The adventure starts...

My first posting is in the Philippines with Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd. As part of CIDA's support of the Government of the Philippines's decentralization process, the LGSP II project aims to strengthen local government capacity for effective governance and sustainable development in nine regions of the southern Philippines. I will intern as the Communications Officer for six months beginning in mid-July 2004. I will be based in Manila in the National Program Management Office. There will also be some travel to field offices in Davao, Iloilo and Cagayan de Oro. As the Communications Officer my role will be to "assist LGSP program field staff with the compilation, editing, production, and dissemination of LGSP knowledge products and the conduct of a communication campaign."

This endeavour results in my having to leave school early. No problem there – though there is a mess of homework to get done before I leave. As well, I miss out on the French immersion opportunity – C’est la vie, non? My last day in class will be June 16.

Pre-departure training is scheduled for June 21-23, with a subsequent day scheduled to spend some time with my Agriteam colleagues in Ottawa. The flight has yet to be booked but the itinerary created to date shows me flying out of Fredericton on July 12 and provides for a 24 hour layover in Hong Kong. What adventure!

To find out more about Agriteam or the project, see the links to the right.