Akuaba from Accra, Ghana

By Adesuwa Ero, 2nd year MDP student

For the last three months, I worked as an intern for Peoples Dialogue on Human Settlements popularly referred to as PD in Accra, Ghana. It is a community-based Non-Governmental Organization working in alliance with Cities Alliance and the Ghana Federation of the Urban Poor (GHAFUP) in providing and supporting improved livelihood initiatives for the urban slum dwellers. Through this internship, my goal was to synthesize urban development and communications. The opportunity to demonstrate through writing and visuals, the development efforts being achieved here, not just through the lens of development practitioners but also through the eyes of the beneficiaries and how these projects influence policy decisions. 

Although I am originally from West Africa, this was my first time visiting Ghana. Accra, the country’s capital and also where PD’s office is situated is a vibrant metropolitan city known as a commercial, manufacturing, and communications hub. 

 

My role as an intern at PD was to assist the programs’ officers with ongoing projects implementation and assist in coordinating community engagements. But, more importantly, to translate a lot of the office documentation ranging from community mapping and profiling, field visit reports, status reports into stories for the website, blogs, newsletters, project catalogs, press releases, validation reports, and other publications. 

Adesuwa at Kokrobite Beach

Through my time here, I have gained a deeper understanding of the complexities associated with development work especially in this part of the world. Taking into account the issues of accountability, professional work ethics, proper documentation, meaningful involvement of stakeholders/ beneficiaries, developing comprehensive project plans, monitoring, and evaluation. In addition, assessing the success trajectory of past projects.

Another interesting observation was getting to understand the cultural dynamics within which the society operate knowing that it tends to have a significant effect on the outcome of development efforts. 

The only thing I found challenging in my time here was the language barrier in communicating with community members and government officials. However, this challenge was not peculiar to foreigners alone but also common within the city enclave which constitutes a wide array of cultural groups with distinct languages. This meant that for every community engagement we had, a minimum of three languages translator’s asides from English had to be present in order to ensure effective and more meaningful engagements.

In a nutshell, the internship provided me the opportunity to work closely on a wide spectrum of development projects to include waste management, water, and sanitation, improved housing and eviction issues, city-wide profiling and mapping, alternative energy, and the Know Your City (KYC) Campaign. Also, I have gained increased capacity in stakeholder mobilization, community engagement, tension management, identifying meaningful communication techniques best suited for grassroots participation. 

The last but not the least, I had the opportunity to learn and work with a group of community youth along side delegates from Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI) in first building capacity and producing a video documentary on the activities of GHAFUP to be shown at the upcoming UN-Habitat 3 Conference in October.

Winding down Researching Resilience

By Dev Kashyap, 2nd year MDP student

With just a couple weeks left in my University of Winnipeg field placement in south-east India, I can't believe how time has flown by. However, in reflection, the past month has been a whirlwind of visits to 'Adivasi' or Indigenous communities in and around our base of Kotturu, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Myself, along with my MDP classmate Manna Sainju and host organization Appropriate Reconstruction Technology Information Centre (ARTIC), have reached our goal of completing all key informant interviews and focus group discussions with our selected participating Adivasi communities in the month of July.

July took us through the beautiful landscapes of three local rural counties or "Mandals" as they are called in Andhra Pradesh; some of them accessible only by rugged roads. Part of what we have learned revolves around the similarities in Adivasi habitations in terms of the effects on them from changes over the past 30 years: globalization; emerging technologies and government programming and policies. What is certain is that all of these communities embody resilience in terms of their day-to-day living. Things that we take for granted in North America - such as constant electricity, piped water directed to our homes and easy access to irrigation - are amenities that require planning and hard physical labour in many cases here in rural India.

All in all, I am grateful for my experience here, the assistance I have had in my research from the team at ARTIC, and last but not least the willingness of the research participants to contribute to my higher learning about the rural experience of Adivasis in south Asia. Resilience is manifest in their processes of living day-to-day here and embodied in the daily tasks performed by Adivasi communities. Resilient communities carrying on in the face of externally-driven changes.

