Conversations in Development
35 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago -Conversations in Development is a series of open and honest conversations about issues in the aid and development sector with leading professionals in the field. Each episode features an expert guest in conversation with Peter Mason, the CEO of Cufa.
The podcast is brought to you by Cufa, an international development agency creating infinite value alleviating poverty across the Asia Pacific, with music from Studio Garry.
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Episodes
Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Creating Change in Development Part 2
October 31, 2021 19:00 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBAs We continue to speak with Deborah about cultural values in development, we discuss the impact caused by Australian Aid programs.
Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Creating Change in Development Part 1
October 17, 2021 19:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBThe Development sector often forgets about the importance of cultural values and how these can make a difference for NGOs. In this episode, we speak with Deborah Rhodes about her journey to include cultural contexts in development programs.
Creating Impact in Areas of Conflict Part 2
October 03, 2021 19:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBBefore the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, our host Peter Mason speaks with Cory Steinhauer, an expert in areas of conflict about his experiences in Afghanistan and South Sudan.
Creating Impact in Areas of Conflict Part 1
September 19, 2021 20:00 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBBefore the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, our host Peter Mason speaks with Cory Steinhauer, an expert in areas of conflict about his experiences in Afghanistan and South Sudan.
The Importance of Migration in Development
November 29, 2020 19:00 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBAs this year has taken a heavy toll on global migration due to the pandemic, development has also come to a stall. In this series finale, we speak with Loksan Harley about the many aspects of migration, as well as its effects in the development sector.
Exploring Development in Laos
November 15, 2020 19:00 - 22 minutes - 20.7 MBLaos, unlike many of its neighbouring countries, remains one of the more challenging places for NGOs. In this episode, Colette McInerney, former director of World Education in Laos, shares her experience working in the country and the challenges she faced during her time in Laos.
Women in Leadership Roles
November 03, 2020 19:00 - 36 minutes - 33 MBAs companies are being driven towards equality, board meetings and leadership roles still represent a challenge for females and indigenous people who wish to raise their concerns. We speak with Amanda Young, former CEO of First Nations Foundation, and Chris Franks, Chair of Women in Aid and Development about their experiences in leadership roles and the importance of gender and cultural representation.
Environmental and Technological Entrepreneurship in Cambodia
October 18, 2020 19:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MBCambodia is a developing country with a growing economy, whose newest generations have the opportunity to thrive. We speak with Rithy Thul about his personal growth and experiences to become a successful entrepreneur, and his ambition to encourage young Cambodians to advance through the use of technology and reforestation.
Indonesia - The Key to Australia's Economic Prosperity
October 04, 2020 19:00 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBAs one of our closest neighbours, Indonesia has often been seen as a holiday destination rather than a strong economic partner. We speak with former DFAT Officer Jeff Bost about DFAT’s long-term investment in Indonesia and how Australia must adapt its economy to new trade opportunities with its neighbours.
“La Violencia” – Colombia’s Long Road to Peace
September 20, 2020 20:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBSince the 1960s , Colombia has been the victim of armed conflict, taking the lives of thousands and internally displacing millions. In this episode, we speak with Manuel Renteria about his experience working in the Magdalena Medio region and the impacts in his country.
"La Violencia" - Colombia's Long Road to Peace
September 20, 2020 20:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBSince the 1960s , Colombia has been the victim of armed conflict, taking the lives of thousands and internally displacing millions. In this episode, we speak with Manuel Renteria about his experience working in the Magdalena Medio region and the impacts in his country.
Ensuring Children's Future During Lockdown
September 06, 2020 20:00 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBDeveloping countries often struggle to provide basic health and education. As they now focus their efforts to contain the pandemic, funding for other sectors are at risk, undermining years of efforts to tackle poverty through education. In this episode, former CEO of Child fund Nigel Spence discusses some of the consequences of maintaining schools closed in the long-term, particularly in developing countries.
From Academia to the Asia-Pacific
August 23, 2020 20:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBAs Covid keeps on devastating all countries around the globe, its impact can be felt in all economic sectors including education. In this episode we speak with Dr. Michael Spann, lecturer at the University of Queensland and founding director of Square Circle about the impacts of Covid in universities, as well as the abrupt political and economic changes occurring in the Asia-Pacific.
Covid-19 and Housing
August 09, 2020 21:00 - 26 minutes - 23.9 MBOn the 12th of march, when the covid-19 disease was detected in almost all states around the globe, the disease was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This rushed many countries, including Australia to shut its borders from the world. We spoke with Nicole Stanmore, CEO of Habitat for Humanity Australia about the greater impact this pandemic has left in developing countries, as well as the perception of local governments in response to funding areas of development.
Should charities strive for redundancy?
