Conversations In Development

As We continue to speak with Deborah about cultural values in development, we discuss the impact caused by Australian Aid programs.

The Development sector often forgets about the importance of cultural values and how these can make a difference for NGOs. In this episode, we speak with Deborah Rhodes about her journey to include cultural contexts in development programs.

Before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, our host Peter Mason speaks with Cory Steinhauer, an expert in areas of conflict about his experiences in Afghanistan and South Sudan.

Before the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, our host Peter Mason speaks with Cory Steinhauer, an expert in areas of conflict about his experiences in Afghanistan and South Sudan.

As this year has taken a heavy toll on global migration due to the pandemic, development has also come to a stall. In this series finale, we speak with Loksan Harley about the many aspects of migration, as well as its effects in the development sector.

Laos, unlike many of its neighbouring countries, remains one of the more challenging places for NGOs. In this episode, Colette McInerney, former director of World Education in Laos, shares her experience working in the country and the challenges she faced during her time in Laos.

As companies are being driven towards equality, board meetings and leadership roles still represent a challenge for females and indigenous people who wish to raise their concerns. We speak with Amanda Young, former CEO of First Nations Foundation, and Chris Franks, Chair of Women in Aid and Development about their experiences in leadership roles and the importance of gender and cultural representation.

Cambodia is a developing country with a growing economy, whose newest generations have the opportunity to thrive. We speak with Rithy Thul about his personal growth and experiences to become a successful entrepreneur, and his ambition to encourage young Cambodians to advance through the use of technology and reforestation.

As one of our closest neighbours, Indonesia has often been seen as a holiday destination rather than a strong economic partner. We speak with former DFAT Officer Jeff Bost about DFAT’s long-term investment in Indonesia and how Australia must adapt its economy to new trade opportunities with its neighbours.

Since the 1960s , Colombia has been the victim of armed conflict, taking the lives of thousands and internally displacing millions. In this episode, we speak with Manuel Renteria about his experience working in the Magdalena Medio region and the impacts in his country.

Developing countries often struggle to provide basic health and education. As they now focus their efforts to contain the pandemic, funding for other sectors are at risk, undermining years of efforts to tackle poverty through education. In this episode, former CEO of Child fund Nigel Spence discusses some of the consequences of maintaining schools closed in the long-term, particularly in developing countries.

As Covid keeps on devastating all countries around the globe, its impact can be felt in all economic sectors including education. In this episode we speak with Dr. Michael Spann, lecturer at the University of Queensland and founding director of Square Circle about the impacts of Covid in universities, as well as the abrupt political and economic changes occurring in the Asia-Pacific.

On the 12th of march, when the covid-19 disease was detected in almost all states around the globe, the disease was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This rushed many countries, including Australia to shut its borders from the world. We spoke with Nicole Stanmore, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Australia about the greater impact this pandemic has left in developing countries, as well as the perception of local governments in response to funding areas of development.

Redundancy is a word with negative connotations, but not according to Weh Yeoh who says all charities should be aiming to make themselves redundant. If charities focused more on solving problems rather than addressing symptoms, they would create a space for local people to create solutions to their own problems. Weh and Dr Peter Mason, CEO Cufa, discuss whether it is practical to have a clear exit plan from the outset of a charitable enterprise in a country, and whether it is always possible to completely solve a problem and move on.Weh Yeoh is the founder of OIC Cambodia, established for the 600,000 Cambodians with communication and swallowing disabilities. According to Weh, OIC is one of a handful of charities in the world working towards its own exit. OIC will exit Cambodia in 2030, when there are 100 Cambodian speech therapists integrated into the public sector.Weh is also the co-founder of Umbo, an initiative to improve access to services for children in rural and remote communities. He has been featured

In the APAC region life for the majority in the paid workforce is hand-to-mouth, people earn wages that don't feed a family. Dr Mason speaks with Union Aid Abroad's (APHEDA) Executive Officer, Kate Lee about the major issues that workers face on a daily basis, including low wages; lack of workplace safety; and workplace and sexual harassment. We explore these key issues and discuss action Government and consumers globally need to take to support and demand liveable and living wages in every country.Kate Lee works for Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, the global justice organisation of the Australian union movement, where she has been the Executive Officer since 2013.Prior to Union Aid Abroad, Kate worked for Australian trade unions for 12 years, and before that, worked in women’s health, community health and social justice organisations in campaigning, organising, advocacy, policy and management roles.In August 1988, following the crackdown on student activists by the Burmese military and the shooting of thousands of

