Eija Soini

Background

About Eija Soini

Eija's RESEARCH has focused on linkages of mindsets and achieving pro-environmental behavior, land use change and livelihoods, land tenure and land use, land use and biodiversity. Her COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT experience includes mobilization of communities, forest gardens in drylands, rainwater harvesting, improved wood-burning stoves, drip irrigation for kitchen gardens, soil and water conservation (check-dams and terracing), environmental and hygiene education, tree nurseries for drylands and by recycled water, environmental education. She works for Liana (NGO) COORDINATING its two Forest Garden projects in Tanzania (funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland), and activities helping schools acquire rainwater harvesting tanks, improved stoves, construct hand washing places and start grow trees by recycled water. She is also the Chair of Liana Board. Through a TRADE NAME, Ushauri, she teaches English and yoga, coaches, and does short assignments in international development. Eija has been VOLUNTEERING for various purposes since late 90’s. Eija likes FACILITATING trainings and community/group meetings (for baselines, assessments, mobilization, evaluations, planning, awareness raising, feedback), coordinating projects and proceses; designing TRAINING materials; and enjoys conducting LITERATURE REVIEWS and GIS analysis to complement fieldwork. She highly values participation and joint learning. She has published both peer reviewed scientific ARTICLES and public interest papers, project reports, annual reports, and news blog articles on the Internet, mostly in English. Her over 20 years of work experience in East Africa comes from ICRAF, NGOs and consultancy companies specializing in international development. Her history with East Africa goes back to 1970s when she was seven and her family moved to Kenya. Eija constantly develops her skills. In 2014 she acquired TESOL qualification to teach English. In 2016 she acquired teacher qualification in adult education and environmental education. In 2018 she completed RYT200 yoga teacher qualification. In 2019 she took courses in nutrition. In 2020 she acquired a diploma in solution focused coaching. In 2021 she studied Logophilosophy. Now her big interests are agroecology, forest gardens and regenerative agriculture. With one foot in research and another in practical interventions, Eija is a strong advocate of evidence based and utilisation focused approaches in whatever she does.