International Development Student Wins Research Award
Kaitlin Murray, (fourth-year International Development) received a $5,000 Mitacs Globalink Research grant this winter, allowing her to work with a non-governmental organization called NIRMAN in India. Mitacs is an internationally known Canadian not-for-profit organization that supports research, training and social innovation.
Kaitlin worked with and analyzed the sustainability strategies used by NIRMAN, located in Odisha, India, which focuses on the livelihood improvement of Adivasi (original inhabitants of South Asia) and farming communities in the state.
"I had this incredible opportunity to learn from a very open and healthy NGO about development intervention strategies and governance that I would not have had the chance to see before," Kaitlin said. "I got to learn about the way an NGO works - where it gets its funding, how it builds partnerships and relationships, how actual community development interventions work, and so on - up close."
Kailtin says she also learned about effective intervention strategies for livelihood improvement and food security, land rights, and democratization of forest governance in Adivasi and farming communities in the state.
Checking in from Abroad
INDEV class of '14 grad Lorene Moran-Valenzuela shared an update from Sincelejo, Colombia, where she works for an organization Sembrandopaz, which means planting or sowing peace.
"I am working with communities around the Caribbean coast. The development process in this area is incredibly complex (as usual) due to the until relatively recent occupation here of armed groups and conflict, diversity of ethnic groups, changing political landscape (new peace accords and laws) and so on.
I thought of INDEV 402 because I used the format, general idea, and feedback of the 402 Professional Report as a starting point to outline the complexities of the sociopolitical and environmental context here and its relation to the work of Sembrandopaz and my new role as part of its team.
INDEV Grads: Where Are They Now?
The International Development (INDEV) class of 2016 were the fifth cohort to graduate from the program. Grads have gone on to many interesting jobs and educational programs, including the following:
- Water resources consultant, Deltares, Utrecht, Netherlands
- Independent development consultant, Ottawa
- Policy analyst, Natural Resources Canada
- Environmental project manager, Environmental services, City of Orillia
- Partnership manager, Free the Children
- Ecosystem development associate, Nest.vc, Nairobi, Kenya
- Marketing executive, TeleEye, Toronto
- Business analyst, Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Toronto
- Business development, Antis, London, Ontario
- Climate action plan manager, Sustainable Waterloo Region
- Program operations manager, Feed the Children, Toronto
Some grads choose to continue their education: 10 percent have gone on the law school and another 10 percent have completed other post-graduate studies.
