Posts by Dave
Volunteering – so much more than Charity
In honour of the International Day of Charity on 5th September, we interviewed King’s student, Erika Hvistendahl, to learn more about her volunteering experiences, and how they have helped her break into a highly competitive job market. What kind of volunteering have you been involved with during or between your studies? I took part in various…
Read MoreA Breath of Fresh Air: Tackling drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa
Tuberculosis is often thought to be a relic of the past. Many people are surprised to learn Mycobacterium tuberculosis is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide. It is also the biggest infectious killer. In 2016 alone, over 1.7 million people lost their lives to this very curable disease, which equates to 4,500…
Read MoreInterview with LIDC Centre Manager, Iris Hofmann
Last week, we were thrilled to interview LIDC’s new Centre Manager, Iris Hofmann, who began her role in July. Iris discussed her previous academic research, professional experience in the private sector, and project management. 1. What does your role involve? As Centre Manager, I am responsible for the management of the whole of LIDC. It’s…
Read MoreThe Water-Energy-Food Nexus: A guiding light or a continuation of power relations?
Water is complex. It’s defined as either an economic or social good, varies across time and space, and is increasingly scarce. As of 2015, 663 million people globally lacked access to clean drinking water. This complexity causes an international dispute about managing water as a resource. There is also a range of views on how…
Read MoreWhy is migration still a hot topic, and what is the role of research?
This podcast explores why migration remains so divisive, and the role of interdisciplinary research in enhancing discussions around this topic. More than 1 billion people are estimated to be migrants, living either inside or outside their country of birth. Since an influx of Syrian refugees arrived in Europe in 2015, the question of dealing with…
Read MoreGrassroots initiatives promoting literacy and literature in Luganda: A case study from Uganda
According to the Global Partnership for Education, East African country, Uganda’s education system is hampered by problems including the inadequate availability of education materials and high rates of student and teacher absenteeism. What’s more, Prof. Abdu Kasozi, former Executive Director of the National Council for Higher Education, recently criticised the country for its ‘poor reading…
Read MoreWorld Humanitarian Day: it’s time to break the silence on aid worker mental health
In 2017, nearly 140 aid and humanitarian workers were killed while helping those in need. This figure is up 30% from 2016, reflecting the heightened intensity and severity of violent conflicts during the past year. It also represents a steep rise in aid worker deaths among national staff, who often lead the riskiest operations in…
Read MoreBasic Income in Kenya: Could it Transform Our Ideas of ‘Development’?
International Development – Paternalistic chaos? International development has been criticised for being paternalistic and dysfunctional. Development practitioners can be prone to deciding what communities need without consulting residents themselves. What’s more, programmes often do not reach intended beneficiaries, and can create new problems where old ones have barely been tackled. However, recent initiatives have challenged…
Read MoreA Conversation with UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Emi Mahmoud
Sudanese-American slam poet Emi Mahmoud has supported UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency’s work and advocacy since 2016. Born in Khartoum, Sudan, before later moving to Yemen and the United States, Emi has used her talents and platform to raise awareness on the refugee cause. She was appointed as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in June 2018…
Read MoreWho is Research For? Feeding Back Research Findings in Sierra Leone
Grappling with Impact in Development Research Who and what is research for? This is not a new question for development scholars, but it has gained salience in British universities in recent years. “Impact”, or research’s ability to “change or benefit the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life”,…
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