Glyn Edbrooke
Impact: Our Volunteer
Glyn, a Chartered Management Accountant with extensive business experience, wanted to share his skills and gain experience of living overseas. Glyn was able to use his skills to benefit CCPRWA, and in doing so gained significant self-reliance and leadership skills.
Impact: The Placement
This partner provides vocational education to youths in Rwanda. They needed help with financial administration. Glyn put financial management controls in place, developed budgets and income forecasts and offered training to ensure long-term sustainability.
2Way Development Volunteer: Glyn Edbrooke
Glyn Edbrooke was an experienced Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) looking for new opportunities and experiences. He had excellent accountancy and financial management skills, having been involved with high profile business start-ups, forecasting, budgeting and financial analysis within various organisations. In addition Glyn possessed good conversational French language skills.
Having worked with UK accountancy companies and businesses for a substantial amount of time Glyn wanted to pass on his professional accounting skills to a charitable project. With this in mind he was also keen to gain in depth experience of living and working in the developing world before returning to his job with his UK based firm Venture Finance, sponsors of his sabbatical.
The Match
Prior to Glyn’s placement, CCPRWA lacked the necessary skills in accounting and financial management to meet the requirements of donors and ensure that their projects had sustainable sources of income. CCPRWA needed a volunteer with a strong understanding of financial management and analysis to enable them to improve their administration and seek sustained funding. Glyn’s accountancy qualifications and business experience meant that Glyn was able to put financial controls in place and establish best practice for the future. Glyn spent time preparing budgets and financial reports, but also worked closely with the directors of the charity to improve their skills and build the capacity of CCPRWA. His expert status meant that Glyn was able to develop his leadership skills, and he commented that “it’s clear that there’s no shortage of ability among Rwandans, but it’s the lack of expert knowledge and guidance that can hold them back.”
Impact: Glyn’s Career Progression
Glyn now works in the finance department of a large insurance company and the self-reliance and leaderships skills he developed whilst in Rwanda have continued to serve him well in his new role. He continues to draw upon his experiences and shortly after his placement had ended said, “now I know what they mean when they say ‘Africa gets under your skin’; it’s a beautiful continent with many wonderful people.”
2Way Development Partner: Children’s Care and Protection Rwanda (CCPRWA)
Glyn’s placement was with our partner Children’s Care and Protection Rwanda (CCPRWA) in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. Established in 1998 by returning refugees, the charity aims to provide vocational training and pre-schooling to disadvantaged youths. They focus on two areas:
- Nursery education to promote the rights of the child and reduce child labour.
- Vocational training in collaboration with local businesses.
Impact: The Placement
- Glyn helped the directors of CCPRWA to learn the basic principles of bookkeeping and prepare monthly accounts.
- He developed financial controls and prepared a budget and income forecasts.
- Glyn held a training workshop for the directors, concentrating on the importance of good financial management.
- Finally Glyn helped CCPRWA to identify new sources of income and established a micro-loan scheme for ex-students.
