Inaugural IRF Scholar Graduates with Masters

Olita Ogonjo received the inaugural Ken Thiess Memorial Scholarship in 2009 to study a Masters of Integrated Water Management through the International WaterCentre. Olita saw the scholarship as an opportunity to ‘sharpen his saw’ and work with water professionals from different backgrounds and join the network of new water leaders around the world.

Olita describes the most valuable thing learnt in the scholarship experience as ‘understanding that our contemporary world is structured towards multiculturalism, and cross-cultural approaches where science of water, ecosystems management and research blends together’.

Olita will return home in August to Nairobi, Kenya to work once again with the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Project, a project he has been involved with since its inception. Now a water professional, Olita sees his qualifications as a new strength to the project. ‘We are now in a better position to advise government, local leaders and communities on water development’ he says, ‘We intend to be a point of reference in best practice in Integrated Water Resource Managment (IWRM) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Kenya.

Looking to the future, Olita’s goal in Kenya is to lobby for improved water and environmental policies using models learnt in the Masters course. 

The Ken Thiess Memorial Scholarship for 2012 is open for application until 30 July 2011.