One or two generations ago, smallholder farmers might have grown food crops mainly to feed their own families. But those days are gone. Farmers are looking more and more for cash income.
Like in Bihar, North-Central India: farmers still value the “yield” of a crop, but the “revenue” becomes increasingly important. It is not just because of the “Modern Times”, where electricity bills and school fees are to be paid, and people want to buy a mobile phone, a television or a tractor.
No, there is more than that: climate change has chased up the expenses: boreholes, mechanical or electric pumps, hybrid seeds… Each of these has a price ticket attached to it. A price ticket, farmers are scrambling to pay, but a necessity for any land to bare any crop.
The droughts
A good crowd had gathered in Rambad, a small village in Bihar. Both young and old, from the better-off farmers to the day labourers, all were sitting around us. We were talking about the change in weather, the effects it had on this farmers’ community and ways these people have tried to adapt over time.
When we asked who of the farmers had experimented with new things in the past years, they pointed out a slim man, probably in his late thirties, standing in a bit of a distance. As we all looked at him, he came nearer, stood up straight and held his arms stiff along his body as he said his name, “Vidyabhushan Kumar”, in a loud voice. As if a teacher had just summoned him. We asked Vidyabhushan to sit with us and tell his story. (...)
Yesterday, we had Jaime Pozuelo-Monfort introduce his new book, The Monfort Plan himself. Today, we are fortunate to catch him for an interview.
The Road: Reading through the dissertation, I see in front of me an idealist, a dreamer, a marketeer, and a politician. Which one are you? Jaime: I am a realistic dreamer, a utopic idealist. I am the multidisciplinary European and an aspiring candidate to Chief Dreamer. Nothing can be proven if it is not implemented before. This is a Journey, the Journey of our lifetime. As such it may or may not lead to the final destination. We will know in 2050.
The Road: In what way does plan differ from all other attempts. What makes it unique? Jaime: It incorporates imagination and creativity, suggests a realistic and implementable forward-looking action plan and proposes the best team of Expert Dreamers that have ever served the global public interest and a group of six countries that become the founding members of The New Architecture of Capitalism.
The Road: What are the 6 countries in subsaharan Africa do you have in mind you mention "that have shown their determination to build up a basis upon which they can prosper" Jaime: From West to East: Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Tanzania and Madagascar
The Road: You make many analogies to the post WWII Marshall plan. But if anything, that was a massive injection of cash into a continent. A multitude of that amount has already been poured into Africa. Why has the impact been so small so far? Jaime: Microfinance was not exploited. Economies of scale were not implemented. The middle man was not eliminated. The population was not incorporated to the vision. Developed countries did not reform areas such as trade or agriculture. The Bretton Woods Institutions did not help with their structural lending programs of the 1980s and 1990s. The Cold War fed and exacerbated the burden of civil wars.
The Road: If you would suggest a new cash injection, where would that come from, now that aid organisations are even struggling to meet the immediate short term needs. According to FAO, 1/6th of the world population is hungry. Of which probably 150 million die if they did not receive food aid. But yet, aid organisations are unable to raise even enough cash to feed the dying. Nourish the sick. The L'Aquila promises all seem to be hot air. Jaime: Innovative financing for development is an area that has not been much explored. I call it positive shock therapy. I call it the value of consensus. There are vast amounts of funds hungry to obtain higher returns with long-term opportunities. There are a myriad of new opportunities that the book will discover.
The Road: You mention microfinancing as part of your theory for economic development, including the development of the public sector. But microfinancing is based on individual entrepreneurship. It seems like the public sectors you mention are typically not individual neither entrepreneurship, but public services. How would you link those public services to the drivers of the success of microfinancing, which were "putting the initiative and responsibility on the individual"? Jaime: Two different areas. The universalization of microfinance through two new organizations (Bank for the Poor and Yunus-Fund) focuses on microbusiness expansion. The delivery of global public goods aims at providing a social fabric that will contribute to building up an educated and healthy workforce from which entrepreneurs will arise.
The Road: Reading through your dissertation, it looks like you concentrate on politics, and global structures as the solutions. Jaime: This is am ambitious vision that spans over forty years, the Glorious Forty and targets the eradication of extreme poverty through the increase of average incomes and the shrinkage of the global income distribution. Average incomes have to be boosted up and inequality has to be brought down.
The Road: You would like to start "a supranational organization that accepts new members on an ex-ante conditionality clause". I have visions of lavish state dinners and the typical political gatherings which mean nothing, change nothing, cost a lot. Name me one geo-political organisation that makes a change or has made a change in the past. Jaime: European Union, SADC.
