The development “players”
Who makes up the development landscape? Sharing my taxonomy of the fundamental, old-school, and new-school players on the scene.
Tag: international development
Wanted: Films that illustrate how aid works
The Social Impact Media Awards 2014 is an international documentary and video competition that champions the stories of grassroots change-makers.
It’s about more than school fees
My conversation with Saaed Wame, founder and director of NACC in Malawi, on valuing community contributions, the challenges of child protection, and how numbers cannot portray the true value of his organization’s work. Support them on GlobalGiving!
Don’t change the message. Change the messenger.
Weh Yeoh of whydev.org argues that everything that we do in development is about selling a message. But how do we convince people when a message goes against the grain of what they already believe?
Time for some network thinking in your organization?
Network thinking has been on my mind. Sharing this piece from Curtis Ogden of the Interaction Institute of Social Change.
Spotting community ownership: A reminder
The processes of decision-making within local relationships and power dynamics are often the make-or-break factor in development projects. Are the people served invested in the outcomes of your program(s)? And most importantly, how can you know?
The Carpenters and the Rude Man
How many times had I been him? Just wanting to get through to the next stage to achieve those ever-elusive results? Demonstrating my own ignorance and intolerance? Wreaking havoc and unleashing anger as a result?
Gates and Moyo: Assume the best first
What would happen if aid were approached like a business deal?
Preserving the “I don’t know” within big data
“‘I don’t know’ is found in imprecise information, in unseen or undetectable outcomes. It’s found in our trust in people, in their innate capacities and energy.”
Don Popo and where to find “it”
The swirl of thoughts can de-motivate and confound us, especially after we’ve been working for a few years, and change still seems elusive and organizational life at times ridiculous.
“So why should we continue?” she asked me.
“Because of people like Don Popo.”
I just came from Haiti too…
I just came from Haiti just last week. Here’s my reflections on Nora Schenkel’s piece in the New York Times, “I Came to Haiti to Do Good…”
7 things you need to speak truth to power
“Oh wait, the rules don’t work for us? Guess we have to stand up for ourselves and change those rules. But this will not happen by letting power go unchecked.”
To change the world, a pulse is required
These young people were so hungry, after only a week among development professionals in Washington DC, for an open and real conversation about development work!
