Kim Deniger

In 2015, I was a constable with 12 years’ service and a single mother of three children. I had the desire to prove to myself and others that there is always a way to overcome challenges and to pursue a dream. I applied to a peace operation and was successfully selected to the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). My experience with RCMP human resource planning led me to be hand-selected to assist the UN personnel office. 

In Haiti, I was eager to be in the field. A new opportunity opened up for me to join the West Department (Province) field operations. I was able to spend much of my time involved in daily interactions with the local population in the displacement camps and Croix de Bouquets.

Those experiences, combined with my previous police service gave me the experience to earn my first promotion soon after returning to Canada. 

In 2019, the urge to live a new adventure timed well with the opportunity to join the new UN mission in Mali. As the fourth member to deploy to MINUSMA, I knew immediately that I wanted to capitalize on the experience and became part of the first Canadian pair to be deployed to Mopti. I shared duties that permitted me to partake in long patrols which included camping in outposts, while also acting as the joint operations’ center liaison.

My participation and first steps have opened the door to nearly a dozen other Canadians being deployed to the regions now.

My experiences on both missions have been very rewarding and enriching. I found my soulmate (Stephen Dibblee) during my first mission in Haiti. Today, we are happily married. 

We, as Canadians, are extremely fortunate. We have access to proper education. Women can be in leadership roles. In these countries, women do not have the same opportunities. During my patrols in Mali, I went to some remote communities. Most of the people had never seen a white woman before and they all wanted to touch me. To some women over there, I was an inspiration. They had never seen a female in uniform before. It gave them a goal to achieve what they didn’t think possible before. It gave them hope. 

I was able to gather some women from the communities and have them listen in during the meetings. Usually, it is only men that are present. I would try to encourage them to participate in the negotiations. They listened and they showed us what was going on. They felt included. It may seem like a small achievement, but it’s a huge opportunity for them.

In mission, you arrive and you want to change everything! It’s important to remember that you need to take time to learn the culture and see what’s going on. They have their own solutions but may not have the resources to do it. You need to respect the community.

Since my first mission, I was able to recruit several women police officers. I shared my own experiences. I explained how I managed to leave for one year with three kids of my own. I always tried to find the best ways to involve my kids in my experiences. For example, during my first mission to Haiti I wrote a letter every day and had them open a small gift every week to remember good times together.

Today, I’m sponsoring a girl from Mali with World Vision. With this support, she can continue to go to school. Sometimes, these small actions on our side can make a big difference in someone else’s life.

The UN is always looking for more women to go overseas, as are other agencies. I want to encourage all women police officers who may have an interest to go and apply. Even if you have kids, you can do it. It is typically a year long deployment. But you have leave/vacation. You can come back home for quality time with kids. Or you can plan vacation. I want my kids to be proud that their mom went on mission. They shared it at school. They got involved and shared toys with kids in Mali. I made my kids a part of my mission. They will gain an independence and learn from that. It takes guts to deploy. But we are so fortunate to have a country that has our backs. I would go back but I am giving myself a couple of years first.