The Road: One of the theories going around is the that first world likes a poor Africa, likes conflict in mineral rich areas. It gives them cheaper access to the natural resources. Jaime: I do not believe in conspiracy theories. I think our political and economic elites lack the vision of the great men of the 1940s and 1950s. I think we continue to maintain and perpetuate the national interest over the global interest. We must transition from a world that defends North-American or European nationals to a world where everyone has the opportunity to move forward. It may sound idealistic, I call it utopic.
The Road: Many regions of Africa are poor, simply because "the physical environment" does not allow prosperity. Desertification, continuous floods/droughts,.. Others because of the geo-political climate. Maybe it is no longer the battlefield of a cold war: communist versus capitalist countries, but a new hot war: christian versus muslim countries. All fought out in Africa? Jaime: I think academia has shown that this is a myth. I think there has been a vision implemented for Western Europe. I think Western societies to which I belong lacked the ambition and the belief that change can be brought on board. There are solutions to the great evils of our time. We have simply ignored that creativity and imagination can propose forward-looking policies that tackle once and for all the very roots of poverty and conflict. There are interests nobody dared to touch. Incentives can be aligned between rich and poor to move forward together.
The Road: Let's take 3 troubled countries in Africa. Can you detail how your theory would aid DRC, Somalia, Darfur. Jaime: Difficult. I argue that the six countries where the New Architecture of Capitalism may emerge are in the southern cone of Africa largely for three reasons: proven willingness to be part of an ex-ante conditionality scheme, low political risk and high peace index, and a recent history of supranational cooperation. In addition four of the six countries are categorized as Least Developed Countries according to the United Nations. It is important to first build up a successful pilot.
The Road: Your dissertation concentrates on Africa. How about poverty in the Middle East, Asia? Jaime: If accomplished, the new scheme could enlarge to other candidate countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and South Asia.
The Road: Jaime, thanks for your time, and the best of luck with your book, and your endeavours!
Jaime graduated from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 2000 with a master’s and a bachelor’s in telecommunications engineering. He also studied two years as an exchange student at Télécom Paris and Universität Stuttgart. Subsequently he earned master’s degrees in business administration from Collège des Ingénieurs in Paris, in financial economics from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, in financial engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, in economic development from the London School of Economics, and in public administration from Columbia University. He currently pursues a master’s in international law and politics at Georgetown University and a master’s in public health at the London School of Hygiene. He has worked in the technology sector in Madrid, Stuttgart and Paris, and in the financial industry in New York City and London. His interests lie in the interaction between financial economics and economic development. He is a columnist in written and electronic press.
I often get questions and feedback from people who want to get started as an aidworker. Recently, I got in contact with Jose Ramirez, 30, from Barcelona, Spain. He worked for several years as an architect in several offices across Europe, before he decided to call it quits. He wanted to take his life in a different direction, doing more fulfilling work in the humanitarian sector.
As many people, he was struggling to find his way in. Where does one start? He decided to work as a volunteer, and was prepared to pay for the experience. An experience which turned out not to be what he had hoped for. I interviewed him.
Q: After your initial years in the commercial sector you wanted to work in the humanitarian world. What triggered that? Jose: It was nothing in particular. Not "a documentary" I saw or "a terrible image in the news" which made me take that decision. It was more the lust to travel and discover. I wanted to travel through Asia, but I knew from the very beginning that I wouldn't go as yet another backpacker. I had to leave with 'a mission'. I wanted to make a difference.
Q: When you started to look for a job in the humanitarian world, what did you try, on whose doors did you knock? Jose: I didn't try. I didn't know anything at all. It would have been very pretentious to do that since I had never been in Asia before and I didn't know if I would like it there or not. So I thought that a great introduction into the humanitarian world would be perhaps to volunteer.
Q: How did you choose the organisation you volunteered for? Jose: I was quite lost. On the Internet, I found lots of information related to volunteering. I had something in mind: I wanted to go to Nepal. After some research and a lot of reading through load of websites I decided finally for a kiwi based recognised NGO. They work all over the world. They seemed very professional and reliable and had a programme going on in Nepal. You could pick among several kind of volunteering there: children's homes, teaching English, etc... I signed up for the community maintenance programme, although the description about the programme was very vague. I thought I could use some of my skills as an architect in that task.
Volunteer fees were involved in all the programmes/countries. As most almost all volunteering sites asked for fees, I assumed it was a normal and indispensable practice when it comes to volunteering.
