On June 5, 2012 eight delegates from Austraining International visited the SRD Office. Austraining International is the organization responsible for managing the volunteer program which has placed six Australian volunteers with SRD over the past five years (SRD has also hosted volunteers from Canada, the Philippines and Sri Lanka). SRD currently has three international volunteers; Rexieden Barrerra, from the Philippines, and Tillem Burlace and Kate Rayson, from Australia, have been working with SRD to build capacity on value chains, climate change and communications.
Austraining, SRD staff and volunteers
The visitors were curious about how the volunteers had found the adjustment to living in Vietnam and asked about the benefits of overlapping volunteer positions to allow the volunteers to pass on the learning’s they had achieved. SRD agreed with these benefits and mentioned how longer assignments could also improve the outcomes that volunteers are able to achieve as momentum builds in the areas in which they work.
The visitors were particularly interested in how Australian volunteers have been working with SRD staff to build their capacity and help develop SRD's climate change and communications strategies (part of SRD's broader strategic planning activities in preparation for its 2013‑2018 Strategic Plan). Austraining staff greatly appreciated the discussion and opportunity to hear about the volunteers’ experiences with SRD and was impressed by the quality of documents the volunteers had already produced.
-SRD-
Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD)
No.31, Alley 19 Kim Dong Street, Hoang Mai District, Ha Noi
Phone: +84 24 3943 6676/78 | Fax: +84 24 3943 6449
