Lucie Froemmel holds a Master Degree in Atlantic Studies in History, Culture and Society. Lucie has working experience in Ghana, Benin, Kenya and Mozambique. Since 2017, she has worked in different GIZ funded projects in East and Southern Africa.
In the last 5 years she worked in Mozambique in an agricultural project in the areas of Monitoring and Evaluation, Gender and Organizational Development. In this context, she also supported an agricultural college to improve the quality of trainings and the sustainability of the institution. Lucie is passionate about organic agriculture and using environmentally-friendly production methods.
I learned about the Advisor programme some years back when I first got involved in development cooperation projects. Later, I worked in Mozambique and got to know some of the advisors there. I liked the advisor programme because of the immediate contact with the partner organisations.
I underestimated the role of the local language Luganda in professional life. I learned to accept that I will not always understand the discussions between my colleagues and be able to make contributions. Nevertheless, I have started to learn some Luganda in order to have basic conversations.
After a few months in the project, I am starting to understand the organizational structure and processes and the overall culture of my partner institution. In the first weeks/months you should take your time to observe and learn and to find your role as a technical advisor.
Having the freedom to bring in my own ideas even if they are not directly linked to the assignment. Despite having some pre-defined activities, I have the flexibility to offer my support in other areas such as photography/ visual storytelling which can be useful to increase the visibility of the organization.
And, a joint lunch every day to discuss informally with the colleagues also helps to get to know each other.
The advisor will foster the establishment of two financially self- sustaining training centers: St. Luke Vocational Training Institute and YARD Impact Centre for Agriculture Demonstration and Skills’ Development. Through trainings the advisor will enhance the staff capacity in Business Management, entrepreneurial skills and business plan writing, among others. She will strengthen the business administration structures of the two centers and contribute to their overall performance.
Youth Association for Rural Development (YARD) provides relevant knowledge, skills and support to youth, women, and children for improved livelihoods. The organisation was founded in 1995 and is now operating a vocational school and an agricultural training centre for youth and farmers. The center for vocational training offers the possibility to learn full vocational skills such as tailoring, brick/laying and concrete practice, hair dressing and catering. The YARD Impact Agricultural Center trains youth and children in organic agriculture (crop production, seed production, dairy, animal husbandry) and reaches out to farmers in the surrounding communities.