Q: What was the procedure to register, to get started with that organisation? Jose: It was way pretty sophisticated. You fill your application on-line and submit it. After they receive it and give you the 'ok', you have to pay a US$350 'volunteer fee' immediately. Once they receive your fee, they contact you again giving you 'the volunteer package': a massive amount of information in the form of emails and pdf-file, which you have to read through. If you have some doubts you can contact the programme coordinator via telephone or email. Eight weeks before departure you have to follow up with the rest of the volunteer programme payment that varies depending on the amount of weeks you stay. I signed up for 4 months and I paid US$1,722. In total, I paid them US$2.072.
Q: Plus your ticket? Jose: Yes.
Q: What were the promises the NGO made, what were your expectations before you took up the job? Jose: The NGO promises emergency assistance during your stay. They covered placement with Nepalese families, which included accommodation and food. They would also provide a briefing and formation once I got there. I was very excited about it although I couldn't have any real expectations since it was still unclear which specific job I would be doing.
Q: So, you arrived in Nepal. What were your immediate first impressions. How were you welcomed, briefed, set to work? Jose: Every placement starts the 1st of every month. You are welcomed by the local branch of the NGO right on arrival. During one week you receive information about the country, basic local language classes, explanation of the programmes. You get to spend 3 days with a Nepalese family to have a first "taste" of the basic life you will be leading in the coming weeks or months. After the briefing week you are sent to your placement, and you start to work.
Q: What were your tasks? Jose: During the briefing, we, the community maintenance volunteers, learnt we would be helping in the construction of a brand new orphanage that was about to start right after we arrived. After knowing what we would be doing I couldn't be more excited, after all, I was an architect. It looked very challenging work. Even though I knew that I would be mainly doing "labor" work, I hoped to bring some input in the tasks. Local and experience workers were doing all the 'real' construction work supervised by a foreman and a local architect. Our tasks were merely to assist with some 'extra' work, work not budgeted and 'easy' to do by non-experience Westerners. That work included clearing off a bamboo "forest", building a bamboo hut for storage and the construction of a boundary fence. These were "crumbles" in my opinion.
This was the most ambitious project that this NGO had ever done, so they were quite focused with the fundraising, and unfortunately not really with the volunteers on site. We were left sometimes for a week without feedback from the NGO. We were working with broken tools. The jobs we did, were needed for sure and I believe we achieved a very good result. But i wondered many times if that work couldn't have been done faster and better by local people.
Q: What did the NGO cater for? Jose: The NGO works with some Nepalese families. These families are used to have foreigners and can speak some English. They provide accommodation and food under basic conditions. I learned after, they were paid US$60 per a month per volunteer by the NGO. Some of the families had up to 4 volunteers. They provided as well the tools, gloves, etc...
Q: what work was the NGO actually doing. What projects did they have, who did they partner with? Jose: The NGO was involved in several projects besides the construction of the new orphanage. They were sending volunteers to several children homes in different areas of Kathmandu run by local management. They helped help with teaching English and supervisory tasks. There were some health programme going on as well, which were carried out by volunteers with some medical training.
Q: You worked with colleague volunteers. What was your impression of them: "well willing", "adventurers", "lost souls"? Jose: Another thing I was very excited about was to meet different people from different countries coming with the same purpose. The reality was way different from that. I was so disappointed to realize most of them were kids in their twenties. They were not focused on the job, at all. Most had come there because their parents paid the volunteering fees. I realized that those kids were probably attracted to volunteering because they didn't have to pay the expenses, themselves, which is quite sad. I met some good apples amongst the rotten ones. I still keep keep in touch with them.
Q: Even if the work itself were you able to use your presence there,"in the field" to network, to make contacts with other organisations, with other aid workers? Jose: The aid workers network is very big in Nepal. Maybe too big and too corporated. I met some interesting people though and made some contacts I hope to use in the future.
Q: Your experience was rather negative. In how far is this a generalization? Jose: I would rather say "not absolutely satisfying". I was unable to share my negative impressions with most of the volunteers since they didn't pay the fees themselves. I met some other people and volunteers on the way and I did share this with them, we all agreed that is not certainly the way to go when it comes to volunteering.
It would be naive if I would say that money is not necessary her. It is if you want your aid project to reach somewhere. But there are different ways. If you accept money from volunteers willing to help, people that have crossed half the world in a very expensive flight, but don't put them to good use, you are a soulless NGO. No matter if you are using the money for a good cause.
Q: How did you end your assignment with them. What did you do after that? Jose: Construction takes some time. I worked in several tasks on the building site during my stay. When I left, the construction was still going on. After that I spent some months in Nepal, did some trekking and thought of my next move. In the end, I did another volunteering task in Thailand. But this time with there was no money involved whatsoever.
