Mentoring Programme – Page 2 – Rural Water Supply Network

Mon parcours dans le programme de mentorat du RWSN

Ceci est un blog d’une mentorée de RWSN, Awa DIAGNE, et d’un mentor de RWSN, Yves Etienne RAKOTOARISON.

Présentation de la mentorée

Je me nomme Awa Diagne, de nationalité sénégalaise. Je suis actuellement doctorante en première année de thèse à l’université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar au Sénégal. J’ai fait une licence en géologie et je me suis spécialisée en hydrogéologie depuis ma première année de Master. Mes recherches ont débuté en 2021 dans le cadre de mon mémoire de Master dont le sujet portait sur l’évaluation du risque sur la santé des teneurs en nitrates et en fluor des eaux souterraines dans les régions de Mbour et Fatick. Actuellement en 2023, mes travaux de thèse sont en cours avec comme sujet de recherche : « Evaluation de la salinité et de la paléo salinité du système aquifère intermédiaire du Paléocène et de l’Eocène dans la zone centrale du bassin arachidier par l’utilisation d’outils isotopique chimique et hydrodynamique dans les régions de Fatick, Thiès, Diourbel et Louga. ». Il s’inscrit dans le cadre d’un projet d’études scientifiques « RAF 7021 » de la Direction de la Gestion et de la Planification des Ressources en Eau du Sénégal (DGPRE) avec l’appui de l’Agence Internationale de l’Energie Atomique (AIEA). Durant mon cursus universitaire, j’ai eu à faire pas mal de formations en ligne et en présentiel et assisté à des colloques universitaires.

Présentation du mentor

Mr Yves Etienne Rakotoarison est un coordonnateur national de projet à RWSN avec plus de 20 ans d’expérience dans le secteur WASH de Madagascar. Pendant 4 ans, avec une équipe de 20 personnes, il a pu aider plus de 700 villages à arrêter la défécation à l’air libre. Il a débuté comme Chef de Projet et occupé le poste de Coordinateur National de Département Wash pour un ONG international pendant 5 ans. Il possède des expériences solides en assainissement en milieu rural et urbain, des projets d’adduction d’eau potable dans différentes zones et surtout dans des zones arides. Il est un pionnier dans l’adoption des solutions innovantes pour faire face au changement climatique.

Pourquoi et comment j’ai intégré le programme de mentorat du RWSN en tant que mentorée ?

Etant jeune chercheure dans le domaine de l’eau et de l’assainissement, j’ai toujours cherché à agrandir mes connaissances dans ce secteur. J’avais besoin d’une personne plus expérimentée que moi avec qui je pourrais échanger. Etant également membre du RWSN, j’ai eu la chance de tomber sur ce programme de mentorat dont les objectifs répondent à mes besoins. J’ai donc suivi le processus pour trouver un mentor au niveau de la plateforme PushFar. Dans un premier temps j’ai pu avoir un mentor qui me correspondait mais qui, malheureusement, était très souvent en voyage et indisponible. Grâce au soutien du secrétariat du RWSN, j’ai pu avoir de nouveau un autre mentor : Mr Yves Etienne Rakotoarison.

Déroulement du mentorat

Après avoir pris contact avec Mr Yves, j’ai établi un calendrier d’activités contenant les jours des réunions ainsi que les thèmes à aborder à savoir : Améliorer mon CV, maitriser le travail de terrain, comprendre davantage le système d’approvisionnement en eau potable en milieu urbain et rural, comprendre comment améliorer l’accès à une eau de bonne qualité aux populations des zones rurales, comprendre comment améliorer les systèmes d’assainissement en milieu urbain et rural, savoir comment entreprendre un projet dans le secteur de l’eau, évaluation et suivi d’un projet dans le secteur WASH, aborder une thèse de manière efficiente, pouvoir allier un travail ou un stage et la rédaction d’une thèse de doctorat, développer mon réseau professionnel, gagner de l’expérience dans le secteur WASH, avoir une bonne stratégie de communication.
Nos échanges se faisaient par appels vidéo sur l’application « WhatsApp » car jugé plus flexible pour nous.
Par soucis de disponibilité, nous avons eu à faire jusque-là que 2 réunions au cours desquels j’ai pu tirer le maximum de conseils et connaissances. Néanmoins, nous comptons poursuivre le mentorat après la fermeture de ce programme.

