Name: Maria Amakali
Occupation: Director of Water Resources Management
Country: Namibia
Country of Work: Namibia and SADC
What would you say are the main challenges in your work as a woman?
I started working as hydrologist in the Department of Water Affairs in the early nineties. I had studied in the US and was ready to come and work in a newly independent Namibia. My responsibilities included planning and execution of research and investigations regarding sustainable development of water resources; and providing advice on the effective utilization, protection and conservation of such resources. At a time I found a lot of males, in the department. Except for the two women scientist in Hydrology Division, most women were doing mostly secretarial or office administrative work. I remember one day standing outside, waiting for my ride home and this man came to me asking whose secretary I was. In an independent Namibia, I was quite shocked that the old stereotype mentality that women can only be secretaries still exists. Those days there were not many women or black hydrologists, but I was still offended.
FINANCIAL OFFICER:
Global Water Partnership Mediterranean is seeking to hire a Financial Officer for its Athens Based Secretariat. The successful candidate will be hired by MIO- ECSDE, a civil non- profit society based in Greece.
“Water for Sustainable Growth” is the theme of the World Water Week 2016 organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) from 28 August to 2 September, in Stockholm.
Among the Week’s more than 140 events of different formats covering a range of subjects, the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) coordinates on 30 & 31 August, the “MENA Focus”, consisting of 4 separate sessions, each led by partners active in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Region.
The Regional Project Officer was part of the GWPWA team that participated in the GWP Regional Days. She took part on May 11, 2016 at the IDMP session that brought togetjer the Global progarmme Manager and the regional programmes managers of Eastern Africa and Central and Eastern Europe to discuss the challenges, difficulties and especially the added value of IDMP in each region.