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28/5/06 What is Daniel doing in Laos? |
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After close to four years studying for my Ph.D. research degree I’ve finally re-entered the real world of work!
I have a job as Program Director at ADRA Laos. ADRA stands for Adventist Development and Relief Agency, and is an international non-government organisation dedicated to improving livelihoods for the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged communities. There are several key areas of need that ADRA projects try to integrate, such as food security, economic development, primary health, disaster preparedness & response, and education. Water and sanitation projects are a great way to enter an area and start to make an impact; and in Laos, ADRA has installed over 1,000 wells and 10,000 household pour flush latrines since the early 1990s. There also have been and are much more complex and integrated projects – and one in particular that is taking me quite a bit to get my head around.
My role will be to lead in the establishment of new projects, through assessing needs, designing projects, writing proposals, finding donors, recruiting project staff, guiding and developing capacity for implementation of projects, and coordinating monitoring and evaluation. Lots of responsibility there, but the country director (my boss) will be easing me into the role, as he is doing many of those things now. And of course we have a good team both within the ADRA Laos office, at donor ADRA offices and various other partners/consultants, etc. So I’m not going to be trying to turn the world upside down alone!
Why go to Laos and work for a development NGO? True, I could have taken more lucrative and commodious options (as also at several other points along my life) but I’m really not interested or motivated by making money or even making a name for myself. I really want to make a difference to the lives of people who need it. God has blessed me with much in terms of resources, capacity and opportunity, and I am happiest when I share that with others. I also asked for God’s leading in sorting out my career path, and many open doors at the right time seemed to point to Laos as the place God wanted me to be.
But how did I get in touch with an employer in Laos? Well, I didn’t actively look for this job. When I volunteered in with an ADRA Food Security Project in Madagascar (2001-2002), I spent a few weekends with a young Brazilian man who was managing another project there. He has since become the country director of ADRA Laos, and in 2005 he asked me to apply for the job.
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