With all the media's attention focussed on Libya and other Middle Eastern countries, you might have noticed Afghanistan has slightly fallen off the media radar recently. That's not necessarily a bad thing – it means those of us who work …
There is never a quiet moment in development, but the last nine months in DFID have been particularly intense. As will be apparent to anyone who reads the UK's Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews, the amount of work that these …
Recently I was in Helmand to help roll-out a programme on DFID's Bilateral Aid Review. As you might know from reading my last blog, my role here is to roll out key services for the Afghan population in the provinces, …
There's nothing quite like a drive in the country to understand the scale of a country's development needs. Whether in an armoured vehicle back in Helmand, on a field trip in Zambia in a previous role to see what scope …
The Department for International Development is already the most respected of the country-to-country development agencies. But in the past it has been distracted by extraneous domestic political interests. In Andrew Mitchell, the department has a Secretary of State who is …
Hi – my name's Francesca, and I've just arrived in Afghanistan to work for DFID. Over the coming months, I want to share with you my thoughts on the country, on our work here and most importantly - what life is …
Hello from Kinshasa – or, I should say, mboté or perhaps bonjour! I have just moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to take up my new post as Infrastructure and Environment Adviser. I have a fascinating and challenging …
As I walked to work today, two of my colleagues stopped me to comment on the rain. Not that unusual you’re probably thinking. In London, as I walk to work, the rain is more likely to solicit a quick one-liner …
Last week, because of the weather, you may have had to walk to work. But when you get into your car most mornings you probably don't think twice about the journey ahead. Roads are built and maintained in the UK …
I have just returned from a break at home with my family. I find being away from them one of the hardest challenges of living here. When I do see them it’s often difficult to fully explain life in Afghanistan. …
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