Vincent Owen
(Human Resources and Training Consultant)

"During more than 30 years' service with a  major international bank I had the opportunity to visit many emerging markets and to see at first hand some of the issues that people there are facing on a day to day basis.

Upon retirement in March 2003, I found myself in the fortunate position of being both financially secure and having the time to devote to "giving something back" to some of the people and countries where I had spent a lot of time during my business career. At the age of 55, I felt that I was far too young to become a couch potato and it was for this reason that I was pleased to offer my knowledge and experience on a voluntary basis to Interims for Development. The experience to date has been most rewarding."

Kwame Akpokavi
(Training Consultant)

"As a Ghanaian who has been resident in the UK for 10 years, I was thrilled to learn that there was a way I could put my skills as a professional trainer to work for the development of my country without packing up bag and baggage.

Working with Interims for Development to develop a fast-track Soft Skills programme that can be used by large and small African companies to enhance the team building, communication and leadership skills of their employees has been a challenging and rewarding experience.

I see Interims for Development as a long-term partnership offering me an opportunity to share my expertise with Ghanaians and other Africans for many years to come."

Mike Oswald
(Finance Director)

"I have always had a commitment to voluntary charitable work - before coming to Malawi I was the Treasurer of the Youth Outreach project at my local church. It was a natural step, therefore, to volunteer for development work with Interims for Development when I decided to follow my fiancee on a posting to Malawi, particularly as I had no job of my own lined up in advance. Having been in Lilongwe for 8 months now, I also have a substantial amount of paid contracts with public and private sector, but I still dedicate some of my time to voluntary work on a number of projects, mainly involved with street children or HIV/AIDS."

 Rehiat Kabir
(Textile Designer)

“My brief was to assist with developing new design concepts, share information and resources regarding trends in the fashion industry and train members of the group in alternative techniques and approaches to their designs. Having never visited Africa, I didn’t have any idea before my assignment in Kenya whether I would enjoy the project or not, and now I can wholeheartedly say I loved every part of the experience.”

Janet Shockness
(Web Designer)

“I was very keen to help on this project as ...I recognised that the company required a website that could be used as an important marketing tool to capture their target market and therefore gain more business. Though I was already aware of how difficult life can be for some people in Africa, this assignment has, somewhat, highlighted for me not only their struggles but also their resourcefulness.”