Rebecca Branford-Bowd, Philippines
“In this era of ever expanding environmental and social problems, it is imperative that women as well as men be engaged in finding solutions and innovating for a better future.”
Women in Development: This series focuses on the inspirational Tetra Tech women that take strides to make the world a more inclusive place.
The following #TtInspires story is related to projects that are implemented by our Australia-based international development organization Coffey, A Tetra Tech Company and funded by The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Rebecca is a senior development specialist at Coffey, a Tetra Tech Company, currently based in Manila as Country Manager for the Philippines and Indonesia.
Originally from an environmental and geographical science background, Rebecca was drawn to the international development sector where should could see parallels between her study of human geography and the needs of development communities. She began her development career in Indonesia, working on programs designed to promote good on-farm agricultural practices, including pest/disease management, post-harvest handling, market access opportunities and strengthening farmer groups.
“I’ve always been interested in how people think and their motivations. I became interested in international development as I could see there were significant needs in rural Indonesia. And I’m always interested in how communities learn and harness knowledge,” says Rebecca.
With more than 17 years of development experience in project implementation and management, Rebecca supports three development programs managed by Coffey on behalf of the Australian Government (DFAT) as a senior leader with programs including Australia Awards Scholarships in Laos and Philippines.
Rebecca’s strong technical background is broad, with expertise in livelihood-related natural resources management, climate change and adaptation/resilience, community-based participatory development, social research and analysis, impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation and education, training and capacity building.
Her support of women in science is based on her own experiences and seeing how women can make a significant difference as individuals and vital members of communities.
“If I have learned nothing else from my time as a social scientist reviewing the uptake of new agricultural technologies in rural Indonesia, ignoring the perspectives of women when finding solutions to real world problems, leads to flawed assumptions and irrelevant innovations that ultimately lead to failure.
The importance of girls and women entering STEM related positions is simply one of necessity as well as one of equity. In this era of ever expanding environmental and social problems, it is imperative that women as well as men be engaged in finding solutions and innovating for a better future. We need all perspectives to be present to ensure that innovations presented are relevant to the situation,” says Rebecca.
