Eugene Maguire
Impact: Our Volunteer
Eugene, a Human Rights Investigation Officer with a legal background, wanted to use his skills to gain international experience. Eugene gained experience of grass-roots human rights work, which he now applies to current role as a civil servant.
Impact: The Placement
Our partner, AHURTOD, needed help with the design of their human rights education materials and publications. Eugene facilitated the design and implementation of sensitisation projects, met with a range of groups, and helped to launch an IT centre for local youths.
2Way Development Volunteer:
Eugene Maguire
Before his volunteer placement, Eugene worked for the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland as an Investigation Officer. This role required him to draw on his legal qualifications and work under pressure to investigate complaints against the Police.
Eugene wanted to gain experience of working in a developing country, apply his skills in a new context, and make a contribution to an organisation working to protect human rights.
The Match
Eugene’s skills in human rights investigation, research and documentation were a good match with AHURTOD’s needs, and he joined them for three months in 2007. He spent his time facilitating the design and implementation of human rights education projects, including the publication of campaign materials. He also held meetings with government officials and community groups, and helped to launch an IT centre for youths in the local community. Over the course of the placement, Eugene gained vital experience of managing a project, and was also able to build the capacity of his host organisation by transferring his skills and specialist knowledge.
Impact: Eugene’s Career Progression
Eugene “found working for AHURTOD to be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience,” and he was “glad to work for an NGO that had an appreciable effect on its community - I feel that we achieved a lot in a short time.” He now applies the skills and experience he learned during his placement to a role within the civil service.
Quotes
“I found working for AHURTOD to be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.”
“There is no shortage of work for a Human Rights NGO in Cameroon. There is a need to educate people about their rights regarding many different issues, e.g. Voting in Elections, Property Rights, and Criminal Law. People need to understand their rights before they can defend them, and AHURTOD goes about this work with dedication and commitment.”
“I greatly enjoyed my voluntary placement, and I would recommend working with AHURTOD to other volunteers. My time there was very busy, but I was glad to work for an NGO that had an appreciable effect on its community, and I feel that we achieved a lot in a short time.”
“I hope that AHURTOD, in conjunction with other Civil Society organisations, can continue to work to change Cameroon for the better, and that in the near future Cameroon will develop into the prosperous, democratic country it should be.”
2Way Development Partner: Association of Human Rights and Torture Defenders (AHURTOD)
The Cameroon based Association of Human Rights and Torture Defenders is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit making organisation working for the practical realisation of human rights.
AHURTOD required a volunteer with experience in human rights work to help them in their education and sensitisation projects.
Impact: The Placement
- Eugene gave AHURTOD assistance with human rights projects and publications, and designed a programme of education to deal with the new criminal procedure code.
- He also liaised with the government and community groups regarding respect for human rights and access to information.
- He built the capacity of AHURTOD to deliver expert assistance and training in the long term.
