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November 2010 • Vol. 28 • Issue 11
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Monday Developments Magazine
The Latest Issues and Trends in International Development
and Humanitarian Assistance
Encouraging
Transparent Aid
InterAction’s
Global A Conversation
with Peace Corps Director
Challenge
Could You Live On
Less Than $5 a Day?
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Golden Arches
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10 27 Best Practices
29 Events
30 Job Opportunities
23 HEAT: Hostile
Environment Awareness
Training
Must-have knowledge before
heading to dangerous locations.
By Andrew K. Gibson
25 Coca-Cola, Golden
Arches and Soap Operas
Integrating effective, 18
Entertainment-Education
communications into development
programming.
By Lindsey Wahlstrom
Features 16 Fueling the Future
Maximizing fuel conservation with
10 InterAction’s Global the Integrated Cooking System.
Hunger Challenge By Patricia McArdle
Highlighting the daily impact of
hunger around the globe. 17 Energy Efficient
By Katie Delaney Cook Stoves: Burning
with Possibilities
12 Transparent Aid By David T. Dyjack
The building block of the new
U.S. Global Development Policy? 18 A Conversation
By Karin Christiansen with Aaron Williams
A new series of conversational
14 Effective Corporate interviews with influential people
Partnerships affecting the NGO community.
When expectations are clear, both By Monday Developments staff
sides can benefit.
By Susan Rae Ross 21 Gender-Based
Violence in Post-
Earthquake Haiti
Turning crisis into an opportu-
nity for real and lasting change.
By Lina Abirafeh 25
12
November 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 3
Reflections from the President
Advertising/Subscriptions
Katherine Delaney
The primary role of U.S. the first 1,000 days of life.
This movement is but one
Copy Editor
News Editor
assistance during the Cold collaboration and common
advocacy between the UN, Tawana Jacobs
War was as a national security donor governments, NGOs Proofreader
tool, with an occasional nod and the private sector. The
success of the movement’s
Margaret Christoph
CRS’ Ken Hackett to Step Films not to miss... of one of the goats he has bought online and
discover for himself whether his ethical gift
Down as President By Sean Patrick Murphy
giving is making the impact he hoped for with
Where’s my goat? (2010)
In September CRS announced it will begin a his goat idea.
search for a successor to Ken Hackett, who Along the way he encounters both
will retire after leading the agency since 1993. supporters and detractors of the ethical gift
A committee comprised of CRS Board concept. But one question is paramount to him:
members will conduct a nationwide search for a “where’s my goat?” Using humor, animation
successor to Mr. Hackett with a goal of installing and a sincere desire to assess whether his
the next president by January 2012. Mr. Hackett good faith gesture is truly making a difference,
has agreed to continue serving as president for the filmmaker’s search for “his” goat is a
six months beyond provocative, outside-the-box look at charity,
the expiration of his western views of it and the impact a specific
current five-year initiative might have.
term in June 2011. While the film has a light-hearted tone,
He will serve the goal is to provoke questions in the minds
beyond that as a of viewers: Have you ever considered the
consultant until staggering amounts of disposable materials
July 2012 to assist distributed as swag? Are ethical gifts a
in the transition to solution? Is Christopher mistaken in his hope
new leadership. that ethical gifts are doing good?
“Over two years In the end, the audience does not have to
ago, Ken Hackett, take Christopher’s word for it. They will have
our esteemed president, challenged the Board seen for themselves the story of the families
to become robustly intentional in our strategy along the way. Christopher’s journey simply
for future leadership transition, including his After weeks of debating what promotional item underlines the reality of his ethical gift’s impact
own office as CEO,” wrote CRS Board Chair might make the most sense for his business, on the ground.
Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan in a note to staff filmmaker Christopher Richardson settles on a The audience is never subjected to
worldwide. curious approach to thanking clients for their a “soapbox moment”, where the film is
Mr. Hackett, 63, joined CRS in 1972 follow- business: he will buy goats in his clients’ names overbearing with a clear advocacy moment.
ing Peace Corps service in Ghana. He served for families in the developing world. But as the Christopher takes us on his journey, to find his
CRS in posts throughout Africa and Asia, as list of gifted goats grows, some clients question goat; the viewer is encouraged to consider the
well as in a variety of positions at CRS head- whether the animals actually exist. Christopher results and make up their own mind.
quarters, before taking the helm in 1993. During decides to travel to a Zambian village in search See the trailer at www.WheresMyGoat.ca
Mr. Hackett’s tenure, CRS has become one of
the largest and most respected international hu-
manitarian agencies, growing from an operating New Guide to External Education Financing
budget of approximately $300 million, when he At the INEE Policy Roundtable on Education Finance in 2008, the INEE Work-
began leading the agency, to more than $800
ing Group on Education and Fragility brought together approximately 45
million today.
Archbishop Dolan acknowledged Mr. Hack-
experts and practitioners from developed and developing countries to review
ett’s contributions, which include leading the financing modalities for education in situations of fragility and chronic crises.
agency through emergencies like Hurricane The recently released product of this discussion—the INEE Reference Guide
Mitch in the late 1990s, multiple famines in on External Education Financing—is a resource that explains donor educa-
Africa, the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 and tion funding strategies and mechanisms. The guide’s purpose is to enable
the Haiti earthquake earlier this year, as well as national education policymakers and other stakeholders to better understand
shepherding a major initiative to provide life- the design, goals and constraints of various funding mechanisms and why
saving medication to people with AIDS in the donors choose one mechanism over another to support education. By clarify-
developing world. Under Mr. Hackett’s leader- ing the aid architecture and defining the mechanisms used within it, the guide
ship, CRS went through a major institutional can help national education stakeholders better navigate country-donor rela-
transformation. Following the 1994 genocide in
tionships, thereby improving the funding and management of national educa-
Rwanda, which occurred shortly after the agency
began efforts to clarify its mission and identity,
tion systems in fragile contexts.
CRS incorporated a justice-centered focus in all The Reference Guide and other information on education financing can be
Photo: CRS
Phelps Stokes believes all people can and Training Institute (PTI). PTI programs
make a difference as long as they believe
in themselves and what is possible.
The organization thrives on education,
leadership and passion, and it forms
include the Summer Peacebuilding
Institute, Seminars for Trauma Awareness
and Resilience, the Coming to the Table
program and other intensive training, Member
✓
relationships with people who truly desire program, and partnership opportunities. Standards
to make their voices heard and create CJP’s 3D Security Initiative fosters
lasting social change. civil society-military dialogue on human
Since 1911, Phelps Stokes has been security and builds connections between ensure we are always ahead of the curve, reflect-
a trusted partner of visionary leaders, U.S. government and the field of ing the best thinking and best practices in all
foundations, corporations and nonprofits peacebuilding. sectors. To join and remain a member of InterAc-
committed to creating lasting social As an Associate Member of tion, organizations must adhere to the PVO Stan-
change. After nearly a century, Phelps InterAction, CJP will bring significant dards. Each member organization undertakes a
Stokes is as committed as ever to benefit to the InterAction community rigorous self-certification called Self-Certifica-
leveraging all of its support and resources by promoting strong relationships with tion-Plus (SCP) every other year, using various
to helping big ideas break through. NGOs for partnerships in practice, types of documented evidence to re-certify its
theory, research and training. CJP will join compliance with each standard. Any member
many of our peers in exchanging ideas that does not complete the Self-Certification-
and working collaboratively with U.S. Plus process verifying compliance is suspended
NGO leaders to shape and strengthen from membership until it is completed.
the nonprofit division. CJP will also Although compliance with the PVO stan-
provide a key link between NGOs, dards is a self-regulatory process, it is an
InterAction is pleased to welcome education and training/practice. important mechanism for demonstrating the
its first Associate Member* Eastern integrity and accountability of our members. In
Mennonite University, Center for *In 2009, InterAction member CEOs fact, most members consider it a very useful
Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), and the Board of Directors endorsed a way to review their internal policies and improve
which equips and sustains individuals, strategic expansion of InterAction’s current systems. The current Self-Certification-Plus
institutions and communities to work for membership structure and approved process became mandatory for all members
justice and peace through education, the creation of an Associate Member in 2006. The second mandatory round of the
training, practice and research. CJP category. Since then, InterAction has process, conducted in 2008, showed signifi-
works to develop leadership to create been considering different institutions cant progress. The 2010 Self-Certification-
a just, peaceful and secure world. A that would meet the eligibility criteria for Plus process is well under way. Each member
graduate program at Eastern Mennonite Associate Members and decided to begin organization must submit its completed form to
University, CJP has three divisions that by approaching educational institutions InterAction no later than December 31, 2010.
work in coordination: the administration, that have development or/and humanitarian Non-compliance will result in suspension from
the graduate program, and the Practice programs. InterAction membership.