In those months in Nepal, I had the chance to meet some amazing Nepalese people. They were completely astonished when they learnt we had paid US$2.000 to 'do labor work'. That really enhances the idea we are spoiled Westerners, willing to give up so much money to end up dirty with mud and with blisters in their hands. They thought nobody should pay to do that kind of job, volunteering ot not.
Q: What is your advice for those trying to enter the aidworld or who want to volunteer? Jose: Volunteering, is a job or task that should be done honestly. It is understood you are not getting paid for it. It is very sad nowadays you HAVE TO PAY for it. No way. We have to stop the way this is working. What happens is that NGOs are relying more and more on volunteers. Not to do the work, but to fundraise for their projects. The goal is honest but the way this is done, is not.
My advice is simple: "Don't pay to volunteer". When money is involved, the word loses its meaning. Instead, I would advise people to travel to the country were aid is needed and once on site do some research. My second volunteering experience in Thailand showed me this is still possible.
The Road: Jose, thank you for your blunt answers. I wish you the very best.
If you think of starting as an aidworker, here is my advise to you.
On September 22, UN Secretary Ban ki-Moon launched a challenge: "Use your voice as a global citizen and tell these leaders in a short video what you think needs to be done to make this world a better and safer place. Be a Citizen Ambassador to the UN."
Emily Troutman which we featured before on The Road thought of her core message: "I want us both to agree to say one true thing out loud everyday. To remember one real person. To remind ourselves that our tragedies—yours and mine—are lived and felt one person at a time; just like our hope, our renewal, our future can also be lived and carried out into the world, one person at a time. You have a chance to be that person."
It was one of five selected out of more than 450 screened by top leaders at the UN. As a result of winning the contest, Emily will be named a "UN Citizen Ambassador", get to travel to New York to attend the UN Day Concert, and meet Secretary General Ban ki-Moon.
So, time to have another chat with Emily:
Photographer, videographer,... What are you now?
Emily: The lines are blurring between the photographer and the videographer. Which for me, opens up the possibility to create really robust narratives. I'm still just a baby in this process, my work leans more towards automated slideshows, but in the future, I expect more and more online articles to contain video instead of still shots.
From the narrative in the video, it seems you are not only good in visuals, but also in wording it.
Emily: People who know me, know that I began my career as a writer through poetry. And even at a young age, was very successful at that. The study and craft of poetry taught me a lot about how to draw a line from complex intellectual constructs into emotion.
And then comes the humanitarian aspect..
Emily: Humanitarian work is considered the next frontier for me. There is a tremendous need for high quality communications tools that also maximize the potential of the internet to bring people together around important issues.
Although I have a Master's Degree in Public Policy, it was really through my blog that I really learned how to talk to people about complicated issues. In 2005, I traveled to Iraq while conducting research for my graduate thesis on democracy. While there, I witnessed the first post-Saddam elections and emailed my friends about what I saw and how it made me feel. I had no idea that the emails would be more important than the thesis, but somehow, I managed to tell real stories about people I met and the lives that touched mine.
From those early emails, I created my blog: who we are / how we live, and really started to embrace an unusual avocation-- to write and talk about complicated problems in a personal way. I tried never to forget my original audience: my little sister, my mom, policy wonks, colleagues.
And then came this video you made for the UN. What message did you try to bring?
Emily: For this project, I genuinely asked myself, "What do *I* want to say to world leaders?" I knew I didn't want to put forward any particular policy or opinion, but instead, to call on them, and all of us, to connect with something true and real. To think less about politics and more about people, actual people that we know. I think this is something humanitarian workers in the field do regularly. When they talk about Iraq, they tell stories about people they know there. When they talk about hunger, they tell stories about hungry people.
It's a subtle but profound shift in thinking. Through this video, and all of my work, I hope to remind myself and others that power is personal. Real change is only created by hope and empathy, by strength and commitment, by listening to others and acknowledging that quiet voice, in my own heart, telling me what needs to be done.
So what's next?
Emily: For now, my professional goals as a writer and photographer are just to get better at what I'm doing and learn more. I have some local projects planned here in Baltimore and DC, but I'm hoping to head back to Africa in the winter. I'm always looking for interesting projects and people to collaborate with.
The discussion around MSF UK's controversial video sparked quite a lot of comments around the topic 'How do you portray aid and poverty' or 'How do you make people think about these subjects'.
So I thought it is a good idea to show another way. A way that touched me. Meet Emily Troutman.
Emily Troutman is a writer and photographer living in Washington. She just came back after a month travelling around Kivu, in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). She made a video collage of her pictures, mounted it with some gripping music and appropriate text. Its simplicity took me in, and contrasted sharply with the MSF video we talked about a few days ago. Have a look for yourself:
I contacted Emily, and we had an interesting exchange:
Why did you make this video? Emily: It was a rare opportunity to give voice to an issue that at this moment only exists at the fringes of the mainstream media.