The regions surrounding Somalia and Lebanon have some of the lowest rates of gender equality in the world. We speak with Clare Brown, an international human rights lawyer and currently the Legal Program Manager at Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), about her experiences working in the region. We discuss the lived experience, many of the issues that women face and triggers of sexual based violence, as well as exploring the current climate for legal advocacy work and progress that has been made in these countries.Clare Brown is an international human rights lawyer and currently works as the Legal Program Manager at Legal Action Worldwide (LAW). Clare has been in this position for almost six years after working as a legal intern at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. Her work sees her based between Kenya and Somalia with travel to South Sudan and Lebanon developing and implementing creative legal interventions to address human rights violations with a focus on sexual violence and violations committed by s

Advocacy has the capacity to have an impact on a massive scale and in the field of health it can save millions of lives. We speak with Amelia Christie, CEO of RESULTS, an advocacy organisation about the power of a grassroots approach and dealing with everyone from volunteers to politicians. We also delve into foreign aid and the growing focus on the Pacific and Amelia teaches a thing or two about tuberculosis and its growing prevalence in our closest neighbour Papua New Guinea.Amelia Christie is the CEO of RESULTS, an advocacy organisation that informs political decisions by empowering everyday voices to bring an end to poverty. RESULTS trains, supports and inspires volunteers to become skilled advocates and is a partner of ACTION, a global partnership of advocacy organisations working to influence policy and mobilise resources to fight diseases of poverty and achieve equitable access to health. Amelia has also worked with Ministers of Parliament and for both small and large NGOs. She is passionate about huma

Understanding the drivers behind development issues is imperative to organisations engaging in the field of work. In this episode we speak with Veronica Nou, a migrant entrepreneur and refugee advocate who came to Australia after her family fled the Cambodian Genocide and following Vietnamese occupation. Veronica shares her experiences fleeing the country and arriving in Australia, living in abject poverty through her childhood and becoming a business owner. Now in her spare time Veronica has set her sights on advocacy work and is a National Convener of the group Mums 4 Refugees, fighting for humane treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.Veronica Nou is a pharmacist and proprietor of two pharmacies in Western Sydney. Veronica was born in Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge and her family fled the country, arriving in Australia in 1991 by way of refugee camps. After earning a scholarship at a private girl’s school, Veronica overcame a tough start in Australia to complete a Bachelor of Pharmacy at the

Urbanisation refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas and the ways in which society adapts to this change. We speak with Dr Paul Jones who has over 30 years of professional experience working in urban development in places like Kiribati in the Pacific to Bandung in Indonesia. Paul delves into our understanding of the contemporary city, how our education system can adapt to teach the minds of tomorrow and what we can learn from our region in building Australian cities.Paul Jones is an associate professor at the University of Sydney. Paul has 30 years of professional experience in developing sustainable urban management, development and planning solutions in Australia and overseas. Within this experience, he has worked across Asia and the Pacific and spent over 8 years living in Kiribati as their first urban development planner. Along with his position at the University of Sydney where he teaches a range of subjects he also

The values of giving are deeply rooted in the texts, traditions and practices of many faiths, and many of the world’s biggest aid organisations are faith-based. In this episodes we look at how faith-based aid differs from secular aid, and how much those differences matter. Australia is becoming more and more secular, but the majority of the country’s biggest charities are faith-based. We ask what happens when faith conflicts with what is best for poor or developing communities and we’ll consider if faith-based aid take the pressure off the governments in developed countries to contribute to ODA.Tim Costello is Chief Advocate at World Vision Australia and is one of Australia’s most sought-after voices on social justice issues, leadership and ethics. He has spearheaded public debates on gambling, urban poverty, homelessness, reconciliation and substance abuse. He has been instrumental in ensuring that the issues surrounding global poverty are on the national agenda. Tim was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 198