GIS Training 2012

My co-worker (an urban planner who works for the other provincial office) and I organized a GIS training for 2 weeks this month. The national-level training turned out really well and all the participants learned a great deal out of this!

We had been prepared for the event since last October. The things we did for the training included; arranging the venue, making a training guide, requesting guest lecturers from various organizations, making presentations about the GIS in general and some case studies in Japan and the U.S., leading training sessions as instructors, etc. It definitely was a lot of work but was definitely one of the best opportunities that we were given during our stay here in Zambia (though, I do have another year to go until my contract ends...). 

The best part of the training was that the 20 participants really got interested in GIS and now are quite fluent in basic applications of GIS. They can now make maps and do some analysis, including buffering, overlaying, etc. They even mentioned that they were ready to launch GIS programs at their provincial offices and willing to invite us as instructors for the the follow-up training in their provinces.  I cannot wait to see new changes in those offices / provinces!

To be honest, I already miss being an instructor of the training so much... The good news is that we might be able to host the follow-up training sometime in August or September! I cannot wait for the day to come soon :)

GIS workshop was postponed!

Since last November, my colleague and I had been working quite hard to hold a two-week long GIS training from the end of January to early February. Twenty planners / planning assistants / surveyors all over the country were supposed to come to Lusaka for that. We even wrote a training material (more than 130 pages long!) so that the participants could practice using GIS on their own even after the training. We were about to place an order for the printing when we were informed of BAD news...

The training has been suddenly postponed until the end of next month because an administrative issue occurred. The worst of it was that it might get cancelled if the situation did not improve by a certain day. Although I knew there was nothing we could have done about it, I was really sad and disappointed about the decision. It was scheduled to start within a week!

I had been very busy ever since we started to organize the event. Besides from writing the training guide, I visited some professionals / offices to organize the event and deal with issues, as well as submitted a proposal, just to name a few... I was so ready for it.

I really wished we could have hold the training as we planned. Though, at least, I was able to learn how it is to work in a developing country in a hard way. I only hope I could react better if a similar thing ever happens to me next...