Was this your first trip to rural Africa? Emily: I also traveled with UNOCHA in the Gulu area of Uganda in 2006. I took some wisdom and knowledge from that trip into Congo. For example, I already knew what real poverty and starvation looked like, so I was able to pay attention to what could maybe be called higher-level needs, but are still urgent: space, pots to cook in, blankets. Of course in Congo, the biggest issue is safety.
What was different in the experience between the two trips, Congo and Uganda? Emily: In Congo, I generally saw less hungry people, but still some malnutrition, and a whole new complexity of issues facing internally displaced people (IDPs). In Congo, IDPs are still running in a way that they were not in Uganda in 2006. I was also profoundly impacted by the enormity of the jungle in Congo. My four day trip to Pinga, through an area where civilians and aid workers have been shot, really brought home the sense of danger that the Congolese face in simple day-to-day tasks like gathering wood, or walking to market.
These are areas where the authorities or even the people, are not always happy to see a photographer Emily: The DRC was a very frustrating place to take photos because the work I was doing was technically illegal. It is exceptionally difficult to get permission to take photos there, so most of the time when I shot, it was in IDP camps or traveling with UN MONUC escorts. I have a profound respect for those photographers who risk their lives to take photos of the military or shine light on issues like child soldiers.
But DRC.. So many have published stuff about the DRC? Emily: I recognized that Congo, like so many intractable problems, has a way of receding into the noise of daily life. Even for me, it became one of these world crises that are too far away and too foreign to matter on a daily basis. It becomes hard to summon the energy to pay attention. Like, why even look at the issue if I can’t do anything to help?
And did you? Did you help? Emily: I wanted to go, just so I could see. And ultimately, to decide if that experience of seeing and sharing what I saw could transform how all of us think about Congo, and more generally, the problems of “other people.” Although I have written and photographed similar issues in the past, Congo seemed uniquely overlooked, especially in light of the scale of its tragedy.
People talk a lot about “awareness” and “action” and “making a difference.” But honestly, this was not an aspiration of mine. I only wanted to be open to the moment and encourage those I photograph to also be open to me. The next part is like a witnessing, seeing what happens when two people enter a silent pact to tell the truth. I wanted to make the video because it is an easy way to draw people in; a photo doesn't ask anything of us except our attention.
You can find the stories behind the pictures, on Emily's blog. More of her work, you can find on on her website.
I get A LOT of Emails from people who would like to start as an aid worker and find it difficult to get into the humanitarian world. While I condensed my advice in this post, many ask for specific tips, or "what would you do if you were in my situation?"...
(...)I have been an Italian expat for nearly 20 years. I moved to the UK with no English at all, ended up with a BA degree in European Studies. After 11 years in the UK I moved to Ireland in 2002. Between the UK, Italy and Ireland, I have been working primarily in the air transport sector and I was able to travel around the world extensively and learn many things.
Finally in 2005 I eventually decided to change career for something I was passionate about. Humanitarian Aid. So, I went to study for the Masters degree in Humanitarian Action at University College Dublin. With my own finances, I went to Fiji and Cook Islands and finished my research thesis in Disaster Risk Reduction, Preparedness and Mitigation in the Pacific.
Sadly, I found no jobs afterwards, so I decided to volunteer and managed to spend 6 months in remote areas between India and Nepal doing an evaluation on the development work of 21 educational institutions.
On my return to Ireland, I started doing some teaching in Development Studies in schools and a few sessions at Universities in International Development. But that was it. Soon afterwards, I was recruited by Irish Aid to be on the Rapid Response Team (Surge Capacity) register for UN OCHA and WFP as Humanitarian Affairs Officer and Logistics, respectively.
Got fully trained by the UN in policy and practice, field security, vehicle handling, GPS, Compass etc. After a year on the roster I was put forward for a few jobs with OCHA and WFP in various locations but I was not successful in either occasions. The UN and many agencies out there require a fair bit of experience, let's say a minimum of 5 years in the field. So, I fear I will be on stand-by for many more years..
Anyhow, all I wanted to say here is that my expectations were quite different. And It's not just a money issue, I thought that a professional qualification in the field would have made a slight difference, but it did not. It was great to acquire lots of skills and knowledge in the area but It's the experience that counts. And with no experience you will not get the chance to gain experience, Catch 22 situation ?
I gave my piece of advice, but then did not hear from Stefano until a few weeks back:
I am just writing a short note to say thank you for your advice.
