Rumble: Art from the girls

Hannah, my youngest, made this sculpture. A tropical fish amongst the coral...

Rumble: Knowing when to duck

A report released by the UN last month documented 490 attacks on UN offices, convoys, and premises between July 2007 and June this year, resulting in the deaths of 26 staff.

At least 63 NGO (non-governmental organizations) aid workers were murdered during the same period. (Full)

WFP released this video showing the security challenges aid workers face:



More on The Road about aid workers

Rumble: The Road's Kiva project 6: Ganna Shkirta

Here is a summary of The Road's sixth social project:

A micro-financing loan to Ganna Shkirta in Ukraine.

Ganna successfully runs her own fruit and vegetable sales business in downtown Korolyovo, Ukraine. She started her business 7 years ago.

One of the main secrets of her success is its favorable location in a busy neighborhood. Many customers have become loyal clients.

Ganna loves her work. She manages all her finances herself. Currently, she has about 15,000 Grivnas (+- US$2,700) invested in her business. Her monthly net profit is about 5,000 Grivnas (+- US$900).

Ganna requested a loan to purchase additional merchandise to increase her sales. With the additional profits, Ganna plans to continue developing her business, providing stable and consistent income for her family. (See Ganna's full profile on Kiva)

This loan goes through "Hope Ukraine", the local micro financing partner of Kiva.

Loan Request: $875
Repayment terms: 8 months (Deadline Aug 15 2009)
We gave her a loan of US$50

This is The Road's 6th social project. The funds for this loan were donated by the VK0IR Heard Island expedition team.


More on The Road's social project "Change Starts Here".
Leaving a comment on this post contributes US$1 to the project.
You can keep track of our project via our score card.

News: US foreign aid and impartiality. A bad score.

The United States, the world's largest international aid donor, is among the worst at promoting the independence, impartiality and neutrality of humanitarian aid to needy populations, according to a survey by a Madrid-based nonprofit group that monitors donors' performance.

The Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA) Humanitarian Response Index 2008 measures how effectively the world's 23 largest donors deliver aid. The United States ranked 15th in overall effectiveness and only 13th in the level of generosity measured by the size of its economy.

But it ranked near the bottom, 22nd, when it came to ensure that political considerations don't exclude worthy recipients of aid. (Details)

DARA's findings reflect what it called the United States' use of humanitarian assistance to achieve military or political goals in eight crisis zones the group studied, including Afghanistan, Colombia and the Palestinian territories. (Full)

Discovered via AidNews

Cartoon courtesy CartoonStock

Rumble: One of the reasons I like the job I do

There are days where I, as an aid worker, think: "Am I really making a difference?". There are other days where I reflect: "Maybe in the grand scheme of things, I don't, but I surely have the power invested in me, my position, to change the lives of those around me."

And that is important. Even before I became a manager, I took "the influence I could have on those around me" seriously. But in a more senior position as I am in now, this became even more apparent.

Today, I was reminded of that. I participated in job interviews. There were five candidates. Several of them were jewels of people. People with potential, with a drive, with a will to make a difference both in their job, and in the world.

We asked them "Why do you want to work with us?". Several answered: "Because you are not a company, you are an aid organisation. You make a difference. That difference is important in my choice of employer."

I might not have many things I am good in, but one of the qualities I have is to spot the diamonds in a crowd. I can spot those people with potential. And with the power invested in me as a manager, I have the opportunity to change the lives of these people in a way. I can give them a job, which I know will be a good match with them. A job in which they will grow and bloom. But it is not only that. I know for several of those we interviewed today, this day will be remembered as "the day I joined the organisation". And they will remember it with a smile.

That is the difference I made today. And that also makes me smile. I made a difference today.

Rumble: Web 2.0 and African farmers

The use of technology in rural development has always been a hot debate amongst "those who mean well". Some say it is better to use and encourage traditional methods. Others are convinced technology has no frontier and needs to be brought to those that can benefit the most.

Web 2.0, the collaborative Web, is one of those technologies. This video illustrates how data communications together with collaborative technologies such as blogs, vlogs, podcasts, wiki-type knowledge bases and discussion fora could help spread knowledge in rural areas.

BROSDI (Busoga Rural Open Source & Development Initiative) is an example of a not-for-profit organization in Uganda that works with government and the civil society in improving rural livelihoods using Web 2.0 technology.
Discovered via For Those Who Want to Know".

Rumble: The Road's Kiva project 5: Sopheap Chun

Here is a summary of The Road's fifth social project:

A micro-financing loan to the Sopheap Chun Village Group in Cambodia.

Sopheap Chun is 22 mother of two children. She is married to Chhit Ka, who is a palm juice collector.

