This Article is reproduced from text found in the UNESCO set of booklets: “Ten steps for establishing a sustainable multipurpose community telecentre.” Establishing multipurpose community telecenters is one way in which communities can advance their own development. Here, present an outline of what is required and provide a link to the full set of booklets online designed to help persons involved in community development establish such a center.
Ten Steps for establishing a sustainable Multipurpose Community Telecentre (MCT) is intended to assist communities to walk through the basic requirements which need to be addressed when setting out to open and operate a successful MCT.
Step One: Getting Started
This first booklet gives a short explanation of an MCT, its ownership and its possible services and programmes. It deals with the initial process of identifying and mobilising key persons in the community to form a Steering Committee as well as the actions to be taken prior to calling an Open Community Meeting. Factors contributing to sustainability of MCT such as availability of physical facilities, funding, volunteers and, more importantly, the interest of the community to avail themselves of the programmes and services to be offered are introduced in this booklet.
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Step Two: Holding an Open Community Meeting
Focusing on the first Open Community Meeting (OCM) on MCT, this booklet gives some tips on when and how to plan and convene the meeting. Topics to be covered during the meeting are listed along with a short suggestion of content under each. By following the booklet, the Steering Committee will be able to ascertain community interest in and support for an MCT, to estimate the number of prospective users, and to prepare by the end of the meeting a list of foundation programmes and services as endorsed by the community members.
To cope with those who cannot participate in the OCM when it is held, a questionnaire is provided in Annex Two of this booklet along with an explanation as to why and how to conduct a survey and/or interview.
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Step Three: Management
Step Three underlines the importance of appointing key people to the Steering Committee and the right MCT manager while defending the benefits of incorporation and registration of MCT. The booklet gives succinct explanation of what constitutes a good management. Legal framework for MCT is introduced in this booklet for consideration of the Steering Committee. The role and tenure of the Steering Committee, the Annual General Meeting (AGM), the composition of a Management Committee, its responsibilities and its election are described in this booklet. Included are examples of job checklist for use by the Committee, meeting agenda, format of minutes, mission statement, and organizational chart.
The case studies highlight the importance of record keeping.
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Step Four: Staff Appointments
Job description, job advertisement, and recruitment are discussed in this booklet. Users will learn about the role of a selection committee and how an interview of candidates is carried out. Duties of the Steering Committee vis-à-vis the manager are briefly described and example code of conduct for the manager is provided.
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Step Five: Services and Programmes
The booklet touches upon the points to be taken into consideration when designing services and programmes or planning on acquisition of additional equipment. Users will find useful lists of services and programmes that could be offered at different stages of MCT development, some of which can be organised in collaboration/co-operation with other MCTs. Collocation among MCTs, which was first mentioned in Step One, is further elaborated in this booklet.
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Step Six: Building and Equipment
Step Six raises pertinent questions regarding building and equipment requirements such as location, availability of shared space, internal spaces, furniture, equipment as well as other considerations.
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Step Seven: Reach for Your Goals
Explaining planning as a process, the booklet begins with an example of SWOT analysis, a brief explanation on the relationship between vision/goals and activities, defining strategies and actions along with a timeline. The booklet ends with an advice on implementation and review which leads back to situation analysis.
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Step Eight: Financial Management
Efficient MCTs have sound financial procedures and practices which include proper budgeting and financial systems, reporting and annual audit. This booklet explains the roles of treasurer and bookkeeper. Simple example helps users to learn various aspects of financial management from preparing a grant proposal and a budget to handling petty cash.
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Step Nine: Operating Procedures
Having an operating manual facilitates day-to-day operation from unlocking doors to welcoming visitors and maintaining record for reporting purpose. Ultimately, this step suggests ways to enable a substitute or volunteer to operate the MCT unaided as well as to ensure that MCT can efficiently provide satisfactory services to customers.
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Step Ten: Customer Service and Promotional Issues
The content of this last booklet deals with keeping customers satisfied in order to increase MCT membership and consequently candidates for the Management Committee.
Where promotion is concerned, Step Ten advises when to begin promoting MCT, what promotional activities are possible and what is needed for carrying them out.
The full set of booklets for Ten Steps can be found at this link.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Run For Congo Women
In 2000, the NY Times reported a grossly underestimated number of lives lost in the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Times reported that 100,000 lives and been lost. In fact, the figure was closer to 3.9 million. That means that the war in the Congo is without question the world's deadliest conflict since World War II. Since that time, 38,000 victims have continued to die every month and approximately half of those deaths were children under the age of five.
More about the conflict in Congo can be read on the internet; and there is a link at the end of this article; but what I want to talk about is one woman’s response to this tragedy once she learned about it
As Lisa Shannon puts it in her own words:
“Watching Lisa Ling's report on Oprah about the conflict in the eastern Congo, shock waves went through me. 4 million people dead. Women gang raped and tortured daily, many held captive as sex slaves, sometimes for years. Innocent children tortured, starved, and left to die. 6 out of 10 children die before the age of 5. Yet no one is talking about it.
“Of the few organizations working in the war zone, one stood out. I signed up immediately to sponsor two "sisters" in the Congo through Women for Women International. For $27 per month, they match you with a woman, and give her the resources she needs to rebuild her life: support groups, rights awareness, and small business training.
“But I remained haunted by this horror, which continues to be met with stunning silence by the world. What would I have done if I lived in 1939 Germany, or if had been aware of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda? Oprah's challenge lingered, "Now that you know, you can't pretend you didn't hear it." I had to do more.”
And she did more. What Lisa Shannon has done is organize a movement that has spread to three countries, including several states in the U.S. That movement is Run for Congo Women.
Run for Congo Women is a grassroots run or walk or bike or swim or bake or pray fundraiser for Women for Women International's Congo Program. In only one year, it has blossomed into a global movement with a very simple message:
What started as a lone run has quickly blossomed into a global movement, with 2006 runs in 10 states and 4 countries, from Texas, to Chicago, Seattle to Berlin and Ireland.
Whatever the distance or activity, the people involved in Run for Congo Women share a very simple statement:
“Congolese lives matter. The lives of Congolese women are significant. The lives of Congolese children are precious. They have waited far too long. They are worth our effort. We are running to help.”
Run for Congo Women comes under the umbrella of Women for Women International. Women for Women International operates sponsorship programs in 8 countries recovering from conflict. They sponsor women in the Congo to support their efforts to rebuild their lives. For $27/ month, and a $30 initiation fee. Sponsored women receive financial support for their basic needs and participate in Women for Women International support groups and training. Participation in the program helps them monetarily and in building a support network in their own community.
On September 10, 2005, Lisa Shannon finished the 30.16 mile run in 7 hours, 45 minutes running alone through Portland's Woodland Trail. That year she raised over $28,000 in pledges – enough to sponsor 80 women at $354.00 a year. She had only wanted to raise enough money to sponsor thirty one women – one woman for each mile she ran. But she raised over twice that amount. In 2006 she completed a second 30 mile run for Congo Women, and was joined by hundreds of other runners in 10 states and 4 countries. Her goal in that year was to raise $1 million. And the runs continue in more and more locations. Runners are running for Congo Women in Ireland, Berlin, London and across the U.S.
Below is a list of some of the runs for 2007
Hood to Coast "Collective Action" Relay Team,, Mt.Hood & Portland - August 24-25th
10k/5k Colorado Hike/Run for Congo Women, Morrison, CO - Saturday, September 15th, 2007
5K Run/Walk, Roosevelt Island, New York, NY - Saturday, September 29th, 2007
NC Runs for Congo, Catawba River Greenway Park, Morganton, NC - Saturday, October 6th
Chicago Walk/Run for Congo Women, 5k, Chicago, Lincoln Park - Saturday, October 6th
6K Trail Run/Walk, Queeny Park, St. Louis, MO - Saturday, October 20th, 2007
Tempe / Phoenix, AZ: 10K Run/Walk - Kiwanis Park, Tempe, Tempe, AZ - Sunday, October 21st, 2007
Hunter NY 5k, Hunter, New York - Saturday, November 3rd
More about the conflict in Congo can be read on the internet; and there is a link at the end of this article; but what I want to talk about is one woman’s response to this tragedy once she learned about it
As Lisa Shannon puts it in her own words:
“Watching Lisa Ling's report on Oprah about the conflict in the eastern Congo, shock waves went through me. 4 million people dead. Women gang raped and tortured daily, many held captive as sex slaves, sometimes for years. Innocent children tortured, starved, and left to die. 6 out of 10 children die before the age of 5. Yet no one is talking about it.
“Of the few organizations working in the war zone, one stood out. I signed up immediately to sponsor two "sisters" in the Congo through Women for Women International. For $27 per month, they match you with a woman, and give her the resources she needs to rebuild her life: support groups, rights awareness, and small business training.
“But I remained haunted by this horror, which continues to be met with stunning silence by the world. What would I have done if I lived in 1939 Germany, or if had been aware of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda? Oprah's challenge lingered, "Now that you know, you can't pretend you didn't hear it." I had to do more.”
And she did more. What Lisa Shannon has done is organize a movement that has spread to three countries, including several states in the U.S. That movement is Run for Congo Women.
Run for Congo Women is a grassroots run or walk or bike or swim or bake or pray fundraiser for Women for Women International's Congo Program. In only one year, it has blossomed into a global movement with a very simple message:
What started as a lone run has quickly blossomed into a global movement, with 2006 runs in 10 states and 4 countries, from Texas, to Chicago, Seattle to Berlin and Ireland.
Whatever the distance or activity, the people involved in Run for Congo Women share a very simple statement:
“Congolese lives matter. The lives of Congolese women are significant. The lives of Congolese children are precious. They have waited far too long. They are worth our effort. We are running to help.”
