Practising what you preach for sustainable development

By Gloria Makafui Dovoh, 1st year MDP student

In my first blog, I made mention of the usefulness of considering both the context and culture of a community in understanding cultural practices as well as building relationships and having an open mind.  During my field placement with the Regional Advisory and Information Network Systems (RAINS), I realized these tools early enough to assist with my twelve-week journey.  At the end of the three months experience in the field, I have no doubt this placement was a good fit. I have personally enjoyed the journey of growth during this placement.

Gloria (R) with a student during a project evaluation session

Even though I come from Ghana (Southern Ghana), I have been blinded to the diversity of cultures in the Northern part of the country all this while. The Northern part of Ghana, where RAINS is located has a mind-blowing diversity in languages, dances, cuisine and dressing.  I was fortunately gifted with a beautiful Northern outfit called the “smock” at the end of my placement.

Aside from the organization’s work with rural communities in Northern Ghana, RAINS manages a day crèche to support working mothers, both staff and from the general public, which they seek to expand in future. The saying “Practice what you preach” is very evident with the organization. Staff also engage in Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA), (a livelihood intervention for a group of people who collectively support a structured process of saving money and collecting loans at a local level) to have practical experience of the saving and loans framework that has been adopted in many rural communities to build reliable sources of capital for women’s small businesses.

I am thankful to the Regional Advisory and Information Network Systems (RAINS) and Master’s in Development Practice: Indigenous Development (MDP), the University of Winnipeg for this adventurous and meaningful experience. I have learnt a lot and I am grateful for this opportunity of a lifetime. I had the opportunity of improving both my professional and personal skills. In the nutshell, I experienced hands-on learning and training in a field setting, an experience I have been looking forward to since the inception of my journey to the MDP.

Group photo on Gloria's last day in placement