Details of talks given by Mary Watkins
I am a former primary school teacher and Education Officer for Welsh Water. I started doing lots of talks during my time as an education officer about the water and I was also a volunteer speaker for WaterAid having visited their projects in Africa. In 2014 and 2018 I spent two years volunteering for VSO in Rwanda training student teachers at a college (2014) and as a teacher trainer in schools (2018) and my talks are about this time and the work that I am now doing as a result of those placements. I was involved with establishing rugby in a remote area of Rwanda and am now a trustee of the charity Friends of Rwandan Rugby. I have set up a nursery in Rwanda and am supporting several others that are run by my former students from the teacher training college. I had an amazing time and totally fell in love with the country and its people and have been back many times to visit the friends I have made and to continue with the personal projects I have started. My talks are tailored to the interests of the group I am speaking to. I can focus on my time as a volunteer, the women's cooperatives I now support, the nursery schools I am developing or the rugby charity. Or I can do a potted version covering as many topics as required. I have done a lot of talks since returning from Rwanda but as I am now semi retired and have more time on my hands I am looking for new clubs and groups to speak to.