TransCanada Employees Enrich Engineers Without Borders Partnership
TransCanada’s 2013 EWB secondees report on their experiences in Africa
Employees Enrich Engineers Without Borders Partnership
It’s only a little more than two months since TransCanada’s 2013 Engineers Without Borders (EWB) secondees Leanne LeBlanc and Tim Hirtle returned to Canada, but one thing they already miss about Africa is the warmth. While both LeBlanc and Hirtle admit they miss the warm weather they experienced during fall and winter in Africa, it’s the warmth of the people they miss the most.
TransCanada has a unique five-year partnership with EWB that began in 2011. It includes a financial investment in EWB of $545,000 over five years, in addition to the secondment of 10 employees to EWB projects in order to help tackle the problem of persistent poverty in Africa. LeBlanc and Hirtle were seconded (or temporarily loaned) to EWB for six months beginning last summer and spent four of those months in Ghana and Zambia, respectively.
LeBlanc, a communications specialist, was able to put her professional skills to use with the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (part of the municipal government in Ghana), while Hirtle worked with Forest Fruits in Zambia to help improve the company’s maintenance/parts inventory and provide coaching.
The TransCanada duo shared many successes and difficulties during their time in Africa, but all-in-all LeBlanc and Hirtle stress that they enjoyed the secondment and are grateful that TransCanada and EWB were able to give them the chance to experience a different way of life and use their professional skills in meaningful roles.
To read more about Leanne and Tim's experiences click here...
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