Archive for December 2009
The DFID office in Mozambique is quiet now, with many people already on leave. However, we still have a couple of important meetings before the end of the year, discussing financial management and planning for the annual review of the health sector early in 2010, so I am back and forth between the DFID office [...]
In discussing the ongoing climate conversation I'm having with my brother in my last two blogs, I've talked about the evidence behind the need to tackle climate change, and about why we need to assist developing countries to grow their economies and reduce poverty in a low carbon way. But my brother's question that kicked [...]
As I said in my last post, my brother and I have been debating climate change through the unexpected medium of Facebook. First he asked about science; next he commented that, “A million people giving up meat to appease Mother Gaia will do nothing to offset the effect of a billion people giving up subsistence farming, [...]
This will be a quick blog today as so much is happening right now. The Caribbean Community is actually hosting a side event today under the theme ‘ 1.5 to stay alive’ at Copenhagen to put forward their concerns on surviving the adverse effects of climate change. The ‘1.5 to stay alive campaign’ was launched by [...]
It’s funny, I’ve got the Copenhagen conference coming out of my ears - trying to keep up with latest developments, seeing where the sticking points are – yet one of the most interesting climate change discussions I’ve had this week was with my brother. On Facebook. Who’d have thought it? It sounds unlikely, but it's [...]
I arrived in Kigali at the end of August, to begin my first experience of working here in Africa. I have looked forward to this for many years. And I know I am especially fortunate to come to Rwanda and Burundi – two of the smallest, but most populous and poor countries in Africa. I had [...]
Kano does not get many tourists – visas are awkward to come by and the overland route north across the Sahara to Europe has been closed for years due to insecurity. Recently I headed across to Zinder in Niger, the francophone desert country just north of Kano. The border officials questioned us for a while – more to chat and [...]
Yesterday while on the way to the hair salon, a 20-minute walk from the DFID office in downtown Beijing, I was stopped by several strangers asking me for the directions to the labour market. I can figure out from their outfits and accents that they are young rural women who are coming to Beijing to realise [...]
I work in a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand province, Afghanistan – part of the international mission to support the Government of Afghanistan and help Afghans govern their country for themselves. My job title is Economic Adviser. I work with the local government to support economic development in Helmand and help give people the chance [...]
Maputo was hit by edge of a tropical storm last night, with high winds, thunder, lightening and rain, and I thought it might put a damper on the events organised to mark World AIDS Day today. I was very cautious on my drive to the office through the deep puddles as last week in similar [...]
