Week of July 9th
This week I worked on the Sri Lanka Manual, reviewing work done by one of the attorneys in the office, Aislynn. Aislynn is in the office in Geneva for a few weeks before she goes off to work in the field and become the Program Manager for the Sri Lankan office. The manual for Sri Lanka has a similar format and was based off of the manual that Jenn and Reeana made last summer for Myanmar. The part of the manual that I was working on regarded the structure of the court system and in particular the hierarchy and the different laws and requirements before a case could be appealed. I took this information and helped make a flow chart that could be easily digested to understand the court system.
Later in the week I helped update the timesheets that IBJ has been using. The updates provided for a more detailed account of the work that was being done. In terms of employee productivity and fund allocation it is important that IBJ keeps stringent records of how time is spent and how efficient people are. Additionally, the paperwork helped track time off and other benefits such as flexible hours and remote work.
I worked on the whistleblower policy for the corporation. IBJ works in may countries where bribes and other forms of greasing are not only permitted but are standard practice. It is important that IBJ outline how it is against and will not tolerate any form of bribery or nepotism. Having the policy written down will provide guidance to our staff around the world as well as providing assurance to our donors that the money we are given is well spent. In addition to providing procedures for whistleblowing, the document also defined whistleblowing and expressed protections for people who want to disclose information regarding corrupt practices.
On Friday after work I did something I had wanted to do all summer. On Friday nights the tram up to the Saleve ( a mountain 30 minutes from Geneva, located right over the boarder in France) runs extra late, until 11pm. I went up to the top of the mountain and had dinner and was able to watch the sunset over the entirety of Geneva, it was beautiful. On the tram ride down saw fireworks everywhere. Friday and Saturday were Bastille Day, sort of like a French Independence Day, and they had celebrations all over France.
On Saturday I went to go hiking with a work colleague as well as a couple of my friends from Geneva. The hike was near the town of Montreux. We didn’t realize that the train could drop us off closer to the trail so we started from the middle of town. This was a blessing in disguise as we were able to see tons of buildings with old architecture. The hike was steep, with many switchbacks. It took us four hours from once we got to the trail. Halfway up the mountain we encountered a dozen cows just hanging out in the middle of nowhere. At the peak of the mountain we were able to get a nearly unencumbered 360° view of the area and it was stunning. At the top of the mountain was a tram that took us all the way down the mountain, which was a much needed break as we were all exhausted. When we got back to Montreux we were in the middle of the Montreux Jazz Festival and was able to listen to live music and hop in the lake to cool down.
On Sunday afternoon a few friends and I went to the Fanzone. The Fanzone is a fenced off area in the middle of a park with jumbo screens where they were playing the world cup. Geneva is a French speaking city very close to France. The whole crowd went crazy celebrating their win. It was a cool experience being able to see the game in that setting.