HARARE, Zimbabwe – On any given day Ball State University alumna Zeria Banda can be found practically anywhere in the world.

Banda works for the Global Water Partnership (GWP), www.gwpforum.org, as an information officer. GWP assists countries around the world in managing their water resources.

"My job truly involves the application of the knowledge I acquired at Ball State during my studies," Banda said. "Designing Web pages, writing, editing, handling various publics and keeping my organization’s communications focused."

She works out of the regional office for southern Africa based in Harare, Zimbabwe, and is responsible for all the information and public relations work for GWP in southern Africa. Even though her office serves 12 countries, only two other people work in the regional secretariat with Banda.

"My main task is to develop and implement the communication strategy for the region," Banda said. "This is done through our newsletter, Web site, consultative forums and any other appropriate means that are effective and cost-efficient."

Banda spends about two weeks every month traveling to international workshops and conferences to speak about GWP and its partnerships.

After graduating with a degree in education from the University of Malawi, a small country in southeast Africa, Banda spent two years teaching English at a girl’s high school. She then spent nine years with the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation as a news reporter before becoming an information consultant with UNICEF.

Banda graduated from Ball State in May 1998 with a master’s degree in journalism. She then worked for the Malawi Electoral Commission as its head of information and public relations before going to GWP. Banda admitted she had a difficult time adjusting to promoting water conservation.

"The tempo in water is not as fast as in elections where political tempers are usually high and you have a task of cooling them," Banda said. "It can be dangerously fun, but I am now adjusted and find water to be a very interesting field to work in."

Banda is also writing a book about Malawi’s first president, Hastings Kamuzu Banda (no relation). She is compiling quotes from his speeches to help Malawians understand their former leader better through what he said. The book should be finished within the next three years.

By Kortney Reinitz, Graduate Assistant

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Banda at zeria@gwpsatac.org.zw. To download print quality photos of Banda, go to www.bsu.edu/photoservices.)