Run for Congo Women comes under the umbrella of Women for Women International. Women for Women International operates sponsorship programs in 8 countries recovering from conflict. They sponsor women in the Congo to support their efforts to rebuild their lives. For $27/ month, and a $30 initiation fee. Sponsored women receive financial support for their basic needs and participate in Women for Women International support groups and training. Participation in the program helps them monetarily and in building a support network in their own community.
On September 10, 2005, Lisa Shannon finished the 30.16 mile run in 7 hours, 45 minutes running alone through Portland's Woodland Trail. That year she raised over $28,000 in pledges – enough to sponsor 80 women at $354.00 a year. She had only wanted to raise enough money to sponsor thirty one women – one woman for each mile she ran. But she raised over twice that amount. In 2006 she completed a second 30 mile run for Congo Women, and was joined by hundreds of other runners in 10 states and 4 countries. Her goal in that year was to raise $1 million. And the runs continue in more and more locations. Runners are running for Congo Women in Ireland, Berlin, London and across the U.S.
Below is a list of some of the runs for 2007
Hood to Coast "Collective Action" Relay Team,, Mt.Hood & Portland - August 24-25th
10k/5k Colorado Hike/Run for Congo Women, Morrison, CO - Saturday, September 15th, 2007
5K Run/Walk, Roosevelt Island, New York, NY - Saturday, September 29th, 2007
NC Runs for Congo, Catawba River Greenway Park, Morganton, NC - Saturday, October 6th
Chicago Walk/Run for Congo Women, 5k, Chicago, Lincoln Park - Saturday, October 6th
6K Trail Run/Walk, Queeny Park, St. Louis, MO - Saturday, October 20th, 2007
Tempe / Phoenix, AZ: 10K Run/Walk - Kiwanis Park, Tempe, Tempe, AZ - Sunday, October 21st, 2007
Hunter NY 5k, Hunter, New York - Saturday, November 3rd
Monday, September 24, 2007
Partnering for Mobile communications for rural homes
This article was taken from Pambazuka News, and can be found at:
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/43439
Africa: Mobile communications for rural homes
2007-09-21
Highway Africa News Agency
Ericsson, the world's leading telecommunications supplier, has announced that it is partnering with The Earth Institute at Columbia University to provide connectivity to the Millennium Villages project.
The partnership is designed to bring mobile communication and Internet services to approximately 400,000 people in 10 African countries where the project is being implemented. The Millennium Villages project is a community-led initiative whose aim is to lift rural African communities out of extreme poverty trapping hundreds of millions of people throughout the continent. Currently working with 79 villages of approximately 5,000 people per village, the project is tackling challenges related to agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, gender equality, business development and other vital issues.
The Millennium Villages project is a partnership between The Earth Institute, Millennium Promise and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, says: "Our commitment to the Millennium Villages is in line with our vision to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world. It will allow us to apply our core technology for social, economic and environmental benefits while at the same time stimulating new business development in emerging markets." The Earth Institute, led by Jeffrey Sachs, has made a dramatic impact on these communities by driving initiatives that have inspired change. Providing these developing villages with mobile communications will not only improve basic infrastructure such as healthcare, education and safety, but equally important, will be a foundation for fostering economic growth and development. The integration of information and communication technologies plays a critical role in ending the cycle of poverty. Around the world, mobile technologies are proving to be important tools in expediting information sharing and creating pockets of entrepreneurial enterprises among poor, rural communities.
At the same time, they also enhance and boost existing systems in education, health care and business. As basic interventions are achieving success in the Millennium Villages, communications technologies can help take the fight against poverty a step further. Jeffrey Sachs, who is also the Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, says: "We are pleased to be working with a leader like Ericsson as we continue to make strides in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to reduce extreme poverty and hunger by half while improving education, health, gender equality and sustainability by 2015." "With more than 3 billion mobile subscribers around the world, the mobile phone plays a key role as one of the most powerful tools to fight poverty, particularly for poor communities in remote areas of the world. Mobile technology will not only facilitate communication beyond borders, but will also be an engine for empowerment and a driving force for economic growth." As the dominant telecom supplier in Africa, Ericsson will tap relationships with African operators, including MTN and Zain (formerly known as MTC) and its subsidiary Celtel, in order to develop a comprehensive end-to-end telecommunication strategy in the villages and to drive mobile phone connectivity and coverage build-out to selected areas. Ericsson will also work closely with the operators to identify and develop telecom services and applications customized to meet the needs of the villages. For example, Ericsson will apply its products and solutions to focus on stimulating business opportunities, improving basic needs in the fight against AIDS and malaria, bringing Internet access to schools, boosting agricultural development and providing emergency communications. Ericsson will also help to bring connectivity to power remote and resource-poor areas through the use of renewable energy technologies, as the company has done in other developing markets like India. In the first phase of the partnership, Ericsson and Sony Ericsson will supply a number of mobile and fixed wireless phones to the communities in an effort to bring the benefits of connectivity to areas such as agriculture, health, education and infrastructure.
Ericsson and Sony Ericsson have also co-developed a solar village charger for mobile phones that will be provided to each village. This new product concept is capable of recharging at least 30 mobile phone batteries per day and eight phones simultaneously for each village.
Ericsson
The Earth Institute
Millennium Promise
The Millennium Villages
United Nations Development Programme
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/internet/43439
Africa: Mobile communications for rural homes
2007-09-21
Highway Africa News Agency
Ericsson, the world's leading telecommunications supplier, has announced that it is partnering with The Earth Institute at Columbia University to provide connectivity to the Millennium Villages project.
The partnership is designed to bring mobile communication and Internet services to approximately 400,000 people in 10 African countries where the project is being implemented. The Millennium Villages project is a community-led initiative whose aim is to lift rural African communities out of extreme poverty trapping hundreds of millions of people throughout the continent. Currently working with 79 villages of approximately 5,000 people per village, the project is tackling challenges related to agriculture, health, education, infrastructure, gender equality, business development and other vital issues.
The Millennium Villages project is a partnership between The Earth Institute, Millennium Promise and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Carl-Henric Svanberg, President and CEO of Ericsson, says: "Our commitment to the Millennium Villages is in line with our vision to be the prime driver in an all-communicating world. It will allow us to apply our core technology for social, economic and environmental benefits while at the same time stimulating new business development in emerging markets." The Earth Institute, led by Jeffrey Sachs, has made a dramatic impact on these communities by driving initiatives that have inspired change. Providing these developing villages with mobile communications will not only improve basic infrastructure such as healthcare, education and safety, but equally important, will be a foundation for fostering economic growth and development. The integration of information and communication technologies plays a critical role in ending the cycle of poverty. Around the world, mobile technologies are proving to be important tools in expediting information sharing and creating pockets of entrepreneurial enterprises among poor, rural communities.
At the same time, they also enhance and boost existing systems in education, health care and business. As basic interventions are achieving success in the Millennium Villages, communications technologies can help take the fight against poverty a step further. Jeffrey Sachs, who is also the Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, says: "We are pleased to be working with a leader like Ericsson as we continue to make strides in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals, which aim to reduce extreme poverty and hunger by half while improving education, health, gender equality and sustainability by 2015." "With more than 3 billion mobile subscribers around the world, the mobile phone plays a key role as one of the most powerful tools to fight poverty, particularly for poor communities in remote areas of the world. Mobile technology will not only facilitate communication beyond borders, but will also be an engine for empowerment and a driving force for economic growth." As the dominant telecom supplier in Africa, Ericsson will tap relationships with African operators, including MTN and Zain (formerly known as MTC) and its subsidiary Celtel, in order to develop a comprehensive end-to-end telecommunication strategy in the villages and to drive mobile phone connectivity and coverage build-out to selected areas. Ericsson will also work closely with the operators to identify and develop telecom services and applications customized to meet the needs of the villages. For example, Ericsson will apply its products and solutions to focus on stimulating business opportunities, improving basic needs in the fight against AIDS and malaria, bringing Internet access to schools, boosting agricultural development and providing emergency communications. Ericsson will also help to bring connectivity to power remote and resource-poor areas through the use of renewable energy technologies, as the company has done in other developing markets like India. In the first phase of the partnership, Ericsson and Sony Ericsson will supply a number of mobile and fixed wireless phones to the communities in an effort to bring the benefits of connectivity to areas such as agriculture, health, education and infrastructure.
Ericsson and Sony Ericsson have also co-developed a solar village charger for mobile phones that will be provided to each village. This new product concept is capable of recharging at least 30 mobile phone batteries per day and eight phones simultaneously for each village.
Ericsson
The Earth Institute
Millennium Promise
The Millennium Villages
United Nations Development Programme
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Aid organisations part of problem in the Sahel, NGO report says
This report was found among the documents that AfricaFiles reposts on the web from other web sites. The original site of this article was IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks)
Inappropriate aid policies are partly responsible for the Sahel region's poverty according to a strongly-worded report issued jointly by 10 international NGOs to be released on Wednesday in London. The report, which is called 'Beyond Any Drought", is supported by a network of high-profile international NGOs including: Oxfam, the British Red Cross, CARE International, Save the Children and Action Against Hunger, breaks with the usual positive image of the work of aid agency to say donor-funded projects in the region are often based on "shallow analyses" that ignore common sense.
"[Aid projects in the Sahel] are almost always driven by externally imposed ideas for development" and the majority of aid organisations develop their programmes "on the basis of their own priorities and their own visions" the report says. When designing aid projects the views of locals are usually ignored because they are "unpredictable". Once projects are set up, aid agencies often manage them in "narrow and inflexible ways" that are focused more on looking good to donors than measuring real improvements to people's lives.
"This report is not just an appeal for more money, it is an appeal for more and better aid," said Vanessa Rubin, Africa Hunger Adviser at CARE International, one of the ten NGOs that backed the study. The report is the latest in a string of stinging critiques of established aid practices in the Sahel in the last two years that come from within the NGO sector, as well as from the World Bank and various UN agencies.