November 25, 2019 03:29 - 28 minutes - 26.6 MBRedundancy is a word with negative connotations, but not according to Weh Yeoh who says all charities should be aiming to make themselves redundant. If charities focused more on solving problems rather than addressing symptoms, they would create a space for local people to create solutions to their own problems. Weh and Dr Peter Mason, CEO Cufa, discuss whether it is practical to have a clear exit plan from the outset of a charitable enterprise in a country, and whether it is always possible...
Life on Low Wages in Asia-Pacific
August 22, 2019 01:55 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBIn the APAC region life for the majority in the paid workforce is hand-to-mouth, people earn wages that don't feed a family. Dr Mason speaks with Union Aid Abroad's (APHEDA) Executive Officer, Kate Lee about the major issues that workers face on a daily basis, including low wages; lack of workplace safety; and workplace and sexual harassment. We explore these key issues and discuss the action that the Government and consumers globally need to take to support and demand liveable and living wa...
Women, Violence and the Law
June 23, 2019 20:30 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBThe regions surrounding Somalia and Lebanon have some of the lowest rates of gender equality in the world. We speak with Clare Brown, an international human rights lawyer and currently the Legal Program Manager at Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), about her experiences working in the region. We discuss the lived experience, many of the issues that women face and triggers of sexual based violence, as well as exploring the current climate for legal advocacy work and progress that has been made in ...
Advocacy and Health
May 26, 2019 20:30 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBAdvocacy has the capacity to have an impact on a massive scale and in the field of health it can save millions of lives. We speak with Amelia Christie, CEO of RESULTS, an advocacy organisation about the power of a grassroots approach and dealing with everyone from volunteers to politicians. We also delve into foreign aid and the growing focus on the Pacific and Amelia teaches a thing or two about tuberculosis and its growing prevalence in our closest neighbour Papua New Guinea. Amelia Chris...
Cambodia to Cabramatta: A refugee journey
April 14, 2019 20:30 - 33 minutes - 30.9 MBUnderstanding the drivers behind development issues is imperative to organisations engaging in the field of work. In this episode we speak with Veronica Nou, a migrant entrepreneur and refugee advocate who came to Australia after her family fled the Cambodian Genocide and following Vietnamese occupation. Veronica shares her experiences fleeing the country and arriving in Australia, living in abject poverty through her childhood and becoming a business owner. Now in her spare time Veronica ha...
Urbanisation: Building better cities
March 10, 2019 19:30 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBUrbanisation refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the gradual increase in the proportion of people living in urban areas and the ways in which society adapts to this change. We speak with Dr Paul Jones who has over 30 years of professional experience working in urban development in places like Kiribati in the Pacific to Bandung in Indonesia. Paul delves into our understanding of the contemporary city, how our education system can adapt to teach the minds of tomorrow and ...
Faith in Aid with Tim Costello
January 20, 2019 19:30 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBThe values of giving are deeply rooted in the texts, traditions and practices of many faiths, and many of the world’s biggest aid organisations are faith-based. In this episodes we look at how faith-based aid differs from secular aid, and how much those differences matter. Australia is becoming more and more secular, but the majority of the country’s biggest charities are faith-based. We ask what happens when faith conflicts with what is best for poor or developing communities and we’ll cons...
Kicking goals in the Pacific
December 16, 2018 19:30 - 31 minutes - 29 MB‘Sport and development’ refers to the use of sport as a tool for development and peace. It is now being increasingly used throughout the Pacific as a method to drive outcomes in areas such as health, social cohesion, gender equality and disability inclusion. We speak with Aaron Kearney, ABC journalist, broadcaster and member of the International Development team about the programs he has worked on throughout the Pacific and how they are delivering social change. Aaron Kearney is a multi-awa...
Climate change, disasters and women
November 25, 2018 19:00 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBGender inequality becomes lethal in natural disasters where women die in far greater numbers than men. Patriarchal systems often leave women responsible for children and elderly people in a disaster and exclude women from accessing information that could save their lives. We speak to Melissa Bungcaras, Gender and Resilience Advisor for ActionAid Australia, about how and why women should take a leading role in disaster preparedness planning and how aid agencies and governments both have a rol...
Promo - Climate change, disaster and women
November 11, 2018 19:30 - 56 seconds - 883 KBReleasing 26 November, this episode invites Melissa Bungcaras, the Gender and Resilience Manager for ActionAid Australia, to explore how patriarchal systems often leave women responsible for children and elderly people in a disaster and exclude women from accessing information that could save their lives. With the hosts, Melissa explores how and why women should take a leading role in disaster preparedness planning. Make sure you've subscribed to Conversations in Development to catch all ou...
Investing in social justice: Guy Winship
October 21, 2018 19:30 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBThis episode is a departure from the Conversations in Development schedule to discuss the life of Guy Winship, a man who dedicated his life to the development sector. Guy Winship was the founder and CEO of Good Return, an organisation that provides microfinance across the Asia-Pacific region. Good Return delivers programs to those who are financially and socially excluded, empowering through financial inclusion. Guy is a development expert who has worked in Africa, Asia and the Pacific for ...
