About Jane Gindin

I had been working as a writer-editor for global health and development at a major U.S. foreign assistance contractor when DOGE obliterated USAID. As the technical writer for proposals I worked with diverse teams of 8-15 to research, strategize, design, develop, and polish a 30–90-page document within weeks. We often traveled internationally to meet with local partners and experts.

Last summer I traveled to The Gambia with a colleague and within six weeks of RFP release (unannounced!) we had secured partners, gathered cost data, and developed an outstanding proposal to USAID. That takes planning—and it takes courage, grit, and creativity. I could tell you about driving for hours into the savannas and swamps of this tiny riverine nation to meet with teams of dedicated professionals who deliver life-saving malaria medicine and nets to children and adults in the villages; the interview we held in a tiny medical center with the joyful and passionate community health workers; and the too-hot yellow pepper in our delicious fish lunch.

I've also worked extensively in natural resource management and agriculture, particularly with their intersections with health. WASH, disaster preparation, water management, food security, and global health security. I've worked with experts in many different fields to create collaborative approaches—and write about them in proposals, reports, case studies, and stories.

For three decades I’ve honed my craft, developing my own approaches to writing eloquent, compelling text in responses to RFPs from USAID, the US Department of State, MCC, and other donors. I’ve had the pleasure of working with the most passionate, mission-driven people in the world. As it all ground to a sudden halt, I found myself missing my colleagues and the good work we did together. Missing the flow, watching their brains work, learning from them, supporting them and achieving things together.

The bike ride: 98 days in six countries on the Eurovelo routes

I started in the south of France, travelled north up La Vélodyssée, across to the coast of Normandy, and made a small loop in Belgium. In the Netherlands I did a big loop that took me along the coast, the east along the Maas River, north up the Pieterfietspad, west across Friesland, and down beside the IJsselmeer to Utrecht and Den Haag. Then I crossed the channel and cycled across England and Wales to meet some friends near Dublin. A total of 4,200 kilometers, solo.

It was a life-changing trip that woke me out of my doldrums, reminded me how much I loved cycling, and showed me miles and miles of eye-popping beauty. I realized I wanted to live in a place where biking is normalized, the government recognizes its duty of care, and gun violence isn't a common occurrence.

Then I applied for Dutch residency and here I am!

I did not expect to be starting over at this point in my life, but actually, I’m pretty excited about it. I'm bringing my writing and global development expertise to the Netherlands and connecting with socially responsible organizations that work locally and globally. The current state of international assistance is facing unprecedented challenges, and we all have to be nimble and creative. In part, my job is to tell the world how essential foreign collaboration and assistance are, and how much stronger and safer we all are when we work together.

At the end of 2025, I had a good job working in global health with a great team. But in the first few weeks of the Trump administration, we were all laid off. I lost my income, my job, my industry, my colleagues, and my entire professional community.

So I went for a bike ride.

If you’re looking for a good writer or editor, reach out by email or on the contact form below. And even if you’re not looking to hire right now, reach out anyway, and we’ll have a chat over some good coffee in a cozy café.

My Substack chronicles my bike trip: https://janegindin.substack.com/.