DevDAS

Projects

DevDAS is a design house for international aid and development, working in the Asia-Pacific region.

Our aim is to bring developing country designs and solutions to life, crafted by people from our region.

For the past 15 years, we have been working on multi-sectoral designs, bids, and evaluations for:

• Australia, New Zealand

Pacific

• Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Pacific regional, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Asia

• Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Myanmmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Timor Leste, Vietnam

Liquica, Timor-Leste

Meet Fidelia Soares and her daughter Domingas, part of a project encouraging girls to go to and stay in school. At DevDAS, our work in Timor-Leste has spanned 10 years, in women’s economic empowerment, market systems development to communicating cross-sectoral initiatives funded by DFAT.

Liquica, Timor-Leste
Tabiang Village, Fiji

Schoolgirls perform a dance tourists: tourism is a key driver of economic growth in Fiji. We have a DevDAS Fiji Associate. Sectorally, we have also designed and reviewed productive sector initiatives such as in tourism in Pacific Island Countries and ASEAN Member States. We are an Advisory Group Member on the DFAT funded MDF Phase 2.

Tabiang Village, Fiji
Philippines

Meet Calma Arcala who used a small loan to start a business and employ staff. At DevDAS, we have been a resident of a business incubator/accelerator, supported women entrepreneurs through our IFC/DFAT work, and the start-up eco-system via women focused investments in our Kiva portfolio. Technology for Development and design products are also areas of interest for DevDAS.

Philippines
Samoa

Meet Australian Volunteer Caroline Conlon teaching deaf students and adults at a special needs school. Caroline is deaf herself. At DevDAS, we have considered disability inclusion aspects across our 10 DFAT initiative designs, and recently developed a Disability Inclusion Strategy for a DFAT program in PNG.

Samoa
Hoi An, Viet Nam

A woman selling fruits. At DevDAS, we have developed Gender Analysis and Integration Papers into Market Systems Development initiatives, and developed case studies for IFC/DFAT profiling Economic Opportunities for women based on 70 interviews across seven countries. We have a devolved team structure, with staff also in Viet Nam.

Hoi An, Viet Nam
Port Moresby, PNG

Electoral Commission workers at a trial poll booth, showing candidate posters that Australian Civilian Corps helped produce. DevDAS assisted to design the first DFAT funded Australian Civilian Corps. In PNG itself, we have worked for over 10 years including such as on recent designs for the Church Partnership Program, a Sports Strategy, and SEED Pacific (coordinating across our DevDAS Associates in four countries), as well as through our DevDAS PNG Associate.

Port Moresby, PNG
Sri Lanka

Meet Indrani Nallathambi, a gardener and participant in a program for sustainable farming practices. At DevDAS, our early work with NGOs included inputs to programs in Sri Lanka. We have been retained for intermittent Gender Equality advice to DFAT and NGO programs in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Sri Lanka
Manado, Indonesia

Children at play. DevDAS has worked in Indonesia for 10 years, in design and DFAT tender assessment roles across law and justice, tertiary education research, and regional initiatives for economic integration via online/communication platforms.

Manado, Indonesia

We have 50+ happy clients in the last 10 years. You can check what they are saying about us.

OUR WORK

Developing innovative aid initiatives with passion since 2008.

We have consulted on aid initiatives across a range of sectors such as in governance, education, health and technology worth over A$50 million. Our clients include donors such as DFAT Australian Aid, World Bank Group and the private sector. At DevDAS we offer a fresh, modern approach to the field of aid and development. We believe in:

Bringing novel approaches to issues
Combining theory with practice
Applying appropriate technology
Building regional professionals
Investing in the leaders of tomorrow

We’re keen to put these into practice and ‘live our shared values’ through our approaches and work together in emerging economies.How do we do this? For example, since 2007 DevDAS has supported 60+ entrepreneurs - especially women - who are making a living through loans as part of our Kiva portfolio. See more here.
Are you a Consultant from the region? Do you work with a Bilateral or Multilateral agency? Are you tendering for an aid agency initiative? Do you need an overseas program managed? See more information here.

DESIGN
We design aid and development initiatives for the Indo-Pacific region.
EVALUATION
We assist firms to better understand and document the desired outcomes of initiatives.
BIDS
We add practical experience to managing your aid initiatives.

Our Team

Over the years, DevDAS have been so fortunate to have with us our core team members, consultants, and associates based all over our region. We wouldn’t be able to do the valuable and fulfilling work that we have if it weren’t for our DevDAS team.

TAMARA HAIG

Chief Executive Officer
Lead – Consult Group

Tamara has 15 years experience across 12 countries in the Indo-Pacific region for clients including DFAT, WBG, private sector and NGOs. She has designed, worked on or managed 80+ aid initiatives and is on several donor panels (for design, gender and ICT). She speaks English and Melanesian Pidgin.

Cidee Despi

Lead – Products Group
Lead – Community Group

Cidee has been a Program and accounts manager in the development sector since she graduated in 2017. Also a humanities and social sciences scholar, she has been writing for prominent magazines since she was 17 years old. Currently, she is pursuing her juris doctor degree.

