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“I chose to study medicine because I wanted to save people’s lives; I chose surgery as my specialty, with the idea of working in war zones. Today, I try to save women by working in an NGO.”

Cecilia Capello is head of the health team at Enfants du Monde, a Swiss NGO based in Geneva that works to protect children and mothers in several critical areas of the world. Today, her role is health specialist: she provides medical expertise to local teams from other associations and health ministries in order to set up long-term projects. Her job title is coordinator and manager, where the skills have come in handy that she acquired during her Master of International Health Care Management, Economics and Politics at SDA Bocconi in 2002.

“After this experience, I left my job in Italy in a pharmaceutical company and flew to Zimbabwe with the nonprofit organization Cesvi.” From 2003 to 2010, Capello worked in the field from Malawi to Sudan. “They were years of hard work, but also of great satisfaction, because you see the impact of the projects and changes you have initiated. You influence the lives of hundreds of people,” she adds. There is a “but” however. “Being a woman is not easy in a cultural context where mothers, sisters, and daughters are relegated to the background, but it certainly helped that I am a doctor, an expert, and that I am ‘the white woman.’” 

Indeed, Capello explains that local institutions, from municipalities to ministries, have a different approach to Westerners. “You are welcomed and respected as a foreigner. Whereas national associations and local women who work together have a harder time.” For Capello, progress needs to be made on this point. “When I go to train local teams in healthcare and project management, they tell me about the obstacles they face every day. I’m convinced that in order for change to be real, it has to come from within, from those who have grown up or lived in the areas where they work.”

For Capello, the greatest satisfaction comes from seeing first the micro changes and then the big developments. “When you see that the method you set up, often from scratch, is working, it’s so satisfying, like nothing else.”

Today Capello has left Africa for Geneva, where she lives with her family. “The decision to return was personal, I was pregnant in Sudan and after many years between missions and projects it was time to stop.” And then to start again. In Switzerland, Capello learned French and then found a job with Enfants du Monde, where she has worked since 2010. For this organization she continues to travel directly to Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Nepal, and many other destinations, working in development aid.

“To those who dream of working in development aid, I say: don’t give up. It is not an easy career, funds are scarce and contracts are not stable, but there is a need for technical skills. Specialize and look for international opportunities; that’s the strategy to find your way.” Capello also suggests having clear objectives to achieve. “Development aid is vast, so once you know what you want to do in this sector, you need to study a great deal and improve your professional skills.”