In a few days, Karlien Jolie will fly to South Kivu to take up her post as national director of Louvain Coopération in the DRC. Meeting with this idealistic young woman on the eve of her departure.

Karlien Jolie, originally from Ghent, began her professional career in higher education before moving into the world of development cooperation. “It's hard for me to explain why, but it's something I've had in mind since I was a child. To go to the South to do something...” she confides. At MSF and then 11.11.11, she gained experience, particularly in the DRC, which she now wishes to put at the service of Louvain Coopération projects in the DRC.

She explains her choice: “Higher education and working with young people are synonymous with the future, with the creation of ideas and with a role to play in society. Linking the academic world and development cooperation therefore seems very interesting to me. Moreover, I have already worked in the DRC and it is a country that fascinates me. I really want to discover more about it. “

The very concrete aspect of Louvain Coopération's projects is another source of motivation for Karlien. “I think that Louvain Coopération's work can really make a difference for some people and their families, and it is very important to me to see the results of what I do, especially in a complex context such as the DRC.”

Obviously, this role will not be easy, especially in such a political context. “I hope that the various external factors that can affect the projects will not hinder the intended results of our work...”, Karlien tells us again.

Finally, we conclude this interview by asking her about the difficulties, or otherwise, of holding this position as a woman in a society that is still very patriarchal. Karlien is happy to have been chosen and wants to make her gender a strength rather than a weakness. “Congolese women are taking on more responsibilities and I hope that my example will show them that it is completely normal for a woman to take on this type of role and succeed in it...”