Volunteer tourism: At what cost?
September 26, 2018 19:30 - 30 minutes - 27.8 MBVolunteer tourism is a multi-billion dollar industry that is increasingly run by for-profit organisations sending millions of volunteers to poor communities around the world. The industry is rarely researched and empirical data is scarce, so what are we missing? We speak with Stephen Wearing about how the industry is changing, how it could be regulated and how the media plays a role in popular perceptions of volunteer tourists. Stephen Wearing is a conjoint professor at the University of Ne...
Promo - Volunteer tourism: At what cost?
September 24, 2018 20:30 - 1 minute - 1000 KBReleasing 27 September, this episode invites Stephen Wearing, an academic and expert in the field, to explore the multi-billion dollar industry of volunteer tourism. With the hosts, Stephen explores what the industry is missing, how it is changing and how it could be regulated. Make sure you've subscribed to Conversations in Development to catch all our open and honest conversations with industry experts about issues in foreign aid and the development sector.
Microfinance: Building economies, improving lives
August 12, 2018 20:00 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MBMicrofinance is a market-driven approach to development, alleviating poverty through the creation of local economies and sustainable livelihoods. But it’s also associated with negative perceptions such as profiting off poverty and creating cycles of debt. We spoke with Mahir Momand, a microfinance expert who pioneered the field in Afghanistan, about how his work reduced poverty, addressed gender inequality and ultimately threatened the basis of the Taliban insurgency. Mahir Momand is a mic...
Promo - Microfinance: Building economies, improving lives
July 29, 2018 21:00 - 1 minute - 1000 KBReleasing 13 August, this episode invites Mahir Momand, CEO of Thrive Refugee Enterprise, to teach us about a market-driven approach to development - microfinance. He explores both the positive and negative approaches and tells us how he reduced poverty, addressed gender inequality and ultimately threatened the basis of the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Make sure you've subscribed to Conversations in Development to catch all our open and honest conversations with industry experts about...
Child labour: Part of a bigger problem?
June 25, 2018 21:00 - 32 minutes - 29.3 MB168 million children are in child labour around the world, with almost half engaged in hazardous work. The forces driving child labour are complex and wide-ranging, from criminal intent, to economic necessity, to cultural norms. So how realistic is SDG Target 8.7 that aims to end child labour in all its forms by 2025? We speak with international lawyer Brynn O’Brien about the difficulties involved with regulating child labour and how it fits into structural problems in the global economic sy...
Promo - Child Labour: Part of a bigger problem?
June 17, 2018 21:00 - 58 seconds - 916 KBReleasing 26 June, this episode invites Brynn O'Brien, Executive Director at the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility, to dive into the complex world of child labour. She explores the link between big business and exploitation, consumer behaviour and the possibility of eliminating child labour by 2025. Make sure you've subscribed to Conversations in Development to catch all our open and honest conversations with industry experts about issues in foreign aid and the development se...
What is the role of aid in conflict?
May 28, 2018 20:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBAid flows in when conflict erupts but could aid play a bigger role before conflict turns violent? We speak with Aimé Saba from the University of Sydney’s Department of Peace and Conflict Studies about how aid operates in war zones, why the example of Africa offers a case for increasing aid and whether conflict is necessary. Aimé Saba has worked in the field of international development, humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding and peacekeeping for over 10 years. He recently returned to Sydney...
Promo - What is the role of aid in conflict?
May 24, 2018 22:00 - 56 seconds - 877 KBReleasing 25 May, this episode sees guest Aime Saba discuss the relationship between aid and conflict, drawing from examples in Myanmar, Syria and multiple countries in Africa. He uses his experience working for DFAT and the UN to investigate and discusses what an aid response to stop conflicts escalating to violence would look like. Can aid prevent conflict escalating? How prepared are we for the conflicts climate change may bring? Make sure you've subscribed to Conversations in Developmen...
Blurring the line between good intentions and good business
April 29, 2018 18:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MBGovernment aid programs are increasingly associated with business interests, blurring the line between philanthropy and financial gain. How does this impact developing countries - both in the short and long term? We speak with journalist Antony Loewenstein who has spent years documenting what he calls ‘disaster capitalism’ in Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Haiti. Antony Loewenstein is an independent freelance journalist, author, documentarian and blogger. Antony’s best-selling books inc...
Introducing Conversations in Development
April 17, 2018 06:58 - 1 minute - 952 KBComing April 30, our first episode features journalist, author and documentarian, Antony Loewenstein, in conversation about how aid fails and the murky world where politics and aid meets business. Make sure you've subscribed to Conversations in Development to catch all our open and honest conversations with industry experts about issues in foreign aid and the development sector.