active in schools in Togo, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

What was your path at IÉSEG and what memories do you keep from your studies?

We both followed the Grande École program—and that’s actually where we met.

We have lots of good memories: strong friendships, but also accounting classes that I use every day in my current role—especially since Ivorian accounting is modeled after the French system. We also fondly remember our international exchange experiences, which offered a great opportunity to discover new cultures. It’s with this same desire to immerse ourselves in a different culture that we decided to take on an international volunteer assignment.

What have been the key steps in your professional careers?

As for me, after an internship in internal audit, I wanted to shift toward management control but within a purpose-driven company. I joined La Fourche, an online organic grocery startup. After a year working on financial topics, I completed a data training program and became a data analyst for two years. I now have a dual background in data and finance.

Romane, after completing a master’s in MIS, joined the startup Phenix for her final internship and stayed for three and a half years, holding several roles: customer success manager, key account manager, and then large accounts business developer.

Where did the desire to do volunteer work come from? Why did you choose the Volontariat de Solidarité Internationale (VSI)?

Romane and I both felt we had come full circle in our respective roles and thought it was the right time to go on an adventure—to meet new people, new cultures, and new ways of working. We heard about the Volontariat de Solidarité Internationale (VSI) and felt it matched what we were looking for: a contract that allows you to spend a year or more in a nonprofit organization in a developing country, in a position aligned with your resume and goals.

This isn’t about humanitarian work—it’s a development mission where you put your professional skills at the service of a local organization. For example, I’ve used my master’s in audit to become the Financial Manager of the NGO, and Romane draws on her business background to secure funding.

One big advantage of the VSI is that you’re integrated into a local NGO, led by citizens of the host country. It allows you to commit to a cause while continuing to learn and develop career-relevant skills.

It’s also not unpaid work: the stipend—intended to cover housing and food—is paid by the organization itself and usually matches or exceeds the local salary. There’s a genuine commitment from the NGO to host and employ you—unlike some volunteer programs that may lack structure due to limited financial investment.

How did you find your current assignment?

There are several ways to go on a VSI mission. Most people go through a “sending” organization that helps match them with an assignment.

We went through La DCC, which is one of the few organizations allowing unmarried couples to go together. We submitted our resumes, attended a three-day training, and had an interview to better understand our skills and motivations.

We were asked questions like: which region of the world we wanted to go to (Africa, the Americas, Asia…), whether we wanted to learn a new language, or if we were comfortable with modest housing.

We also presented the professional skills we could offer. The missions proposed are then based on this profile.

After a few months of waiting, we were offered this assignment—and we accepted it with enthusiasm! (As a side note, the skills gained at IÉSEG—management control, project management, communication—are highly sought after. Just putting that out there!)

What are your responsibilities as Financial Manager and Project Manager on-site?

The role of Financial Manager is quite similar to what you’d find in Europe, but with a few key differences. In a company, the client pays for and benefits from the service, so they can directly assess whether the spending was justified. In an NGO, the funder isn’t the final beneficiary. That makes it crucial to justify every action—to prove that funds are being properly used.

When it comes to North-South funding, the expectations are even higher: Western funders expect rigor and traceability, which often clashes with local economic practices. For instance, funders ask for taxi receipts—but here, you rarely get a receipt, even when buying a computer at the market.

My job is to create financial processes that ensure the accounts reflect the actual activities of the organization, and that as many expenses as possible have supporting documentation. I also ensure that funds provided by donors are used strictly for their intended projects.

Romane, on her side, responds to project calls. When a foundation wants to fund an environmental education project, she prepares a proposal that aligns both with the funder’s expectations and our NGO’s expertise.

Have you managed to adapt to the cultural differences? Have you encountered challenges? If so, how did you overcome them?

I don’t think you can fully adapt to a different culture in just a year—at least not in Côte d’Ivoire! To me, there are two types of cultural differences: those that are simply new and fascinating, and those that upend your reference points, making it harder to value what you’re used to in your own culture.

We experienced the cultural shock people often talk about. As French nationals, we’re used to speaking our minds, engaging in open discussions with leadership, and challenging decisions.
Here, those behaviors are frowned upon. You don’t contradict a superior, you stick strictly to your role, and fear of unemployment often leads to silent loyalty. This sometimes creates unhealthy dynamics: information withholding, internal sabotage, excessive submission to authority…

These are difficult situations, but also incredibly instructive. They force you to re-evaluate your instincts: dealing with the unspoken, the importance of appearances, conflict avoidance, and the role of status and age in legitimizing someone’s voice.

These tensions can be frustrating—especially when you’re used to a flat, efficient, and transparent work culture. But once you recognize them, they become tools to better understand the local context and adjust your approach. I’ve learned to speak more tactfully, listen longer before making suggestions, and rephrase things diplomatically. It takes humility, perspective, and sometimes suppressing the urge to “do things the way we learned.”

The goal isn’t to accept everything, but to move forward with flexibility and clarity in a different system. Even if full adaptation isn’t possible, this process, in my view, is one of the most valuable aspects of the experience.

This intercultural immersion hasn’t just helped me understand the Ivorian context better—it’s also helped me reflect on how things work back in France. With some distance, you realize just how much of what we call “professionalism” is actually cultural.

These lessons—sometimes unsettling, but always enriching—are real assets for the future, especially in terms of management, interpersonal communication, and adapting to diverse environments.