I am pleased to say I made some good progress since we last heard from each other. In April I was taken on board with OCHA and posted to Colombia to run all field office ops in one of the most problematic regions at the very border with Venezuela. Since I am practically doing everything here, work is very challenging and rewarding. I work very closely with all other UN agencies, of course, especially WFP with whom I go joint missions as well.
I asked Stefano to sum up his experiences and advice for other people who would like to get started as an aidworker. Here is what he wrote:
The work of humanitarian assistance has changed its face over the last 20 years or so. The new global development agenda and an increased number of complex humanitarian emergencies have prompted the need to professionalize the aid sector. Over the last few years, there has been an increased demand for qualified people with the ability to manage humanitarian and development programmes. Many colleges and universities around the world are now offering postgraduate courses in humanitarian assistance and development studies. With agencies working globally and the increased diverse needs in humanitarian work means technical people are also sought from other sectors.
Skilled people like engineers, IT, logisticians, accountants, nutritionists and doctors are also in demand. With the advent of the private sector in development programmes, it also means that aid work can virtually be suitable for anyone coming from different walks of life.
However, there are certain issues one ought to take into account. Like any other sector or industry, it is often very difficult to get your foot in the door. To get your foot in the door requires good preparation, self-motivation and a lot of persistence. However, speaking from personal experience, even that sometimes it's not enough. As some people say, you also need to be at the right place, at the right time. Basically, you need a fair bit of luck as well. But luck does not come along by itself, you need to look for that. Just imagine aid work as a big family on a rollercoaster. Your aim must be joining the family on that rollercoaster.
How you do that?
For start ups, inexperienced or wannabes, voluntary work is the best start. Or an internship if you are at college. For those with some ground work done, the secret is networking. Attend meetings, conferences, seminars, make yourself known. Apply for jobs and follow up. Agencies receive tons of CV's and most of them end up in the bin. Only a few get an interview. Often only one gets the job.
Last but not least, aid work can be very rewarding but is hard work, too. You must be very passionate about it or can easily end up in misery. You must have natural interpersonal skills and the ability to adapt to intensely challenging situations and withstand emotional strain.
And passionate he is. I can hear that in what he wrote about his work in Colombia:
After just 2 months I have realised Colombia is one of the largest and most complicated humanitarian emergencies around the world but with no media coverage whatsoever. That's why I have recently decided to start a blog about it. It's about giving some kind of visibility on the long standing humanitarian situation, whereas Colombia only gets news on guerrilla and narcotraffic. Also, the blog intends to give some ideas about life in Colombia which is very far away from what most people think around the world.
Coming from Ostia (just outside Rome) I was definitely surprised to see many places here are far more modern and organised than the place I come from. Life in urban areas is more normal than we think, living standards are quite high for many (yes, thanks to illicit dealings, too). Yet, life in rural areas is very different, indeed.
Briefly, the current scenario has seen a number of actors such as the Army, paramilitaries, guerrillas and politicians engulfed in a situation that has led to mass displacements, forced confinements and extra judicial killings, not to mention other socio-economic-environmental factors that are affecting the population. Alike us foreigners, even ordinary Colombians know very little about the real situation here since the Colombian government and national media also pretty much ignore whats going on.
Finally, I also believe Colombia does not get the headlines because there aren't any IDP or refugee camps like in Rwanda or DRC. People might have ended up everywhere but the number of people displaced, killed or disappeared are around 4 million!
Through The Road, I met Becks Hill, a nurse from England who was enthusiastic about a development and awareness project she did in Madagascar. I decided to interview her to know more on what got her into development work, what drove her.
Please meet Becks. Nurse and development worker...
Q: Where you are from, what you did you study?
Becks: I live in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, England. I studied BSC Nursing Studies in nearby Brighton. . Last year 2007, I completed a Diploma in Tropical Nursing.
Q: How did you get into development? What was behind it, what was the actual trigger?
Becks: My childhood was colourful and both my parents had been involved in various development projects, paving the way for for my future aspirations. On deciding to do my nurse training, I knew then that I wanted to work in development. Despite my "late arrival" to a formal education in health care, I guess my childhood influences had infiltrated me and I felt compelled to make my mark in some way.
However, it was a longtime coming before I really got my teeth into something I felt truly worthwhile.
Q: How so?
Becks: After finishing my nursing studies, I found myself in a relationship and bound by a different sort of project. My partner and I at the time, had decided on building our own home, in the form of a houseboat. A different sort of challenge: we lived in an old ammunition 70ft barge, bought it in 2004 and a long road followed before its completion into a habitable home. Working, living and building in one's own home and living on a shoestring had its own challenges but always knowing that a life living and working on a building site, really wasn't my calling and a whole world was still awaiting to be reached.
