Can You Hear Us?

In the final episode of Can You Hear Us?, the CYHU team hosts Madiera and Mónica in discussing the evolution of the podcast and their final reflections on the field of international development, both as an area of study and as portrayed through the podcast; their experiences with mentorship and community building; and the camaraderie they've developed over  years of collaboration. Mónica, Madiera...

In today’s episode Can You Hear Us? ,  is joined by Soumya Dabriwal; menstrual hygiene advocate, social entrepreneur and Founder of Project Baala - a menstrual health solutions provider with the sole aim of ending period poverty and illiteracy. Since 2018, Baala has provided 2.4  million reusable pads, conducted over 6,500 awareness workshops benefiting 800,000 menstruators across 4 countries arou...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us?  is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 mi...

In today’s episode of Can You Hear Us? , sits down with Andrea Ho, a PhD student specialising in Modern U.S. history at Yale University, a Canadian Fellow at the Organisation of American States, and an activist both on and off campus. She focuses her research on ‘building upon existing community partnership with Indigenous communities and local advocates to continue her commitment to community eng...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us?  is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 mi...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us?  is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 mi...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us?  is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 mi...

In season 4’s debut episode Can You Hear Us? , sits down with Dr. Lama Tawakkol , Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics  at the University of Manchester to talk about everything from her research on the Humanitarian Development Nexus in Jordan and Lebanon to her appreciation for definitions and Cairo’s urban revitalization! Tune in to listen to her discuss how power dyn...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us?  is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 mi...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us?  is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 mi...

In the second part of our two-part discussion on children’s welfare and child-centric development, host Ragin Puri (CYHU Assistant Producer) and Sanjana Sunder (CYHU Assistant Producer) explore the intersections between child-centric development and gender. They dive into how poverty can be passed from generation to generation, leading to intergenerational child poverty. Finally, the discussion re...

On this week’s episode of Can You Hear Us? , Monica and Ragini are joined by development economist and author Shrayana Bhattacharya. After completing her training from Delhi University and the Harvard Kennedy School, Shrayana worked on research projects with the Institute of Social Studies Trust, SEWA and Centre for Policy Research. At present, she is a Senior Economist at the World Bank. Her firs...

Prompted by our youngest team member’s desire for shorter podcasts on her regular commute to and from LSE, Can You Hear Us? is proud to present So We Heard, a series of bite-sized, informal chats dedicated to exploring academic theories, case studies, and current affairs within international development through the lens of black, indigenous, and women of color (BIWOC). With episodes lasting 30 min...

The Can You Hear Us Team is excited to Introduce So We Heard — an informal coffee chat series that, like Can You Hear Us , creates a space for black, indigenous women and femmes of color to discuss and understand anything related to international development without the pressure of having to sound intelligent while doing it.  In the first episode, host Ragini Puri (CYHU Assistant Producer) dives i...

“Duality is a useful lens to have for International Development because if we are not aware of these dualities, how can we work on improving the system and eliminating them?” - Emonie This week on Can You Hear Us, Monica and Madeira discuss dualities in International Development alongside Emonie Ayiwe; a Finnish-Nigerian Luxembourger with a master's degree in Intercultural Encounters! The theme fo...

“International development encourages us to view the world as a ‘bigger picture’.” -Doris Huang    “When we are talking about international development, we do need to be mindful of the fact that the reason inequalities exist is because they were created. If the west is prosperous, they did so at the cost of someone else not being prosperous.” - Ragini Puri    “ID focuses more on the actor ‘doing d...

In today’s episode CYHU expands on the definition of activism as we embark on a season-long theme, by highlighting the sector of artisans and their work. Integral to many developing economies and to consumers in the global north, artisanal work has persevered as a gateway to culture preservation and an income opportunity for the majority of women that work within the sector. We are so excited to s...

In today’s Episode CYHU continues to explore its theme: Activism, by looking at the role of the media - both traditional and social - in the construction, perpetuation, and deconstruction of biases. We are so excited to be joined by Adaora Oramah, fellow LSE alumna and CEO of AMAKA Studio, a pan African digital media platform. We chat about how to define pan Africanism and what it symbolises as we...

Back again from both the chaos and peace of finishing our MSc programmes and adjusting to the next chapter of becoming LSE alum, the Can You Hear Us team is back to begin an ongoing series of interviews and discussions surrounding activism. In light of the commitments and global discussions marking the COP26 Climate Summit in late 2021, typhoon Rai in the Philippines and the Colorado wildfires, am...

Before taking a short break to finish up dissertation writing, the Can Your Hear Us team decided to tackle race in academia on their own—roundtable style. In the last of the two-part series, Madiera, Monica, Kiana, and Ana join in a Jada-Pickett-Smith-inspired “Red Table” discussion about the future of development practice, academia, and their paths post-LSE. From the importance of action-oriented...

After a break due to summer term assessments, Can You Hear Us is happy to be back with a new theme: Race in Academia, where we aim to highlight both academics and students' perspectives as women and femmes of color within the sector. In the first of a two-part series, we interview Professor Mahvish Shami, co-director of the Development Management program here at the LSE, and Shingira Masanzu a PhD...

In the fourth episode of Can You Hear Us, the team continue with our theme of – Having it All – by exploring a particular area of development that both creates barriers and opportunities for women of colour to professionally engage with and advise on development, aid, and humanitarian interventions: Consulting. Susan Sebantindira, LSE alumnus and founder of The Black Humanitarian, sits down with C...

In the third episode of Can You Hear Us, we introduce our second theme - Having it All - through the distinct lens of women of colour in entrepreneurship. To do so we present Margarita Anddrade, Co-founder of Malaika Linens and Threads of Hope Cairo, alongside LSE alumnus Fardida El Kalagy, Threads of Hope’s Sustainability and Development Head. Together, they introduce us to their new sustainable...

In the second episode of Can You Hear Us?, the CYHU team takes a step back to critically tackle a system of oppression embedded within the identity politics of many women of colour in some shape or form: Colourism. Inspired by current events and Professor Akousa Adomako Ampofos Cutting Edge lecture on decolonizing academia, we welcome two guests all the way from Boston to begin deconstructing colo...

In this first episode, the Can You Hear Us? (CYHU) team introduces themselves and their first theme: Sense of Place. They interview the founder of the LSE’s first association for Women of Colour in Consulting (WoCo): Mirabella Pulido. They discuss the reason behind the creation of WoCo, the importance of creating such a space in today's world and what Hogwarts house is behind it all! “Even though...