Archive for April 2012
The last time I saw David was six months ago; he's now swapped Ghana's coastal, cocoa-growing Western region for the arid savannah of the Upper East region, but he's still doing the same job: getting DFID funded mosquito nets to some of Ghana's most remote and poorest communities. When I first met David last year, [...]
Having spent some time in Zimbabwe (since 2010) I have certainly become relaxed and really appreciate this beautiful country. I feel relatively safe, in comparison to many other cities. Arriving at Harare Airport, one is met with helpful staff and no hassle in getting a cab - where else is this the case on the African continent? [...]
After 15 months, the time has come for me to leave this beautiful country and return home to friends, family and (fingers crossed) a beautiful Spring back in London! As my time here draws to a close I can't help but think back to when I first arrived and all the changes I have seen. [...]
It's moth season in Kinshasa. Every month here seems to bring different insects. Sometimes it's giant flying beetles. Other times it's swarms of brown paper-like flies. Just now there are moths everywhere - moths as big as my two hands; tiny moths; you name it. But every season here is mosquito season. Being a wet, equatorial country, the [...]
We spent our last few weeks in Afjalpur making sure we had met all of the targets laid out in our day-to-day plan and compiling a handover folder so that the next ICS volunteers know every detail of the work we have done. Whilst our programme followed the ethos of sharing skills, knowledge and good [...]
Have you ever been to the cinema and seen a trailer for a film that you previously had no interest in watching and then suddenly thought to yourself, "That is a movie I CANNOT MISS"? That was the idea behind this three-minute film by a talented young filmmaker called Ryan Youngblood that I stumbled across [...]
Hi, I'm Henry - I arrived in Ghana to work for DFID a few months ago. In my blog I want to share ideas about the country, what we do here, and what life is like for Ghanaians. 2012 is a crucial year for Ghana - the economy is growing rapidly, oil revenues are starting to come [...]
One week left in Ouagadougou - a city that will remain close to my heart for years to come - and our workload appears to have tripled. Before I began my project with Tigoung Nonma, a co-operative dedicated to helping artisans with disabilities, I never expected to find the work quite so challenging. During our first [...]
A few days ago I was in a meeting with colleagues from a number of organisations and countries talking about how to best share knowledge about green growth policies and strategies. It sounds rather boring, but actually we came up with tons of great ideas. One particular idea was that, rather than look at the processes [...]
Today I write this blog as Chief Executive of JITA - a globally groundbreaking Non-Governmental Organisation/private sector hybrid. However, my title wasn't always so business-like. I used to work for CARE International, in charge of Bangladesh's Rural Sales Programme (RSP). The RSP was born out of necessity, when we at CARE found ourselves in a [...]