To learn more about InterAction PVO Stan-
dards and the Self-Certification-Plus, please
InterAction Standards accountability of the NGO sector.
To facilitate the reliable assessment of their
contact the author at talexander@interaction.org.
By Taina Alexander, Program Manager, Membership
& Standards, InterAction work abroad, InterAction members tasked the LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB
organization with developing standards and
mechanisms to assure their accountability and
InterAction members do not take lightly the credibility to the public, funders and the people
trust placed in them by the American public. they serve. The result is InterAction’s Private
Accountability is not only a member’s respon- Voluntary Organization (PVO) Standards.
sibility, it is also part of its mission and the core Since 1994, to improve and enhance their ac-
values that drive its work. Earning and keeping countability, transparency and effectiveness, careers.interaction.org
the public trust remains important for all Inter- InterAction members have certified their compli-
Action members. And remaining in the forefront ance with the PVO Standards. The standards
of accountability standards for the NGO com- are a set of ethical guidelines covering gover-
munity both in the U.S and abroad is impera- nance, financial reporting, fundraising, public re-
tive. A collective commitment to quality and lations, management practices, human resources
transparency by coalitions like InterAction is an and program services. They are continually
essential part of maintaining and enhancing the reviewed, revised, strengthened and adjusted to IN Development and relief?
40
age. Selected individuals include a diverse
array of leaders from development agencies,
government, corporations and NGOs.
Natasha Bajuk
Remittances Specialist,
Samantha Power
Director of Multilateral Affairs, Mass Rape During Armed Conflict
Inter-American Development Bank National Security Council
Increases HIV Infections
Nisha Desai Biswal Joshua Rogin
Assistant Administrator for Asia and Reporter, Foreign Policy / Mass rape could be causing thou-
Near East, USAID Washington Post sands or even tens of thousands
of HIV infections annually among
Eric Braverman Alec Ross
Principal, McKinsey & Company Senior Adviser on Innovation, women and girls in conflict-afflicted
State Department countries in Africa, according to
Michael A. Clemens mathematical modelling by Virginie
Senior Fellow, Nilmini Rubin
Center for Global Development Senior Professional Staff Member, Supervie and Sally Blower of UCLA
Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Yasmin Halima of the Global
Jared Cohen
Director, Google Ideas Dan Runde Campaign for Microbicides.
Schreyer Chair for Global Analysis The researchers assessed the
Alexa Courtney and Director of Project on Prosperity impact of mass rape during armed
Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton and Development,
Center for Strategic and International conflict, especially as many of those
Suzanne Ehlers Studies (CSIS) conflicts have taken place in sub-
President and CEO, Saharan Africa where the HIV pan-
Population Action International John S. Sargent III
President and Founding Partner, demic has hit hardest. They found
Steve Feldstein BroadReach Healthcare that mass rape could significantly
Professional Staff Member,
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Rajiv Shah affect HIV incidence, contributing
Administrator, USAID to a median annual increase in in- emergency contraception—be im-
Jared Genser fections of 6 to 7 percent. plemented for rape survivors during
Partner, DLA Piper LLP, and President, Aaron Sherinian
Freedom Now Executive Director, Communications “War, women, and violence—it’s armed conflicts to reduce HIV inci-
and Public Affairs, UN Foundation a tragic combination,” said co- dence and unwanted pregnancies.
Corey Arnez Griffin author Yasmin Halima. “The UN has They point to the need for stronger
Vice President, Global Government Andrée Simon
and Industry Partners (2GIP) President, long proclaimed that it is more dan- surveillance and protection systems
Women for Women International gerous to be a woman in an armed for women in refugee camps. They
Sherri G. Kraham
Managing Director, Cooperation & Ian Solomon conflict setting than a soldier.” assert that policy changes, addition-
Policy Improvement, Millennium U.S. Executive Director, World Bank Modelling the epidemiological al research, and greater support for
Challenge Corporation processes, the authors analyzed women in conflict zones should be
Ilana Solomon
Mark Lopes Policy Analyst, ActionAid USA direct infections caused by rapes implemented on the basis of both
Deputy Assistant Administrator, USAID during war time. They noted that human rights and public health.
Andrew Stern the high rates of HIV prevalence in “We felt it was important to
Noelle LuSane Global Operating Partner, Dalberg
Staff Director, House of these countries, the above-average show the impact of mass rape on
Representatives, Subcommittee on Erin Thornton rates among soldiers in combat, new HIV infections and to not only
Global Health and Africa Global Policy Director, ONE
and the efficiency of transmission consider the longer-term implica-
Fiona Macaulay Beth Tritter due to violent or coercive sex, are tions for prevalence,” notes Dr.
President/Founder, Making Cents Int’l Managing Director, all factors leading to the large num- Virginie Supervie, lead-author and
The Glover Park Group
Michael Madnick bers of new infections for women modeller. “We hope that our study
Deputy Executive Director, GAIN Sebastian Troeng in these situations. The far-reaching will go some way towards informing
Vice President for Global Marine, effects of mass rape extend to sexu- policies and services that can help
David McKenzie Conservation International
Senior Economist, World Bank ally transmitted infections, unwanted women who are caught in situa-
Brendan Tuohey pregnancies, and transmission of tions of armed conflict.”
Todd Moss Executive Director,
Vice President for Corporate Affairs PeacePlayers International HIV to male partners or to children “Coercive sex is just one of many Photo: REUTERS/ Les Neuhaus, courtesy www.alertnet.org
and Senior Fellow, Center for Global (through birth or breastfeeding). motivators for the development of
Development Noam Unger The authors encourage future new HIV-prevention products—like
Fellow, Global Economy and
Craig Mullaney Development Program, and Policy studies to explore these and other microbicides, pre-exposure prophy-
Senior Policy Advisor, Director, Foreign Assistance Reform issues, including the effects of laxis, and vaccines—whose usage
USAID AfPak Task Force Project, Brookings Institution long-term suffering and psychologi- could be controlled by women,” said
Alyse Nelson Mark Vlasic cal scarring, and the stigmatization Halima. “We at the Global Cam-
CEO, Vital Voices Senior Fellow & Adjunct Professor and rejection by victims’ partners, paign for Microbicides urge govern-
of Law, Institute for Law,
Josh Nesbit Science and Global Security, families, and communities. The ments and the donor community to
Executive Director, FrontlineSMS:Medic Georgetown University, and Partner researchers recommend that support research and development
at Ward & Ward, PLLC prevention, care, and treatment of more methods that could help vul-
Ben Powell
Founder and Managing Partner, Wayan Vota interventions—such as the offering nerable people protect themselves
AGORA Partnerships Senior Director, Inveneo of post-exposure prophylaxis and against HIV infection.”
FY2011 appropriations tion covering the remainder of president and comprised of four businesses in a way uniquely
outlook: CR, trimmed the fiscal year at current funding private citizens of the U.S. and suited to Pakistan’s fragile econ-
omnibus levels (with exceptions). three private citizens of Pakistan. omy. The legislation requires that
Late on September 29 and in the Resources devoted to the fund any assets of the Fund at the time
early morning on September 30, Water for the World act would be leveraged to provide that it is dissolved (no later than
just before heading back to their On September 22, the Senate direct financial capital and tech- Dec. 31, 2020) be returned to the
districts to campaign, Congress passed by unanimous consent nical assistance to commercially General Fund of the U.S. and
passed a continuing resolution the Senator Paul Simon Water viable small and medium sized used to reduce the U.S. debt. MD
(CR), a congressional resolution for the World Act of 2010, which
to continue funding at current lev- aims to provide 100 million peo- Where are USAID’s Assistant Administrators?
els when a fiscal year closes with- ple with first-time access to safe Despite the Obama administration’s repeated pledges to turn
out an approved budget in place, water and sanitation in six years. USAID into “the world’s premier development agency,” most of
which will remain in effect through Sponsored by Sen. Richard the agency’s senior leadership positions are still vacant. To date,
December 3. The bill was signed Durbin (D-IL), the act would only five out of 12 USAID positions requiring presidential
by President Obama on the 30th, establish an office in USAID nomination and Senate confirmation have been filled. At a
the last day of fiscal year 2010. and appoint a coordinator at the time when the U.S. government faces complex humanitarian and
The bill was relatively “clean,” State Department to elevate water development challenges overseas, it is imperative that USAID have
with very few accounts getting access and safety as a top priority experienced professionals to help lead these efforts. From the Haiti
special increases over fiscal year in U.S. foreign assistance and secu- earthquake to Feed the Future to the Presidential Study Directive
(FY) 2010 rates. Among the few rity efforts. It would also increase process, USAID has been engaged in a multitude of major U.S.
