I currently serve as the Country Director for Plan International, Nigeria. Prior to this role, i served as the Country Director for Christian Aid UK, Nigeria Country Programme. I have an upwards of over two decades in the International Development Space. I am a father of two lovely kids and a husband to an amazing woman for the last decade and half. I enjoy and look forward to new learning, and creative thinking. I consider myself a liberalist, open to and welcome diversity in all its forms.
Charles Usie
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Dear EA Nigeria,
Greetings.
I am currently undergoing my initial EA programme. I am part of the cohort led by Facilitator Luis.
I am based in Abuja and as a new member in the EA community, I wish to attend the conference planned for September in Abuja. I have tried to register but it appears the link is not active anymore.
I am hereby making an appeal to seek for ways to allow me register and be part of this conference.
Best wishes
Charles
“How can we turn away from the suffering happening all around us in order to prioritize something as abstract as helping make the long-run future go well?”...this is the reality of what i face in my kind of job daily....having to support people in current desperate situations...and at the same time, strategize for the future....in a world of increasing reduced resources.
i tend to like the comparism of how life was 200 years ago and what it is today....literacy, life expectancy...etc....so in 200 years from now, will it be better, or worse??...this really got me thinking.
i think i like this idea of predicting...even if in the sector i work, donors who usually fund our work in typically communities do not like or appreciate any form of prediction or anecdotes without core evidence. I would like to see how this concept is applied in everyday life.
Who deserves empathy or moral concern is certainly a contentious issue. If you ask a woman whose husband was killed in cold blood and her kids taken away, if the terrorists who perpetuated these crimes deserves empathy or moral concern, i guess that would be a very unfair question. Lets extend it, should we ask her to consider moral concern for the children or grand children of these same terrorists??? These are the sort of experiences and realities that come to my mind reading this article. I must confess these are difficult themes which should be taken with some deep reflection. I agree deeper thoughts and analysis may help us see things differently.
Reading through this material again, the Scout Mindset appeals differently to me- “Finding the truth, rather than trying to defend our ideas”. Conventional wisdom has told us to be bold and outspoken about our convictions. This statement here presents a clash of convictions, to hold on to my ideas or to seek the truth outside of them! If this is what EA is all about, then i am game and willing to challenge and explore these truths.
I am new here and looking forward to my first class on Thursday. I am a little bit confused and overwhelemd as it seems so many pages and links and resources and I am struggling to get my head around all of them. Any pointers would help. thank you. Looking forward to an exciting 8 weeks ahead.
Me too....i think there must always be choices to pick from...
The Scope sensitivity concept is a challenging one. Sometimes the argument i have made over time is if you can save one life, better save one life rather than trying to save 10 and not do it well. Wow. Again i will reflect more on this concept. Complex!
This is my first time of every engaging with the concept of EA. I am keeping an open mind and have come to this programme to learn. I will be open to question truths and knowledge i have known and held close to my heart over time. I would be open to new ideas, fresh thinking, and even hard truths. I seem to like the way the programme is structured to allow freshers like us build our confidence with this new thinking and philosopy.
“When you make a decision, be clear with yourself about which goals you’re pursuing. You don’t have to argue that your choice is the best way of improving the world if that isn’t actually the goal”...this quote drives it home for me....what a way to end this introductory course on EA as a first timer. Amazing.