Esther de Jong ()

Esther has studied Tropical Engineering at Wageningen University where she specialised in the social aspects of irrigation with a special focus on gender Issues. During her study she spent 7 months in Bolivia for her internship and 6 months in Zimbabwe for her thesis research.
After obtaining her MSc in 1994, she worked at the liason office of Wageningen Agricultural University occupying herself with the international cooperation of the Agricultural University with the universities of Asmara, Eritrea and Can Tho, Vietnam. She was also taking care of the logisitical aspects of the support point of the university in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
In 1998 she left to work in Nepal at the district irrigation office. Here she was involved in the "Irrigation Management Transfer Project" of the Banganga Irrigation scheme in the province of Kapilvastu. Her task was to strenghten the water users organisation and take care of the involvement of women in these bodies.
After returning to the Netherlands in 2002 she worked in different functions for the Dutch section of Amnesty International. Since January 2006 she is working for GWA.