Javier Rodriguez is an employee of BNP Paribas Spain working in Corporate Finance. He has recently received funding from “Apoyamos tus ideas”, a corporate social responsibility program supporting employees’ initiatives. In this interview, he talks about his experience and personal motivation to get involved with the association Zabalketa.

Could you please present the association you are involved with? Please describe its main activity, what issues it deals with and to whom is it addressed

Created in 1990, Zabalketa (a Basque word meaning “openness”) was set up and developed by the Alumni Association of Gaztelueta, my high school back home in Bilbao. It is an non-government organization focused on education and awareness in international projects on cooperation for development.

Zabalketa’s strategic approach to cooperation involves working jointly with local partners and target beneficiaries of its projects, through the implementation of long-term changes with actual impact. It also makes extra special efforts to enhance women’s empowerment and decision capacity in underdeveloped regions.

Examples of some recent projects granted include the implementation of rural resources management models in Peru; the promotion of democratic values in Zamboanga, Philippines; the reinforcement of social and economic context of indigenous communities in Bolivia; and an integrated proposal for education on development for children in certain high schools in Bilbao.

And what was your personal motivation to get involved with Zabalketa? Could you elaborate on the projects you participated in?

I learned of the experience that other high school alumni and friends had working for Zabalketa and was eager to dedicate some of my time to such cooperation too, but frankly, I never dared to do so. But after a while, before attending the MBA, I changed my mind and decided to offer some of my time to international collaboration projects. The decision was not easy to take – the idea of working on my own in the field was quite challenging!.

My main tasks comprised analyzing the progress of certain projects being carried out in several regions throughout Peru (Lambayeque, Iquitos, and Lima). My tasks basically consisted of meeting the local management teams, reviewing project budgets and proposing corrective actions to sort out deviations.

In Lambayeque, the aim of the project was to train up to 400 women in the management of chicken farms, in order to facilitate women’s empowerment and the overall economic development in the region, through an increase in family income derived from the sale of eggs produced in the farms.

In Iquitos, my assessment tasks were split between two different projects: “el Huambrillo” (which means “young boy” in Quechua), a childhood refuge with room for 100 children, and a micro-credit fund sponsored by one of the main Spanish financial institutions.

In Lima, the projects included a healthcare service unit and a refuge for abused women.

Such exposure to so many different contexts and unmet basic human needs led me to think that there was something wrong, not only in Peru, but also in the developed world!

How do you see these projects in the future? Would you consider them a contribution to sustainable development for the people that they addressed?

I am very confident of the impact the projects have had on the beneficiaries. The projects themselves had a limited time frame, but their contribution and the overall strategy of Zabalketa throughout Peru, is longstanding.

What are the main needs of Zabalketa today and how can they be addressed?

As a midsize NGO, Zabalketa has plenty of needs. As I said before, due to the very nature of its approach to cooperation, volunteer activities from professionals from diverse backgrounds are essential to its success. In addition, the need for funding through regular personal donations, or initiatives such as BNP Paribas’ “Apoyamos tus ideas” – of which the above projects have been a target – is endless.

Personally, I do everything within my reach to raise awareness of Zabalketa’s activities: spreading word of mouth, support and assistance to fund raising events, offering first-hand advice to people who ask about the need of volunteer activities…

How did the project inspire other people?

I somehow realized that my involvement was not only useful in the field, but that it also had an impact on others back home. Firstly, just as I was enticed by the experiences of others, there were friends of mine who decided in turn to replicate the experience in the following years. Additionally, my regular e-mails attracted the attention of scores of relatives and friends back home, who in turn forwarded the e-mails to more people. Eventually, as many as 30 people decided to generously support the activities of Zabalketa, and most of them still do.

Last but not least, once in Business School, I had the chance to meet a teacher who was interested in Corporate Social Responsibility. He encouraged me to write a case study on my volunteering experience for his subject within the field of Managing People in Organizations. This case has been part of the syllabus since I wrote it.

What is your message to people?

In my experience, there is some suspicion regarding the work of non-governmental organizations. I think, however, that it usually comes from people who have not assessed the facts, and who then use it as a perfect and very comfortable excuse to underestimate the sector and thus avoid collaboration. No suspicion arises from people with a true and knowledgeable understanding of the work of sound NGOs. In that regard, again, the name Zabalketa itself responds to that very need for “openness” to new realities.

As you can imagine, the workload required for development cooperation by NGOs is heavy and it is poorly remunerated, if at all. I didn’t get paid for the job, but I didn’t expect so either. The main reason why somebody is able to put up a valuable contribution is a level of commitment that implies high coherence and honesty. That helps to guarantee effective work and use of resources.

I would encourage all readers to take an active role, without thinking twice. Whether in the form of a donation, or by dedicating some time to volunteering, there are plenty of people out there who need our help. So if you have a project you believe in, and if you think you are in a position to help, then do take up the challenge, it is truly worthwhile! Getting involved in a personal way in a project, no matter how small, is immensely rewarding, especially if you can see direct positive results from your input.