Rieke Weel G'12

I discussed my desire to learn more about participatory and development communication with some of my professors. They reacted very supportively and personally helped me gather the knowledge I needed through a directed study. AUP supported my attendance on several study trips to India, Morocco and Portugal, which gave me the opportunity to test theoretical knowledge in practice.

I currently work as a Development Communication Specialist for the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) in Rwanda, Burundi and the DRC. This means that I offer support to agriculture-related projects to ensure key messages get delivered to our main target groups (farmers, agro-dealers, sme's etc) and that the project enables selected audiences to interact, have a voice and increase the quality of the project. I moved to Rwanda in early 2012 and am currently living in Kigali. My work demands lots of travel, which allows me to see more of East Africa and get a better understanding of the role modern and traditional communication tools play in society. I am working fulltime on one regional project and am an adviser on a number of other different projects in East Africa.

Professors and other AUP staff made me believe in myself and understand that with the right support, I could do things I had never dreamed of doing before. I sincerely believe the AUP staff does not always realize how big an impact they have on many of us, but they do and I am very grateful for that.