IID Mentoring Program

The Development Fund has an active program of mentoring young professionals interested in development. This has been a particular interest of senior members who remember the difficulties they sometimes experienced, ‘getting a start’ professionally in developing countries. However our mentoring activities are not limited to overseas work. The key factors in the selection of young professionals since 1993 have been:

knowledge of the young professional and their interests by an IID member;
involvement of IID in an area of interest to a young professional, and
the attitude and support of the funding agent towards mentoring activities.

A summary of recent successful mentoring activities includes:

2006 - Mr Tim Nugent

Tim Nugent is a final year commerce student at Adelaide University and has begun a program of work experience at IID's head office in Adelaide, understudying Merle Menegay on QPod trials (see www.QPod.com) being planned to run between Adelaide to Darwin and a vegetable marketing study in Timor Leste.

2006 - Ms Carrie Deutsch

Ms Carrie Deutsch is an environmental scientist, with a Masters in Environmental Management from the University of New England in Armidale, NSW. She has been working in community based natural resource management in East Timor for a number of years. In early 2006, she spent 5 weeks in Azerbaijan, working with IID's CEO Mr John Leake. She worked with UNDP and the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources to assist with facilitation of the design of a sustainable land management project to be funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Quote from Carrie Deutsch:

I would like to thank IID for the opportunity to work in Azerbaijan. I was based in the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, and my role was to facilitate a number of workshops and meetings, and undertake a literature review to contribute to the design of a sustainable land management (SLM) project funded by the GEF. I worked with a cross-sectoral team of 24 national consultants from a range of government ministries and departments. It was a challenging and interesting role. I was fascinated by the post Soviet setting, and the many challenges facing the newly independent country. I really enjoyed the hospitality of the people, and had a very rewarding experience."

2003 - Mr Tim Mann

Mr Tim Mann, a final year veterinary student at Murdoch University, spent 6 weeks in Mongolia on a project developing a new disease surveillance strategy and system for Mongolia to enable that country to provide more accurate disease incidence certification for its livestock product exports.

Dr Mann has completed his final year of Veterinary Science and after a period in private practice has been awarded an Australian Youth Ambassadorship as a veterinarian working with Orang Utan in Kalimantan Indonesia and will take up his post in September 2006- 2007.

2002 - Dr Emma Haslam

Dr Emma Haslam, a recently graduated veterinarian, was commissioned to undertake a study entitled "Training in the Country for the Country; A Review of the Proposed Undergraduate Veterinary Course" by the Charles Sturt University. The objective of the study was to gain a clearer idea of the demand for veterinary training, both from the perspective of undergraduates and the likely market for graduates. Institute Members Prof J L Falvey, John Leake, Dr Eyrl Pitt and Wayne Haslam provided input to the study and discussed ideas on a ‘pro bono’ basis as a Development Fund Activity.

Since this activity Dr Haslam has found employment in a professional veterinary practice in NSW.

Quote from Dr Emma Haslam:

"The Institute for International Development (IID) provided me with a mentoring support system for my initial consultancy project. Being involved with IID provided a unique network of support on a number of levels which helped me achieve my goal. I was introduced to a variety of interested and knowledgeable professionals associated with IID. These people gave me both much insight into the mechanics of consultancy and also provided invaluable opinions, ideas and contacts for the development of my project. They also provided moral support, if and when it was required!

My consultancy project was to create a solid argument in support of a new ‘rural’ veterinary school in Australia, to be provided by Charles Sturt University, and put together a scoping project for the design and implementation of such a course. I am happy to report back that I recently received notice that this project is to go ahead and my work was acknowledged by those who initially engaged me as playing an important role in the projects success. I would like to thank IID for helping me with a successful start to consultancy.

Dr Emma Kathleen Haslam BVSc (Hons1) BAppSc (Equine studies)"

2001/02 - Mr Mark Sargeant

Mr Mark Sargeant, a graduate of La Trobe University was sponsored by the Development fund to complete an honours degree at La Trobe and a Master’s Degree in Agricultural Science at The University of Melbourne. His area of study was in the productive use of Halophytes in Australia’s rapidly growing areas of dry land salinity. Since and during the time of this activity Mr Sargeant has joined the staff of NyPa Australia as an agronomist. His activities can be seen at www.NyPa.com.au. As part of this activity he traveled to see other saline sites in Mexico, south west USA, United Arab Emirates and Spain. AusIndustry was a major sponsor for this also.

2005-2008

Since completing his masters degree Mr Sargeant has enrolled in a PhD at Latrobe associated with an Australian Research Council Grant to investigate establishment issues with Distichlis species and to describe the environmental impact of using Distichlis species in saline discharge areas.

2001/02 - Ms Helen Leake

Ms Helen Leake,a graduate of ANU in the faculty of Asian Studies (Chancellor Letter of Recommendation & 2002 Dean's Letter of Commendation, Asian Studies Faculty 2002) has provided input to IID activities in Myanmar for UNDCP by identifying training facilities in Changmai suitable for officials from Myanmar, she has also provided input to a study into the relocation of the Mekong River Commission from Phnom Penh to Vientiane. She participated in an IID study tour parts of the Shan and Kachin States in Myanmar in 2003.

Since receiving this activity Ms Leake has also completed a Masters of International Relations at ANU (first class hons.) and was appointed the Publicity Officer for the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, an advocacy NGO based in Chiang Mai.

2005/06

Ms Helen Leake was appointed Programme Specialist; Regional Indigenous Peoples' Programme with UNDP in Bangkok; her programme includes activities from Bangladesh in the Chittagong hill tracts across to Indonesia and north to the Philippines

2001 - Mr Stuart Higgins

Mr Stuart Higgins, a cotton farmer from the Darling Downs in Queensland, provided assistance in Stage 1 of the development of a new strategy for Agriculture Irrigation and Forestry program of the Mekong River Commission. The work involved field work in Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Thailand, and participation in planning workshops with government officials of the four riparian states and officials of the MRC. Mr Higgins was able to contribute significantly in planning towards different ways to use water in Cambodia for Cotton production. The work, over a 6 week period, was partly sponsored under a Fairfax Foundation scholarship to study the ethics of irrigation, partly by the Mekong River Commission and the IID Development Fund. The work can be seen at http://www.mrcmekong.org/programmes/programme.htm.

Mr Stuart Higgins.

Since this activity Mr Higgins has been involved in an imaginative "grow your own cotton" venture with the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s Radio National. This initiative enabled radio listeners to become involved in the technical and ethical issues involved in growing cotton in Australia. This evolving activity can be seen at http://www.abc.net.au/rural/grow.

Since completing his work with IID Mr Higgins has undertaken paid consultancy in irrigation in Mozambique, Uzbekistan and continued managing his cotton farm on the Darling Downs in Queensland.