Dates et durée des réunions	Objectifs et ordre du jour	Réalisations
05 août 2023 1 heure	Prise de contact et établissement du calendrier des activités à mener	Présentation du mentor et de la mentorée (parcours professionnels)Disponibilité et fréquence des réunionsPartage de documents (articles scientifiques)
02 Sept 2023 32 mins	Aborder une thèse	Partage de documents (astuces pour bien gérer son temps, exemples et méthodes de gestion du temps, efficience et efficacité au travail, conseils pour rédiger sa thèse)ConseilsComment bien interagir avec mes encadreurs

Conclusions tirées du programme de mentorat

Ce programme de mentorat a été intéressant pour moi dans le sens où j’ai pu bénéficier de précieux conseils de la part de mon mentor. Les documents et articles qu’il a partagés avec moi me permettront respectivement de connaitre les astuces pour mener de manière efficace et efficiente ma thèse et d’enrichir ma documentation.

Je tiens à remercier chaleureusement Mr Yves pour sa disponibilité, sa gentillesse et sa bienveillance envers ma personne et espère qu’on pourra poursuivre nos séances de mentorat.

Merci également au RWSN de nous avoir offert ce programme.

Si vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur notre programme de mentorat et les activités de RWSN, rejoignez notre communauté ici. https://dgroups.org/rwsn

Nurturing Professional Growth in the WASH Sector

by Lisa Mitchell, Senior Director of Learning Services, Global Water Center, re-blogged from the Global Water Center

Mentoring plays an important role in the Global Water Center’s (GWC) strategy to offer ongoing support to our clients. We know that training is just the first step in learning new knowledge and skills. To consolidate new competencies, ongoing support is necessary. Mentors are well placed to provide this support.

This year, GWC trialed a new strategy to support the graduates of our solar powered water systems (SPWS) training: we paired with the Rural Water Supply Network’s (RWSN) Mentoring Program, to offer SPWS alumni mentoring support. We also supported RWSN’s general mentoring stream, so they could extend it to a broader pool of WASH professionals.

As part of these activities, I had the privilege of becoming a mentor to three mentees, from very different corners of the world: India, Côte d’Ivoire, and Switzerland. I believe I learned more from my mentees than they likely learned from me!

I met with the mentees once or twice per month over the last six months. During our exchange, I reviewed my mentees resume, journal submissions, and even a PhD application. We discussed behaviour change and educational theories and considered innovative approaches to their work. From them I learned about a range of topics from measuring the transfer of agrochemicals into groundwater to involving communities in groundwater recharge initiatives. I also discovered new WASH organizations and initiatives.

The beauty of these relationships is that they evolved according to the mentees’ needs. No two meetings were the same, and each meeting brought out new learning and ideas. I also formed a strong relationship with three people I would not have met otherwise, and I’m confident we will continue to support one another in our professional journeys moving forward.

In the coming months we will share the evaluation from the SPWS stream of the mentoring program. For now, I believe that the mentees from this stream of the program gained at least as much as I did from the program.

Interested in becoming a mentor or mentee yourself? Considering signing up for RWSN’s mentoring program. Details of next year’s program will be released in early 2024.

My experience with the RWSN Mentoring Programme

This is a guest blog by RWSN mentee Beatrice Kyomuhendo (Uganda) and RWSN mentor Eng. Cornelius Mpesi (Malawi) who took part in the 2023 RWSN Mentoring Programme.

Mentee’s Thoughts

My name is Beatrice Kyomuhendo, I am a WASH Technical Assistant at The Water Trust in Uganda. The Water Trust is an organization that aims at empowering the poorest rural communities in Uganda by providing clean water and healthy homes for children and their families to thrive.

