It has come to my attention that this is International Development Week. According to CIDA, this represents an opportunity to explore what it means for Canadians to be involved in international development around the world. This is timely for me. I am currently wrapping up the writing of a grant for EU funding for the NGO I am working with.

Prior to coming to Jamaica, I had ideas about what international development is. Having lived in India, being born in Australia, both events the result of a father who worked for CIDA, I had my opinions about international development. I also had plenty of opinions based on all those books and journal articles I read as a political science graduate student.

That was before Jamaica. I now have an entirely different set of post-Jamaica opinions about international development. They are still forming, but let me say that the divide between theory and practice has never been so clear in my mind as it is now. I will also say that there is an abundance of good people doing good work, with their hearts in the right place.

Happy International Development Week!