The CSC is delighted to present the next case study in our ongoing series demonstrating the impact of Commonwealth Alumni.
This study features Jean Chrysostome Sehene, a 2014 Commonwealth Distance Learning alumnus with a Master’s degree from London South Bank University. Jean is an experienced environmental specialist who has devoted his career to promoting and enhancing environmental awareness and capacity within and beyond his local communities.
After completing his studies, Jean continued his service at the Rwanda Environmental Conservation Organisation (RECOR), where they developed effective intervention strategies to enhance the resilience of communities to climate change. They educated the communities in Bugesera about smart farming, benefitting 640 smallholding farmers, and prepared and delivered awareness campaigns on adopting best practicesin water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) resulting in an increase in the adoption rate of these practices from 50% to 76%.
Jean believes his Master’s studies, supported by his Commonwealth Scholarship, significantly transformed his perception of ‘education’ and enabled him to address sustainable development issues by sharing knowledge with local communities through ongoing and informal educational approaches.
‘There are many types of education. Previously, I knew formal education from the school. But I didn’t know or understand how the communities can be educated, for example. So, by knowing that there is continuous education, there is informal education, by working with the communities, the government, and the private sectors, we can always keep on educating people on the developmental agenda.’
Aside from his contributions to local communities, Jean has also played a crucial role in strengthening environmental governance institutions in Madagascar and in raising awareness about unsustainable practices in humanitarian efforts. In 2018, Jean was an Environmental Management Specialist for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and advocated for the institutionalisation of environmental governance in Madagascar to address a crucial need in the country’s environmental sector. From 2020 to 2022, Jean had led and monitored the implementation of Environmental Action Planning and Performance (EAPP) in the Central African Republic, delivering training on Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to 12,000 staff members of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Mission for Stabilization in the Republic of Central Africa (MINUSCA). Most recently, Jean served as an Environmental and Social Safeguard Advisor for the UN World Food Programme (WFP), advising country offices in developing environmental and social safeguards for emergencies to ensure that necessary actions are taken to protect long-term environmental and social sustainability in project implementation.
Upon reflecting on the most significant change to him, Jean reflected that Commonwealth Scholarship enabled him to gain the knowledge and skills required to expand his career prospect and contribution beyond local and national boundaries.
‘The knowledge and skills acquired from the Commonwealth Scholarship helped me to increase my work performance and get promoted. The promotion from national to international level expanded my exposure and thus increased my professional network and sphere of influence.’
Jean’s work contributes to two of the CSC’s development themes: Strengthening resilience and response to crises and Strengthening global peace, security and governance. Jean is also addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which include SDG 13 – Climate Action and SDG 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