Dev, Prakash, Yamuna and Shrimaiji from ARTIC, and the research participants from the community of Bommika, Andhra Pradesh

On the Trail for Millets

By Dev Kashyap, 2nd year MDP student

After over a month in South Asia, I finally feel I am settling into a groove. The journey has led me to Kotturu, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The weather is hot and it is pre-monsoon season with temperatures daily hitting low-to-mid 30 degrees Celsius, but our arrival in this rural setting was just after a debilitating heat wave that caused somewhere around 1,000 deaths in the region. The hot days usually get relieved with evening showers, but by mid-afternoon a seat in front of a fan, bottled water in close proximity, is the appropriate posture.

 

Dev on top of ARTIC sign in Kotturu, India

Amidst the heat and humidity, the purpose of our trip to this part of the world has commenced: researching ‘Adivasi’ (the local word) or Indigenous resilience in the face of environmental and external-driven change in the region around Kotturu, Andhra Pradesh. Specifically, the research is revolved around the traditional crop of Millets, a nutritious ‘ancient world’ grain whose cultivation has been in steady decline in recent years due to the introduction of ‘non-native’ food crops and cash crops into the area. Our research has been possible with the help of our host and local NGO, Appropriate Reconstruction Training and Information Centre (ARTIC), who have been doing grassroots development work in the area for over 30 years.

Since millets production and subsequently consumption has been in such decline over the last few decades, the first month of our field placement can be summarized as being ‘on the trail for millets’.  The trail has led us to local government and administrative offices, meeting officials in agriculture, health, local development. Furthermore, community visits have been conducted in more than 10 villages to get an idea of which communities will be targeted as part of our research.

  

Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change in Kenya

By Stella N. Rakwach, MDP 2nd Year Student 

For the second half of my field placement, I have worked mostly on the CRM (Changieni Rasili Mali) Project. CRM Project aims at promoting climate change adaptation for natural resource dependent communities in Narok County. CRM is a joint project being implemented by Indigenous Information Network (IIN), our host organization, and Kenya Forest Working Group (KFWG) courtesy of funding from Act!. CRM aims to improve the participation by communities in the governance and sustainable utilization of natural resources in Kenya.

Stella at climate change meeting at UNEA

The Indigenous peoples in Kenya, who mostly live in arid and marginalized communities in Kenya, have suffered more from the effects of climate change. Hence their sources of livelihoods have been hugely affected in relation to food security and agriculture, livestock and pastoralism, water resources, forestry and energy. Through the CRM project we jointly developed three main interventions /adaptation mechanisms:

•          Policy development within the counties; 

•          Capacity building & strengthening of local natural resources community institutions; and

•          Knowledge management i.e. sharing of climate change related knowledge on policy, best practices and technologies. 

Out of the numerous activities involved in a project of this magnitude, I have been involved in quite a number including: 

a) Establishing a community resource center to collect, store and disseminate on continuous basis reliable climate change information; 

b) Preparing a checklist and questionnaire for undertaking a baseline survey for benchmarking key elements of climate change adaptation. Aimed at identifying challenges, vulnerable areas, current coping mechanisms, existing policies, climate change awareness and livelihoods support system;

c) Design of climate change awareness materials such as: t-shirts, brochures, lessons (traditional wrap fabric worn by women) and posters;

 

d) Research on existing climate change policies, legislation and strategies in Kenya plus on-going climate change adaptation mechanisms in the areas of agriculture, energy, livestock, water resources and forestry; and

e) Developing a work plan for the second phase of the project and reviewing budgetary allocations towards implementation activities. 

 

Ewaso Nyiro River (in Narok County) drying up

Last but not least, I also took part in a civil society organizations (CSOs) stakeholder round table discussion of the Climate Change Bill & Policy courtesy of Transparency International. The discussion culminated into proposed amendments and recommendations that would be forwarded by the CSOs representative to the Kenyan Parliament for consideration when the Climate Change Bill, 2014 is brought to the floor of the house at the second stage. 

