After earning her master’s degree in international Cooperation, Olivia Rakotonjanahary worked with a faith-based organization before joining GSIF’s Communication Team as an intern in April 2026 and later as a full-time member of the team in August 2026. Here she shares something of her journey.
When I first came across the internship opportunity at Fundación Internacional del Buen Pastor, I didn’t know much about the organization. As I prepared my application, I looked through the GSIF website to learn more about the Foundation. One thing immediately caught my attention: the Foundation supports projects in Madagascar.
Being originally from Madagascar, this made me even more curious. I wanted to understand what kind of projects GSIF was involved with there and, more broadly, what the Foundation was about. So, I applied for the internship, thinking it would be a good opportunity to learn and gain experience in an international context.
Since joining GSIF, I have had the opportunity to discover more about Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd and the Good Shepherd mission. One moment that particularly stayed with me was a reflection session on the spirituality of Saint John Eudes. What I found interesting was that the session was not simply about learning about the Congregation’s spirituality. It also invited us to reflect on how that spirituality can remain meaningful today, and how we can express it through our work and our relationships with others. It helped me see GSIF beyond the Good Shepherd projects and programs it supports and better understand the values that underpin its mission.
As part of GSIF’s Communication Team, one of my responsibilities is creating content for the website and social media. While it may not always be obvious from the final post or article, this work often means diving into a wide range of materials and stories coming from the field. One of the things that has struck me most is reading stories of change from project participants themselves.
I find it touching to hear about people describing, in their own words, how their lives have changed. These stories let you see beyond figures and activities and understand what the work means in people’s lives. They have helped me appreciate even more the importance of GSIF’s work and the difference that the support it offers to Good Shepherd projects can make.
Sharing these stories through our website and social media gives us a way to bring GSIF’s work to a wider audience and show what the Foundation is doing and its real impact in more than 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. The more people become aware of this work and see the value behind it, the more opportunities there are for others to connect with the mission, support it, and become part of it. In that sense, effective communication is important to help create a wider circle around the work we do – one that can help the mission grow and reach even further.
My experience at GSIF gives me the opportunity to learn and contribute to GSIF’s work through the stories and content I work on. I am deeply grateful for this opportunity and excited about what lies ahead. There is still much for me to discover, but I look forward to continuing to learn, contribute, and support the Good Shepherd mission through my work at GSIF.
