North Star Skills for Development

Religious Organizations and Development

If you are religious, whether Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, or other, there may be opportunities for overseas service in development through a faith-based organization. Check with your local religious advisor. More on this in a later post.

Recently, DEVEX through its partner GHR Foundation published an interesting newsletter with the following heading.

There are some interesting stories in the newsletter that are worth the read. See the web link here.

https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/inbox/id/AQQkADAwATExADQwNy00YzNiLTNmMzQtMDACLTAwCgAQAOaQ2bCpA%2BFNmRQNNtpR1oM%3D

GHR Foundation

I hadn’t heard of this Minneapolis-based organization before. From its website, I learned that it supports activities in four main areas: global engagement, education, Alzheimer’s prevention, and Twin Cities Racial Equity. Its motto is: “We exist to be of service to people and their limitless potential for good.”

The Foundation offers grants for development work. Its website is: https://www.ghrfoundation.org/

Religions for Peace (R4P)

This organization has representation from all religions. According to its website: “Religions for Peace is committed to leading effective multi-religious responses to the world’s pressing issues. We believe ambitious goals and complex problems can best be tackled when different faith communities work together.” The R4P website is both visually stunning and informative. www.rfp.org

The World Health Organization (WHO) partnered with Religions for Peace to host an online conference in late 2021 – “WHO and Religions for Peace global conference on strengthening national responses to health emergencies”. Details on the conference topics and discussions are available here. https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/10/20/default-calendar/who-and-religions-for-peace-global-conference-on-strengthening-national-responses-to-health-emergencies

Remembering there is light even when things look dark

A retired church minister had an opportunity to read the draft of my upcoming memoir, Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between. I was pleased to learn he enjoyed the memoir and descriptions of the places where I worked and people I met. One of his most touching references was about making contributions to the common good, and “in a world that seems so marked with violence and destruction reading your book really cheered me up”.

In response, I shared with him references to two other inspiring stories, one about a man with physical challenges who found new purpose in helping others, and another about empowering women in Malawi. Two examples of light in the darkness. The projects under which these videos were produced were both funded by the European Union and technically supported by the ILO and UNESCO respectively.

To see the first video, Google to find the home page for the TVET Reform project, Bangladesh or use the link below. Press the play button on that web page to view the video.

https://www.ilo.org/dhaka/Whatwedo/Projects/WCMS_106485/lang–en/index.htm

Video about a disabled man inspired to help others

To see the video about empowering women in Malawi, go the the STEP Malawi website and find it here: https://www.stepmalawi.com/resources/#resource_multimedia

Or watch it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAJyFtQ8Kq0

Two stories to brighten your day. Enjoy and perhaps consider how you too might bring some light.

FIVE WAYS TO GET STARTED IN OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT WORK

Become a Volunteer – You can do what I did and apply to a volunteer agency such as CUSO, VSO, Peace Corps, WUSC, or UN volunteers. This option is one of the easiest if you have the interest, relevant skills and you’re available. The agency you apply to will have done most of the work. They already have a number of countries they work in and have listed positions available with descriptions of who you would be working with, the job, qualifications and experience needed, and duration of the assignment. The duration maybe for just a few months to a couple of years, and these days there are options to e-volunteer.

Explore Options with Your Social Service Club – Rotary’s motto is “service above self” and its chapters focus mostly on local social issues. However, some chapters organize fund-raising and short, overseas placements for their members or sponsored young people. A friend of mine used this facility to provide services to projects as far afield as India and Guyana. This initial experience led to longer-term roles on international projects funded by the Canadian government and other funding agencies.

Register as a Consultant with International Recruiting Agencies – There are numerous agencies out there who develop and maintain databases of consultants sorted by specialty, country experience, and availability – short-term and long-term. Here are just a few of these agencies – Assortis, DevelopmentAid, and DEVEX. Some are free, some cost.

Use Your Social Media Links like LinkedIn – LinkedIn is one network used by professionals to share their experiences, favourite websites, and events. It provides an opportunity for individuals to add their resumes and interests and puts you out there. You can post stories, promote conferences or advertise vacancies. Some companies who are looking for consultants for upcoming projects will scan LinkedIn to identify possible candidates. I have been contacted a couple of times through LinkedIn for overseas assignments. The best thing is it’s free!

Explore Opportunities at Your Educational Institution for a Study Abroad Term – If you are a student at an educational institution, check if your institution has an option to do one or more terms of study abroad. Although not technically international development, such an experience does let you get a taste of living abroad, experiencing different cultures, and adding “international experience” to your resume.

Sustainable Development Goals

If you plan to work in international development there are some basics you need to know about development. A great place to start is by having a look at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Wikipedia provides the following description of the SDGs.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. They are included in an UN-GA Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is colloquially known as Agenda 2030. The SDGs were developed in the Post-2015 Development Agenda as the future global development framework to succeed the Millenium Development Goals which ended in 2015.

The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reduced Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals.

Check the link below for more information on the SDGs. The website provides a primer on sustainable development goals and is worth visiting. Simply click on any goal on your screen and read more information about your selection.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

So you want to learn more about how to participate in international development…

Well, you can start by exploring this new site which will expand over time. Check out the What’s New section and the other sites referenced herein, such as CUSO International.