All in all, I have had a great time in Kenya and I am grateful to the MDP fraternity together with IIN, my hosts, for making this field placement a success.

Indigenous Development in Kenya

By Stella Rakwach, MDP 2nd Year Student

Stella (L) & Doreen (R) at IIN office

My field placement is in Nairobi, Kenya with frequent visits to indigenous communities in various parts of the country. I am glad my MDP journey is nearing the end with my final practicum halfway done. I have been working together with Margaret (MDP student) at the Indigenous Information Network (IIN), which is an NGO founded in 1996 that is managed by a few professionals with the help of several volunteers/ interns. IIN works with Indigenous People (nomadic pastoralists and hunters and gatherers) in Kenya to provide them with information through the media and Nomadic News Magazine which is published annually. IIN provides information about Indigenous Peoples, their livelihoods, opportunities and challenges they face in relation to development. 

I am enjoying my time here very much, not only am I home, but I have also had the chance to meet family and several friends. There are many activities going on at IIN and everyone has been eager to involve me in various programs and field visits. At the moment IIN has several projects ranging from climate change adaptation, education of girls, human rights, advocacy to environmental issues.

On the way to Narok county

We visited Narok County, home to the Maasai courtesy of IIN’s climate change adaptation project dubbed “Changieni Rasili Mali (CRM)” to attend the project launch. CRM will address illegal logging, charcoal burning and afforestation of Indigenous forests in the Narok region. The CRM launch was part of the World Environment Day (5th June) celebrations whose theme was “raise your voices not the sea level.”   

Girls performing a traditional Maasai dance

The highlight of this trip was getting the opportunity to immerse into the rich culture of the Masaai through art (beautiful handmade beadwork, paintings and colorful fabric) which are sold in various small galleries all over Narok town. It was also interesting to hear the Maasai native language (Maa) spoken and listen to their beautiful songs and dances which was entertaining. Also as part of the climate change programs we attended the annual PACJA (Pan Africa Climate Change Justice Alliance) awards which are held annually to honor journalists all over Africa who excel in reporting on climate change and environmental issues. As part of the awards ceremony several interesting stories were highlighted to show the diverse ways in which African communities were adapting to climate change.

Stella at the launch of the Global Oceans Commissions Report at UNEA

Finally, I also got a chance courtesy of IIN’s Director to attend the first session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) of the United Nations Environment Programme which was held at the UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. The meeting was attended by several participants, including Environment Ministers, Government delegates and representatives of major groups and stakeholders.  The theme of the first session was “Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, including sustainable consumption and production”. The outcome of this discussion and other ongoing discussions will be useful in the formulation of targets and indicators which would succeed the Millennium Development Goals. Also key on the agenda was the discussion on the issue of illegal trade in wildlife, which has had adverse impacts on biodiversity globally.

Reflections on the UCN Placement

By Heidi Cook, MDP student

The University College of the North (UCN) is an invaluable resource for education and development in northern Manitoba. You don’t hear much about it in southern Manitoba but UCN is all over the north with two campuses and twelve regional centres. They are doing some really great things, like implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) for one. 

Pisew Falls, south of Thompson, Manitoba

There are plenty of opportunities, big and small, to connect UNDRIP to on-the-ground action. At UCN a big focus is on Aboriginal content and perspectives being reflected in the curriculum. This goes a long way to promote understanding and combat discrimination, one of the goals of the Declaration.

When the outgoing academic specialist sends you her position advertisement, you know you did a pretty good job. I expected to learn about UCN and the Natural Resources Management Technology (NRMT) program through conversations and observing meetings, however there were opportunities for me to get more involved in the program review by doing some research and providing context for the review. 

The people you meet really are the best part of the placement experience. In both my placements I have made lifelong friendships and expanded my professional network.

Elder Stella Neff, UCN Elders Council