Funding disconnect
The report highlights a disconnect between the fact that donors and aid agencies recognise that the problems of the Sahel are long-term while most projects are only funded for one or two years. Even when projects are extended they are still "far too short to bring about the kind of changes that the projects envisage," the report said. Donors require results after every year, even if that is not realistic.
More specifically, the report says that donor pressure means aid agencies focus too much on measuring the production of heavy, nutrient-scarce staples like millet and sorghum while ignoring basic economic issues such as whether people can afford to buy them. "Food security is too easily seen as a set of technical questions, but is, in fact, based on profoundly political issues... related to power and interest."
For over 15 years UNICEF has stressed the importance of nutrition in children's survival; yet that too is often ignored in the design of aid projects, the report said. The American government's aid agency USAID is singled out for specific criticism. It undertakes what the report calls "risky" policies including the dumping of thousands of tonnes of American surplus food stocks on the continent. The report says that CARE, another of the NGOs behind the report, is going to stop accepting USAID food on "ideological and practical" grounds.
Shocking antagonism
The report also wades into the long-running policy debate over whether the Sahel region's extremely high malnutrition levels mean it should be treated as an emergency or just "under-developed", a distinction that has important implications for donors as to what types of agencies and projects they are willing to fund. Emergency agencies who rushed to Niger in 2005 after a flood of publicity about child malnutrition there have complained that they are now being used in the country as "fire-fighters for under-development" because emergency-level rates of child malnutrition, child deaths, and ill health, are the norm, not the exception.
Meanwhile, development-oriented agencies have argued that national development is the real emergency and accuse gung-ho emergency relief organisations of jeopardising their long-term relationships with governments in the regions. The NGOs' report says there is a "shocking" antagonism between development and humanitarian workers in Niger and that the divide is a barrier to successful development initiatives.
AfricaFiles
IRIN
Inappropriate aid policies are partly responsible for the Sahel region's poverty according to a strongly-worded report issued jointly by 10 international NGOs to be released on Wednesday in London. The report, which is called 'Beyond Any Drought", is supported by a network of high-profile international NGOs including: Oxfam, the British Red Cross, CARE International, Save the Children and Action Against Hunger, breaks with the usual positive image of the work of aid agency to say donor-funded projects in the region are often based on "shallow analyses" that ignore common sense.
"[Aid projects in the Sahel] are almost always driven by externally imposed ideas for development" and the majority of aid organisations develop their programmes "on the basis of their own priorities and their own visions" the report says. When designing aid projects the views of locals are usually ignored because they are "unpredictable". Once projects are set up, aid agencies often manage them in "narrow and inflexible ways" that are focused more on looking good to donors than measuring real improvements to people's lives.
"This report is not just an appeal for more money, it is an appeal for more and better aid," said Vanessa Rubin, Africa Hunger Adviser at CARE International, one of the ten NGOs that backed the study. The report is the latest in a string of stinging critiques of established aid practices in the Sahel in the last two years that come from within the NGO sector, as well as from the World Bank and various UN agencies.
Funding disconnect
The report highlights a disconnect between the fact that donors and aid agencies recognise that the problems of the Sahel are long-term while most projects are only funded for one or two years. Even when projects are extended they are still "far too short to bring about the kind of changes that the projects envisage," the report said. Donors require results after every year, even if that is not realistic.
More specifically, the report says that donor pressure means aid agencies focus too much on measuring the production of heavy, nutrient-scarce staples like millet and sorghum while ignoring basic economic issues such as whether people can afford to buy them. "Food security is too easily seen as a set of technical questions, but is, in fact, based on profoundly political issues... related to power and interest."
For over 15 years UNICEF has stressed the importance of nutrition in children's survival; yet that too is often ignored in the design of aid projects, the report said. The American government's aid agency USAID is singled out for specific criticism. It undertakes what the report calls "risky" policies including the dumping of thousands of tonnes of American surplus food stocks on the continent. The report says that CARE, another of the NGOs behind the report, is going to stop accepting USAID food on "ideological and practical" grounds.
Shocking antagonism
The report also wades into the long-running policy debate over whether the Sahel region's extremely high malnutrition levels mean it should be treated as an emergency or just "under-developed", a distinction that has important implications for donors as to what types of agencies and projects they are willing to fund. Emergency agencies who rushed to Niger in 2005 after a flood of publicity about child malnutrition there have complained that they are now being used in the country as "fire-fighters for under-development" because emergency-level rates of child malnutrition, child deaths, and ill health, are the norm, not the exception.
Meanwhile, development-oriented agencies have argued that national development is the real emergency and accuse gung-ho emergency relief organisations of jeopardising their long-term relationships with governments in the regions. The NGOs' report says there is a "shocking" antagonism between development and humanitarian workers in Niger and that the divide is a barrier to successful development initiatives.
AfricaFiles
IRIN
Thursday, July 26, 2007
DarfurStoves.org Improves the Quality of Life in Darfur
Ashok Gadgil, a 56-year-old Mumbai native, wanted to do something to help the displaced persons and refugees from Darfur. He had been approached by USAID about a cooking fuel project for the Darfurians that did not seem promising and decided to approach the problem of improving the cooking technology in that part of western Sudan and Chad where the displaced persons and refugees had settled. And since it was not practical follow up on USAID's idea to make fuel pellets out of waste in Darfur, he decided to try to improve the stoves that the people of Darfur were using.
Gadgil had had experience in developing appropriate technology. In 1996 a start-up company was launched using his simple design for cheaply disinfecting water using ultraviolet light.
Gadgil came up with the idea of modifying an existing Indian stove for use in Darfur and got his lab colleagues and students at University of California at Berkeley to help him. Together they developed the Berkeley-Darfur Stove and started darfurstoves.org. The Indian stove had to be significantly modified as the Indian stove was designed to produce low-intensity heat for cooking rice and other staples in India, in Darfur people needed a high-powered flame for sautéing onions, garlic and okra, ingredients in their staple dish, mulah. Also Darfurians cook outside where there is often a strong wind; so the stove had to be resistant to such wind.
Professor Gadgil and his partners in Berkeley teamed with Engineers Without Borders and CHF International, both NGOs as well, to take the project to Sudan. Their plan is to distribute stoves to nearly all 300,000 refugee families in the camps.
All of the plans have not been finalized. For example there is not yet a plan on how the distribution of the stoves will be made. The people in the camps can afford very little, but darfurstoves.org does not believe the stoves should be simply handed out as charity.
One of the major benefits of the Berkeley Darfur Stove is that it provides women in refugee camps a greater measure of safety. Because this stove is four times more efficient than traditional 3-stone fires and two times more efficient than clay stoves women need to leave the camps much less often to forage for fire wood.
This stove also fully encloses the flames, thereby reducing the danger of fire in the straw-and-stick shelters in the camps. It also reduces smoke inhalation in the cramped shelters during indoor cooking.
The Berkeley Darfur Stove is said to provide better nutrition to the people in the camps, because it reduces missed meals resulting from a lack of fuelwood. The proponents of the stove also believe that it has a potential for generating income for the displaced persons and refugees because the time needed to forage for fuelwood will be reduced from the average seven hours a week needed for the traditional three stone fires. This time can be used for income generating activities. Finally, it is hoped that the stove will help the environment by reducing the amount of fuelwood foraged, thereby possibly allowing some restoration of local vegetation.
DarfurStoves.Org
Gadgil had had experience in developing appropriate technology. In 1996 a start-up company was launched using his simple design for cheaply disinfecting water using ultraviolet light.
Gadgil came up with the idea of modifying an existing Indian stove for use in Darfur and got his lab colleagues and students at University of California at Berkeley to help him. Together they developed the Berkeley-Darfur Stove and started darfurstoves.org. The Indian stove had to be significantly modified as the Indian stove was designed to produce low-intensity heat for cooking rice and other staples in India, in Darfur people needed a high-powered flame for sautéing onions, garlic and okra, ingredients in their staple dish, mulah. Also Darfurians cook outside where there is often a strong wind; so the stove had to be resistant to such wind.
Professor Gadgil and his partners in Berkeley teamed with Engineers Without Borders and CHF International, both NGOs as well, to take the project to Sudan. Their plan is to distribute stoves to nearly all 300,000 refugee families in the camps.
All of the plans have not been finalized. For example there is not yet a plan on how the distribution of the stoves will be made. The people in the camps can afford very little, but darfurstoves.org does not believe the stoves should be simply handed out as charity.
One of the major benefits of the Berkeley Darfur Stove is that it provides women in refugee camps a greater measure of safety. Because this stove is four times more efficient than traditional 3-stone fires and two times more efficient than clay stoves women need to leave the camps much less often to forage for fire wood.
This stove also fully encloses the flames, thereby reducing the danger of fire in the straw-and-stick shelters in the camps. It also reduces smoke inhalation in the cramped shelters during indoor cooking.
The Berkeley Darfur Stove is said to provide better nutrition to the people in the camps, because it reduces missed meals resulting from a lack of fuelwood. The proponents of the stove also believe that it has a potential for generating income for the displaced persons and refugees because the time needed to forage for fuelwood will be reduced from the average seven hours a week needed for the traditional three stone fires. This time can be used for income generating activities. Finally, it is hoped that the stove will help the environment by reducing the amount of fuelwood foraged, thereby possibly allowing some restoration of local vegetation.
DarfurStoves.Org
Friday, June 22, 2007
A Letter of Inspiration from Mozambique
I don't normally feature works by religious organizations on the Blog, but this is a story of cooperation and innovation that I would like to pass along. I received it from AfricaFiles , and I believe that they got it from the London Conference of the United Church of Canada. Below is an excerpt from a letter sent from Mozambique by Karen and Bill Butt.