that did get special bump-ups funding and invest in develop- government initiatives without the benefit of appointed leadership
were State Department Diplo- ment projects to meet the UN for relevant bureaus and offices. While we commend the excellent
matic and Consular Programs Millennium Development Goal work of career staff who are acting in these positions, the absence
and the Foreign Military Financ- of halving the number of people of political leadership has weakened the agency’s ability to set
ing account (including assistance without sustainable access to safe internal priorities and to be adequately represented in interagency
to Israel, Egypt and Jordan). water and sanitation by 2015. processes. Furthermore, the shortage of high level staff raises
Another special provision allows questions about the Obama administration’s commitment to
Food for Peace Title II funds pro- Sudan elevating development as a core pillar of American foreign policy.
vided by the FY 2010 supplemen- House Majority Leader Steny The NGO community strongly urges the administration and
tal appropriations bill (the “supp” Hoyer (D-MD) and Congress- Congress to fill the remaining positions during the November lame
passed in July 2010) to be used for man Donald Payne (D-NJ) led duck session.
obligations incurred before that a Special Order (a speech on the
bill was enacted. This language House floor at the end of the busi- USAID position Filled by...
is identical to language included ness day on whatever topic the
Administrator Rajiv Shah
in the supp for international speaker chooses) on the evening
disaster assistance but omitted of September 22, speaking with a Deputy Administrator Donald Steinberg
for Food for Peace, and is appar- number of their colleagues in sup-
ently designed to ensure that the port of the 2005 Comprehensive Assistant Administrator (AA) – Mark Feierstein
additional funding could be used Peace Agreement (CPA), free and Latin America and Caribbean
to “fill in” for funds that had been fair referenda in January 2011, and AA – Asia Nisha Desai Biswal
diverted for emergency needs in an end to the violence in Darfur.
Haiti after the earthquake. AA – Democracy, Conflict, and Nancy Lindborg
Congress plans to return for Pakistan Humanitarian Assistance
a “lame duck” session (the time On September 21, the Senate For-
between the November elections eign Relations Committee (SFRC) AA – Economic Growth, Agriculture, ?
and Trade
and the swearing in of the new marked up the Pakistani-Amer-
Congress in January) starting ican Enterprise Fund Act (S. AA – Africa ?
November 15. One of the major 3665), which authorizes the Pres-
items of work they will face then ident of the United States to AA – Europe and Eurasia ?
will be providing funding for establish a Pakistani-American AA – Global Health ?
the remainder of FY 2011. That Enterprise Fund using existing
funding will likely come either funds approved under the AA – Legislative and Public Affairs ?
in the form of an “omnibus” Enhanced Partnership with Pak-
spending bill made up of all 12 istan Act of 2009. The Fund AA – Management ?
appropriations bills together, or would be overseen by a board of
AA – Middle East ?
a longer-term continuing resolu- directors appointed by the U.S.
It’s hard to decide how to calculate the food I’m eating. I harvested corn
and sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) from my garden. Since raccoons
H
devastated the corn, should I reckon the cost at about $30 per ear of
corn (since, considering the time lost in planting, fertilizing, weeding, et ow would you spend $34.33
cetera, that might be what my ONE tiny ear of corn actually cost me)? if that was your total food bud-
And ... ditto for the very few prematurely harvested sunchokes, most of get for an entire week? During
which were eaten probably by moles. A Haitian farmer would face those the week of September 17-24,
kinds of problems as well. — David Grant, blog entry, 9/19 InterAction members and partners joined
together in the InterAction Global Hunger
Challenge to recognize and reflect on the
InterAction’s
fact that more than 925 million people are
hungry this year. Participants representing
Global
44 organizations and four universities lived
on a food budget of $34.33 for the week.
That is less than $5 per day.
In the Global Hunger Challenge, the
Hunger
seemingly odd budget was actually care-
fully selected. Why $34.33? Fifty-five per-
cent of Haitians live on less than $1.25
per day. After factoring in purchasing
Challenge
power parity and allotting for the amount
of income Americans have to spend on
food, we found that $1.25 in Haiti is equal
to a daily food budget of about $4.90 in
the United States, or $34.33 per week.
Some challenge participants assumed this
Highlighting would be more than they needed. Others
thought they would be hungry. By the end
the daily impact of the challenge, almost everyone agreed
that the budget was limiting.
of hunger around Specific rules were set. Participants
the globe.
There is so much luxury in my kitchen. As I have prepared
By Katie Delaney, food over the past few days, I have thought of those [things]
Senior Marketing Associate, I have and can use (refrigeration, a stove), those I have
and can’t use now [during] the Challenge (spices, a varied
InterAction
pantry) and those our government provides (food safety).
— Lindsay Coates, blog entry, 9/19
It occurred to me
yesterday, that this
experiment is an example
of the sort of hunger we
see mostly here in the U.S.
I work with international
hunger relief, so I’m used
to talking about starvation,
but that is only one side
of the hunger problem
(certainly a significant one
though). The less publicly
recognized side of hunger,
malnutrition resulting from
poor food quality, is much
more insidious. — Nina D.,
blog entry, 9/20
signs of growth. Just when sprouts of green begin to push a light on the continued existence of global poverty and the need
through the cracked soil, all your hard work is washed away for the U.S. government to fulfill its promises. MD
by a flash flood. It’s hard to fathom the disappointment To learn more visit www.interaction.org/global-hunger-challenge
parents feel, knowing their children will have to wait even and www.thousanddays.org.
longer for food now. — Cathy Herholdt, blog entry, 9/21
I
n his recent speeches at the site; the PEPFAR country website; the OECD Congress and citizens in understanding
Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Development Assistance Committee website; how the effectiveness of U.S. aid compares
Summit and at the UN General Assembly, and the Rwanda Development Assistance to other donors;
President Obama has signaled a paradigm Database. This makes it difficult to get a clear • It will reinforce accountability of recipi-
shift in thinking about the role and organi- picture, as all of the information is reported in ent governments, enabling them to build
zation of U.S. foreign assistance. InterAction different ways for different timeframes and in a clearer picture of combined aid flows
members and others have welcomed the different formats. And that is before you try to from different donors and plan and man-
declaration of intent (whilst recognizing the add in the other donors in Rwanda. age their own domestic budget accord-
scale of the implementation challenge). Aid ingly; and
transparency will be key in the implement- “Let’s move beyond • It will support constructive conversations
ing the newly announced U.S. Global Devel- about division of labor between donors
opment Policy and in meeting the MDGs. the old, narrow debate by mapping aid flows into a country and
Comparable, comprehensive and timely aid
information is key to decision-making on
over how much money across sectors.
emergency relief in Rwanda? Currently the U.S. will also make it impossible to implement the of the Global Development Policy would not
government reports its activities in Rwanda new development policy. Only when aid infor- only help realize the potential of U.S. foreign
on six different websites:The USAID country mation can be compared across U.S. agencies assistance to reduce poverty, but also rightly
website; the USAID “Greenbook”; the Millen- and with other donors will it be possible to restore U.S. global leadership in this impor-
nium Challenge Corporation country web- see its relative impact and effectiveness. It is tant area. MD
Partnerships
through employees working as volunteers, and
other resources such as transportation systems.
Organizations that participate in these
relationships bring diverse philosophies and
When expectations are clear, both sides capacities. These differences can be strengths
if successfully managed, but are more often the
can benefit. reasons that partnerships fail. NGOs and busi-
nesses can have different viewpoints, such as:
By Susan Rae Ross, CEO and Founder, SR International • World views. There are major discrep-
ancies between time horizons (quarterly
P
artnerships between non- developing innovative and sustainable solu- earnings for corporations vs. consensus
governmental organizations and corpo- tions. In addition, more and different types building for NGOs). These influence the
rations are unique because while both of resources—money, skills, and networks— implementation approaches, measures of
are private sector entities, their missions, are required to address existing and emerg- success and decision-making styles of the
motives and desired results are quite differ- ing issues. By bringing business models to respective organizations.
ent. In his book, The Collaborative Challenge, development challenges, NGOs that partner • Languages. Communication is often a
Dr. James Austin coined the term “cross-sec- with corporations have the potential to cre- challenge because partners have different
toral partnerships” to describe relationships ate programs at scale, capitalize on systems technical languages.
between organizations that work in different thinking to affect broader level impact, and • Status. There is often a vast difference in
sectors, such as NGOs and business. tap resources and networks that most devel- size and resources between NGOs and
Before continuing it is important to address opment professionals would not be able to corporations.