Q: From a houseboat in England to Madagascar... Quite a change!
Becks: Well, the relationship ended. I set about to finish the boat building and attend the course I had always wanted to: the Tropical Nursing. This rekindled my thirst to get "out there" and follow the path that I had set out to do, years previously. Tropical nursing is an amazing and insightful course. It continually provided me with inspiration in the world of development and aid work.
Q: So when did you take "the big step"?
Becks: After finishing the course and not quite feeling like the young spring chicken, that I once was, the idea of working in desperate and worn torn zones of the world was somewhat daunting. But I was on the course I had long dreamt for and scared of where it might take me.
I attended an interview with a well reputed aid agency and disregarded them for being gung-ho and -dare I say- slightly militant. Scouting the Internet, I then found Blue Ventures: A conservation group based in remote South West Madagascar. There began a dream come true; working in conservation but with a health element: I took on the role of expedition medic for an ever developing conservation NGO.
Q: What projects do you do? What does your work consist of?
Becks: My primary role was to fulfil a duty of care to the expedition staff members, their family's and expedition volunteers. An involved role due to the remoteness of its location. It was a diving operation with the nearest hyperbaric chamber being in South Africa. The nearest health facility was some 50km away over treacherous terrain. My role carried with it some considerable responsibility.
In addition to expedition duties, I had the privilege of managing and running a family planning clinic in the village in which we were based.
Q: And this is where your passion really came out?
Becks: Mmm, prior to my departure for Madagascar, I knew there was high prevalence of STI's (Sexually Transmitted Infections). I knew that a state of emergency had been declared in Port Dauphin in 2007, due to the high incidence of syphilis. I knew that there were issues concerning sexual health. I did my homework and naively hoped that I might be able to influence and help bring about some change when I got there.
I had ideas and I had hope in my heart. "Hope" as there was no war. There was no conflict in Madagascar. This, I believed, was an element of hope, that somehow did not exist with employment with many other NGO's.
Q: So you started off your social project on your own, as a "by-product" to your assistance to the Blue Venture expeditioners?
Becks: I was of course my own to begin with. I worked with conservationists, not health care workers. It soon became apparent to me, that given the high incidence of STI's nationally, the fact that oil had been struck in the country, with the consequence of an influx of migrant workers from South Africa, an HIV epidemic was a time bomb awaiting to happen.
Q: And you wanted to do something about it...
Becks: Yes. I set about a slow and tentative campaign. It started with meetings in the village to discern sexual beliefs and practices. Many false beliefs were revealed from these meetings regarding the transmission of STI's and HIV, as were the huge knowledge deficits in this area. The meetings and numerous discussions compounded my belief that action needed to be taken, and it needed to be taken yesterday. It also became clear that condoms were barely used despite sexual promiscuity being the norm. From the research I had done, all HIV awareness programmes needed to be upscaled. Interesting concept in the village of Andavadoaka, where no such programme was even in existence.
Q: So you needed to educate people on STI's, HIV, sexual health. How did you bring that message across? With presentations?
Becks: This is the real interesting bit. We had the idea of using theatre as a medium to convey difficult subjects. That was paramount in my mind. Having managed to de-sensitise the subject over the first four monthes, I then wrote a play and delivered, with the help of expedition volunteers, the first STI/HIV awareness theatre piece in the region. It was a success.
So, I did it again and then advertised in the village for a STI/HIV awareness theatre competition. The first competition left me in awe and two days before I left the village I held another one. The results were extraordinary, the actors/actresses from the village had taken complete ownership of the raising awareness programme and delivered incredibly detailed and fantastically choreographed pieces, with the first songs beautifully sung about condoms.
Important messages had clearly filtered through with a large audience comprised of all members of the village.
Q: How did that feel?
Becks: Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such an amazing outcome. From the outset, it seemed an uphill struggle, with the subjects causing much embarrassment and in just six months, knowledge deficits had been bridged and the uptake of condoms increased exponentially. Impact, clearly had been made.
Q: What are the challenges now?
Becks: The programme worked. The problem now is to keep the momentum up and to reach a wider audience. Blue Ventures works with 26 villages in the area. The aim is to take the programme to these villages. The main obstacle, however, is getting the funds to continue the work.
Q: Let me get this straight: were you paid for this work, or was it work as a volunteer?
Becks: The job is essentially unpaid. I did receive a nominal wage 6-weekly. My board and lodging was covered and I learnt to dive for free. My main job is still my work as a nurse in the UK. Since my return to England in August, I have worked almost full time as a volunteer on the project.
Q: What drives you to do this work. Even more so: to do it unpaid?