At the bottom of a mountain in the village of Molumbo, 49 teen-age school-girls are living in a lar, or residence. They're girls from isolated areas who've passed the last grade of their rural schools and want to continue their education. The lar began and is run by a group of local women who call themselves AMER (Portuguese acronym for Women's Association for Rural Education), each contributing whatever small amount each personally can. Three years ago they started with 12 girls sleeping in a hut on a dirt floor. Without the lar, the girls would have nowhere to live, and would leave school, to return to the life of subsistence farmers.
When PEDRA first came to work in Molumbo, the girls were hungry. AMER couldn't afford enough food, and hungry girls were leaving school, going back home. PEDRA called in the their parents, who rallied, and formed a Board with president, secretary and treasurer, who decided what each girls' parents could contribute to keep the lar going.
Now, after harvest, the parents give corn which the girls bring to the lar in sacks.
The governmento donated land and an abandoned army barrack where the girls now sleep. PEDRA put in doors and windows.
The parents banded together to fix the roof when it blew loose in a windstorm.
They built a dining room / study room with their handmade bricks, an open-walled kitchen, a store-room for food and bicycles, and a reed-and-bamboo fence around the compound to give the girls privacy - all with their volunteer labour and local materials.
With some help from PEDRA they hired a dedicated, diligent guard who said, If I had seeds the girls and I could put in a garden. They cleared the tall grass and planted, and now they grow a steady supply of sweet potato, cabbage, lettuce, beans and tomatoes, as you see in the web-site photo. [ photo attached to the letter posted at http://www.stpaulsunitedchurch.com/World_-14161.html]
They sell surplus in Molumbo market, to buy salt and oil for cooking.
The girls planted trees-banana, citrus, eucalyptus. A rainstorm washed out some but others have grown much taller already than these growing girls.
PEDRA gave 4 guinea-fowl. Now they have 8, and keep on hatching more.
IBIS, a local Danish organization, visited the lar, admired, and donated a well and a pair of goats, and lessons in their care. Now the lar has bred 4 goats, with more on the way as they keep on reproducing.
Newly united, organized, articulate, the parents with help from CCM lobbied the district ministry of education, who has come to see the lar as a magnet for girls' education in the district. They lobbied the local Catholic priests, and now in a formerly empty Catholic schoolroom the government offers classes to Grade 9. In 2008, they'll add Grade 10.
Two half-days a week, with volunteer instructors and advisers, the girls take part in the PEDRA program of arts, crafts, educational enrichment and lessons about HIV-AIDS.
Here is a community of school-girls and their allies putting into practice what Jeremiah envisions. They continue to have ideas for the future. They would love a solar energy source so the girls can study at night, and bunk beds to get them off the cold floor. AMER and the parent committee continue to envision, and that is what is so important. It's truly a success, a solid community initiative that took root, and looks as if it'll keep on thriving.
At the bottom of a mountain in the village of Molumbo, 49 teen-age school-girls are living in a lar, or residence. They're girls from isolated areas who've passed the last grade of their rural schools and want to continue their education. The lar began and is run by a group of local women who call themselves AMER (Portuguese acronym for Women's Association for Rural Education), each contributing whatever small amount each personally can. Three years ago they started with 12 girls sleeping in a hut on a dirt floor. Without the lar, the girls would have nowhere to live, and would leave school, to return to the life of subsistence farmers.
When PEDRA first came to work in Molumbo, the girls were hungry. AMER couldn't afford enough food, and hungry girls were leaving school, going back home. PEDRA called in the their parents, who rallied, and formed a Board with president, secretary and treasurer, who decided what each girls' parents could contribute to keep the lar going.
Now, after harvest, the parents give corn which the girls bring to the lar in sacks.
The governmento donated land and an abandoned army barrack where the girls now sleep. PEDRA put in doors and windows.
The parents banded together to fix the roof when it blew loose in a windstorm.
They built a dining room / study room with their handmade bricks, an open-walled kitchen, a store-room for food and bicycles, and a reed-and-bamboo fence around the compound to give the girls privacy - all with their volunteer labour and local materials.
With some help from PEDRA they hired a dedicated, diligent guard who said, If I had seeds the girls and I could put in a garden. They cleared the tall grass and planted, and now they grow a steady supply of sweet potato, cabbage, lettuce, beans and tomatoes, as you see in the web-site photo. [ photo attached to the letter posted at http://www.stpaulsunitedchurch.com/World_-14161.html]
They sell surplus in Molumbo market, to buy salt and oil for cooking.
The girls planted trees-banana, citrus, eucalyptus. A rainstorm washed out some but others have grown much taller already than these growing girls.
PEDRA gave 4 guinea-fowl. Now they have 8, and keep on hatching more.
IBIS, a local Danish organization, visited the lar, admired, and donated a well and a pair of goats, and lessons in their care. Now the lar has bred 4 goats, with more on the way as they keep on reproducing.
Newly united, organized, articulate, the parents with help from CCM lobbied the district ministry of education, who has come to see the lar as a magnet for girls' education in the district. They lobbied the local Catholic priests, and now in a formerly empty Catholic schoolroom the government offers classes to Grade 9. In 2008, they'll add Grade 10.
Two half-days a week, with volunteer instructors and advisers, the girls take part in the PEDRA program of arts, crafts, educational enrichment and lessons about HIV-AIDS.
Here is a community of school-girls and their allies putting into practice what Jeremiah envisions. They continue to have ideas for the future. They would love a solar energy source so the girls can study at night, and bunk beds to get them off the cold floor. AMER and the parent committee continue to envision, and that is what is so important. It's truly a success, a solid community initiative that took root, and looks as if it'll keep on thriving.
Monday, June 18, 2007
BONO IS STILL THE "ONE"
I doubt if I need to tell any of my readers who Bono is. In fact, I don't think I even need to use his last name.
The great force in the fight against poverty and AIDS in the developing world has a lot going on this month. But I would like to draw attention to one of the things that he is doing, (and that will help to bring to light some of the other things that he is doing).
Bono has edited this month's (July - 207) edition of Vanity Fair Magazine. You may wonder why in the world is he doing that, and I think that it is best for him to explain what he is doing in his own words - that appear in the July 2007 edition of Vanity Fair.
Message 2U
From Bono
Vanity Fair Guest Editor
July 2007
Let me explain what I'm doing here, and there. By "there," I don't mean my day job as singer with Irish postpunk combo U2.
By "there," I mean DATA--the organization which campaigns on debt, aids, and trade in Africa.
By "there," I mean the ONE Campaign--which is becoming like the National Rifle Association in its firepower, but acts in the interests of the world's poor.
By "there," I mean (PRODUCT) RED--which piggybacks the excitement and energy of the commercial world to buy lifesaving AIDS drugs for Africans who cannot afford them.
And by "there," I mean Edun--the missus's clothing line that wants to inject some dignity through doing business with the continent where every street corner boasts an entrepreneur.
These all relate to the same place and the same idea: that Africa is the proving ground for whether or not we really believe in equality.
For example, we are witnessing a general desire and drift toward action on climate change, a very positive thing. But imagine for a moment that 10 million children were going to lose their lives next year due to the earth's overheating. A state of emergency would be declared, and you would be reading about little else. Well, next year, more than 10 million children's lives will be lost unnecessarily to extreme poverty, and you'll hear very little about it. Nearly half will be on the continent of Africa, where HIV/AIDS is killing teachers faster than you can train them and where you can witness entire villages in which the children are the parents. All over the world, countless children will die as a result of mosquito bites, dirty water, and diarrhea. It's not a natural catastrophe--it's a completely avoidable one. Diarrhea may be inconvenient in our house, but it's not a death sentence.
This is happening at a time of great geopolitical unrest. The majority of people in the world no longer idolize Western ideals of justice, freedom, and equality. They don't believe we believe in them. As a student and fan of this great country, America, and the ideas at the heart of it, I think the wider world needs to see a demonstration of those "American" values, through pharmacology, agro-ecology, and technological help for those in extreme circumstances, in their hour of need. These are dangerous times--it's cheaper and smarter to make friends of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later. Ask the four-star general James L. Jones, former NATO commander and one link in the American chain of command who back in 2002 foresaw difficulties ahead in Iraq.
That's the context for what you could call a "swarm-of-bees strategy": ganging up on these problems from every side.
DATA is an advocacy and policy operation based in Washington, D.C., London, and Berlin and targeting the G-8 capitals.
The ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History is an umbrella group of different NGOs and grassroots activists from across the political spectrum who believe these issues are about justice, not charity. Nearly three million Americans so far have signed up for the ONE Campaign, pledging to help the world's poor. Soccer stars, soccer moms, NGOs and CEOs, punk-rockers and churchgoers--the only places that haven't been active are Main Street, the shopping malls.
So Bobby Shriver--chairman of DATA and a hero on the issue of debt cancellation, who sold an arcane economic issue to congressional members on both sides of the aisle--and I started (PRODUCT) RED, so called because red is the color of emergencies, and that is the only way to describe the aids pandemic. We believed that to ignore the neon and creative force afforded by corporate America would be to ignore the truth about where most Americans live and work. A few years ago I was with the great Robert Rubin, former U.S. Treasury secretary under President Clinton. He said if we are serious about our stuff we will have to improve on two fronts: (1) communicating to America the scale of the problem, and (2) convincing America that the problem can be solved. He added the challenge that we would need the kinds of marketing budgets Nike and Gap have at their disposal.
He was right. Without our corporate partners--American Express, Apple, Emporio Armani, Converse, Gap, and Motorola--we could never afford such bright neon, or the acres of bold billboarding. These companies are heroic (and--shock, horror--we want them to make money for their shareholders because that will make (RED) sustainable). In the project's first nine months, $25 million has gone directly from (RED) partners to the Global Fund, which grants money to health-care organizations around the world to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. That is more than Australia, Switzerland, and China contributed last year.
