Claudia Ho Lem, Intern 2001-2002
Background Bio:
Growing up with a strong environmental ethic, I was drawn to pursue
a Bachelors Degree in Environmental Science at the University of Calgary.
Through my 3 years of work as an environmental consultant, interest
in nature and membership in various ecological conservation initiatives,
I became deeply involved in many Canadian environmental issues. I
continued to search for ways to make a positive contribution to solving
environmental issues and working directly with the people living in
affected areas, eventually being placed as a REAP-Canada intern in
the Philippines in 2001.
Education:
B.Sc. (Environmental Science), University of Calgary,
specialization in Biology, minor in Chemistry
Host Country:
the Philippines
Internship Experience:
During my 6 months in the Philippines, I was directly involved
in the development of our Agro-Ecological Village and Climate Change
Projects. I assisted in implementing participatory ecological trainings
and assessing adaptability trials (examining localized ecological
farming practices, farm diversification, farmer breeding programs,
ecological sugar cane and eco-rice). Working with skilled participatory
development practitioners, I also assisted in capacity building
in the communities, helping with local gender initiatives, PRA's
and other participatory development approaches. During my internship
I was also involved in one of REAP's most important accomplishments,
the initial research and development of the Mayon Turbo Stove (MTS)
and its local production and distribution, the program eventually
supplying 5000 stoves! Working with Roger Samson and the local engineers,
we developed an improved version of the MTS that was incredibly
clean burning and low in cost, leading to improved health for local
women and a substantial reduction in the cost of household expenses.
Finally, I was involved in our climate change efforts, assisting
in Greenhouse Gas accounting for the MTS, and pioneering research
on the GHG mitigation potential of ecological sugar cane production,
our project eventually mitigating 4240 tonnes of CO2e during the
year 2001!
 In
addition to working side-by-side with local counterparts, my cultural
integration gave me a special perspective of what rural life in
the Philippines was like. During this 2-week period and almost every
week afterwards I had the chance to stay on a farm with a family
and live in their bamboo hut on the side of a mountain. From the
first moment I arrived I was welcomed as one of the family and lived
as they lived. I learned about growing sugarcane, digging for camote,
riding and feeding carabao's, plowing with animal traction and how
to cultivate wonderful organic rice! I soon started to understand
all of the limitations in a cash crop monoculture system |
arduous field labor in the tropical heat, an average farm size of
only 2 hectares, a very limited and basic diet and no access medical
care because of its prohibitive cost. But I also found that the
farmers possessed an enormous family bond and sense of resilience.
With their own initiatives they united and formed community organizations
to confront their difficult situation collectively.
 My
internship experience with REAP-Canada gave me the background to
understand why a participatory grassroots approach is the key to
sustainable development. From our projects, I recognized that education
and skill building is the beginning of empowerment for rural communities.
The practical application of knowledge is also critical, which is
why the learning farm approach, combining cross-site visits and
on-farm research done by the farmers themselves, is so effective.
The internship also confirmed for me the importance of addressing
a problem in its entirety and deriving holistic long-term solutions
together with the people being affected, be it on the scale of a
country, city, community, remote rural village or within a single
household.
Current Status:
Facilitating in participatory, gender-sensitive community-based
development as Project Manager for REAP-Canada, Ste. Anne de Bellevue,
Quebec
Alejandro de Maio Sukic, Intern 2001-2002
Background Bio:
Despite my keen interest in nature and wildlife, I started my professional
career in accounting. I became an accountant in 1994 and worked as
such for about 4 years. Then I found my way into environmental economics,
in which I completed a master's degree in McGill University.
Education:
M.A. (Environmental Economics), McGill University
Host Country:
the Philippines
Internship Experience:
During my time in the Philippines I provided accounting and economic
support to the local partners, mainly to the Mayon Turbo Rice Hull
Stove project. I gave a hand to local staff with the accounting
system for reporting back to CIDA on the on-going projects. This
may not sound like the most exciting part of a project but it plays
an important role in the communication between partners in Canada
and the Philippines, which helps in establishing good working relationships.
Unfortunately, economists' work is quite abstract and doesn't lend
itself easily to hands-on tasks and field labour. My experience
working in the sugar cane fields helped me to quickly learn about
the value of traditional herbal medicine knowledge. But my most
memorable endeavour was a study of the potential savings in energy
and money to rural households in Negros using the rice stove. I
prepared a survey with the help of local farmers, which was actually
carried out by the stove marketing team. Then I did some traveling
to gather local prices of cooking fuels. My surprise at the hand
of affable and enthusiastic local people did never end, they met
me everywhere while I was on the road. I finished my study in Canada,
and found that the rice stove had the potential for assisting farmers
in improving their finances while using local renewable fuels, instead
of relying on imported or overly harvested fuels. This showed me
the foundation of a sustainable local community, where local people
diversify their skills and use their environment and resources in
smart ways
Current Status:
Environmental Economist working for Environment Canada in Ottawa.
©2004 REAP-Canada |