a common misconception. Partnerships access alone. As these benefits have become • Measures of success. Partners may use
between NGOs and corporations are not more widely recognized, the number and different timeframes and benchmarks to
public-private partnerships (PPPs). The lat- importance of such partnerships has grown. measure success. For example, businesses
ter, which receive a great deal of attention, are While these partnerships can be beneficial, may define success as increased visibility,
partnerships between a government agency, potential participants often do not fully under- enhanced employee morale or increased
such as USAID/Global Development Alliance, stand the assets that each party can bring to sales, while NGOs measure success in
and a for-profit entity. them. For example, NGOs often do not quan- terms of changes in human behavior such
NGO-corporate partnerships are important tify valuable assets they possess such as field as changes in mortality that require a lon-
for three key reasons. First, while globalization presence; country office infrastructure; local ger timeframe to see results.
and the technology revolution have made the knowledge; relationships with local communi-
world smaller, the world’s problems are becom- ties that improve effectiveness; the ability to pilot NGOs and businesses also often come to the
ing ever more global in scope and complex in new innovations and interventions; and policy table with preconceived notions of each other
nature. For example, diseases such as HIV/ advocacy and mobilization skills. On the other that reinforce old attitudes and may jeopardize
AIDS and Swine Flu easily cross national bor-
ders, requiring cooperative surveillance and Engagement Without Engagement With Exchange of
treatment. The more interconnected the world Exchange of Resources Resources for Common Purpose
becomes the broader the ripple effect individ- (Influencing) (Partnerships)
ual actions have on the entire interdependent
system. Second, more people are affected by Consulting/advising: includes NGOs Resource exchange (philanthropy): includes
providing technical expertise and/or exchange of financial resources (money), skills
these problems, while growing income inequi-
representing their clients/members. (people) and/or in-kind goods/services.
ties throughout the world mean many people
and communities lack the resources to effec- Consumerism/procurement sourcing: Transactional (fee for service): includes
tively confront the challenges. Third, current i.e., rewarding corporate practices by payment of a fee for a specific service with clearly
development approaches have had limited suc- buying practices. articulated deliverables (e.g., audit, research).
cess and the limited resources available for
Joint programming: builds on the ability of the
them have not been used to systematically Shareholder resolutions: petitions
partners to create new value that benefits both
address key issues that need to addressed to brought by the shareholders against
(e.g., licensing, franchising, cause marketing, co-
produce lasting change. corporations to change their practices.
branding).
The only way to address the growing com-
plexity of problems that affect more people is Campaigning: includes protests, media
Integrated programming: occurs when
to create new paradigms that maximize core campaigns, boycotts against bad
organizational missions become interdependent.
competencies of each sector. This is key to corporate and/or government practices.
their relationships. For example, the Prince of holder engagement framework that fully • Why do we want to partner?
Wales Business Leadership Forum Research captures the breadth of interactions between • What type of partnership do we want?
found that businesses often expect NGOs to NGO and corporations, ranging from mini- • How will we select our partner(s)?
provide value in specific business terms with- mal involvement to extensive relationships • What is the best type of partnership for
out social benefit, believe that NGOs are not such as joint ventures. us to use?
very effective or efficient in addressing prob- These interactions fall into two broad cate- • What level of effort do we need to make
lems, think NGOs foster dependency and see gories: those that involve exchanging resources to support the partnership?
NGOs as highly political. On the other hand, between the parties and those that do not. • What results do we want from the part-
NGOs often view corporations as the problem Engagement without resource exchanges are nership?
and distrust their motives, value them only as limited interactions that can influence busi-
check writers and expect businesses to help ness practices but are NOT partnerships as In summary, partnerships are not easy, par-
further their social missions without any busi- outlined in the accompanying table. On the ticularly when your partner has a different world
ness benefits. As a result, there has been limited other hand, engagements involving exchange view, goals, strategies and measures of success.
interest or trust on either side. of resources create partnerships to work on a In addition, there are risks that need to be con-
Historically, NGO relationships with cor- common area. They can vary in terms of the sidered by each party before entering into any
porations have been either confrontational level of involvement of each party, time frame, relationship. Despite these challenges, it is
(using tactics such as boycotts) or philan- strategies and expected outcomes. important that NGOs and corporations work
thropic (with corporations funding NGO Successful partnerships have three key together to meet the complex challenges we now
programs). But this has started to change over characteristics: mutual trust, clearly defined face. The process must begin by developing a
the past decade and relationships between goals and objectives, and well-articulated roles greater understanding of how both entities oper-
NGOs and corporations now cover a broad and responsibilities. Each party that wants to ate in order to find common ground and a solid
continuum of interactions, with partnerships create a successful partnership and realize its foundation for partnership. MD
being a relatively small piece. partnership goals requires a comprehensive
Recognizing this changing landscape, SR decision-making tree that includes answering For more information please contact the
International has developed a broad stake- these six key questions: author at susan@srint.org.
Fueling the Future thousands of Cookits are being used along with
fuel-efficient stoves and retained heat cooking
baskets in Chad, where the world’s largest pri-
vately funded solar cooker project run by Tchad
Maximizing fuel conservation with the Solaire employs ICS to dramatically reduce
Integrated Cooking System. trips by Darfur refugee women outside their
camps to search for firewood.
In Bolivia, the Centro de Desarrollo en
By Patricia McArdle, Member, Board of Directors, Solar Cooker International Energia Solar (CEDESOL) teaches campe-
sina women how to build solar box cookers
E
very 40 minutes, enough initiative to reduce biomass fuel consumption and use them as part of an integrated cooking
solar radiation hits our planet to meet and pollution from indoor cooking smoke. system. The Barli Development Institute for
all of Earth’s energy needs for a full year. An integrated cooking system (ICS) offers Rural Woman in Indore, India, uses a large-
Despite this abundance of free energy pouring the most complete and efficient use of three scale version of integrated cooking to feed the
down from the heavens, respiratory diseases simple devices to minimize the consumption several hundred female students living at the
from smoky kitchens still cause the premature of combustible fuel. institute. Meals are prepared in clean, smoke-
deaths of almost 2 million women and children The first principle of ICS is to always use free kitchens using concentrated sunlight from
every year. The development community can no free solar thermal energy when the sun is several large Scheffler reflectors on a terrace
longer ignore the power of the sun to perform shining by employing one of the many solar outside. On rainy days the girls cook over large
the simple task of cooking food and heating cooking devices available to bake, boil or fry fuel-efficient wood stoves.
water for the 1 billion people who live in sun- food. The second is to use scarce combustibles All cooking at the Institute is done during
drenched and fuel-starved parts of the world. in fuel-efficient stoves only after dark and on the day with solar cooked food kept hot for
The UN Foundation and the Shell Founda- cloudy days. The third is to enhance the effi- evening consumption in large, wooden,
tion have recently announced plans to spend ciency of both cooking devices with the use retained heat containers. Using this system, the
more than $100 million over the next five years of retained heat cooking containers (boxes Institute is saving thousands of dollars each
on the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. or baskets stuffed with straw, grass, leaves, year on cooking fuel. They no longer need to
The goal of this project is to bring clean cook- crumpled newspaper, cotton or wool, which cut down trees on their property since they can
ing solutions to the 500 million households surround and insulate the hot pot of food and obtain sufficient wood by collecting only dead
still cooking over wood, dung and charcoal by continue the cooking process for several more and fallen branches. Best of all, these students,
supporting the development and distribution hours using no fuel at all). who work in their clean, smoke-free school
of fuel-efficient biomass stoves. The project Wilfred Pimintel, a California Rotarian, kitchen, will some day take the integrated cook-
as currently conceived does not include solar pioneered the integrated cooking concept. ing concept back to their villages. MD
Photo: Patricia McArdle
cookers or retained heat cooking containers, He has organized and led integrated cooking
which can extend the cooking power of both workshops around the world in partnership The author’s novel, Farishta, about a female
solar cookers and fuel-efficient stoves. with prominent fuel-efficient stove experts diplomat who introduces solar cooking to refu-
The inclusion of integrated cooking systems like Ken Goyer and Larry Winiarski. The use gees and nomads in northern Afghanistan, will
would dramatically increase the ability of this of ICS can reduce by half again the already be published in August 2011 by Penguin Books.
