Can you give us a potted history of your career and what led you to the role of Senior Programme Officer at JOA?
I took quite a roundabout route to get here. I studied Civil and Environmental Engineering, worked designing motorways in Australia for a few years before moving back to the UK. I continued with engineering for a while longer before finally admitting that it wasn't for me. I came back to Jersey for a bit, trying a few different things and doing some volunteering before I found my way to Webreality where I worked as a Digital Project Manager. That started me off on a path in London that led me to working in the Charity sector in the UK for the past 10 years - a sector that felt right for me. I moved back to Jersey just before Covid hit, this job came up and I went for it. I don't have much in the way of international development field experience but my background in digital services, charity sector, grant management and a love of databases has definitely helped me get to grips with the job.
Your role involves travel to JOA’s countries of focus – which country do you love the most and why?
I thought about this the other day. It's a bit of a cop-out answer, but the country I love the most is always the one that I've visited most recently. In May I went to Malawi, so that's my current favourite. The landscape is stunning and the people are incredibly warm and welcoming. But it is hard to witness just how little people have there in terms of the basic essentials that we take for granted - food, water, sanitation, healthcare, decent shelter - and how climate change is making a challenging situation that much worse year on year.
Who in the JOA office do you enjoy travelling with the most and why?
To answer diplomatically, I have to say that everyone has their unique qualities that make them a joy to travel with! I am fairly certain that I wouldn't be anyone's favourite because I'm a nervous flyer and have a terrible sense of direction.
Can you share a funny or memorable moment from a JOA trip?
I'm getting quite used to the badly-timed food-induced body malfunctions - not funny but definitely memorable. I had incredibly bad insect bites on my ankles on one trip that provided me with some pretty unusual-looking 'shrek feet' for a few days. On every trip I have learnt to expect the unexpected (massive spiders in the toilet) and have a sense of humour when travel doesn’t go to plan – like when your airport shuttle boat breaks down in the middle of the night…
Which of JOA’s projects stands out the most for you?
The ones that stand out to me are those that I've seen close up on monitoring trips. There have been two since I started, one in Nepal and the other in Malawi. Both are financial inclusion projects. The great thing about monitoring is that you go out to the most remote communities and talk directly with the project participants. When you see the impact first hand, it really deepens your understanding and means that we can perform better as a donor. It's a privilege to be able to take time to get beneath the surface and hear from the people who are working on the projects at the front line. Here’s a link to a few of my blogs if you’re interested in finding more about our financial inclusion projects.
What do you like most about your role?
I like the variety - from managing Trident students, to assessing proposals from Jersey charities, to project monitoring, to reviewing financial reports, to developing new functionality on our grant management system. There's always a chance to learn more and do better. It sounds cheesy but I particularly love being part of our small and incredibly supportive team.
Can you share with us one interesting fact about JOA that you think people are unlikely to know?
JOA are a relatively small government donor compared to the likes of FCDO, USAID, the World Bank or SIDA, yet we frequently engage with these major international donors. We are members of CGAP, an arm of the World Bank concerned with eradicating poverty. It gives us the chance to discuss global issues and learn about how different countries are dealing with similar challenges related to poverty and climate change. It means that we not only get access to latest research and insights on tackling poverty, but we can contribute to global strategic direction when it comes to sustainable development.
Why do you think islanders should be proud of the work JOA does on their behalf?
Because we take very seriously our responsibility for directing islanders' money towards sustainable impact and helping some of the poorest people in the world. Our due diligence processes are incredibly thorough and we have a very targeted strategic approach. When we visited communities in remote parts of Malawi in May, people were chanting 'Jersey' when we arrived. It always triggers an emotional response to see the material difference that Jersey-funded projects are making to people’s day to day lives on the other side of the world.