As you read this--historic--issue of Vanity Fair, the Global Fund is benefiting, but that's not the main reason we kidnapped this publication's extraordinary photographers and storytellers. We needed help in describing the continent of Africa as an opportunity, as an adventure, not a burden. Our habit--and we have to kick it--is to reduce this mesmerizing, entrepreneurial, dynamic continent of 53 diverse countries to a hopeless deathbed of war, disease, and corruption. Binyavanga Wainaina's piece on Kenya is an eye- and mind-opener. From here, what's needed is a leg up, not a handout. Targeted debt cancellation and aid mean 20 million more African kids are in school, 1.3 million Africans are on lifesaving drugs. Amazing.
So now I hope you better understand the "here," i.e., my signing up as guest editor.
Lastly, I've always imagined that if I hadn't been a singer I would have been a journalist. But, in truth, my bandmates saved me from disappointment, as I'm no natural editor. The fact that we have 20 covers for one issue bears testament to that. I am flat out of hyperbole to describe Annie Leibovitz--a devoted mother who set out on a world tour to photograph these cover stars--and inchoate in the company of such a team of wordsmiths and image-makers. And then there's Graydon, a true rock star. (Checklist: mad hair, natty dresser, de rigueur unrepentant smoking, etc. I looked like his manager.) He is the dramatist that we've been looking for. By the way, he tried to change the name of our band to 2U--it was his last defense against my challenge to call this issue Fair Vanity.
-----------
You can find this statement by Bono online as well as more information about (RED) and ONE at this (RED) SITE .
The great force in the fight against poverty and AIDS in the developing world has a lot going on this month. But I would like to draw attention to one of the things that he is doing, (and that will help to bring to light some of the other things that he is doing).
Bono has edited this month's (July - 207) edition of Vanity Fair Magazine. You may wonder why in the world is he doing that, and I think that it is best for him to explain what he is doing in his own words - that appear in the July 2007 edition of Vanity Fair.
Message 2U
From Bono
Vanity Fair Guest Editor
July 2007
Let me explain what I'm doing here, and there. By "there," I don't mean my day job as singer with Irish postpunk combo U2.
By "there," I mean DATA--the organization which campaigns on debt, aids, and trade in Africa.
By "there," I mean the ONE Campaign--which is becoming like the National Rifle Association in its firepower, but acts in the interests of the world's poor.
By "there," I mean (PRODUCT) RED--which piggybacks the excitement and energy of the commercial world to buy lifesaving AIDS drugs for Africans who cannot afford them.
And by "there," I mean Edun--the missus's clothing line that wants to inject some dignity through doing business with the continent where every street corner boasts an entrepreneur.
These all relate to the same place and the same idea: that Africa is the proving ground for whether or not we really believe in equality.
For example, we are witnessing a general desire and drift toward action on climate change, a very positive thing. But imagine for a moment that 10 million children were going to lose their lives next year due to the earth's overheating. A state of emergency would be declared, and you would be reading about little else. Well, next year, more than 10 million children's lives will be lost unnecessarily to extreme poverty, and you'll hear very little about it. Nearly half will be on the continent of Africa, where HIV/AIDS is killing teachers faster than you can train them and where you can witness entire villages in which the children are the parents. All over the world, countless children will die as a result of mosquito bites, dirty water, and diarrhea. It's not a natural catastrophe--it's a completely avoidable one. Diarrhea may be inconvenient in our house, but it's not a death sentence.
This is happening at a time of great geopolitical unrest. The majority of people in the world no longer idolize Western ideals of justice, freedom, and equality. They don't believe we believe in them. As a student and fan of this great country, America, and the ideas at the heart of it, I think the wider world needs to see a demonstration of those "American" values, through pharmacology, agro-ecology, and technological help for those in extreme circumstances, in their hour of need. These are dangerous times--it's cheaper and smarter to make friends of potential enemies than to defend yourself against them later. Ask the four-star general James L. Jones, former NATO commander and one link in the American chain of command who back in 2002 foresaw difficulties ahead in Iraq.
That's the context for what you could call a "swarm-of-bees strategy": ganging up on these problems from every side.
DATA is an advocacy and policy operation based in Washington, D.C., London, and Berlin and targeting the G-8 capitals.
The ONE Campaign to Make Poverty History is an umbrella group of different NGOs and grassroots activists from across the political spectrum who believe these issues are about justice, not charity. Nearly three million Americans so far have signed up for the ONE Campaign, pledging to help the world's poor. Soccer stars, soccer moms, NGOs and CEOs, punk-rockers and churchgoers--the only places that haven't been active are Main Street, the shopping malls.
So Bobby Shriver--chairman of DATA and a hero on the issue of debt cancellation, who sold an arcane economic issue to congressional members on both sides of the aisle--and I started (PRODUCT) RED, so called because red is the color of emergencies, and that is the only way to describe the aids pandemic. We believed that to ignore the neon and creative force afforded by corporate America would be to ignore the truth about where most Americans live and work. A few years ago I was with the great Robert Rubin, former U.S. Treasury secretary under President Clinton. He said if we are serious about our stuff we will have to improve on two fronts: (1) communicating to America the scale of the problem, and (2) convincing America that the problem can be solved. He added the challenge that we would need the kinds of marketing budgets Nike and Gap have at their disposal.
He was right. Without our corporate partners--American Express, Apple, Emporio Armani, Converse, Gap, and Motorola--we could never afford such bright neon, or the acres of bold billboarding. These companies are heroic (and--shock, horror--we want them to make money for their shareholders because that will make (RED) sustainable). In the project's first nine months, $25 million has gone directly from (RED) partners to the Global Fund, which grants money to health-care organizations around the world to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. That is more than Australia, Switzerland, and China contributed last year.
As you read this--historic--issue of Vanity Fair, the Global Fund is benefiting, but that's not the main reason we kidnapped this publication's extraordinary photographers and storytellers. We needed help in describing the continent of Africa as an opportunity, as an adventure, not a burden. Our habit--and we have to kick it--is to reduce this mesmerizing, entrepreneurial, dynamic continent of 53 diverse countries to a hopeless deathbed of war, disease, and corruption. Binyavanga Wainaina's piece on Kenya is an eye- and mind-opener. From here, what's needed is a leg up, not a handout. Targeted debt cancellation and aid mean 20 million more African kids are in school, 1.3 million Africans are on lifesaving drugs. Amazing.
So now I hope you better understand the "here," i.e., my signing up as guest editor.
Lastly, I've always imagined that if I hadn't been a singer I would have been a journalist. But, in truth, my bandmates saved me from disappointment, as I'm no natural editor. The fact that we have 20 covers for one issue bears testament to that. I am flat out of hyperbole to describe Annie Leibovitz--a devoted mother who set out on a world tour to photograph these cover stars--and inchoate in the company of such a team of wordsmiths and image-makers. And then there's Graydon, a true rock star. (Checklist: mad hair, natty dresser, de rigueur unrepentant smoking, etc. I looked like his manager.) He is the dramatist that we've been looking for. By the way, he tried to change the name of our band to 2U--it was his last defense against my challenge to call this issue Fair Vanity.
-----------
You can find this statement by Bono online as well as more information about (RED) and ONE at this (RED) SITE .
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
WATERAID IN ZAMBIA
WaterAid is an international charity whose mission is to overcome poverty by enabling the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.
WaterAid's envisions a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation and they aim to help one million people gain access to water and one million gain access to sanitation every year.
As a part of their mission, WaterAid has been working in Zambia since 1992. Below is their description of their work there.
WaterAid in Zambia
WaterAid first received requests for assistance during the severe 1992-4 drought. A country office was set up in Monze District in 1994 and WaterAid began work in the Southern Province.
This semi-arid region, with an average annual rainfall of just 70cm, suffers from water shortages and droughts. With few reliable water points, women and children have no choice but to walk miles every day to collect water which is usually dirty and unsafe.
This, coupled with the fact that only a small fraction of people in the province have access to latrines, means that water and sanitation related diseases are prevalent.
WaterAid first began work with the Department of Health in 1995 in a programme of hand-dug well and latrine construction, community mobilisation, education and training.
In 1996 the Government established a new water policy calling for urban water services to be privatised and rural projects to be community owned and managed.
It also stated that sanitation and hygiene promotion should be integrated with water projects.
This policy, known as WASHE (water, sanitation, hygiene education), is put into practice by district committees called DWASHE made up of district departments, including those responsible for health, water and community development, non governmental organisations (NGOs) and donor agencies based in the district.
WaterAid supports the WASHE concept and had been working to develop the skills and capacity of D-WASHE committees to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene education.
To increase its role nationally and promote more coordination with others involved in water and sanitation WaterAid moved its head office to the capital Lusaka in 2000.
WaterAid has since expanded its operations to seven districts, five of which are in the Southern Province (Monze, Siavonga, Namwala, Itezhitezhi and Kazungula) while the other two are Kafue in Lusaka Province and Kaoma in Western Province.
Until April 2005, WaterAid was working in partnership with D-WASHE committees in five of these districts while in the two others (Monze and Kazungula) WaterAid signed agreements with partners from the Department of Health.
In 2004 the Zambian government reaffirmed that local authorities are responsible for rural water supply with non governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector involved in implementing projects.
To support this change WaterAid now works with both local authorities and a range of partners including NGOs and small scale private contractors such as well technicians, latrine builders and pump mechanics who work directly with communities.
WaterAid and its partners have recently changed from the model village approach to the 'focus area' approach. In the first partners worked to ensure everyone in one village gained access to safe water, sanitation and good hygiene and this 'model village' was then used as a showcase, in the hope that other communities would emulate the scheme.
In the 'focus area' a wider area in a district is covered. This approach reaches a large number of villages making it easier to plan and monitor activities and provide support so that all villages gain equal benefits from the projects.
The most appropriate and affordable water technology has been hand-dug wells; however, this is changing as falling water tables have meant that WaterAid is also drilling boreholes too. We are now exploring the rope pump as another suitable technology option.
