By Veselina Mineva
With OCHO, one grows. Not only does that sound like a catchy motto, it’s also a good summary of my experience working for OCHO for the past year, whether as an intern or as a translator/social media and website manager.
Becoming a part of team OCHO at the beginning of my senior year at Towson University helped me grow not only professionally, but also as an individual. It has led me to connect with and help be a part of the lives of many different individuals that I would otherwise probably have never been able to meet.
My favorite part of being a part of team OCHO? Helping with translation for the Telehealth and Tele-education project that OCHO is currently working on. Not only has it advanced my Spanish-speaking skills and developed important networking connections with local professionals, but it has also led to communication being more efficient amongst OCHO team members and their partners, in the US and Honduras. Additionally, I can say that creating Social Media campaigns to keep OCHO volunteers and supporters informed is also one of my preferred tasks because it allows me to create, design, and disperse different information to a broad audience. With the goal of keeping everybody up-to-date on everything and anything OCHO related, this aspect of my work with OCHO allows me to communicate with and hear from many different individuals, taking in their opinions and suggestions with regards to content style, type, organization, etc.
From creating simple posts to publish on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to redesigning and giving a whole new look to our website, being in charge of the digital world of OCHO has taught me how to convey important information to a broad audience of followers in a way that is succinct, yet aesthetically pleasing.This has assisted me in developing and maintaining a certain style in all of the publications and I hope to be able to expand upon it as I continue on this journey with OCHO. Being a part of OCHO has also taught me that there are many moving parts to “making an NGO work” -- it’s not just about getting a bunch of people together to volunteer to meet some goals. For example, there has to be precise organization within the group and its members, clear communication is a must, all necessary equipment must be acquired, you might have to get governmental or other organizations’ permission to realize a certain initiative, and having a plan of action is imperative to secure the necessary funding to run and sustain any of the OCHO projects.
To be a part of this adventure with me, and to keep up with OCHO, please follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @ochoorg.