Kjaer Group (US Liaison Office) Inc. | 1601 North Kent Street, Suite 100 | Arlington, Virginia 22209
Tel: (703) 778.9400 | Fax: (703) 778-9405 | USA@KjaerGroup.com | www.kjaergroup.com
Photo: John Gyovai
Aaron Williams
that we can have global memorandums of
understanding through global agreements
that will then allow our Peace Corps country
directors and the country directors/manag-
ing directors of the NGOs in the specific
Director of the Peace Corps countries to customize, design and tailor
programs that make sense from a develop-
ment standpoint in those particular coun-
tries. So all that is going to be the way I’m
Peace Corps because number one, we going to really try to stimulate and carry out
have the great tradition of almost 50 years effective, measured, targeted growth.
of volunteer service, and we now have the The second area in terms of my priorities
new call of service by President Obama and is innovation. I plan to open up an office of
Americans are really responding. We’ve got innovation in the Peace Corps very soon.
15,000 applications for 4,000 positions so I’m looking to hire a Director of Innovation
[there] is really a tremendous interest from and should be able to hire that person fairly
Americans [in] serving in the Peace Corps. quickly. I’m looking at innovation in terms
Not a month goes by when I don’t receive, of how can we actually come up with best
or one of our ambassadors or an ambas- practices and improve our overall man-
sador from a host country [doesn’t receive], agement of the Peace Corps; how can we
[a request from someone] who’s looking streamline and reform, and make sure that
to have the Peace Corps come into the we are the best organization we can be in
country, or re-enter their country, or expand the 21st century. I kind of see it, for lack of a
in their country. [There’s] really quite a bit better term, as my own in-house McKinsey.
of interest in Peace Corps growing. That’s That will give me a chance to look at the
the great news. volunteer selection recruitment and train-
I think in terms of how we move forward ing and our staff recruitment and training.
at this point in time, there are three areas [It will also help me to] look at our IT plat-
I am focusing on. First of all: growth. It’s form to make sure that we have an effec-
going to be targeted, measured growth and tive base for the new technology changes
Visit www.interaction.org/conversations we will grow in a couple of different ways. which are taking place, and which will also
to view a video excerpt of this interview First of all we are going into new countries. lend itself very well to our volunteers who
This year we’ve opened up Peace Corps are extraordinarily technologically savvy.
programs in Sierra Leone and Indonesia. We would like to look at our financial sys-
Earlier this year, InterAction’s These are the historic Kennedy Shriver Arab tems and all aspects of how we manage
Todd Shelton spoke with Peace Corps countries that we were in and so now we’re the Peace Corps; and this office of innova-
Director Aaron Williams, who shared his going back into those countries. That’s the tion has given me a basis for doing that.
thoughts on priorities, principles and other way that it is going to be important for us to The other thing that is important from an
key components of the organization’s work. grow, but that is not the fastest way to grow. innovation standpoint is that volunteers are
The fastest way for Peace Corps to grow innovating in the field all the time. I would
Todd Shelton: What would you say is to build on existing programs where we like to be able to capture those best prac-
are your priority areas for the Peace can expand rapidly; where we have very tices. For example, a group of volunteers
Corps, particularly as you look ahead good host country relationships, or excel- in Namibia came up with a text messaging
for this coming year? lent partners within the NGO community, or procedure for creating a health care referral
government partners where we can bring center that would allow young people in
Aaron Williams: There are areas that volunteers in quite quickly. Whether it is Namibia to have a safe place to send mes-
I’m focusing on in terms of the Peace Corps in education, health, IT training, environ- sages about their health care concerns. It
Photo: Peace Coprs
and looking at a Peace Corps that would ment, agriculture, etc. we can expand in was so effective that the government in
be strengthening and growing in the 21st all those areas. Namibia has now used that on a nation-
century. First of all, let me say that we are Secondly, I’m looking to develop partner- wide basis. So we would like to be able to
very fortunate at this point in time at the ships that will help us in terms of growth. capture those kinds of practices and make
sure they are available in every country that back to an organization that really means a partnership with the universities, because I
the Peace Corps serves. lot to me and it is a marvelous example of think Peace Corps should play an important
So the first two are growth and inno- the outstanding tradition of service. role in Secretary Clinton’s food security ini-
vation, and the third area that is one of tiative. Therefore we plan to grow that par-
my priorities right now is the pursuit TS: You’ve talked a little about this third ticular aspect of Peace Corps’ involvement.
of the Peace Corps famous third goal. goal and you’ve talked about innova-
Our third goal has always been to bring tion. What do you think are some of the TS: Well that leads right into my next
back this rich experience you’ve had as principles that you would like to see the question building on the last, which
a Peace Corps volunteer and use that to Peace Corps focus on, and why? is, what is the role of the Peace Corps
strengthen America in terms of their knowl- within the interagency effort on global
edge of another country, culture, language, AW: I think we’re in a very good spot. hunger and the food security initiative?
etc., and really strengthen our society by Peace Corps is a unique organization in What is your role?
bringing that back home. So now we have many ways. First of all, it represents the fin-
(today in the Peace Corps) about 200,000 est tradition of American service for almost AW: We participate in global health initia-
returned Peace Corps volunteers. 50 years. We are going to celebrate our tive and we are also participating in the
And they are leaders in every walk of life. 50th anniversary in 2011. [It has been 50 food security initiative. Volunteers at the
We have six returned Peace Corps vol- years] since President Kennedy created the grassroots level in the countries where we
unteers in the Congress. We have many Peace Corps and its first leader, Sergeant serve work in those sectors, so we intend
staffers on Capitol Hill, leaders in business, Shriver, created this dynamic organization. to continue to be there and grow those
public health, medicine, higher education, And we’ve always had three goals. Our sectors in terms of health and food security
primary and secondary education. In all first goal is to provide trained men and and agriculture.
aspects of American life you have Peace women to work on development projects
Corps volunteers who are leaders and they that represent the priorities of recipient TS: The Peace Corps has traditionally
are important players in their sectors. And countries, the host countries where we served as a development training acad-
we want to be sure that as we connect work. The second goal has been to give emy in some sense and an opportunity
these 200,000 (and more) [volunteers] that the people of those countries where we to gain field experience, for NGO staff
we give them a chance to engage broadly serve the opportunity to see face-to-face, for example. The Peace Corps should
in America, and that is something that we working shoulder-to-shoulder, the typical take some satisfaction in the number
really want to promote here at Peace Corps. American and what the real face of America of government and NGO staff whose
is all about; in all of this richness in diver- development careers its launched. I
TS: In your opinion, what did you bring sity and every aspect of our society. And guess that’s more of a comment from
to this job that nobody else may have the third goal has been bring that tradition our side, an observation. Will you see
been able to bring in the same way? Or back home, bring that experience back this continue?
put another way, what is one skill that home and contribute to American society.
would be most helpful in addressing So the wonderful thing about the Peace AW: Oh I think that’s right and I believe it is
these growth issues and other priorities Corps, Todd, is that we’re still pursuing going to continue. Let me just give a couple
that you’ve mentioned? those three goals. And those three goals of observations about that. When I travel
continue to be important and I think extraor- overseas to look at volunteers, looking at
AW: I think that my experience as a Per- dinarily relevant in the 21st century. the countries where we serve, I see a couple
formance Services Officer and Develop- things. First of all, Peace Corps volunteers
ment Professional, and having served 22 TS: That’s great. We’ve heard that food continue to be culturally sensitive and able
years with the U.S. Agency International security might be a rising priority within to work at lots of different levels in differ-
Development, it gives me a perspective the Peace Corps, how is that impacting ent societies. They are linguistically skilled.
on development. I’ve worked in all the field assignments? We teach 250 different languages, so our
continents. I’ve spent half of my career at volunteers speak many different languages
USAID in fuel positions (mission director AW: Well if you look back at the Peace and they are very adept at doing that.
in a couple different countries and senior Corps historically in the ‘60s when Ser- Most recently, when I was in Jordan a
positions in Washington), so I have a pretty geant Shriver launched this organization, couple of weeks ago, I saw volunteers who
good perspective on development issues we had very strong ties to the university had been trained by the Peace Corps who
across the board in all the sectors. But also communities, especially land grant univer- are now fluent in Arabic after a year or two
as a returned Peace Corps volunteer, it is sities. They were places where we trained of serving in Jordan. Quite extraordinary. I
an unique opportunity to come back to this our volunteers, where we recruited faculty think that it’s going to be important for us to
organization which really changed my life to serve as staff members [and] they pro- continue to provide these opportunities to
forever, which gave me a career opportu- vided technical assistance to the design and Americans again and these kinds of skills.