WaterAid is also working with partners to introduce composting latrines as one of a range of latrine options in Zambia. These latrines safely use human waste to benefit local agriculture by creating a renewable source of fertile compost.
WATERAID
WaterAid's envisions a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation and they aim to help one million people gain access to water and one million gain access to sanitation every year.
As a part of their mission, WaterAid has been working in Zambia since 1992. Below is their description of their work there.
WaterAid in Zambia
WaterAid first received requests for assistance during the severe 1992-4 drought. A country office was set up in Monze District in 1994 and WaterAid began work in the Southern Province.
This semi-arid region, with an average annual rainfall of just 70cm, suffers from water shortages and droughts. With few reliable water points, women and children have no choice but to walk miles every day to collect water which is usually dirty and unsafe.
This, coupled with the fact that only a small fraction of people in the province have access to latrines, means that water and sanitation related diseases are prevalent.
WaterAid first began work with the Department of Health in 1995 in a programme of hand-dug well and latrine construction, community mobilisation, education and training.
In 1996 the Government established a new water policy calling for urban water services to be privatised and rural projects to be community owned and managed.
It also stated that sanitation and hygiene promotion should be integrated with water projects.
This policy, known as WASHE (water, sanitation, hygiene education), is put into practice by district committees called DWASHE made up of district departments, including those responsible for health, water and community development, non governmental organisations (NGOs) and donor agencies based in the district.
WaterAid supports the WASHE concept and had been working to develop the skills and capacity of D-WASHE committees to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene education.
To increase its role nationally and promote more coordination with others involved in water and sanitation WaterAid moved its head office to the capital Lusaka in 2000.
WaterAid has since expanded its operations to seven districts, five of which are in the Southern Province (Monze, Siavonga, Namwala, Itezhitezhi and Kazungula) while the other two are Kafue in Lusaka Province and Kaoma in Western Province.
Until April 2005, WaterAid was working in partnership with D-WASHE committees in five of these districts while in the two others (Monze and Kazungula) WaterAid signed agreements with partners from the Department of Health.
In 2004 the Zambian government reaffirmed that local authorities are responsible for rural water supply with non governmental organisations (NGOs) and the private sector involved in implementing projects.
To support this change WaterAid now works with both local authorities and a range of partners including NGOs and small scale private contractors such as well technicians, latrine builders and pump mechanics who work directly with communities.
WaterAid and its partners have recently changed from the model village approach to the 'focus area' approach. In the first partners worked to ensure everyone in one village gained access to safe water, sanitation and good hygiene and this 'model village' was then used as a showcase, in the hope that other communities would emulate the scheme.
In the 'focus area' a wider area in a district is covered. This approach reaches a large number of villages making it easier to plan and monitor activities and provide support so that all villages gain equal benefits from the projects.
The most appropriate and affordable water technology has been hand-dug wells; however, this is changing as falling water tables have meant that WaterAid is also drilling boreholes too. We are now exploring the rope pump as another suitable technology option.
WaterAid is also working with partners to introduce composting latrines as one of a range of latrine options in Zambia. These latrines safely use human waste to benefit local agriculture by creating a renewable source of fertile compost.
WATERAID
Friday, June 01, 2007
How to Choose the Right Online Volunteering Assignment
Many people have asked me about choosing an online volunteer project. Here are some notes from the UN's Online Volunteering web site that may help you choose a project if you are looking for one. These guidelines are specific to the U.N.'s program, but they hold true for online volunteering in general. There is more at the U.N.'s site than I have prented here, and to find out more, use the link found at the end of this article.
A key to success in Online Volunteering is in choosing the assignments that are appropriate to your skills, interests and availability.
Use your answers to these questions to guide you in choosing organizations and assignments:
Why do you want to volunteer, in general?
What do you hope to gain and give by volunteering?
What kind of organization(s) or programs do you want to help?
What sort of services and assistance would you like to provide -- building a web site for an organization, doing online research, mentoring a young person via the Internet, visiting virtually with someone who is home bound?
Do you want to volunteer for something that uses the skills you apply in your paid work or at school, or do you want to do something completely different?
What types of things are you good at (and like to do)? These can be professional skills or even hobbies and recreational talents. Almost every type of skill is needed somewhere.
What DON'T you want to do as a volunteer?
What organizations have you volunteered with before, on or offline? What did you like and dislike about those experiences?
What is your availability for assignments? (do you want to work during a set time of day? for a certain amount of days, weeks, or months?
On our service, you can search for Online Volunteering activities in two ways -- by the kinds of Online Volunteering Assignments available and by the kind of work the organization engages in. Whichever way you choose, keep your answers to the above questions in mind when looking for an assignment.
You may need to do many different kinds of searches, narrowing or expanding your search many times so that you can find a range of opportunities to apply for. There are thousands of organizations on our Online Volunteering service, representing many, many different geographic areas and types of assignments. New organizations and opportunities are added daily.
When you choose an organization and an assignment that interests you, you will go through a registration process to capture information about your skills, interests and availability. Your information is then sent directly to the organization that posted the volunteering opportunity. UNV does not review applications by volunteers. Also, please note that submission of your information does not guarantee you will be considered or placed as an online volunteer.
If the organization would like you to take on the assignment, a staff person from that agency will contact you. However, please note that online volunteering is very, very new to most NGOs, and many are still getting used to working with online volunteers. In your member page within our service, the assignments you applied for are automatically listed
U.N. Online Volunteering
A key to success in Online Volunteering is in choosing the assignments that are appropriate to your skills, interests and availability.
Use your answers to these questions to guide you in choosing organizations and assignments:
Why do you want to volunteer, in general?
What do you hope to gain and give by volunteering?
What kind of organization(s) or programs do you want to help?
What sort of services and assistance would you like to provide -- building a web site for an organization, doing online research, mentoring a young person via the Internet, visiting virtually with someone who is home bound?
Do you want to volunteer for something that uses the skills you apply in your paid work or at school, or do you want to do something completely different?
What types of things are you good at (and like to do)? These can be professional skills or even hobbies and recreational talents. Almost every type of skill is needed somewhere.
What DON'T you want to do as a volunteer?
What organizations have you volunteered with before, on or offline? What did you like and dislike about those experiences?
What is your availability for assignments? (do you want to work during a set time of day? for a certain amount of days, weeks, or months?
On our service, you can search for Online Volunteering activities in two ways -- by the kinds of Online Volunteering Assignments available and by the kind of work the organization engages in. Whichever way you choose, keep your answers to the above questions in mind when looking for an assignment.
You may need to do many different kinds of searches, narrowing or expanding your search many times so that you can find a range of opportunities to apply for. There are thousands of organizations on our Online Volunteering service, representing many, many different geographic areas and types of assignments. New organizations and opportunities are added daily.
When you choose an organization and an assignment that interests you, you will go through a registration process to capture information about your skills, interests and availability. Your information is then sent directly to the organization that posted the volunteering opportunity. UNV does not review applications by volunteers. Also, please note that submission of your information does not guarantee you will be considered or placed as an online volunteer.
If the organization would like you to take on the assignment, a staff person from that agency will contact you. However, please note that online volunteering is very, very new to most NGOs, and many are still getting used to working with online volunteers. In your member page within our service, the assignments you applied for are automatically listed
U.N. Online Volunteering
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE RIGHTS INITIATIVE
The goal of International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI) is to enhance the protection of the rights of the displaced worldwide. IRRI grounds its advocacy in the rights accorded in international human rights instruments to those who are forced to flee and strives to make these guarantees effective in the communities where the displaced and their hosts live.
The International Refugee Rights Initiative is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in the United States and Uganda. In the United States, IRRI is hosted by the Social Science Research Council in New York. In Uganda, IRRI works collaboratively with the Refugee Law Project of Makerere University in Kampala.
IRRI was founded in June 2004 by Olivia Bueno, Deirdre Clancy and Dismas Nkunda, all team members of the previous International Refugee Program of Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights). IRRI builds on the expertise and partnerships built by Human Rights First in its work on international refugee law and policy.
IRRI
The International Refugee Rights Initiative is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in the United States and Uganda. In the United States, IRRI is hosted by the Social Science Research Council in New York. In Uganda, IRRI works collaboratively with the Refugee Law Project of Makerere University in Kampala.
IRRI was founded in June 2004 by Olivia Bueno, Deirdre Clancy and Dismas Nkunda, all team members of the previous International Refugee Program of Human Rights First (formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights). IRRI builds on the expertise and partnerships built by Human Rights First in its work on international refugee law and policy.
IRRI
Monday, May 14, 2007
FAHAMU - Network For Social Justice
FAHAMU has produced and made available online several tools that are useful to NGO in developing nations. Below you can find just one example.
Healthcare training and internet connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa Firoze Manji, Roger Drew and Mike Jensen - 3.8mb
This desk top analysis was commissioned by the E-learning Certification Programme in Global Health, University of Oxford. This programme is developing an internet-based, interactive education and training course for health professionals in Africa. A pilot module in malaria is being developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report contains an extensive review of health care training and internet connectivity in each of the Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa countries, and also provides an extensive review of internet connectivity in the region. The report includes a more detailed review of the situation in Tanzania.
For further information about this new initiative from Oxford University please contact either: Dr. Stephen Allen, Course Director, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine; or Dr. Sarah Davies, Project Manager, Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning or visit the web site.
http://www.fahamu.org/downloads/Nuffieldwebreport.pdf
Healthcare training and internet connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa Firoze Manji, Roger Drew and Mike Jensen - 3.8mb
This desk top analysis was commissioned by the E-learning Certification Programme in Global Health, University of Oxford. This programme is developing an internet-based, interactive education and training course for health professionals in Africa. A pilot module in malaria is being developed with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report contains an extensive review of health care training and internet connectivity in each of the Anglophone sub-Saharan Africa countries, and also provides an extensive review of internet connectivity in the region. The report includes a more detailed review of the situation in Tanzania.
