Story of Faizal Karmali M.A working for the Aga Khan Secretariat

 

Faizal Karmali M.A.
CIDE Alumnus

It has been a rather intense and exciting three years since completing my MA at OISE/UT. I have carried my CIDE toolkit everywhere and have had to reach into it regularly. I am hoping that this little “Alumni note” will help motivate current students who may be bogged down by research papers, thesis reviews or just the woes that can come with life as a grad student…. there is light at the end of the tunnel and it is warm and invigorating.

Since graduating…

During and since my time at OISE/UT from ’00-`03, I had the opportunity to live and work in several diverse settings. The opportunities I have had the good fortune to explore have taken me from Toronto to Bangladesh and back, then onto to Afghanistan and Paris and most recently here, to Uganda. It is from Kampala, Uganda that I now write this brief update.

After graduating in early 2003 and working on Knowledge Management Strategy for an NGO in Canada for some months, I decided to satiate my hunger for some more hands-on learning and joined FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, an affiliate of the Aga Khan Development Network. The opportunity with FOCUS took me to Afghanistan where we worked as implementing partners for UNHCR’s repatriation eff orts for Afghan refugees.

FOCUS ran a comprehensive repatriation program that included food and supply distribution, vocational and other training programmes, the building of shelters and several basic infrastructure initiatives that contributed to rebuilding villages and towns which had suff ered to unimaginable degrees over decades of confl ict. Interactions with school children and teachers were always the most inspiring, though conversations with warlords were educational as well! The experience reminded me that so little of the story is ever told on the sound bites we call “news”.

Afghanistan is a warm, caring and fascinating country that is well on its way to learning from its history. From Afghanistan, I was invited to work at the Secretariat of his Highness the Aga Khan in France as a Research Analyst. There I worked as part of team that supports the engagement of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) with governments, international organisations and other elements of civil society worldwide. For me, the invitation to provide research and writing support at this level was a testament to the skills that were honed at OISE. I still recall the day I was handed the text “How to read a Book” and was unsure whether or not to be off ended! Though I am still uncertain I could get through some of my CIDE reading today, I look back and realise that most if not all of my exhausting CIDE research papers sharpened my skills in one way or another. Much credit goes to CIDE and affi liated faculty for mentoring and taking the time provide meaningful feedback amidst their incredible research endeavours.

I have now been with the AKDN for 3 years and my appreciation and immense respect for AKDN endeavours has only grown. The AKDN is a group of development agencies working in economic, social and cultural development, primarily in Asia and Africa, and is now one of the largest private development organisations in the world. It is dedicated to improving living conditions and opportunities for the poor, without regard to their faith, origin or gender. The AKDN is active in over 30 countries and, in my personal opinion, is setting examples to learn from by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and thinking in development. OISE and the University of Toronto have engaged with agencies of the AKDN in various capacities over the years including through collaborative research projects with the Aga Khan University and the hosting of Seminar Series by the Aga Khan Foundation. I encourage students and faculty to continue building this relationship as both OISE/UT and the AKDN have much to learn from one another.

Most recently, I have been posted as the Liaison Officer in the Office of the Resident Representative for the AKDN in Uganda. Working closely with the Resident Representative, I am actively involved in much of the engagement with government, the donor community and other development and civil society partners in Uganda.

The AKDN has been active in various forms in eastern Africa for over a century and the agencies of the Network continue to grow and evolve with the changing dynamic that is this fascinating place. After several experiences in Central and South Asia, it is invigorating to be immersed in an entirely new context, one that requires exploring new approaches to similar challenges while at the same time addressing new challenges with tried and tested approaches learned elsewhere – into the CIDE toolkit I reach again! Since leaving OISE/UT, I have stayed abreast of CIDE through the ever-informative listserv. Many times, I have wished I could attend a Monday group or pop into the Munk Centre for some of the wonderful sessions that continue to take place there.

Though I am not directly involved in the education sector in my current work, the perspective I gained from my peers and the CIDE faculty has been an invaluable and indispensable tool. As I look forward, I am confident that my CIDE toolkit will continue to serve me well. But what is most wonderful to me as I reflect is that this small story of engaging with new countries and contexts is not so uncommon among CIDE students, faculty and alumni.

I am certain that all of you reading this alumni note have fascinating stories to tell and I hope to read them in upcoming issues of the newsletter. I continue to treasure my time at OISE and hold the CIDE program in high esteem. As a CIDE Alumnus, I welcome prospective and current OISE/UT students as well as faculty and alumni to stay in touch. I know that I will always have much to learn from you and am always willing to share. From sunny Uganda.

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