Gulzada
Oct 26, 2014
Scholarship / Sustainable development and management - my attempt to get scholarship from Chevening! [NEW]
This is my first essey I have written! Please, give your comments and adives in both: content and grammar.
My interest in obtaining a Master Degree in Development field aroused as an outcome of my last 6 years of work in the national and international non-governmental organizations working in the field of development. Although, having a BA in Linguistics I wished to work in the field where I could contribute to the better changes in the social and ecological aspects of our life. Hence, since 2007 I have worked in the field of sustainable development and obtained hands-on expertise in natural resources management, environmental education, ecosystem conservation and poverty reduction aspects. However, I often feel a lack of theoretical knowledge in specific areas of my job and a need to get knowledge for better understanding of challenges in different aspects. This has aroused my desire to obtain a Masters Degree in Sustainable Management from the University in UK which has all the facilities and professionals to provide a high quality of study.
Having worked for the Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities (AGOCA) -a network of grassroot NGOs from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan from 2008-2013 I have seen firsthand problems of unsustainable management of natural resources. Lack of water resources in the mountain villages, land degradation and erosion in the pasture territories are the main reasons for living below the poverty line in many of the rural areas of these three countries having only livestock breeding and agriculture as a household income. I believe that these problems could be resolved by effectively managing resources and creating alternative income generating opportunities.
In AGOCA among my other duties I was responsible for organization of annual conference and Forum for sustainable development with participation of local communities, national and international experts and practitioners working in the field of development. These Conferences and Forums enhanced my knowledge and skills on better management of resources, improving environmental conditions, climate change adaptation practices as well as constructing dialogue between the state agencies and grassroot NGOs for building partnerships for one shared goal- sustainable development.
Desiring to know the experiences of developed countries with the same challenges: air pollution, ecosystem degradation and energy shortage I applied to cross culture internship program funded by German Government and was successfully accepted for a support to go to Germany for 12 weeks and get internship in organizations working in the field of sustainable development. I had internship in the city administration of Sonthofen which was awarded a title of "Alpine town of the year - 2005" for their sustainable development practices, in the CIPRA project "Recharge green" (integrating renewable energy for Alpine countries) and in Michael Succow Foundation project "sustainable management of wetlands in CIS countries" Now I deeply understand that sustainable development needs cooperation, synergy and common efforts.
At the moment I have a small project of my own on development of ecological tourism aimed at raising ecological education of local community as well as creating a network of local people who can provide tourists services based on ecological and social responsibility and increase their economical conditions. I would like to do more positive changes for my community where my two daughters are also raising. I strongly believe that with the Masters degree in Sustainable Development I could lead bigger programs and proceed in my career for that I could make bigger changes toward sustainable development.
This is my first essey I have written! Please, give your comments and adives in both: content and grammar.
My interest in obtaining a Master Degree in Development field aroused as an outcome of my last 6 years of work in the national and international non-governmental organizations working in the field of development. Although, having a BA in Linguistics I wished to work in the field where I could contribute to the better changes in the social and ecological aspects of our life. Hence, since 2007 I have worked in the field of sustainable development and obtained hands-on expertise in natural resources management, environmental education, ecosystem conservation and poverty reduction aspects. However, I often feel a lack of theoretical knowledge in specific areas of my job and a need to get knowledge for better understanding of challenges in different aspects. This has aroused my desire to obtain a Masters Degree in Sustainable Management from the University in UK which has all the facilities and professionals to provide a high quality of study.
Having worked for the Alliance of Central Asian Mountain Communities (AGOCA) -a network of grassroot NGOs from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan from 2008-2013 I have seen firsthand problems of unsustainable management of natural resources. Lack of water resources in the mountain villages, land degradation and erosion in the pasture territories are the main reasons for living below the poverty line in many of the rural areas of these three countries having only livestock breeding and agriculture as a household income. I believe that these problems could be resolved by effectively managing resources and creating alternative income generating opportunities.
In AGOCA among my other duties I was responsible for organization of annual conference and Forum for sustainable development with participation of local communities, national and international experts and practitioners working in the field of development. These Conferences and Forums enhanced my knowledge and skills on better management of resources, improving environmental conditions, climate change adaptation practices as well as constructing dialogue between the state agencies and grassroot NGOs for building partnerships for one shared goal- sustainable development.
Desiring to know the experiences of developed countries with the same challenges: air pollution, ecosystem degradation and energy shortage I applied to cross culture internship program funded by German Government and was successfully accepted for a support to go to Germany for 12 weeks and get internship in organizations working in the field of sustainable development. I had internship in the city administration of Sonthofen which was awarded a title of "Alpine town of the year - 2005" for their sustainable development practices, in the CIPRA project "Recharge green" (integrating renewable energy for Alpine countries) and in Michael Succow Foundation project "sustainable management of wetlands in CIS countries" Now I deeply understand that sustainable development needs cooperation, synergy and common efforts.
At the moment I have a small project of my own on development of ecological tourism aimed at raising ecological education of local community as well as creating a network of local people who can provide tourists services based on ecological and social responsibility and increase their economical conditions. I would like to do more positive changes for my community where my two daughters are also raising. I strongly believe that with the Masters degree in Sustainable Development I could lead bigger programs and proceed in my career for that I could make bigger changes toward sustainable development.