International development – North Star Skills for Development

Program Support Assistant – Volunteer in Dominica

NOTE: You have to be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant for this assignment.

Company: Cuso International
Application Deadline: 2026-11-01

Summary: Are you looking to use your organizational skills to advance human rights and gender equality? Volunteer with our partners MiRiDom and DESEA for the regional BUILDING BRICKS initiative across eight Caribbean countries (including Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, and Belize).

For details on this assignment, check out the website here.

https://www.caidp-rpcdi.ca/jobs/program-support-assistant-volunteer-dominica

I worked in Dominica last year as a TVET Advisor with Catalyste+. It’s a beautiful place to live and work.

I was also a CUSO volunteer in Nigeria decades ago and a bit later a CUSO Field Staff Officer in Ghana. CUSO International is an excellent employer.

If you want to read about my experiences in Nigeria and Ghana, check out my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between” available from this website or from AMAZON Canada.

GOOD LUCK

UN Volunteers Updated Website and Jobs

I saw a number of new UN volunteer jobs posted recently, everywhere from the Western Pacific to South America and Africa. Their website also has some exciting new reports and other material including this map showing their impact across the globe.

A world map showing various regions marked with numerical data; South America has 126, Europe has 194, Middle East has 163, Africa has 282, and Asia has 252.

Check their website to see a new UN report on Volunteerism, and job openings. Remember, with UNV you can be a national, international or e-volunteer.

https://www.unv.org

During my four years with UNESCO in Malawi, our project had several young Malawians working as national UN volunteers. They did a great job in communications support and used that experience to further develop their careers.

If you want to read about my work in Malawi, check out my memoir – Overseas Adventures… available from this website or Amazon Canada.

Good luck.

303 jobs at World Vision

World Vision is a very, large organization with job openings worldwide. The one that caught my eye this morning is Regional Leader, East Asia. (Note: If the LINK doesn’t work, just copy and paste it into your browser.)

The Regional Leader, East Asia will direct regional operations of World Vision (WV) and provide oversight to 8 countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, Thailand and Vietnam) by ensuring effective management in alignment with WV’s Vision, Mission, Core Values and global strategic directions.

https://worldvision.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/WorldVisionInternational/job/Bangkok-Thailand/Regional-Leader–East-Asia–EAS-_JR50877?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=impactpool

If this one is not a good fit, check the other 300 or so jobs on their website.

https://worldvision.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/WorldVisionInternational?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=impactpool

Good luck.

PS. Check out my memoir, Overseas Adventures…, available on this website or from AMAZON Canada.

WUSC is looking for consultants

https://wusc.bamboohr.com/careers/263

Establishment of a Pre-Qualified List (Roster) of International Consultants

Application Deadline: March 9th, 2026

Introduction and Background

World University Service of Canada (WUSC) is a Canadian non-profit organization working to create a better world for all young people. We bring together a diverse network of students, volunteers, schools, governments, and businesses who share this vision. Together, we develop solutions in education, economic opportunities, and empowerment to overcome inequality and exclusion for youth around the world, particularly young women and young refugees. WUSC currently operates in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 350 staff, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors, and philanthropic foundations.

To efficiently deliver on its growing project portfolio, organizational strategy, and business development initiatives, WUSC seeks to establish a Pre-Qualified List (Roster) of experienced consultants. This roster will serve as a readily available pool of technical specialists who can be rapidly mobilized to support WUSC’s operations globally on an as-needed basis.

Objective

The primary objective of this ToR is to solicit applications from highly qualified consultants to be included in WUSC’s Pre-Qualified Roster. Consultants selected for the Roster will enter into a framework agreement for the provision of specialized technical expertise and short-term support services across various thematic and operational areas.

If interested, check the details on type of consultants needed and the experience requirements on the webpage noted at the top of this post.

As a side note following my recent post about ‘volunteering’, WUSC is a well established Canadian volunteer recruiting and placement agency. They are clearly now adding another channel to their work – recruiting and placing both volunteers and consultants.

I wonder if other similar agencies will also look in this direction?

Small Businesses and Generative AI in India

I worked several times in India, first with an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) project based in Jabalpur, and then later with a CIDA funded project working with Polytechnics in Southern India. It is an amazing country, with amazing people and amazing food. I even got to ride on an elephant! In this context, and my interest in international development, I was excited to see the article referenced here published by ICTworks. In my view, Wayan Vota has hit a home-run with this story (or in the context of India, it might be better to say has hit a six).

https://www.ictworks.org/india-small-business-revolution

The article focuses on how many persons in India are applying Generative AI to help them set up new businesses or improve existing ones.

Among the statistics Wayan quotes from recent LinkedIn research are these amazing facts.

82% of Indian small business founders say starting a business is easier with AI.
83% of business leaders in India say it’s key to growing their business
97% of small businesses in India are already using AI in some form

We didn’t have even basic AI when I worked in India at the start of the New Millennium, but at least I can say our telecom project at the time assisted India to enhance its telecommunications. A small but important contribution.

You can read about my assignment in India and others in South Asia in my book.

Overseas Adventures – North Star Skills for Development

Enjoy both.

