Members of the CDC team

Fons van der Velden (senior consultant)

Fons van der Velden started his career as a development activist and worked among others for the Centre for Development Education (COS) in Nijmegen and Den Bosch, the Third World Centre (University of Nijmegen), the Interchurch Organisation for Development Cooperation (ICCO, Utrecht) and the Association for Personnel Development Overseas (PSO, The Hague). He was the first course director of the Post-Graduate Course in Development Studies at the Radboud University Nijmegen. He has worked for many years in India and conducted extensive fieldwork in South Asia and Africa. His current research focuses on ‘capacity for development’, the learning organisation and Civic Driven Change. At present he is also on the faculty of the Post-Graduate Course Development Studies (Radboud University Nijmegen) and on the Editorial Committee of The Broker.

Udan Fernando (senior consultant) 

Udan graduated in Management and Law from the University of Colombo and The Law College of Sri Lanka. He has vast work experience in the development sector in Sri Lanka and beyond. Udan had also taught in Sri Lankan Universities and institutes. Since 2002, Udan is based in the Netherlands. In December 2007, Udan obtained his PhD ‘Uneasy Encounters: Relations between Dutch Donors and Sri Lankan NGOs’ from the University of Amsterdam.

Sarah Cummings (senior consultant)

Sarah studied Geography of Africa and Asia at the School of Oriental and African Studies, part of the University of London. Since then, she has built of more than 20 years’ experience in the area of information and knowledge management for development. Sarah joined Context, international cooperation in July 2007. She is working on knowledge management within Context and also externally with clients. Much of her time is devoted to the IKM Emergent Research Programme, a 5-year, multidisciplinary research programme. Sarah is a founder editor and co-Chief Editor of the open access, peer reviewed Knowledge Management for Development Journal. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Hivos and of the Editorial Board of the journal, Development in Practice. She is conducting research on the role of knowledge and knowledge networks in development. She blogs at The giraffe.

Marieke Sterenborg (consultant)

Marieke studied at the Institute for Higher European Studies in The Hague and political science at the University of Amsterdam. Marieke has worked for Context, international cooperation since 2005. She has been involved in various assignments with regard to strengthening social support for international development and organisational development. From 2005 - 2007, she was mainly involved with the Context MasterClass. At present, her work mainly focuses on Civic Driven Child Development.

Lieke Ruijmschoot (consultant) 

Lieke studied History of International Relations and Latin American Studies at the University of Utrecht. During her studies she worked at the Dutch embassy in Indonesia for three months. She has also worked at the international department of the trade union CNV and the Research & Development department of Oxfam Novib. In 2007 she completed an Advanced Master of Development Studies at the Radboud University of Nijmegen. Lieke started working at Context in January 2008 and focuses mainly on Civic Driven Change.