Janna Candy (past volunteer) – Monitoring and Evaluation Adviser, East New Britain in Papua New Guinea
“The people in Papua New Guinea laugh so much – I love it. On my second day there, a local man decided to walk me back to my guesthouse, and he started telling everyone I was his sister. Everyone in the market was laughing at me – more than 100 people. What could I do but laugh with them?”
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Janna is a New Zealander who was working as a consultant for an international development company in Melbourne before she started her assignment in February 2010.
What Janna did in Papua New Guinea
Janna helped the evaluation and monitoring team at the The Kairak Vudal Resource Training Centre to improve the way they collect and analyse data, and how they present and report it. The centre manages the Integrated Agricultural Training Programme (IATP), delivering training courses to help rural farmers increase their productivity.
Making a positive impact
Janna helped set up regular ‘brainstorming’ sessions with her team at which they updated and redefined what they wanted to achieve, how they could achieve it, and the best ways to measure their success. The goal was to develop a tool for evaluating how successful the IATP programme is, and help plan for the future.
One of Janna's highlights
“One young mother started running four small businesses after going through one of our courses. She has started a small bakery, she makes and sells ice blocks, sells excess garden produce at the market, and sews Meri blouses – all while raising four children! She and her husband can now send their children to school, and pay their medical bills. She is also sharing her knowledge and experience with other women in her village.”
What Papua New Guinea has taught Janna
“Living in Papua New Guinea has taught me to slow down and relax – I don’t have to be in a rush to do the next thing. It’s probably because I’m enjoying the now so much.”
Stories
Taking the long road
Published on 22nd October 2010
New Zealander Janna Candy is currently on assignment in Papua New Guinea helping her partner organisation evaluate how effective its agricultural training has been for farmers. The work often takes her to rural communities to see first hand the improvements being made. Read More
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