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G
rowing increasingly concerned
about environmental issues and
the challenges these pose for
vulnerable rural communities in Africa,
Oumou Koulibaly decided to apply for
the Royal Agricultural University’s MSc
in International Rural Development
through the African Fellowship Trust.
“Rural communities are the ones feeding
us,” Oumou explains, “and yet they’re
the most fragile communities in the world
because they are not resilient to climate
change or prepared for natural disasters.
I wanted to be able to help our rural
communities face these difficulties, and
thanks to the skills and abilities I gained
through the IRD programme at the RAU,
I’m able to do so. The University has
helped to shape my career, and allowed
me to develop into the person I am today.
“The multinational aspect of the course
made it a very inclusive environment in
which to study, and there was a wide range
of modules to choose from – I still refer
back to the management and development
focused modules in my current role.
During the course, I was also able to gain
valuable hands-on experience through
work placements with the International
Institute for Environment and Development,
and the Grampus Heritage and Training
placement programme in Cyprus.”
Since 2011, Oumou has been working
as a Knowledge Sharing Officer at Enda
Energie, a non-governmental organisation
which aims to eradicate poverty and
bring about social and economic change.
“Enda Energie appealed because they
focus on helping vulnerable communities
from the bottom up with grassroots
projects and initiatives. One such project
I’ve been involved in is the AfricaAdapt
network, which aimed to facilitate the flow
of climate adaption knowledge between
researchers, policy makers, and those
communities which are vulnerable to
climate change across the continent.
Although this project is no longer funded,
the online platform remains active.
“I’m now involved in another programme
called BRACED (Building Resilience
and Adaption to Climate Extremes
and Disasters) which aims to build
the resilience of more than five million
vulnerable people through a three year,
£92 million UK government funded grant
scheme. I’m a member of the Knowledge
Manager consortium, which is made
up of seven organisations including
Enda Energie, and am part of the
communication team. My role is to ensure
that knowledge generated from the project
is communicated to the right people in a
way that is clear and understandable.
“I’ve always been very concerned about the
socio-economic conditions of vulnerable
and marginalised people, mainly women
and children, so my career goals are to
better understand the implications of
climate change and environmental issues,
Oumou Koulibaly is dedicated to
improving the lives of millions of people
living and working in rural Africa.
Name:
Oumou Koulibaly
Course:
MSc International Rural Development
Class of:
2009
PROFILE
A climate
of change