In August 2012 I joined DFID Tanzania as the Education Advisor, based in Dar es Salaam. My role is to support DFID's education programme co-ordination and management, which includes both budget support and project finance. Tanzania has made impressive gains in enrolling more children in school, but in recent years the quality of learning and the resultant learning outcomes have been disappointing. Since joining DFID full time in 2007 I have worked in Northern Nigeria and Zimbabwe (seconded to the European Union Delegation), both assignments with a focus on education policy and programming.
A few months ago I featured the World Links Zimbabwe Trust (WLZT) in my Bridging the Digital Divide post. It's an organisation that helps to distribute refurbished computers for use in schools. The cogs had turned slowly, but good to …
An increasingly important factor in development work is the interplay with markets, especially with commodities or goods that are instrumental for personal wellbeing, health and fulfilment. It's been recognised for decades that the mass provision of imported food aid can …
Spending so long in Africa and Asia (around 15 years and counting), it’s easy to lose touch of reforms and changes in education systems in Western countries. So I was very fortunate to support the Zimbabwean delegation at a training …
An estimated 25% of Zimbabwean children are 'vulnerable' in development speak. That means they are defined as 'likely to experience a range of deprivations that inhibit their chances to survive to adulthood and fulfil their inherent potential'. Vulnerability and HIV/AIDS are …
Over the last decade an increasingly influential independent annual report releases what is in effect the world's 'scorecard on education'. Like a student who awaits their end of year grades with trepidation, those that follow education development await the 1st March …
Getting back to work after the new year break also means a return to the fascinating digital world. I've highlighted the importance of inter-dependency between education and IT provision to support development in Africa in some posts last year. I spent some …
Requests from visiting colleagues to see our work on the ground is a regular occurrence. These trips are not just useful for the visitors, but they also allow me to investigate the programmes I support and see the impact of broader development …
Working in various developing countries for a long time (I've been overseas now for around 15 years) sometimes gives me first hand evidence of how initiatives can grow and adapt over time – and often for the best. Ten years …
While world leaders were discussing MDG progress at the UN global summit last month, I got my first opportunity to see reality in Zimbabwean primary schools. As part of a joint monitoring mission with government officials, UNICEF and other partners, I visited schools …
Before I write about my new work at the EU delegation office in Zimbabwe, I must add a sad postscript to my time in Kano, northern Nigeria. Just a week after departing in late July, I was shocked and saddened to …
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