The World Agroforestry Centre organized a pilot workshop on mentoring skills recently—the first of a new series of courses for AWARD partner organizations, facilitated by its trainers who used AWARD-developed material.

The goal of this new AWARD initiative is to share gained skills and expertise more broadly and strengthen alliances within the agricultural sector.

National and international staff serving as both scientists and administrators learned formal mentoring skills during the four-day event held in Nairobi from July 30 to August 2. Each of the 22 participants were paired with a mentor, a senior ICRAF staff member who has volunteered to guide and encourage their mentees in their careers. Each pair will meet regularly to review the mentees’ progress against goals set together.

AWARD trainers Chiku Malunga and Pamela Marinda helped participants to develop their career purpose road maps—a useful tool in implementing goals and objectives, as well as in monitoring progress.

“We’re pleased to host this workshop in partnership with ICRAF,” said Dorothy Mukhebi, AWARD Mentoring Coordinator. “Using mentoring as a career-development tool is a new approach for some staff in research institutions, but everyone at the workshop embraced its rich potential. The pairs are off to an enthusiastic start.”

Mentors and mentees both benefit from the learning experience, as one participant observed. “As a teacher and researcher, I would say that this is one of the great courses that I have attended considering its impact in helping the mentee achieve her greatest potential, and for the mentor to become a better coach as he or she interacts with and benefits from the mentee.”

AWARD plans to facilitate several additional workshops this year with partner organizations, including Sokoine University and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.  “This new series is intended to benefit AWARD’s key partners, especially the African NARS and universities where AWARD Fellows work and study, but also CGIAR centers and CRPs,” commented Vicki Wilde, AWARD Director.

The International Rice Research Institute in Manila, Philippines was the first international organization to sign up for an April training led by AWARD trainers Salome Gitoho and Francis Nuwame.

AWARD’s cadre of professional facilitators is available to lead workshops on mentoring, leadership and other topics for institutions and organizations continent-wide. They have benefited from several years of rigorous training and experience through the AWARD trainers’ capacity-building program funded by the United States Agency for International Development.
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