For further information about this new initiative from Oxford University please contact either: Dr. Stephen Allen, Course Director, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine; or Dr. Sarah Davies, Project Manager, Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning or visit the web site.
http://www.fahamu.org/downloads/Nuffieldwebreport.pdf
Friday, May 04, 2007
Greenlightnigeria.org: a Project of Stakeholder Democracy Network
greenlightnigeria.org is a project of Stakeholder Democracy Network and says that it is independent of all governments and political parties. It also states that its aims are to:
Bringing together online journals by election monitors, human rights defenders, independent journalists and analysts, greenlightnigeria.org will:
· Give a voice to defenders of democracy in Nigeria, and their supporters
· Be as a platform for independent monitors of elections in Nigeria to keep blogs, from at least April 2007 till local government elections (scheduled for 2008)
· Collect analysis and discourse about the elections, and provide a running commentary on them
· Use social networking tools and the power of the web to get people talking and thinking about the elections and democracy in Nigeria
Bloggers on the site have been invited to write for greenlightnigeria.org, some anonymously for security reasons.
If you would like to contact greenlightnigeria.org, their email is info@greenlightnigeria.org
greenlightnigeria.org
Stakeholder Democracy Network
Bringing together online journals by election monitors, human rights defenders, independent journalists and analysts, greenlightnigeria.org will:
· Give a voice to defenders of democracy in Nigeria, and their supporters
· Be as a platform for independent monitors of elections in Nigeria to keep blogs, from at least April 2007 till local government elections (scheduled for 2008)
· Collect analysis and discourse about the elections, and provide a running commentary on them
· Use social networking tools and the power of the web to get people talking and thinking about the elections and democracy in Nigeria
Bloggers on the site have been invited to write for greenlightnigeria.org, some anonymously for security reasons.
If you would like to contact greenlightnigeria.org, their email is info@greenlightnigeria.org
greenlightnigeria.org
Stakeholder Democracy Network
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
FUNDRAISING ASSISTANCE FOR CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS
This information was taken from: Resources for Mobilizing Funding for Development Projects, which provides some very useful information on how to make your foundation thrive. The section posted below provides a useful list of resources for finding technical assistance for your organization.
Technical Assistance in How to Mobilize Resources
One of the important challenges facing any community based or nongovernmental organization is how to keep the good work of the organization going. How can such an organization attract a broad base of support to sustain itself? Where can it go to get technical assistance on how to diversify its sources of support? The following Websites offer online and other technical assistance on resource mobilization methods:
About Nonprofit Charitable Organizations
http://nonprofit.about.com/
About contains information on a broad range of topics
related to operating an NGO. The site contains
information on how to do Web-based fundraising, staff
training, donor information, management information,
public relations, technology, and managing volunteers.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
http://philanthropy.com/
The Chronicle is a biweekly newspaper with extensive
coverage on fundraising, technical assistance, and issues
facing NGOs from a U.S. perspective.
CIVICUS
http://www.civicus.org
Civicus conducts several programs on resource
mobilization and corporate philanthropy. It also
maintains a database on organizations that work to
strengthen and grow civil society organizations
worldwide.
The Foundation Center
http://www.fdncenter.org/
The FC's Website contains a broad array of fundraising
information, including donor directories, an online
librarian to answer questions, proposal writing guides,
valuable tips on fundraising, downloadable common
grant applications forms from specific donors, training
and seminar directories, and a guide to libraries housing
the FC's directories. You can also subscribe to their
weekly email newsletter entitled "Philanthropy News
Digest." Just email to the following address:
LISTSERV@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG with the words
SUBSCRIBE PND-L your name in the text.
InnoNet
http://www.innonet.org/about/mission.cfm
InnoNet's mission is to build the skills, knowledge, and
processes within public and nonprofit organizations to
improve their overall organizational learning and
effectiveness.
The International Training and Consulting Institute
http://www.iyfnet.org/
The ITCI is a unit of the International Youth Foundation
that provides technical assistance and training worldwide
to help NGOs diversify their revenue streams and sustain
themselves.
Internet Prospector:
http://www.internet-prospector.org/
The IP provides "donor prospectors" with numerous tips
on how to conduct funding research on the Web. It
contains numerous links to other useful sources of
information on donors, both domestic and international.
The IP also publishes a monthly online newsletter that
contains a section on international prospect research.
INTFUND:
A listserve for discussion of issues related to
international fundraising. To subscribe, mail to:
listserv@vm1.mcgill.ca [note: this is a numeral '1,' not a
letter 'l'] in the body of the message, type: subscribe
INTFUND, messages to the list go to:
mailto:intfund@vm1.mcgill.ca
National Center for Nonprofit Boards http://www.ncnb.org/links.htm
Besides offering technical assistance to NGOs seeking to
engage their boards in fundraising, NCNB also offers
numerous linkages to other organizations providing
technical assistance in fundraising.
Philanthropy Journal
http://www.pj.org .
This Website provides hyperlinks to other foundation
homepages. You can subscribe to a free email weekly
fundraising newsletter entitled "Philanthropy Journal
Alert" from the publishers of "Philanthropy Journal."
Send your email address to pjalert-on@mail-list.com.
Philanthropy Search
www.philanthropysearch.com/
Sponsored by the US-Based National Society for
Fundraising Executives, this portal serves as a gateway to
the online world of philanthropy and nonprofits. Very
useful is the Website's "speed search" functions in which
one either clicks on a category related to donors or types
in a word search for information on a specific fundraising
topic.
Synergos Institute
http://www.synergos.org/
The Synergos Institute maintains a knowledge base on
mobilizing resources and support that includes
suggestions on formulating strategies to mobilize
resources, building endowments, raising resources from
international foundations, fundraising from individuals
and the public, creating a financial bridge to the private
sector, working with Official Development Assistance
Agencies, and generating earned income.
UK Fundraising
http://www.fundraising.co.uk/
This site is an electronic fundraising resource for UK and
European non-profit grant seekers.
The complete document published by the World Bank can be found at the following site:
Resources for Mobilizing Funding for Development Projects
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/funding/ngo-grants.pdf
Technical Assistance in How to Mobilize Resources
One of the important challenges facing any community based or nongovernmental organization is how to keep the good work of the organization going. How can such an organization attract a broad base of support to sustain itself? Where can it go to get technical assistance on how to diversify its sources of support? The following Websites offer online and other technical assistance on resource mobilization methods:
About Nonprofit Charitable Organizations
http://nonprofit.about.com/
About contains information on a broad range of topics
related to operating an NGO. The site contains
information on how to do Web-based fundraising, staff
training, donor information, management information,
public relations, technology, and managing volunteers.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
http://philanthropy.com/
The Chronicle is a biweekly newspaper with extensive
coverage on fundraising, technical assistance, and issues
facing NGOs from a U.S. perspective.
CIVICUS
http://www.civicus.org
Civicus conducts several programs on resource
mobilization and corporate philanthropy. It also
maintains a database on organizations that work to
strengthen and grow civil society organizations
worldwide.
The Foundation Center
http://www.fdncenter.org/
The FC's Website contains a broad array of fundraising
information, including donor directories, an online
librarian to answer questions, proposal writing guides,
valuable tips on fundraising, downloadable common
grant applications forms from specific donors, training
and seminar directories, and a guide to libraries housing
the FC's directories. You can also subscribe to their
weekly email newsletter entitled "Philanthropy News
Digest." Just email to the following address:
LISTSERV@LISTS.FDNCENTER.ORG with the words
SUBSCRIBE PND-L your name in the text.
InnoNet
http://www.innonet.org/about/mission.cfm
InnoNet's mission is to build the skills, knowledge, and
processes within public and nonprofit organizations to
improve their overall organizational learning and
effectiveness.
The International Training and Consulting Institute
http://www.iyfnet.org/
The ITCI is a unit of the International Youth Foundation
that provides technical assistance and training worldwide
to help NGOs diversify their revenue streams and sustain
themselves.
Internet Prospector:
http://www.internet-prospector.org/
The IP provides "donor prospectors" with numerous tips
on how to conduct funding research on the Web. It
contains numerous links to other useful sources of
information on donors, both domestic and international.
The IP also publishes a monthly online newsletter that
contains a section on international prospect research.
INTFUND:
A listserve for discussion of issues related to
international fundraising. To subscribe, mail to:
listserv@vm1.mcgill.ca [note: this is a numeral '1,' not a
letter 'l'] in the body of the message, type: subscribe
INTFUND
mailto:intfund@vm1.mcgill.ca
National Center for Nonprofit Boards http://www.ncnb.org/links.htm
Besides offering technical assistance to NGOs seeking to
engage their boards in fundraising, NCNB also offers
numerous linkages to other organizations providing
technical assistance in fundraising.
Philanthropy Journal
http://www.pj.org .
This Website provides hyperlinks to other foundation
homepages. You can subscribe to a free email weekly
fundraising newsletter entitled "Philanthropy Journal
Alert" from the publishers of "Philanthropy Journal."
Send your email address to pjalert-on@mail-list.com.
Philanthropy Search
www.philanthropysearch.com/
Sponsored by the US-Based National Society for
Fundraising Executives, this portal serves as a gateway to
the online world of philanthropy and nonprofits. Very
useful is the Website's "speed search" functions in which
one either clicks on a category related to donors or types
in a word search for information on a specific fundraising
topic.
Synergos Institute
http://www.synergos.org/
The Synergos Institute maintains a knowledge base on
mobilizing resources and support that includes
suggestions on formulating strategies to mobilize
resources, building endowments, raising resources from
international foundations, fundraising from individuals
and the public, creating a financial bridge to the private
sector, working with Official Development Assistance
Agencies, and generating earned income.
UK Fundraising
http://www.fundraising.co.uk/
This site is an electronic fundraising resource for UK and
European non-profit grant seekers.
