The fieldwork component for the 2019-2020 Global Policy Projects has now been completed by seven UBC Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA) student teams who worked with clients organizations on a policy problem in ten different countries throughout December 2019.
Find below a reflection from students whose project focused on expanding water and land conservation practices in Rajasthan, India through strategic policy advocacy.
Project Client: Gram Gaurav Sanstha (GGS) and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies (RGICS)
Team Members: Chengkun Lv | Andrés Peñaloza | Tamara Friedman | Sanmini Koffi
On December 5th 2019, the MPPGA Global Policy Project team in India visited a series of villages in rural Rajasthan. Throughout the day, students Sanmini Koffi, Chengkun Lv, Andrés Peñaloza, and Tamara Friedman consulted with a diversity of stakeholders on issues ranging from community empowerment to decision-making at the local and state levels.
While in the field, they engaged with vulnerable communities with limited access to water for consumption and agricultural activities and assessed the impact of the partner organizations and clients Gram Gurav Sanstha (GGS) and Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies (RGICS).
The team then used the data acquired to explore advocacy channels with local and state level bureaucrats. Some key takeaways include the administration’s capacity to support local initiatives and potential avenues for collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