I found out about RWSN through my supervisor Mr. Enock Obwon Gmuipe who shared information about the RWSN Mentoring Programme. After filling out the application, not knowing what exactly the outcome was going to be, I received an email from Eng. Cornelius Mpesi requesting to be my mentor.

Eng. Cornelius Mpesi is a mechanical and water engineer registered with the Malawi Engineering Institution (MEI) and working with Water Mission. I went through his profile, and I was very surprised at how someone willingly offers to share their knowledge at zero cost. I accepted the request, and we scheduled our first meeting. During the first meeting, we set our targets, objectives, expectations, mode of communication, convenient time for meetings and also signed the mentoring agreement. We were the first mentor and mentee to sign the mentoring agreement.

The most interesting bit of this mentoring programme is that, at the time, we were starting on our first piped water project as an organization and Eng. Cornelius was of great help to me throughout the whole project. The first assignment he gave me was to pick coordinates from our proposed source and where we planned to construct the public stand posts. This is what we used during our classes on Google Earth and EPANET. He took me through pump sizing and solar sizing basing on our project. This made work so interesting as I was always eager to go to the field and practice what we discussed in our previous classes and would also be eager to get back to my mentor with feedback on what transpired in the field.

Eng. Cornelius has encouraged me to register with the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE) and helped me appreciate and utilize LinkedIn to its full capacity.

I see many benefits in my experience with the RWSN Mentoring Programme:

Gained skills in solar sizing, pump sizing
Learned to use Google Earth and EPANET
Appreciated the use of LinkedIn
Was encouraged join the UIPE.

Mentor’s Thoughts

I saw the call for mentors and mentees on RWSN LindedIn page since I am a frequent user. I quickly signed up, and as I was searching for profiles of people with similar interests in my field, Beatrice’s profile sparked my interest. I looked through it and thought to myself that there is an opportunity for me to share the little I know with someone who is eager to learn. We linked up and had our first meeting to discuss the areas in which I could help. We communicated frequently through various platforms like WhatsApp, Google Meet and Emails. From the interactions we had, I saw someone who is willing to learn and is very inquisitive. Sometimes she would nudge me with a bunch of questions which I am glad I was able to answer and assist with. This experience helped me to be a better tutor. Knowing something is one thing, but knowing how to explain it to someone so they understand it, is a totally different thing altogether. I am glad I was able to help Beatrice shape her career, and I have no doubt she will take off and keep soaring higher.

To join RWSN and be informed about the next round of the mentoring programme, please sign up here.

My Mentee Journey in the RWSN Mentoring Programme

This is a guest blog by RWSN mentee RAKOTOARIMANANA ZY Harifidy and RWSN mentor Sean Furey who took part in the 2023 RWSN Mentoring Programme.

Who am I?

My name is RAKOTOARIMANANA ZY Harifidy, from Madagascar. Currently, I am a Ph.D. candidate at the Interdisciplinary Center for River Basin Environment (ICRE), University of Yamanashi in Japan. My research focuses on water resources assessment of the Major River Basins in Madagascar (MRBM) in the context of global change. Before coming to Japan, I worked for an NGO involved in the water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) sector in Madagascar.

What is the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) Mentoring Programme?

I first learned about this program on my LinkedIn while I was searching for a mentorship or fellowship opportunity in the WASH sector. It turned out to be the RWSN Mentoring Programme, which enables professionals in the WASH sector to collaborate, advance their careers, and learn from one another. This program specifically supports mentees who are starting their careers or going through career transitions. It is important to note that this program is free and open to the public for a duration of 6 months. Thanks to the Pushfar platform, I could easily schedule appointment slots, monitor the progress of my mentoring relationship, and engage in online conversations with my mentor. For more information, please visit this website.

How was my experience as a mentee?

My journey as a mentee began when I found Sean Furey, the Director of RWSN Secretariat through the PushFar platform and he accepted my request on 15 May 2023. I am grateful and honored to have him as my mentor. I was in my second year of my doctoral program, uncertain about my next steps, and in need of direction. Therefore, Sean became the guiding hand I was looking for.

