Another student went through the Volunteer Programme of the WFP Centre for Excellence against Hunger. Mariana Toni, 19, is a design student at the University of Brasilia and saw the World Food Programme’s Brazil office as an opportunity to improve her design skills and to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goal 2 – Zero Hunger.
Mariana spent a week as a volunteer and during that time she produced some communication cards that will be published on the Centre of Excellence’s pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. “For me it was an opportunity to learn how to use design tools that I will need to master in the future and to which I do not have much access in college, so I always knew that learning how to use them would depend upon my own effort,” says Mariana.
The student had the support of the WFP Centre of Excellence’s designer, Natan Giuliano. “He is a great teacher, very patient. In the short time I spent here, I was able to learn a good deal about the most important software.”
In addition to the design aspect, Mariana was attracted by the theme of the Centre of Excellence’s work. “I already knew and admired the work you and also the work of the UN in general. It was interesting to see that the team is not just sitting in the office, you travel to the field and you see first-hand the reality of the people who need your help. It’s a job that requires a lot of empathy.”
Another important lesson for her was the functioning of a United Nations office. “This was my first experience in a professional environment and it was very useful to see up close the work routine of an office,” says Mariana. “I always liked to draw and I had the idea that design was about that. Then I realized that it was not quite like that. In five years, I hope to be able to work in the design field of my choice – I just need to find out what that area is.”