nity that I probably never would have envi- implementation of our programs. I’d like to It’s definitely going to lead to more and
sioned early in my life. It’s a chance to give try to recapture and regain that kind of a more Americans pursuing careers in inter-
it. But the next question was, how does also in terms of our country directors) the to build on that platform and make it even
the Peace Corps handle partnerships latitude to customize and tailor programs stronger as we move to the 21st century so
with the NGOs as a way to amplify their as it makes sense from the development we can have an innovative and strength-
field impact? standpoint. ened Peace Corps as we move forward. MD
Gender-Based
ongoing, building on opportunities to be proac-
tive about GBV prevention and protection of
women. It is possible to prevent incidents by
Violence
ensuring that women are not at risk because of
the construction or layout of camps and settle-
ments, or because of the way humanitarian aid
is distributed. It is essential to encourage the
security sector, specifically the Haitian National
H
aitian women have suf- remains and helping women access them has
fered various forms of violence been an enormous challenge. The first task was
throughout history, exacerbated by the to ensure women’s access to essential services.
many political projects, conflicts, and natu- This was done firstly by supporting a system of
ral disasters that have taken place. Rape is a referral and care to ensure survivors have knowl-
political weapon used in times of turmoil and edge and access to healthcare, psychosocial care
instability. It is both a tool and an outcome of and legal aid. In addition, there is a broad, ongo-
violence. In post-earthquake Haiti, women are ing information, education and communication
again experiencing renewed violence. campaign. It includes radio messaging and has
And yet there is a vibrant feminist move- expanded to TV and theater. Messages address
ment. The National Taskforce to End Violence both prevention and response. Another key
Against Women, a group comprised of gov- strategy is the continued work with the national
ernment, international agencies and civil soci- police, training them to receive and respond to
ety has put in place a system and structures cases safely, effectively and appropriately.
for preventing, responding to and tracking
gender-based violence. In fact, in 2005 the The most powerful
taskforce released its National Action Plan to
Combat Violence Against Women for 2006- strategy is to strengthen
2011. Efforts are now underway to revive it
in the aftermath of the earthquake.
the resilience of families
The earthquake decimated the Ministry for and communities.
Women and took with it many key feminist
leaders. It also crippled the Haitian National these members help to prevent and respond to While all of these strategies are being put
Police—an unfortunate loss particularly as gender-based violence. The Sub-Cluster hopes into place, the rains are arriving and hurri-
many UN organizations had begun providing to institutionalize existing GBV mechanisms, cane season has begun. People continue to be
training to police on gender issues and gender- enhance them with global good practice and relocated to safer camps, but it is not yet clear
based violence was integrated in police training help take them to scale. The Sub-Cluster is co- what this will mean for women’s security. The
curriculum. Much of the human resources and chaired by the Haitian Ministere a la Condition challenges remain overwhelming.
momentum was lost during the earthquake, but Feminine et aux Droits des Femmes (MCFDF) But this problem is not exclusive to Haiti,
efforts are being made to identify what remains and includes technical experts, activists and and thinking that it is only a Haitian problem is
and to support and build on prior activities. advocates who believe that it is possible to end a disservice to Haitian women. The unfortunate
The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Sub- gender-based violence in Haiti. Even one case reality is that gender-based violence occurs
Cluster is a coordination mechanism for the of violence is one too many. everywhere; no country is immune. It is widely
Photo: Lina Abirafeh
humanitarian response. It includes over 450 believed that sexual violence increases dur-
members representing over 200 different orga- Preventing and responding to GBV ing emergencies because of the absence of law
nizations including the Haitian government, Immediate efforts focused on responding to and order, lack of support services, increased
the UN, NGOs and civil society. Together, GBV. However, preventive mechanisms are also vulnerability, and breakdown of community
networks and social structures. The world witnessed this after Hurricane consumes staff time that could be better spent on supporting services
Katrina and in so many other places. for survivors and promoting protection systems. Because of the inherent
limitations of this type of data collection, planning for prevention and
Monitoring GBV response during a crisis will necessarily be based on anecdotal evidence
Data remains inaccurate and can only present a portion of the real- obtained through a variety of sources. We know gender-based violence
ity. Additionally, the lack of justice mechanisms keeps women from is occurring. We do not need data to tell us this. Reporting inaccurate
reporting. Perpetrators operate with impunity and, as a result, women numbers presents an incomplete picture and could inadvertently lead
often believe they need to remain silent if they want to survive. people to believe either that gender-based violence is not a problem in
Gender-based violence is under-reported everywhere, even in coun- Haiti or that those who work tirelessly to support Haitian women are
tries with well functioning, high-quality services. In Haiti, where basic not doing their jobs. Accurate figures will come only when services are
services have been lost, it is unlikely that the reported cases of violence in place and women are comfortable enough accessing them.
will tell us anything about the magnitude of the problem. Gender-based Despite the unprecedented nature of this disaster, there are great oppor-
violence continues to be a problem as it was before the earthquake. tunities. The earthquake might present an opportunity to set a new
And yet it is still important to re-establish monitoring, reporting and paradigm to better address gender-based violence in emergencies and
coordination mechanisms. This is done by strengthening the national times of stability. This can be a time for change—a time to prioritize
response through the National Taskforce and by building the capacity women’s empowerment and address the root causes of vulnerability. This
of public institutions. The National Taskforce went to great lengths is a chance to create opportunities for women to participate in all aspects
for many years to formalize the national form for data collection on of life meaningfully and ensure women benefit from all services. Achiev-
gender-based violence. The process was completed in December, shortly ing these goals requires continuous advocacy for gender integration in
before the earthquake decimated the Women’s Ministry and its data all aspects of the response. Nothing is gender neutral. The knowledge
collection unit. and opinions of Haitian women must be an integral part of the process.
Those working on gender-based violence are often overwhelmed by Their voices must be listened to and their ideas and concerns integrated
pressure from donors, the media and others for figures that will provide into policies and programming. They must be given the space and sup-
some indication of the severity of sexual violence in the context of a crisis. port to be active participants in the effort to build a new society that rests
This is an impossible request to fill and one that, unfortunately, often on principles of human rights and particularly women’s rights. MD
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CLEMENTS INTERNATIONAL
®
HEAT
bombing in 2003, a triple hotel attack in 2010,
a Kabul UN guesthouse attack in 2009 and the
2010 Haiti earthquake. The lessons from these
incidents underscore the training. For example,
students learn that a single bombing or suicide
attack may not be the end of the attack, but
may instead the prelude to another attack in the
same area or other locations across a city. HEAT
has a core curriculum that is adapted to the
specific needs of those being trained. It is not
“off the shelf ” or “one size fits all” but the basic
Hostile Environment
skills are essentially the same in all variations.
Methodology
All HEAT courses highlight the fact that
F
o r anyon e e ngag e d in tactics used by those seeking to prevent NGOs becoming dangerous. Specifically, it should help
humanitarian relief, the death of Brazil- from completing their vital mission. Periodic individuals develop the ability to:
ian diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, the refresher training ensures that HEAT addresses • Recognize the indicators of trouble early;
United Nations representative in Iraq, in 2003 new or evolving threats and risks. • Evaluate the indicators methodically; and
marked a tragic and profound date. Before that Unfortunately, local NGOs and smaller inter- • Avoid the potential danger before it can
time, humanitarian relief work had its risks national organizations often do not have the threaten, or
and dangers, but people seeking to provide aid time and resources to provide staff members • Defuse the unavoidable in order to
and comfort to people were not the deliberate with pre-deployment awareness training, on- • Extract themselves and their colleagues
targets of violence. The bomb that destroyed the going intelligence briefings and risk advisory to safety.
UN offices in Baghdad on that August day ush- reports to support them, let alone to create a
ered in a new era of terror. From that point on, complete crisis management plan. The training should also cover the medical
it became increasingly clear that NGOs working Many NGOs also want to operate within effects of extreme heat (or cold depending on
in hostile or post-conflict locations must accept their own guidelines, which often means adopt- the country) relevant diseases and dangerous
the fact that they are potential targets. ing a low profile and non-aggressive policy of animals. It should also include first aid train-
engagement with local populations. High-pro- ing because emergency services may not be a
An essential requirement file security is seen as incompatible with that simple phone call away.