My objectives for joining this program were to receive feedback about my research project and to learn from my mentor’s experience and expertise in the WASH sector. I also want to improve my communication skills, particularly in presenting research findings and networking. I would like to get some advice on my future career development. These are my goals from this mentoring process.

During my mentorship, we had five one-on-one meetings scheduled once a month for 1 hour. Sean shared his experience and knowledge about the WASH sector with me. I have learned from his insights and perspectives.

9 June 2023: During our first conversation, I talked about my goals and my expectations for the mentorship program. Upon Sean’s introduction, I was greatly inspired by his professional journey in the WASH sector, which I found to be particularly motivating for young people like me. Since I was uncertain about my post-graduation plans, Sean elucidated various career options for Ph.D. students. He asked about my dream job, which I regarded as a pivotal factor in selecting my career path. He also provided insights and comments related to my research.
23 June 2023: I rehearsed my presentation for the SWAT conference in Denmark alongside Sean. As this marked my first experience at an international conference, I felt somewhat anxious and had concerns about my proficiency in English. Sean provided constructive feedback on how to effectively communicate my research findings to a non-academic audience, offering valuable tips and guidance to enhance my presentation slides for better audience comprehension. Thanks to his advice, my conference presentation was successful. Importantly, I honed both my presentation and networking abilities in the process.
11 August 2023: Sean reviewed my CV and provided valuable guidance for proactive job hunting. He recommended that I prepare two distinct versions of my CV. One focused on my academic achievements, including qualifications, grants, fellowships, awards, research experience, and publications; and the other was tailored for a professional context, emphasizing work experience, responsibilities, deliverables, evidence of teamwork, and engagement within and outside the organization. Sean also emphasized the importance of including a brief motivational paragraph in my CV. Furthermore, he connected me with some amazing African women in the WASH sector so I could look at their career paths.
15 September 2023: We focused on the review and completion of my CV. Sean provided guidance on writing a cover letter and preparing for job interviews. Moreover, he shared his own experiences, including insights from his initial interview and how he secured the job. He recommended that I practice with my friends and lab mates. An additional advantage of having Sean as my mentor is the opportunity to improve my English language skills by conversing with a native speaker.
14 November 2023: In our last meeting, we talked about the results of the mentorship program and exchanged feedback. During this mentorship, I joined the RWSN Young Professionals which is an interesting platform for networking and receiving information about events, seminars, and job opportunities in the WASH sector. I was happy that I joined this program and I decided to keep in contact with my mentor through LinkedIn.

Overall, this mentorship program is a valuable journey for me. I strongly recommend this program to every Ph.D. student and young professional in the WASH sector, who wants to shape their career and personal development. I believe that my participation in this program would have a positive impact on my future career. I forged a strong international contact network. I sincerely thank my mentor, Sean Furey, for his advice, tutelage, and precious time during the program. I am also grateful to the RWSN Secretariat for their support since the beginning of the mentoring program.

My Mentor`s comment

Zy Harifidy Rakotoarimanana is a promising Ph.D. student who is quietly confident and determined to achieve her goals of working for an international organization in a water resource role. Our mentoring calls helpfully focused on specific topics that she chose. Over the course of the mentoring meetings, we explored her career ideas, aspirations, and some possible pathways. Working together on her presentation and CV helped her think about how to communicate clearly to different audiences about herself and her expertise and work. Being in her second year of Ph.D. she still has time to explore and reflect on what she wants from a career, and I encourage her to be brave and persistent! I will be following her career with interest.

To join RWSN and be informed about the next round of the mentoring programme, please sign up here.

A Mentoring journey, by Fadzai T. Munodawafa and Kerstin Danert

For International Women’s Day, we would like to highlight two participants from the RWSN Mentoring programme for young professionals and women, Fadzai T. Munodawafa-Bhurabhura (from Zimbabwe) and Dr Kerstin Danert (from Switzerland). You can find out more about their experience of mentoring through RWSN below. RWSN plans on launching a new edition of the mentoring programme soon, and encourages women of all ages in the water sector to sign up. To find out more, sign up to become a RWSN member today.