Sopheap is the village bank president of a bank loan which consists of fifteen people, in Andoung Russey (Kampong Chhnang Province in Cambodia). She is also a pot maker in the local village.

She is looking to purchase new equipment for their business. A loan would also allow her to buy additional materials to produce more palm sugar.

This is an End-of-Term village bank loan, considered as the most beneficial to Cambodia’s poor. It allows them to repay portions of the principal whenever they are financially able to. Most start to make payments many months before the end of the loan term. (See the group's full profile on Kiva)

This loan goes through "AMK", the local micro financing partner of Kiva.

Loan Request: $1,900
Repayment terms: 11 months (Deadline Dec 15 2009)
We gave them a loan of US$100

This is The Road's 5th social project. The funds for this loan were donated by the VK0IR Heard Island expedition team.


More on The Road's social project "Change Starts Here".
Leaving a comment on this post contributes US$1 to the project.
You can keep track of our project via our score card.

Picture of the day: Soldier of the Congo

A government soldier walks through the looted village of Kayna after a day of fighting in eastern Congo.

More Pictures of the Day on The Road

Picture courtesy REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly

News: Global recession and aid: Bad outlook for the poorest.

Remember my post After the global financial crisis comes the global humanitarian crisis?

Well today both the optimists and the pessimists hit the news. Or maybe they are both pessimists.

On one hand the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (said to be the largest humanitarian organisation in the world) is considering cutting staff and shelving projects as it braces for recession-hit donors to slash aid contributions.
It warned of greater social unrest in poor countries as high food prices were compounded by slowing economic growth, job losses and falling income.

They added "It is 'revolting' that the US could find $700bn to bail out its financial sector while rich countries continued to fall short of their pledges to raise aid spending to 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product."

During the 1990-1993 downturn, global aid spending fell by a quarter and did not recover to 1992 levels until 2003, the UN added. (Full

On the very same day, the UN asked for $7 billion to fund its humanitarian work around the world in 2009. That is almost double of last year's appeal. (Full)

The need is greater, but the funding outlook for humanitarian aid is worse than before. The poorest will fall between the cracks of this dilemma.

Picture courtesy PSDTUTS

Rumble: Living in Italy - Part 5: Itanglish

My usual disclaimer: I love Italy. I love living here. I love the country, its people, its food, its culture... But it is a country with quirks, which make you smile.

Many people here don't speak a second language, not even younger people. They are not short of trying, though, as I described in my eBook chapter Itanglish - Italian food in English.

Last weekend, I saw this sign along the beach:



It seems they did not do too well in French neither.

More posts on The Road about Living in Italy

Picture of the day: A busy day

The caption to this picture said:

"Members of the European Parliament attend a debate on the EU response to the world financial crisis and Washington's G20 Summit, in Strasbourg"


More Pictures of the Day on The Road

Picture courtesy Reuters/Vincent Kessler

News: November 19 - World Toilet Day

Did you know today was World Toilet Day?

60% of all rural diseases are caused by poor hygiene and sanitation condition. At any one time, half of the world's hospital beds are filled with people from water-borne diseases caused mostly by water polluted with untreated sewage. Proper sanitation is the best preventive medicine in the world.

Yet, 2.6 billion or 40% of mankind still do not have access to proper sanitation and toilets. And 2 million children die every year from diarrhea. Do we need more reasons to convince us that sanitation is so important?

And yet, sanitation is a problem that people are often shy to discuss. But a reluctance to talk about sanitation is part of the reason why an estimated 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to sanitation. Under the motto "DON'T BLUSH, SPONSOR A FLUSH!", the World Toilet Day wants to break the taboo and improve sanitation globally. (Read more)



More on The Road about sanitation, water, poverty and environment.

Rumble: The Road's Kiva project 4: Teresa Mamani

Here is a summary of The Road's fourth social project:

A micro-financing loan to the Teresa Mamani Women's Group in Bolivia.

Ms Teresa presides The "Mujeres Vencedoras" (or "Winning Women") Community Bank in El Alto (Bolivia).

The members, all women, primarily earn a living from dress-making, and from selling food and vegetables. Some own neighbourhood stores, while others own independent micro-businesses.

The majority of the women already know each other and have experience in solidarity groups. It is a group of very happy and motivated people.

Owing to their punctuality and commitment from their previous three loans, this group is classified as one of the most enterprising by "Fundación Agrocapital", the local micro financing partner of Kiva. (See the group's full profile on Kiva).

Loan Request: $3,900
Repayment terms: 3 months (Deadline March 15 2009)
We gave them a loan of US$100

This is The Road's 4th social project. The funds for this loan were donated by the VK0IR Heard Island expedition team.


More on The Road's social project "Change Starts Here".
Leaving a comment on this post contributes US$1 to the project.
You can keep track of our project via our score card.