Becks: I am driven by the incredible response by the people of Andavadoaka to the theatre competitions. Armed with the appropriate information and education surrounding STI's/HIV, I firmly believe that a prevention movement could be brought about and a HIV epidemic could be avoided. With that belief I am driven more strongly than I have ever been before to help bring this about. Due to the remoteness of the area, national STI/HIV awareness programmes are not reaching the villages around Andavadoaka. The main challenge I face now is raising sufficient interest here in England in order to get the funding to continue with the project. I am wearing a plethora of interesting hats in order to do this.I am organising a fundraising auction for the project and as I mentioned before, I am writing a proposal for prosepctive funders.
Q: You work on a grass roots project, clearly. Do you ever get demotivated if you look at the scale of issues developing countries are faced with? E.g. you work on STI/HIV awareness, but this issue has now such a gigantic proportion and impact?
Becks: Do I get de-motivated by the scale of the problem? As said, a huge impact was made in just 6 monthes. I can only imagine great things could be brought about with adequate funding and resources. I firmly believe there remains hope in Madagascar: it is not afflicted by war. HIV has not as yet taken root, it has not reached the epidemic proportions that have reached other parts of the world. That is a motivator, far from being a de- motivator.
Q: What would you give as advice to others who 'are thinking of making the step' to get involved in aid or development projects?
Becks: Advice to others? I can only say that this life just isn't a test run. If you've got an idea and you think it's a good one, you better get on and do it, because who knows what tomorrow will bring.
Don't read this post, unless if you are either: - a dreamer - an idealist - a sentimental fool - a humanitarian aid or development worker
(Hmm, I guess I qualify for all of the above).
Are you ready for this? Ok, here we go... 1. "Have You Made a Difference Today"? I once had a boss in Uganda, who said: "Every day, we -humanitarians- need to ask ourselves 'Have I made a difference today?' Unless if your answer is 'Yes', it was a lost day." This stuck to me. Not only for work, but also for life in general. 2. Even More So: Life gives us a lot. It is my belief we need to give back at least as much as we get from life. By changing or influencing the lives of those around us. Not just family, friends. Not just our loved ones. Add our colleagues at work. And people we meet occasionally. We *can* have a positive impact in the lives of those we interact with. Even if it was just a little. Even if it was just for a second. But it does make a difference. Even if it was just a well-meant 'Thank You' to the cashier at the supermarket. [By now you probably think I am some sort of wool-socked retired hippie on a 30-year-long high. I can tell you, I Am Not High.]
3. The World Gave Me a Present Today This morning, I uploaded some videos onto YouTube. The system automatically displayed some 'Related Videos'. One of them was labeled 'Kenya Floods Air Relief Operation'. Caught my eye. It was a three minutes video about an airlift operation transporting food for the North Kenyan flood victims. This video sent shivers down my spine. In its simplicity of pictures combined with the music ('What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud?'), it sent out several messages. Messages that reminded me of the two points above. And a message the author was clearly engaged with the work he did.
4. A Chat with Alastair. The author turned out to be Alastair Cook, a WFP logistician working in Kenya. I did not know him, so I looked him up.
Here is his story:
" I work as a consultant specialising in logistics in WFP. I basically do short term assignments anywhere in the world where staff is needed at very short notice (usually emergencies). I started with WFP in Malawi and have performed tasks related to School Feeding and HIV/Aids projects. Recently I worked here in Kenya for both the drought and the flood emergencies.
I make the videos because when I return home to New Zealand, people ask me 'What was it like?'... Of course that is an almost impossible question to answer, so I say: 'I can't really tell you but I can show you'... After the video they usually ask more meaningful questions!
I make the videos because I usually work in very remote locations and I find it a very rewarding pass-time during the long evenings... My best work is the two videos about the impact of HIV/AIDS in Malawi. We presented them to the Gates & Clinton Foundations, and they pledged $1m to the project!
" Talking about making a difference... Alastair's other videos, you find here
5. And If That Was Not Enough of Inspiration For Today... Here are the lyrics of the song in Alastair's video:
"Proud" by Heather Small
I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Still so many answers I don't know
Realise that to question is how we grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
'Cause I can see a clear horizon
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
'Cause you could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today
You could be so many people?
Just make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
Yep, you can call me an idealist, a dreamer and a sentimental fool. But hey, if I wasn't that, I wouldn't be an aid worker, probably... Now off you go, and do something good in this world...
Read the full post...
Emily Troutman is a writer and photographer living in Washington. She just came back after a month travelling around Kivu, in the East of 
Peter. Flemish, European, aid worker, expeditioner, sailor, traveller, husband, father, friend, nutcase. Not necessarily in that order.
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