“What Danida Fellowship Centre does for me, they couldn’t possibly do better.”
Secretary Susanne Kallemose is one of the employees at DHI who regularly makes use of the DFC expertise for handling study tours or professionals visiting Denmark.
DHI is a global research and development organization specialized in water solutions. The head office is situated in Hørsholm just outside Copenhagen.
In January, seven engineers from Bangladesh were in Denmark to attend training in the renowned MIKE computer software developed by DHI. DFC was asked to take care of all the practical arrangements: Buying air tickets, picking the guests up in the airport, payment of per diem, and accommodating them in the hostel at Hostrupvej in Frederiksberg in central Copenhagen.
Susanne Kallemose is very satisfied with cooperating with DFC: “It’s great to have DFC at the other end. They know what they’re doing. You feel very safe. They are highly professional people who are doing this all the time.”
“If it were me, I would have to reinvent the wheel all the time. At DFC they keep it rolling,” Susanne Kallemose adds.
“DFC also made an ‘Introduction to Denmark on arrival,’ a welcome meeting, where they are introduced to everything from buying bus tickets to the cultural aspects,” Susanne Kallemose explains.
She likes to deal with the DFC.
“The Danida Fellowship Centre staff is so service-minded and nice,” says Susanne Kallemose.
She has worked with some of the staff at DFC for around 30 years and knows them very well.
Jacob Høst, director of DHI Solutions, is also very confident when using the expertise of DFC.
“First of all DFC understands what training takes to be successful,” he says.
“They know how to make training with an impact in the developing country where the participants come from.”
As a former DFC board member and with many years of cooperation in designing and implementing courses, he is fully aware that DFC understands the professional and technical part of the training.
“But DFC is also good at dealing with the social and cultural aspects, which are also very important for the training to be successful,” he explains.
This does not only apply when the guests are in Denmark attending the courses.
“DFC makes sure, that the guests will return home with something important after their stay in Denmark – a certain culture, a certain way of living. DFC has employees who are very good at handling that,” the director says.
To Jacob Høst it is not a coincidence that the seven course participants are from Bangladesh.
Since the 80’ies, Danida has been involved in training activities to bolster the capacity of Bangladesh to deal with the devastating effects of flooding.
“It is one of the great success stories of Danida. Many engineers and professionals still come to Denmark to attend courses, not least at DHI.”
Bangladesh and Denmark have special ties when it comes to water. Also very personal ties, says secretary Sanne Kallemose with a smile.
“Some of those, who came as young students many years ago, are now bosses and send new students to us.”
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Danida Fellowship Centre provides a wide range of services within our specialist field of arranging study tours, seminars and conferences for participants from developing countries.
The customers are mainly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NGOs and other organisations working with development assistance.
DFC continues to assist an increasing number of people. The extent of services provided by DFC on commercial basis has tripled during 2012.
For more information contact Anne Engkebølle at DFC.
DHI is a global, independent research and development organization working within the fields of water, environment and health. DHI provides a wide range of consulting, research and policy services.
DHI has 1100 employees worldwide. 350 are based in Denmark.
Every year, DHI receives a large number of students and professionals from all over the world. They attend courses. Many of them are not linked to Danida programmes.
Read more about DHI on www.dhigroup.com
