From Mexico to Guyana: Interview with Janet Mader

In the fall of 2009, while in the second year of her Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Waterloo, Janet Mader spent three months in Aguascalientes, Mexico. There she evaluated the social, environmental and economic effectiveness of the municipality’s waste collection system. She surveyed residents about attitudes and practices surrounding waste management in the home, and reported her findings to local government for their use to improve waste management services.

Four years later, Mader’s passion for development has not waned. She is currently completing a six-month internship in Georgetown, Guyana where she’s working with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs on plans for economic development projects in indigenous villages. 

Aguascalientes wasn’t your first experience working in a developing country. Where else have you been and in what capacity?

In 2006 I traveled to Kosovo for three weeks with a friend who knew people there. Her connections gave us the rare opportunity to stay with families in small villages. We were fully immersed in the culture and language. I loved learning about the Kosovo way of life. Cooking food was an adventure and successful communication through the language obstacle was so rewarding.

Young man recycling in Aguascalientes

Before I did my SFD internship, I went [to Aguascalientes] to help build an orphanage. I had never heard of the place and, although I was looking for somewhere to volunteer, I had no particular desire to go to Mexico. (I really wanted to go to Peru actually!) But the opportunity to go to Aguascalientes arose, so I went. I must have liked it there because I went with a one-month ticket and stayed for two.

The people I met and the relationships I formed there were what drew me back. I talked to my graduate studies adviser, Dr. Murray Haight, about doing research for my thesis there.  He is a waste management guru, so I told him about the waste collection system in Aguascalientes, and that it seemed to work well. He suggested that I evaluate the system to find out if it was successful, and if so, why.  I contacted the municipal waste collection department in Aguascalientes and applied for the SFD internship. Everything worked out for me to go back.

What was the most surprising thing you learned during the internship?

That there is a law in Aguascalientes that you have to sweep the street in front of your house every day! And a lot of people do!

Also, I was surprised to find that primary school education has a substantial impact on waste management. Kids can be so motivated and enthusiastic about cleaning up their community. What’s more surprising is that they actually have a lot of influence on their parents. Kids are probably the second biggest influence on household recycling in Aguascalientes after money. Many of the households that recycle in Aguascalientes do so because their kids learned about recycling in school and were given recycling assignments.

How did your experience in Mexico shape where you are today?

Through my experience in Mexico I learned to be adaptable, to be culturally sensitive, and to conduct a fairly large-scale project independently. These skills gave me confidence to continue to pursue work in development and to apply for the internship I have now. My time in Mexico helped me land this internship by demonstrating to the coordinator that I can live and work in a developing country for at least a few months.

Janet Mader in Aguascalientes

My experience in Mexico also helped shape my development focus. I analyzed the social, environmental and economic aspects of waste collection and found I was most passionate about the social. I find the other two aspects interesting, but that is mostly because they impact the social aspect.  This experience, and many other factors, led me to decide to focus on social justice and social development.  

What advice would you give to anyone contemplating development as an area of study and work?

Start interning and volunteering now. Trying out a development job through an internship is a good way to see if this career path is right for you. Most of the paid positions in development require at least five years of experience, so you’ll need to build experience through internships and volunteering.

Development jobs usually require a specific specialization and/or skill set. To prepare for this, major in something really practical, like health administration, finance or engineering, and minor in development or international studies. (Credit for this bit of advice goes to my housemate who is also doing a development internship here in Georgetown.)

I would also warn future developers to think critically about the current focus on economic development. While economic development can empower people to lift themselves out of poverty, the focus on profits may corrupt well-established social structures of generosity, trust, and helpfulness. (This is my fear for Amerindian communities in Guyana.) Developers need to be careful to notice the strengths of a community, and be aware that those strengths might be lost to livelihood changes.