As increasing numbers of NGOs are explic- approach. As a result, to keep their staff safe and
itly targeted for violence by insurgent or ter- provide them with appropriate pre-deployment Course content
rorist groups, the need for security precautions training, these groups are increasingly turn- Each course should be tailored to the place
has increased exponentially. Hostile environ- ing to security professionals to provide HEAT where participants will work or visit. It should
ment awareness training (HEAT) combined workshops and courses. This training provides begin with country awareness and cover high
with crisis management planning is an essential information and tactics that attendees can use threat and no-go areas. It should then address
requirement to prepare people working in high- to prepare themselves for what they will likely the modus operandi of criminal gangs, terrorists
threat conditions and disaster zones, as well as encounter and immediately apply this informa- groups, militias or insurgents, and an assess-
managers responsible for staff and operations tion once they are in a high-threat environment. ment of what is ongoing in the country and what
in those environments. Ideally it is the first step To the greatest degree possible, HEAT might happen with little or no notice. For high
in preparing people before deployment and courses use real-world examples to provide a threat environments it should also cover the
provides up-to-date, in-theatre intelligence, context for the training, using case studies and types of weapons in use, their effects and how
based on constantly evolving techniques and high-profile incidents such as the UN Baghdad armed groups use them. This is often referred
to as Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP). them when they are in the field so they can determine if a staff member
Personal security, residence, hotel and travel security advice cannot is physically and psychologically fit to operate in a hostile environment
eliminate the risk of crime, kidnapping or terrorist incidents, but it can and medical support that might be needed.
reduce the risk and help people prepare for such events. With kidnap- In addition to implementing a mobilization policy, organizations should
pings, for example, HEAT helps people better understand the threat, its also incorporate a pre-determined “crisis response structure” to deal with
indicators, the impact and the sequence of responses by their government the main operational and business continuity issues that may arise. Most
or company. It should discuss the anatomy of a kidnapping, how notifica- importantly, if an unfortunate situation is to arise, staff can easily and
tion is made, what to expect if you or an employee is kidnapped—both confidently manage or delegate family liaison issues and media handling.
from the kidnapper and behind the scenes at your organization—the These simple steps can make a huge difference in the perception of how
role of the crisis team, and how a negotiator is involved. organizations handle such crises.
From the corporate “duty of care” point of view, HEAT is a fundamental
Benefits part of any security management plan. It reduces the risk of an interna-
For individuals, HEAT gives them confidence in their ability to work tional incident negatively impacting your organization. In addition to
effectively in dangerous environments where the need for their services boosting employee morale and confidence, the training demonstrates to
is often the greatest. It also boosts morale among co-workers as they employees that the organization is informing them of the risks involved
realize that their organization is providing the vital knowledge and tools in high-risk assignments and is providing training to mitigate those risks
to accomplish their mission as safely as possible. Finally, and perhaps to the greatest extent possible.
most importantly, the ongoing training guards against the biggest threat
to good security: complacency. Refresher HEAT sessions provide up-to- Conclusion
the-minute information on new threats and incidents that serve as vivid As those working in humanitarian relief know all too well, complete
reminders of the need to keep in practice what was learned in HEAT. security in the world’s danger zones is not possible. HEAT is not a means
At the corporate level, HEAT helps organizations appreciate the impor- of entirely eliminating risks, but it will mitigate them. It serves to focus
tance of combining the training with implementation of a coherent the mind, prepare the individual for the possibility of an incident and,
internal mobilization policy. This includes providing staff before they should a serious incident occur, dramatically increase the likelihood of
deploy with comprehensive medical information materials that will help survival. MD
Coca-Cola,
Spurred by the audience success of a highly popular Peruvian soap
opera, Simplemente Maria, in encouraging enrollment in adult literacy
classes, Sabido and a team of researchers painstakingly analyzed the
Golden Arches
popular soap opera frame by frame. The result was the E-E theory he
later put into practice when he developed a series of radio soap operas
Soap
geared towards inspiring behavior change at the individual level.
& Forty years later, E-E has grown into a rich and diverse field of
practice and scholarship throughout the globe. From a reality TV
series produced by Soul City, to the storyline consultations provided
by the Hollywood Health & Society Program of the Norman Lear
Operas
Center at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School, to
the combination of E-E and social marketing used in Media Impact’s
My Community program, entertaining media is increasingly being
employed to address complex social issues. Yet, the question remains:
What is the role of media in encouraging individual and collective
behavior changes for the greater social good?
Several, says Dr. Arvind Singhal, a professor at the University of
Texas El Paso and E-E veteran who cut his teeth conducting the first
Integrating effective, academic reviews of E-E programs in the mid-1980s. According to Dr.
Singhal, the power of E-E to address complex social issues lies in its
Entertainment-Education potential to “show possibilities which are not normative; possibilities
communications into that go beyond what people are experiencing now,” but that are still
rooted in every-day stories.The use of E-E to tackle the complexities
development programming. of issues like climate change seems a natural fit that could have big
impacts, says Dr. Singhal. “The opportunities lie in E-E’s potentiality to
tackle these intractable problems with a research-based understanding
By Lindsey Wahlstrom, Program Coordinator,
and a creative subversion,” he said, adding that the use of drama allows
PCI-Media Impact this important exchange in the context of showing and not telling.
To ensure complex messages are brought to the target audience
I
n an increasingly noisy communications world, in the most intelligible way, E-E professionals often gather stories
development professionals face an added challenge of sculpting mes- from community members through a story harvest, explains Javier
sages that cut through the advertising and media clutter and reach the Ampuero, Regional Program Director, Media Impact. Ampuero, who
target audience. Still, as frustrating as it may be, providing knowledge has spent the last 20 years employing the tenets of E-E in everything
and influencing attitudes is not sufficient to change behaviors at the from mainstream media, to comic book competitions to radio soap
individual and community levels. operas, argues that this local context is critical to generating successful
Globalization has proven the influence of social media and Hol- messages that truly reach the target audience and sway public opinion,
lywood on shaping cultural norms that have, as Thomas Freedman ultimately shifting cultural norms.
would argue, “flattened the world.” Too often, said Ampuero, communication professionals believe they
That said, why are the products of Hollywood, which often promote publish the supposed solitary “truth” when, in fact, the voices of those
unsustainable livelihoods attainable only by the richest of the rich, so people most affected by this truth are excluded from the dialogue.
popular among the poorest of the poor, while the messages of how Take, for example, the conversation surrounding HIV/AIDS. Often
doctors and medical professionals are sought-out to opine on the issue, worked with local authorities and stakeholders to do everything from
yet people living with HIV/AIDS are excluded from the conversation, addressing violence at community pubs to educating citizens about
further marginalizing an already stigmatized group. HIV/AIDS and building vegetable gardens to feed young orphans. The
“To make the issues visible, that is what is important,” said Ampuero. He participants were, in essence, “rewriting communities,” said Ramafoko.
adds that communication has three roles in development: raising aware- The story of Soul City—like many stories of E-E programs—is the
ness of the issues, developing local capacities, and fomenting a sense of story of communications for social change. Robert Cohen, Director at
ownership among the target audience to truly create lasting cultural shifts. Rain Barrel Communications, explains that communications for social
“Development only occurs when people are involved. It’s not data, change is a participatory process that “involves people and communities
not news, not kids who wear a shirt with the campaign’s logo,” said in taking control of their own lives and futures by using the traditional
Ampuero. “Development is when I, my family, my community let and new technologies to improve their lives and to strengthen their
these changes enter in our lives—when [development] is personified human rights, and to challenge the injustices in most societies, but
in the people.” also to protect their health, educate others and themselves, and make
No one knows the importance of this type of behavioral change their voices heard in decision-making.”
at the individual and community level more than Lebo Ramafoko, Cohen, who spent years working in journalism and as a communica-
Senior Executive for Media for the Soul City Institute of Health and tion staffer and speechwriter at UNICEF, sees this empowerment and
Development Communication in South Africa. Ramafoko joined engagement as critical to affecting lasting change in communities. He
the Soul City team in 1995, when the soap opera first became famous argues that awareness “needs to be complemented by empowerment
for inspiring community members throughout South Africa to bang and a more scientific understanding of the culture, living conditions,
pots outside of houses where domestic abuse was taking place. Last enabling factors and obstacles that people face in their daily lives, and by an
year, the organization made what is believed to be the first foray of understanding that involving people in communication and social change
E-E into Reality TV with the production and broadcast of Kwanda: processes really has the greater potential for making a lasting impact.”
Communities with Soul, a reality program wherein participants from Ampuero agreed and explained that moving forward communica-
five communities strategically designed and implemented community tions should no longer be viewed as a separate initiative to promote
makeovers geared toward addressing issues of local concern. the gains of other development initiatives, but rather be involved as
Through the course of the three-month program, participants a core pillar of the program from the first stages of program design.
Some organizations are already including communication profes-
sionals during the design and implementation phases of development
programs. “That’s what we are seeking, to be part of the intervention,”
said Ampuero. “Communication for development should be inside
of—a component of—the intervention.”
Including communications as a pillar of development programs is
only one of the innovations in the E-E field, which is evolving at such
a rapid rate and in such a variety of ways that there is no clear vision
of its future. Indeed, communications for development, especially E-E,
is increasingly being accepted as a useful mechanism for engaging
and empowering target audiences in the improvement of their own
communities and lives and perhaps by looking at the evolution of the
field from its creation until now, we can glimpse where it is headed.