Mentorship is a reciprocal learning relationship in which a mentor and mentee work collaboratively toward the achievement of mutually-defined goals that will develop a mentee’s skills, abilities, knowledge, and/or thinking.

Fadzai’s words:

I am Fadzai T. Munodawafa, a WASH professional with an international Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Zimbabwe. I support teams who implement WASH in the rural communities in Zimbabwe. In addition, I am responsible for managing the drilling unit of the organisation. With such responsibilities as a young professional, I sought to increase my understanding of rural and urban water supply and sanitation as well as groundwater monitoring, which both have a significant bearing on improving access to water for under-privileged communities.

A message of invitation for young professionals in the water sector to join the mentorship programme under the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) was shared on the Zimbabwe WASH Cluster platform. I thought this was an opportunity to learn from senior professionals and firm up my career. Following acceptance within the mentorship programme in 2020, I was linked with Dr Kerstin Danert a water sector professional researcher and facilitator.

Kerstin’s words:

I am Kerstin Danert, a rural water supply professional who has been active in RWSN since 2004, when I was still living and working in Uganda. I work as a consultant, with a range of types of work including research, training, facilitation and knowledge-brokering. I currently live in Switzerland.

Fadzai’s words:

My mentorship experience was a flexible one where I would ask questions or a raise discussion point and Kerstin would have a topic for discussion for our scheduled meetings. During our 9-month mentorship relationship, Kerstin and I discussed broadly on topics such as groundwater management, remote sensing and sustainable community-based management of water points key areas that have helped me in my career in the water sector. Kerstin’s experience in sub-Saharan Africa and remote areas made our connection easy as she could relate to my experiences and questions.

Kerstin’s words:

Our mentoring relationship commenced just as I was branching out to start my own company, which unfortunately coincided with the start of the Covid pandemic. It was not an easy time (as we all know), and I was worried as to whether my company would even survive. It very soon became apparent that this would not be a one-way mentorship by any means. Fadzai not only helped me to make contact with field realities (which I was very much missing), but also gave me a lot of support and encouragement regarding my new venture.

Fadzai’s words:

As a young professional, I was not confident speaking in public forums, a weakness my mentor helped me to work on. Now I can confidently speak in professional forums following her encouragement. Our engagement also looked into working on my resume and boost it to showcase the experience and skills I have. In addition, she connected me with experienced drillers and water specialists in Zimbabwe.

Kerstin’s words

Although I have now worked in the water sector for over 25 years always as a consultant, I still remain concerned work may not come in going forwards. Further, I think that I had began to take my years of experience for granted. The exchanges with Fadzai helped me to fully appreciate that I am actually not at the start of my working life, but (hopefully) in the middle of it with a lot under my belt already!

Both of us

Since the mentorship programme under RWSN, we have kept in touch resulting in our participation in the UNHS Climate and Gender podcast on Global Partnership: Gender, Progression and Climate-Orientated Careers (The UNHS Podcast and Spotify) in 2021. The following year, our mentorship led us to work on a report and video documenting the impact stories from participants of online courses on professional drilling by the RWSN

Fadzai’s words:

As a result of my mentorship experience, I can more effectively allocate my time for various activities, connect and confidently engage with other professionals in the water sector as well as have knowledge on key aspects of documentation. I highly recommend other young professionals to join the mentorship program that will build them up in their career within the water sector. Many thanks to the RWSN for this amazing and life changing experience.

Kerstin’s words:

This mentorship brought me closer to the field again. I learned so much from the conversations with Fadzai – and drew insights from her into all of my ongoing assignments, whatever the topic in fact. She always had such insightful contributions to make. And I argue that I was the mentee just as much as Fadzai was. So I encourage others to take the time to get involved in this programme. It has been so rewarding and I look forward to finally meeting Fadzai one day! We have been talking regularly now for three years. A big thanks to RWSN for this chance.

To find out more information about the RWSN mentoring programme, please see here.