EP 23: Laila Hansrod- Project Manager at Jive Media Africa

My Guest today is Laila Hansrod, she is a South African who recently completed her Masters in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of KwaZulu Natal South Africa.  In this episode, we learn how her high school geography teacher played a significant role in her getting into the field as she birthed her love for geography and the Environment.  Laila's Masters research focused on the role of NGOs in increasing agricultural market access among female smallholder farmers. She was inspired to focus her research on rural women as they are a marginalized population with not many interventions being for THEM specifically. Currently, Laila has a job at Jive Media Africa, where she is a Project manager. She manages various science communication projects; one, in particular, is science SPaza. A spaza shop is a local slang for a shop where one can get their essentials, and the science spaza project provides science essentials.  This is a physical copy that is distributed every month to disadvantaged communities. Lastly, we discuss how she dealt with the work-academia-life balance, which sometimes can be so overwhelming! To hear more, tune in!