According to Dr. Singhal, many lessons can be distilled from the
first three decades of E-E work. Most importantly: Be humble because
E-E is a small but potentially powerful component of development.
Strategically dovetail the on-air E-E program with ongoing on-the-
ground initiatives, including service delivery. Don’t preach, but show
the audience the possibilities of modeling desirable behavior changes.
And, finally, continue to learn about the power of new media channels,
mobile platforms and social media, because the patterns of enter-
tainment consumption will continue to change.E-E may not be the
magic panacea that solves all of our development problems, nor will
all agencies implement communications-based programs. Still, E-E
does provide a unique opportunity to make important pro-social
and environment messages as appealing and noticeable as, say, the
all-too-familiar golden arches. MD
Best Practices
could benefit others? Send your
summary of less than 1000 words to
cbrobst@interaction.org and share
your expertise with the entire NGO
community.
Reconstruction Toolkit
if it led to rampant deforestation
of the watersheds and the rain-
forests of Sumatra. Similarly, the
and Training
rush to supply fishing communi-
ties with boats, both bigger and
better than the ones they lost,
might provide short-term re-
Humanitarian and conservation organizations can lief—but at the cost of depleting
fisheries that were already being
collaborate to build back safer. harvested beyond their capacity
to regenerate.
By Robert Laprade, former Director of Programs Aceh, the Indonesian province From these and other con-
for the Tsunami Recovery Program, American Red that was among the hardest hit cerns evolved an extraordinary
areas. In the immediate, chaotic five-year partnership in which the
Cross, and Anita van Breda, Director, Humanitarian aftermath, WWF became a de American Red Cross Tsunami
Partnerships, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) facto, temporary relief organiza- Recovery Program and WWF
tion: its Aceh office converted committed to work together in
into a support center for or- the tsunami-affected areas to en-
phaned children and its staff sure that human needs were met
distributed food and medicine as in ways that would not increase
best they could until relief spe- vulnerability to future disasters
cialists from humanitarian orga- or undermine the sustainability
nizations such as the American of natural resources on which
Red Cross arrived in force. the rebuilt communities would
What happened in the months depend long after the immediate
that followed was a learning pro- emergency was over.
cess for both of us and some- “Partnering with WWF helped
thing of a turning point for how us think creatively about how to
we, and organizations like ours, meet the needs of survivors,”
should view disaster response says Gerald Anderson, Senior
and reconstruction in the devel- Director of the American Red
oping world going forward. Cross Tsunami Recovery Pro-
A man in Sri Lanka tends to a compost container. As a humanitarian organiza- gram. “It helped us conduct
tion, the most immediate priority recovery programming with mini-
for the American Red Cross is mal adverse effects on surround-
Although our two fortable misconception that they to alleviate human suffering and ing ecosystems and protect nat-
organizations have long worked were separate and quite distinct help communities devastated ural resiliency which can mitigate
in many of the same places, it endeavors. by disaster rebuild and recover. the effects of future disasters on
Photo: Daniel Cima/American Red Cross
used to be that we had very little All that changed on December As a conservation organization, communities.”
to do with one another. Like next 26, 2004, when the Indian Ocean WWF’s concern, in the aftermath Surveys conducted after the
door neighbors who exchange tsunami swept across parts of of the tsunami, was to ensure tsunami of the damage across
pleasantries without ever get- Asia and East Africa, killing over that recovery and reconstruction the affected region indicated that
ting to know one another, we 225,000 people and displacing would not do more harm to the areas with intact and healthy
pursued our respective mis- 1.7 million more. environment and the ecosystem coastal ecosystems suffered far
sions—humanitarian assistance At the time, WWF had a on which the rebuilt communities fewer losses than areas where
and conservation—in the com- large conservation presence in would ultimately depend. More natural defense systems had
been destroyed to make way for develop- to projects across the tsunami-afflicted nized and empowered local communi-
ment. For example areas with intact man- area, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka, Thailand ties to protect the Krueng Sabee wa-
grove forests—natural buffers against storm and the Maldives. While individual tsunami tershed, upon which more than 20,000
surges—fared better than areas where the recovery projects were tailored to meet the people rely for their drinking, cooking
mangroves had been cleared to make way needs of survivors, a principle that guided and washing needs. This community-
for aquaculture or development. One of the the Tsunami Recovery Program as a whole based effort has protected the water-
best defenses against the wrath of nature, it was that projects should help people rebuild shed by curbing illegal logging and gold
turns out, is often nature itself. their lives without harming the ecosystem on mining, ensuring drinking water supplies
The underlying message here is that natu- which they depend to reduce future risks and and supporting livelihoods, such as fish-
ral disasters are rarely ever completely “natu- vulnerability. ing, that depend on natural resources.
ral.” The toll they inflict is usually compound- A few examples:
ed by human misjudgment: siting expensive • In Sri Lanka, the partnership helped We have taken our experience and the
infrastructure like hotels too close to the sea- families adopt environmentally friendly lessons we have learned over the past five
shore; destruction of wetlands, mangroves waste management practices assisting years of our collaboration and incorporated
and coral reefs that serve as coastal buffers; a total of 1,978 families in 52 villages to them into the “Green Recovery and Recon-
and rampant deforestation that destroys bio- carry out hygiene promotion, compost- struction: Training Toolkit for Humanitarian
diversity and causes soil erosion and deadly ing and organic home gardening. Aid”—GRRT for short.
mudslides in the event of flooding. • In Thailand, we promoted better solid It is written and offered in the hopes that
Along with the Green Reconstruction Pol- waste management through a school- other humanitarian and conservation organi-
icy Guidelines that WWF had developed for based recycling program in which stu- zations will find it useful in their own efforts
Aceh, we took the WWF conservation knowl- dents collect recyclables and deposit to build back safer in the wake of disasters
edge and the international humanitarian them in a “garbage bank” in exchange by incorporating environmental sustain-
expertise of American Red Cross and their for gifts or small monetary rewards. ability and risk reduction into their disaster
partners, and applied an integrated approach • In Indonesia, we have educated, orga- response. A common misconception is that
environmental considerations are too time
consuming, too complex and too expensive
to take into account when responding to
emergencies. Our experience says otherwise
and we would like to share it.
The GRRT, which focuses on international
operations, was developed by our organiza-
tions over the past 18 months and peer re-
viewed by experts from CARE, Oxfam, Save
the Children, Mercy Corps, RedR, the Inter-
national Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies and the United Nations
Master of Science: Environment Programme among others. It
Events
It’s free and easy to publicize
your upcoming events in Monday
Developments Magazine. Send your
event’s name, date, location and
contact information to publications@
interaction.org
Visit: careers.interaction.org
Cook Stoves research in West Wollega, Ethiopia, has combustion pollutants to discourage their
continued from page 17 revealed that children, in most cases girls, presence. We need to remain vigilant to
spend up to 40 hours per week collect- the unintended consequences of our good
tend to absorb more pollutants because ing fuel for home fires. These forays into works.
they breathe more rapidly than adults. wooded or isolated areas subject young Our profession now finds itself at the
In the end, young children receive a women to rape or abduction, as is cur- threshold of an exceptional opportunity.
larger dose of toxins relative to their body rently the case in the eastern part of the Collectively we possess political support,
weight. This is bad enough, but then it Democratic Republic of the Congo. industrial partnerships and the know-how
gets worse. The public health case for the Global Al- to sustainably save lives, improve liveli-
Respected estimates suggest that poor liance’s initiative is indisputable. However, hoods and promote environmental stew-
indoor air quality is a major contributor our profession should recall in moments ardship. Let’s embrace this remarkable
to the premature deaths of some 2 mil- of sobriety that no good turn goes unpun- clean cookstove initiative with our heads,
lion people each year, primarily women ished. We should anticipate a possible our hearts and a sense of urgency. MD
and children. This is roughly twice the resurgence of vectors normally repelled by
annual mortality associated with malaria. indoor smoke; insects may return to their Questions can be sent to the author at
Compounding matters, my organization’s old haunts with diminishing amounts of David.Dyjack@ADRA.org
Director of Finance
Kabul, Afghanistan
Senior Petroleum
Engineering Advisor
Kabul, Afghanistan
Sudan Country
Director
Juba, Sudan
Senior Integrated
Water Resource
Management Policy
Analyst
Kabul, Afghanistan
Based on RDA Group’s GQRS cumulative survey at three months of service in three surveys of 2009 Ford and competitive owners conducted 9/08-5/09.
1
Based on analysis of data published by EPA (11/09). 3Star ratings are part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safercar.gov program (www.safercar.gov).
2