Nhes Calo

Executive Assistant
Communications Officer

Genuinely interested in human beings and the humanity, Nhes is an experienced writer who had long been confounded with the ability of what words can do. Doing volunteer work since 2013 with a focus on gender and development, she now helps Tamara with DevDAS as she believes in the design solutions that it has for the Indo-Pacific region.

Nynette Sass

Consultant – Samoa

Nynette has over 20 years experience across Samoa and the Pacific, spanning business advisory and NGO governance work for WBG (IFC) and NGOs. She is Secretary General and a founding member of Samoa For Real Inc (NGO) and has held board and executive roles relating to business and NGOs.

Laitia Tamata

Associate – FSM

Laitia is a Gender Equity, Social Inclusion and Policy/Legal Specialist with over 15 years’ experience working across the Pacific including in Fiji, Papua New Guinea and all 14 Pacific Islands Countries (PICs). He has worked in fluid socio-cultural and political environments across the Pacific as well as conflict-affected areas such as Iraq for agencies including DFAT, UNDP, UNAIDS, UN Women and UNICEF, the EU, PIANGO, PIAF and SPC, Government (Fiji) and Universities (USP).

Celestino Ulep

Associate – Philippines

Celestino is a tourism development professional with over 20 years experience and involvement in ASEAN and the ASEAN community. This includes work in ASEAN Tourism Working Groups as Adviser and Facilitator to planning workshops (2011 – 2014), including assisting Philippines NTO as a Chair of workshops. He has also been involved in the conceptualization, discussions and negotiations for the creation of an ASEAN Regional Center that was initially funded by a donor (now a fully operational Center in the Philippines).

Mavis Tito

Associate – PNG

Mavis is an experienced Monitoring and Evaluation expert, having worked in the field since 2010 in PNG. Her experience has encompassed working with civil society organisations, as well as with aid and development donors. Mavis has extensive experience in research and data collection, qualitative and quantative data collection, development of Monitoring and Evaluation plans and project monitoring and evaluation.

Nanette Tutua

Associate – Solomon Islands

Nanette is the Managing Director for Zai na Tina (ZNT) Organic Center at Burnscreek Solomon Islands, The Center was founded by her late father Joini Tutua (Father of Organic Farming in Solomon Islands) and managed by her brother Dr Shane Tutua Phd. The Center specializes in growing organic vegetables, fruits, spices and trials poultry for its manure use in the farm. She is also the Vice Chair for Kastom Gaden Association a Non Government Organisation which her late father founded.

Leith Veremaito

Associate – Vanuatu

Leith has over 15 years of experience across DFAT, World Bank Group-funded initiatives and in Government, working closely with civil society and private sector. He has specialised in infrastructure, energy and governance initiatives across Vanuatu. He has a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (UQ, Australia, 2014).

Kemueli Naiqama

Consultant – Fiji

Kemueli has 30 years experience of as a Statistician and data analyst. He has served as Chief Executive of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics and as a Policy and Development Planning Advisor on macroeconomic issues in the Strategic Planning Office. Currently, he is a consultant on sustainable development using his experience to create a better world.

Makiroa Mitchelljohn

Consultant – Cook Islands

Makiroa Mitchelljohn is a teacher by trade, majoring in English, Social Science, Languages, Law, Political Science, International Relations, and Education. Currently, she serves as a member of the following international boards and commissions: International Handball Federation Development Committee, Oceania Continent Handball Federation (Secretary), etc.

Nancy Miyake

Consultant – Vanuatu

Nancy Miyake has rich experience in program management across the Pacific. Currently, she works as the regional program manager for Donna Leigh Holden Consulting. She has also founded and managed Vanuatu’s first dedicated space for families in the private sector.

Ashlee Betteridge

Consultant – Australia

Ashlee is an experienced project manager, policy analyst, writer and communicator with a strong interest in international aid and development and the Asia-Pacific region. She is currently working as an independent development consultant, with a focus on communications, research, analysis, proposal writing and project coordination.

Meilany Fahriantiny

Associate – Indonesia

Meilany (Lany) believes in making a difference. She has been involved in in foreign-donor funded programs since 2011, i.e. the Government of Australia (DFAT) and the World Bank. She also has experience in developing partnership with the Government of Indonesia in implementing strategies for sustainable improvement.

OUR STATS

With the help of our consultants, associates, and team, combined with the trust of our clients from the government sector, private sector, NGOs, etc. DevDAS have accomplished so much all these years

15+ YEARS Design experience including retained on Design Panels

80+ INITIATIVES Assignments consulted on with 20 programs designed or re-scoped

50+ CLIENTS Client base including Donors, Private Sector, NGOs

$10M+ Up to annual value of aid initiatives worked on

OVER 50% Tenders secured (for us and clients) from those we submitted

12 COUNTRIES Worked in across Asia-Pacific

10 PERSON TEAM Based near you and spanning our region

design house for international
aid and development
Designs fit for your world

Projects

We have 50+ happy clients in the last 10 years. You can check what they are saying about us.

OUR WORK

DESIGN

EVALUATION

BIDS