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An opportunity to learn and make a difference
Ville Juusela, young professional on the COWASH project
Interrupted by the civil war, a young professional yearns to return to Ethiopia to finish what he started
November 30, 2021
When he boarded a plane to Addis Ababa in June 2021, Ville Juusela was excited about the coming two years. He had big plans for the time he would be spending as a ‘right hand man’ to the Chief Technical Advisor on a Finnish-funded water project. Although he spent some time as a teenager in Indonesia, the opportunity to work abroad as part of a junior professional officer (JPO) programme was the chance of a lifetime for the aquatic scientist and environmental engineer.
“Before I went to Ethiopia, I was working for the Regional Water Protection Agency in Tampere and had never worked outside of Finland or in the development cooperation field,” Ville explains. “The JPO offered the possibility to experience a completely new culture while building on my previous background in water issues and natural sciences. In addition to my supporting role to Arto, the CTA, I had developed a two-year workplan to conduct water quality studies of the project’s water points all across the country.”
Regrettably, less than six months later, Ville found himself on a plane returning to Finland, his ambitious plans abruptly brought to an end by the escalating Ethiopian civil war. Today the 37-year-old is working remotely for the COWASH project, a long-standing water, sanitation and hygiene initiative that has been driving rural WASH service delivery through its innovative community-managed project method.
“It was a really an unfortunate chain of events. We had purchased measurement equipment from Finland but delivery times were delayed due to COVID. And then as soon as everything arrived, the security situation had deteriorated to the point that the MFA (Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs) strongly recommended Finnish nationals to evacuate,” Ville explains, the disappointment clear in his voice. “Those six months were a wonderful experience. I was so happy I got to start working abroad in a new culture. Ethiopian people are so friendly and kind. Every day brought something new.”
A stepping stone to a new career
For the last 30 years, the Government of Finland has been involving young professionals in their development cooperation projects. The goal of the JPO programme has been to train the next generation of development specialists by building on their sector knowledge and capabilities while providing hands-on training in the field. Participants are provided a clear job description, training plan and tasks and expectations to develop experience in specific fields. The two-year emersion programme is often a major turning point in a young person’s career.
“Our experience has been highly positive,” says Mikaela Kruskopf, COWASH project manager at NIRAS. “The JPOs who have worked on Finnish-funded projects have learned a lot and positively contributed to outcomes. For many, it has been the stepping stone to a career in development consulting. Some we managed to retain at NIRAS, others have established careers in international agencies, NGOs, and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. We may even see a Finnish Ambassador one day who got her start in the COWASH project!”
"I am aiming to continue in the development field. It became very clear to me that this is what I am interested in doing. It is such a rewarding experience when you know your work can have a big impact on people’s lives ... being able to provide water security and knowing that the time you are investing is going to have big consequences."
Ville Juusela
The opportunity to work onsite on a bilateral project is rare and for Ville it was a turning point.
“I am aiming to continue in the development field. It became very clear to me that this is what I am interested in doing. It is such a rewarding experience when you know your work can have a big impact on people’s lives ... being able to provide water security and knowing that the time you are investing is going to have big consequences.”
Staying optimistic
When Ville went to Addis in June, the war seemed very far away. The situation deteriorated suddenly toward the end of October and the MFA issued a strong recommendation to all nationals to evacuate the country. Today millions have been displaced, thousands are dead either from the violence or the related famine, and the situation in the country remains unpredictable.
“Everything happened so quickly, it was surreal. We had been having weekly briefings with the Embassy, which NIRAS had joined, and a national state of emergency was declared on 2 November. Less than a week later, I first got the MFA travel advisory by text message and an email on my phone, advising Finns to leave as soon as possible while commercial flights were still available. NIRAS, who had been very active in taking care of us during the situation, agreed I should leave and two days later, I was on a plane to Finland.”
The current situation is a big unknown and – at the time of writing – Ville had no news on when he might be able to return. The CTA, Arto Suominen, remains in Addis which has been his home for the last 30 years.
“I’m staying positive and very hopeful I can go back. It’s difficult to know what will happen in the fog of war, but I can only return if the security situation improves and the Ministry gives a green light,” Ville explains. Seeing Arto work has been an incredible experience. I am an aquatic scientist by education but I have learned a lot being with him, especially on project management skills, and I was only in the beginning of that journey.
