Almost two years ago, Rawia Liverpool began volunteering for ACCESS, a non-for-profit organization that offers information and guidance to Internationals living in the Netherlands. ACCESS relies on a strong volunteer network who contribute their time, talent and effort. Being a three-time expat spouse and having changed careers, Rawia used all her learning and experience to support the Internationals who come to The Hague International Centre for advice.
Six months into her volunteer work, Rawia was offered a paid position as Project Manager for ACCESS at The Hague International Centre. In this role she manages a team of about 14 volunteers. In addition to her part-time job at ACCESS, Rawia is also a freelance behavioural change coach at her practice Recipes4Change. She is an advocate of volunteering and believes it has huge benefits to one’s mental and physical wellbeing and can lead to new, unexpected career opportunities.
A pharmacist by training, a project manager at non-for-profit organization ACCESS and a behavioural change coach specialized in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Transactional Analysis (TA). Rawia Liverpool wears many hats. But then, adapting to new scenarios is not unusual for her. Born in Accra, Ghana to a Lebanese father and a Ghanaian mother, Rawia grew up in Lebanon and then spent some teenage years in Ghana. She earned her college degree in the UK where she began her career as a pharmacist at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital. Five years later, when she left her job to follow her ex-husband around the world as an expat, she was in a managerial position at the expansive outpatient department.
“The first time I came to the Netherlands (twenty years ago) as an expat spouse, I thought that, as a qualified pharmacist, I could find employment easily here. I realize now I had been naive”. Working in pharmacies required Rawia to speak good Dutch and her foreign diploma had to be equated to Dutch standards. That took some time and so she turned to volunteering as she has done in the past.
The first time she came to the Netherlands, Rawia offered to work for free at the Apotheek Haagse Ziekenhuizen, a central pharmacy in Den Haag that served five main hospitals. “It was a great opportunity to be in touch with my field. I picked up a lot of Dutch pharmaceutical terminology and began to learn the language,” she says.
“Many people are reluctant to work for free and even look down on it. However I had already done voluntary work in the UK. As pharmacy students, we were encouraged to take up work in our field during the summer break. Being a foreign student, I could not be paid. So, I worked as a volunteer at pharmacies to gain experience.”
Just as Rawia’s degree had been equated in the Netherlands, she had to leave for Aberdeen in Scotland. And then again, in a few years, to Muscat, in Oman. In both these countries, Rawia took the initiative to approach the local pharmacies and introduce herself and skills. Soon, she was recruited as a locum pharmacist. She would step in whenever the pharmacy needed more staff, especially during the holiday season, giving her temporary employment and time to raise her daughters.
Back in the Netherlands a few years later, Rawia was able to gain employment as a pharmacist at the International Health Centre (IHCH) in Den Haag, serving the international community after acting on a tip from a friend who informed her about the new International Health Centre (IHCH) in Den Haag. “They may need a pharmacist”, Rawia was told. “They were not looking for anybody, but asked me to come in for a chat anyway. I was interviewed by two people, who coincidentally had a background in pharmacy. Something clicked and I was hired! ”.
Though she worked at the IHCH, Rawia was drawn towards behavioural psychology. In Oman, she had discovered Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a neuro-scientific approach to behavioural change. This transformed her thinking. Rawia completed her NLP training in the UK and soon found a job in a Dutch school, assisting children with special needs.
I began my own practice in 2012. “I remember literally shaking on the day I registered my business, Recipes4Change, at the Chamber of Commerce”. Rawia took advantage of network events and seminars, and spread the word about her venture, Recipes4Change. She is also adding to her knowledge and expertise by taking advanced learning in Transactional Analysis, another field relating to communication and behavioural change. Rawia now works with clients and guides them in their journey of change in order to live a more balanced and joyful life.
Rawia’s advice to anyone who is feeling stuck in a new situation is this: “We often underestimate ourselves and all our experiences. You may have built skills you are not even aware of. Build a CV that is skills-based and not merely the roles you have held. Stay curious about your situation and look outside the box”. Rawia’s career is testimony that she follows her own advice.
