As the video was designed for an audience that was reasonably informed on M&E and development issues, Australia Indonesia Education Partnership Outreach Services (EPOS, managed by URS) recently decided to make shorter general public outreach versions of the video, which have now been posted on the Education Partnership website and the Kang Guru YouTube channel. The English version can also be viewed in the player below:

With versions in both English and Bahasa Indonesia, the 5-minute (approx) videos work to give an informative general overview of the situation of madrasah in Indonesia and outlines some of the ways the Education Partnership provides assistance.

The video features three madrasah. One in Lampung Province in southern Sumatra, one in Bulukumbu Province in South Sulawesi, and one in Jember Province, East Java. We filmed for two to three days at each school, interviewing in both English and Bahasa Indonesia.

Interestingly, since filming all three madrasah have made visually noticeable improvements through the use of block grant funds for repairs and improvements to their facilities.

Me photographing our cameraman, videoing a student learning in a madrasah (Islamic school) in Lampung, Indonesia. Madrasah are host to about one fifth of Indonesia’s 30 million school students.

I’ve been in video, TV and media for over 25 years as a producer, a manager, a director, an editor, a scriptwriter, and I also do some graphics and camerawork. In that time I’ve worked in factual, government corporate, lifestyle, music, news and sport.

The PNG Rugby League Grand Final. One of the many sporting events we filmed at EMTV. Investment in sport in PNG is an important development activity carried out by international donors. It helps nation building, develops communities and facilitates private sector investment.

But over recent years it’s global development that has started to intrigue me as an area to focus my skills on. This interest started some years back when I accompanied my wife on her AusAID posting to Port Moresby.

I was fortunate enough to find a job there overseeing production in the TV station EMTV, where I was able to meet and work with some amazing people. It also opened my eyes to the challenges of developing countries, the place of media within them, and the way that development organisations communicate what they do (or, sometimes don’t.)

The reasons I find it interesting are many: the work, issues and approaches are not only thought-provoking and complex, but they also bring benefit to so many people. Yet, to the general public I feel like aid and development are not as well understood as they should be. Call me naïve but I think Australians should not only be well informed about their aid program, but that they should also be proud of it… and maybe even want to have some input into how it works. And I am particularly interested in how visuals can support development, especially video.

So, with my family and I recently returning from an Indonesian posting to live in Canberra, I have decided to take my consulting to the next level with Go Spin Productions.

This blog will feature reflections on aspects or approaches of some of the projects I have been working on, and I also plan to link to some of the very best global development video and other visuals that I find as I scour the web (so that you don’t have to.)

Please feel free to leave comments, or to get in touch with me using my contact details below, even if just to say hello, suggest posts etc.