Want to Learn More About How to Become a Catalyste+ Advisor and Work in International Development

This year I applied to Catalyste+ and became an Advisor. I reviewed the various opportunities that matched my skill set and was chosen for two assignments in Dominica in the Caribbean. One was in-country for two weeks and the other virtual which lasted on and off over three months. They were both enjoyable and productive. In fact, during my assignments the Dominica TVET Council was able to draft their Five Year Strategic Plan 2026-2031.

Group of five individuals wearing safety vests and hard hats standing in front of industrial equipment in a mountainous area.

Catalyste+ is having an information session in late October. This is your chance to learn about their work and how you might fit in.

Image promoting Catalyst+ information sessions, featuring a group of people in a forested area with details about English and French sessions scheduled for October 29 and 30.

To register for the English language session, use this link:

Meeting Registration – Zoom

For the French language session, check here:

Meeting Registration – Zoom

Enjoy the information session.

British Council Consultant Service

For those looking for international development assignments as a consultant, you could try the British Council. I registered with them some years ago but never followed up any leads because I had enough work elsewhere. It seems they are decommissioning their current consultant database and replacing it with a new system. See their letter to me below.

If consulting is of interest, you could check their “Our work in international development” link below as well as read the Council’s policies on the link that follows. Or you could write directly to their email: consultantsenquiries@britishcouncil.org

Good luck.

(And don’t forget to check out my book “Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between” available from my website or from AMAZON.)

TVET/skills-based higher education consultant needed

The following opportunity was shared with me by Dr. Julia Dicum, Director of Education at UNRWA.

UNRWA has a TVET programme that serves about 8,000 Palestine Refugee Youth and a similarly structured even smaller education sciences faculty programme (pre-service teacher training only) that serves about 2,000 Palestine refugee youth (mostly females). We are looking for a 6-month TVET/skills-based higher education consultant to advise us on sustainability models for the future management/governance of TVET and educational sciences (pre-service education training).

The JO TVET Consultant / P4 #262571 is online now. For easy reference, please follow the link below:

https://inspira.un.org/psc/UNCAREERS/EMPLOYEE/HRMS/c/UN_CUSTOMIZATIONS.UN_JOB_DETAIL.GBL?Page=UN_JOB_DETAIL&Action=A&SiteId=1&JobOpeningId=262571&PostingSeq=1

Note that UNRWA has programs in Gaza, the Occupied West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

This assignment is a transformational opportunity for the right person. Unfortunately, I am not available. I did work with UNRWA in TVET in the 2005-2007 period. My experience is described in a chapter of my book Overseas Adventures….

A MUST READ – US AID Funding Freeze

One of my recent posts referenced an excellent online publication, ICTWorks. As the name implies it mostly focuses on the why and how of using ICT for development. But after the shocking news of President Trump freezing all US AID funding it has a well written, informative (and worryingly accurate) report on the potential effects this freeze will have on international development activity. As a former consultant with several UN agencies, I am dismayed at the potential revenue loss various UN agencies will face, not to mention the massive effect on numerous non-governmental organizations.

I am also disappointed at my lack of previous knowledge on the details of aid from the USA. The US has been a fantastic partner for international development in the past. We can only hope this freeze will be temporary and other countries will be able to take up the slack in the meantime. You can find the article at the website below.

US Aid Frozen: A Real Humanitarian Crisis and Lives will be Lost

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fictworks.us4.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D84e9f392a668e74df589375c7%26id%3D770c3c3e9e%26e%3D451c5d65b4&data=05%7C02%7C%7Cc876b9ae6b2b4935011008dd3eb14b4b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638735653364448738%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NLTzDwye5uK4NqxfNRM7cojyBmmn3xJQdHbWBvQ8RdU%3D&reserved=0

Other News – Catalyste+

I have submitted an application to become a volunteer with Catalyste+. So far, I have had my resume reviewed, participated in an interview and sent a request to two former colleagues for references. My next post will provide a further update on the process for those who might be interested.

Keep well and doing good.

Taking a Critical Look at USAID Approach to Development Funding

PBS News Hour : January 7, 2025 – PBS News Hour full episode | Cascade PBS

For those interested in how the USAID funds international development, a current segment in PBS News Hour will be of interest. I rarely watch PBS Newshour but last evening I did have time and found this informative story about USAID. Apparently, the agency does most of its work through big US companies that seem to focus more on inputs and activities rather than results. One section of the story gave examples of an alternative approach where funds were provided directly to local partners who provided much better results.

Sidebar: The assignment I had some years ago with one of these big US firms did indeed engage with local entities including a local training center, private sector entities, and schools. There were positive results. So not all USAID projects are alike.

In Canada, I think we do better with implementing agencies like CUSO providing volunteers to strengthen local NGOs, many of which are supporting projects on gender equality and improved livelihoods for women. (Don’t forget to keep monitoring CUSO International’s website for current employment opportunities)

Similarly, CATALYSTE+ (formerly CESO), is providing senior professionals the opportunity to give back by offering their advice on short missions to host organizations that actually help develop the assignment’s terms of reference. I just submitted an application to CATALYSTE+ and will describe that process and its result in an upcoming post.

Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing the next two episodes of the 3 part USAID story on the PBS Newshour…