Joshka Wessels, is currently the director of Sapiens Productions (Shrewbury, UK) and an applied anthropologist. She is in the process of writing a PhD dissertation on "Traditional Water Management in Syria; the potential for renovating qanats". In addition, she has also directed/produced two television documentaries; "Marooned" and "Tunnel Vision". She also directs/produces a community video program on Child-Centre Approaches to HIV/AIDS (CCATH) in Uganda and Kenya for Health Link Worldwide.

Joshka's education includes a PhD in Human Geography from the Amsterdam Institute for Global Issues and Development Studies (AGIDS), in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Prior to her PhD work, she received an MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Leiden (located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands). She was also a broadcast trainee at the Veronica Broadcasting Company in Hilversum, The Netherlands.

Joshka Wessels tunneling in 2002.

Areas of expertise include:

• Sustainable development and community based natural resource management
• Communication, public awareness, dissemination and education for environment, health & development

In addition, Joshka speaks 5 languages: Dutch, English, French, German and Colloquial Arabic. She is involved in the renovation and exploration of qanats in Syria and other middle eastern countries. For more pictures of qanats in Oman, Iran, and Syria click here*. A radio broadcast and news article released about her latest qanat renovation in Qarah can be found here*. Joshka is also the author of several scientific publications.

*Both of the these links will open in a new window

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