DevDive Anushna Jha

In conversation with Shayna Vayser, Low Income Program Manager at the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU), where she leads the investment of millions of dollars in energy efficiency upgrades for affordable housing across the District of Columbia. Her work at the intersection of emerging technology, equity, and sustainability includes serving as a Web3 Advisory Board Member at Salesforce, as well as the Senior Policy Advisor on Sustainable Development at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (UNA-NCA).  In her role at UNA-NCA, Shayna leads the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Global Goals at Home program, which localizes the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in order to establish a proxy framework for data collection and analysis on sustainable development across DC, MD, and VA. Shayna earned her MA in International Relations from American University.



In this episode of DevDive, we delve into SDG 7 through Shayna's journey in the energy sector. We talk about the targets and challenges of the goal, the need to balance localisation with global targets, and the importance of collecting and using data effectively. We also discuss the relationship between energy and climate change.

In conversation with Julia Bauer on the 6th Sustainable Development Goal i.e. Clean Water and Sanitation. Julia started out as a hydrogeologist and modelled groundwater quality under an open dumping site. She went on to study Integrated Water Management and WASH with the International Water Centre in Brisbane, Australia. She continued her career in the international development sector working with the GIZ etc. and then moved to local, small NGOs, helping them in their efforts to get financial support for their locally adapted approaches. She has worked in South-East Asia, Nepal - Namibia and Tanzania. She worked on various projects with engineers without borders and small business schemes to empower local efforts, safeguard culturally unique approaches and protect local markets. She is currently working for TAUW, an Environmental Engineering Consultancy, on groundwater protection and climate change adaptation.

In this episode of DevDive, we discuss Julia's experiences in various countries and contexts, balancing localisation with this global goal, difference in approach taken by international organisations and local NGOs, the urgent need for groundwater protection, and what each of us can do to that effect. 

In conversation with Aanya Wig, Co-Founder of Girl Up Rise (now Her Haq). Aanya is a recent graduate from Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi and a SUSI scholar, being one of the four girls nominated to represent India for a women's leadership fellowship with the US Department of State. She is the Co-Founder of Girl Up Rise, a youth-led collective working towards creating a world where no woman has to fight to make her voice heard. Aanya is also Programme Associate at Circle In, working on empowering women economically. She is also on the Young People’s Action team for UNICEF working towards empowering young people.

In this episode we talk about Aanya's early experiences that led her to work towards gender equality, her work on women's agency and their empowerment, and how she defines women's leadership. We also delve into the gendered impact of the pandemic and the way forward towards a more inclusive, equal world.  

In conversation with Oroma Kenneth, CEO and Co-Founder of EduBall- a community-based organization that uses the power of football to improve academic outcomes for children in underprivileged societies. He also leads Literacy Beyond Boundaries, a team of young writers that writes age, content and reading level appropriate books for children much older than the classes in which they are and are struggling with reading. Kenneth also co-leads the Teach For All community in Uganda which brings together teachers providing access to quality education in emergency settings.

In this episode of DevDive, the fourth of our series on the Sustainable Development Goals, we speak to Oroma about his growing up days in an Internally Displaced Camp and later attaining a higher education because his teachers believed in his abilities even in such situations. We also listen to his inspiring journey that led him to find his purpose in Education an his time at a rural primary school for two years under the Teach For Uganda fellowship program where he contributed to the reduction in school dropout levels from 16 in 33 children to 3 in 33 children and was awarded the distinguished fellow award for achieving high community and school impact. We speak about the potentially powerful role sports can play in bringing children to school and enhancing their learning. 

In conversation with Dr. Preeti Shakya, Founder and CEO of Maatri Nepal- a non-profit organization aiming to end maternal mortality by preventing maternal deaths owing to postpartum haemorrhage in Nepal. She is a physician, writer and social impact entrepreneur. She holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree from Janaki Medical College, Tribhuvan University. She also founded Project In Her Hands— a volunteer initiative to combat menstrual stigma and promote menstrual equity in Nepal. Dr. Shakya is the recipient of the D-Prize Award. She was also awarded the Students Projects for Health Award for ‘Project In Her Hands’ in 2018. Project In Her Hands has also been recently recognized by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health to become a member of the AYSRH Global Program of Action Youth Coalition. A documentary film she directed titled ‘The Gods will be Angry’ was placed first runner up in the Global Impact Category at Connect Her Girls Impact the World Film Festival 2018.

In this episode of DevDive, she speaks to us about her early experiences that led her to work in the healthcare sector, her initiative for ensuring menstrual health and awareness, and her recent venture to prevent maternal deaths. She shares her insights on the impact of the pandemic on maternal health and mortality, and the need for all stakeholders to come together and address the problem. We conclude by asking Dr. Preeti to share her D-Dream with us. 

In conversation with Onome Ako, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Action Against Hunger Canada, an international humanitarian organization that fights hunger and its root causes worldwide. She has led initiatives in more than 20 countries with organizations including Amref Health Africa, World Vision Canada, AfricaRecruit (a program of the Commonwealth) and UNESCO-Regional Bureau for Education. She has an M.Sc. in Management of NGOs and Social Policy from the London School of Economics.She was named to the 2020 Canadian Women in Global Health list. She was also recognized as one of 2021 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, which spans the private, public and not-for-profit sectors and recognizes outstanding women across Canada.

In this episode, the second of our series on the SDGs, we speak to Onome about her work in addressing hunger and food insecurity. She shares her parents' efforts in helping the community around them get access to clean and safe drinking water, her journey in the development space, and her vision for Action Against Hunger. We also discuss the impact of covid-19 on global hunger, and what can be done by governments, organisations, communities, and individuals.