The complete document published by the World Bank can be found at the following site:
Resources for Mobilizing Funding for Development Projects
http://www.gdrc.org/ngo/funding/ngo-grants.pdf
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
MOBILE PHONE USE MAY AUGMENT COMPUTERS IN THE FUTURE
The following article from the February 21, 2007 edition of South Africa’s The Daily Star focuses on India, but it points to a direction that IT development is taking and that should have an impact on Africa in the future as well. With the cost of computers coming down, they are still very much out of reach for the average African, particularly in the rural areas. With mobile phones becoming more and more able to access the world-wide-web, this may be an inexpensive alternative to the desk top or laptop computer.
Mobile phones to fuel internet growth: Google
Afp, San Francisco
Google vice president and chief internet evangelist Vinton G. Cerf predicted Tuesday that mobile phones, not personal computers, will fuel growth of the worldwide web as countries like India snap up millions of handsets monthly.
From 50 million in 1997, the number of people who have logged onto the Internet has exploded to nearly 1.1 billion, Cerf, who is considered one of the founding fathers of the internet, said.
Yet, the internet only reaches a sixth of the world's population, Cerf told reporters during a visit to this southern city, known as India's Silicon Valley, where Google has a research and development facility.
"You will get those other 5.5 billion people only when affordability increases and the cost of communication goes down," said Cerf, 63, who joined Google in 2005. "The mobile phone has become an important factor in the internet revolution."
The silver-bearded scientist, dressed in a three-piece suit for a presentation on the internet, is hearing-impared and had to read the lips of reporters who asked him questions.
Cerf, a winner of the Alexander Graham Bell award, said one of the reasons he started working on the internet project was to give the hearing impared an instant tool to communicate.
Worldwide there are 2.5 billion mobile-phone users, whose numbers are growing rapidly in developing countries led by China and India, the world's most populous countries, Cerf said in his presentation.
India, a country of 1.1 billion people, alone is adding seven million mobile-phone users a month, a powerful enough lure for British telecom giant Vodafone to pay 11.1 billion dollars for a controlling stake in local mobile firm Hutch-Essar this month.
Handset manufacturers and mobile-phone companies are offering an array of internet-enabled features and services including payment and navigation systems while dropping charges under the pressure of growing competition that will bring many of the new subscribers to the internet, Cerf said.
The Daily Star
The Article may be found here.
Mobile phones to fuel internet growth: Google
Afp, San Francisco
Google vice president and chief internet evangelist Vinton G. Cerf predicted Tuesday that mobile phones, not personal computers, will fuel growth of the worldwide web as countries like India snap up millions of handsets monthly.
From 50 million in 1997, the number of people who have logged onto the Internet has exploded to nearly 1.1 billion, Cerf, who is considered one of the founding fathers of the internet, said.
Yet, the internet only reaches a sixth of the world's population, Cerf told reporters during a visit to this southern city, known as India's Silicon Valley, where Google has a research and development facility.
"You will get those other 5.5 billion people only when affordability increases and the cost of communication goes down," said Cerf, 63, who joined Google in 2005. "The mobile phone has become an important factor in the internet revolution."
The silver-bearded scientist, dressed in a three-piece suit for a presentation on the internet, is hearing-impared and had to read the lips of reporters who asked him questions.
Cerf, a winner of the Alexander Graham Bell award, said one of the reasons he started working on the internet project was to give the hearing impared an instant tool to communicate.
Worldwide there are 2.5 billion mobile-phone users, whose numbers are growing rapidly in developing countries led by China and India, the world's most populous countries, Cerf said in his presentation.
India, a country of 1.1 billion people, alone is adding seven million mobile-phone users a month, a powerful enough lure for British telecom giant Vodafone to pay 11.1 billion dollars for a controlling stake in local mobile firm Hutch-Essar this month.
Handset manufacturers and mobile-phone companies are offering an array of internet-enabled features and services including payment and navigation systems while dropping charges under the pressure of growing competition that will bring many of the new subscribers to the internet, Cerf said.
The Daily Star
The Article may be found here.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
"Basic Tips for Fund-raising for Small NGOs in Developing Countries" by: Jane Cravens
I recently came across another article by Jayne Cravens entitled "Basic Tips for Fund-raising for Small NGOs in Developing Countries" and thought that it is so great, I wanted to share it. The article is 15-pages long, so it is not reprinted here in its entirety but the latest version can be found at: www.coyotecommunications.com/outreach/.
The Problem
The work of CBOs & NGOs in developing countries is vital to millions of people. However,fund-raising for these organizations is particularly difficult, for numerous reasons:
o There is often great competition among numerous local groups for scarce local
financial resources.
o International funders are reluctant to fund community-based NGOs "directly", because of a perception of lack of accountability, difficulty in establishing credible references, practical issues with resource transfers, and numerous tax questions.
o Some community-based organizations lack what donors regard as the necessary prerequisite structure for being able to process donations, financial or otherwise. For many organizations, this becomes a "Catch 22": resources would permit the necessary administrative changes to become more donor rule-compliant, but they cannot get those resources without making the changes.
- - - - - - -
Fund-raising First Step - Networking & Establishing Credibility
Many funders want to know that a CBO or NGO is credible before they will even reply to an organization's request for funding. Establishing credibility doesn't take money - it takes time, effort and personal attention.
As noted earlier, the first impulse of many CBOs or NGOs seeking funding is to request the contact information for possible funders, and once such information is received, these NGOs often write immediately to the potential funder, stressing how desperately funds are needed. Sadly, this approach often harms the NGO's reputation, rather than garnering support. Not only does it rarely attract funding, it can turn funding sources against the NGO altogether.
The activity to start with for successful fund-raising is networking: establish relationships -- formal or informal -- with local NGOs and representatives from International NGOs, local UN offices, large employers in the area, etc. If someone were to approach any of these agencies and institutions and ask about your organization, the answers should obviously demonstrate that these other organizations know what your CBO or NGO is, why it is important, and some of the good things it has done. Having such good local relationships means its more likely for these situations to occur:
o your CBO or NGO may be able to collaborate with these organizations and institutions and, therefore, receive funding o when funding becomes available for an activity your CBO or NGO undertakes, these organizations will contact you and let you know.
To network, start locally, with:
o local reporters or local media outlets (newspaper, radio, etc.)
o large employers in your area
o local UN offices (UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, ITU, etc.)
o local offices for International NGOs with excellent reputations with donors, such as OneWorld, Save the Children, Oxfam, World Vision, MercyCorps, and Doctors Without Borders (this is by no means a comprehensive list)
o local CBOs and NGOs
o local communities of faith
o local universities
o international volunteers serving in your geographic area
o any associations in your area (such as associations for small businesses, associations of women farmers -- such associations can be formally or informally-organized)
o local embassies or consulates
o local and regional government offices
Meet face-to-face with these people, whenever possible, to let them know what your CBO or NGO is doing -- do not emphasize what your organization needs but, rather, the good work that it is doing, and why the organization believes its mission is important, even essential, to the area. Invite representatives of these organizations to visit your organization and see your work first hand -- invite them more than once! If you can, give them printed information about your organization. And people representing your CBO or NGO should attend their events and accept their invitations too!
By doing this, you will lay the groundwork for funding! You will greatly increase your chances of receiving resources if you engage in these networking and reputationbuilding activities.
Even better is if this networking can lead to formal associations/affiliations with other local CBOs, NGOs, International NGOs, or UN agencies in your area, in the form of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), collaborative activities or shared resources. Potential funders view all such associations very favorably when considering who to fund.
But remember -- when networking initially, do NOT ask for funds, nor describe your organization as desperate for support. The purpose of networking is to establish your organizations reputation for excellent, quality work, and to create a network of organizations and people who will verify to others that your organization is legitimate, credible and worth supporting.
Even More Credibility-Building
The aforementioned networking tips should help build up the reputation of your CBO or NGO, but there is more that you can do, if you have the resources to do such. Some of the following activities may not be possible in your geographic area, or, you may not have the funds to engage in these activities:
o Membership in formal networks and associations -- If your country or region has a network or association of CBOs or NGOs, you should be a member. You can find these by contacting other local organizations to find out if such exists, or searching on the Internet for such.
o Excellent online profile -- If you type your organization's name into www.google.com what happens? Does your organization's web site come up (if you have such)? What about an online document by an International NGO or UN agency that references your organization? Or a newspaper article highlighting your organization's work? Or your listing on a site such as www.onlinevolunteering.org ? Anything negative come up? An online profile adds to your organization's credibility, and many potential funders, if they receive a proposal from you, will "Google" your organization's name, as well as the name of the leader of the organization, to see what comes up. Also, post relevant information that can help others at www.developmentgateway.org , www.eldis.org and www.comminit.com . If you involve volunteers, write about how they help your CBO and NGO (especially how they help those you serve, NOT how they save you money), and submit your story to www.worldvolunteerweb.org . Even doing these activities just once every year will help greatly expand your online reputation, and increase the chance of your getting noticed by potential funders.
o A clear, complete, easy-to-use web site -- It's not essential that your organization have a web site in order to attract funding, but it will help in your efforts if you do.
If your organization has a web site, it should be:
o free of advertising for for-profit companies
o free of misspellings
o well-designed; simple and without lots of cumbersome graphics
o accessible via a variety of different types of web browsers
o complete, with a listing of your staff, your board of directors, your organization's address, contact information, and at least a summary of your organization's budget.
o Academic profile -- It's not essential, but it will certainly add greatly to your organization's credibility if it has been referred to in a university-related paper. Ofcourse, it's not always possible to say yes to participation in an academic research project, given your other priorities. But your organization should try, whenever possible and when asked, to participate, as such will add to the appearance of your organization as transparent and credible to anyone investigating your organization for such.
Again, these activities may not be possible in your geographic area, or, you may not have the funds to engage in these activities. Potential funders will understand, for instance, if your CBO or NGO cannot have a web site because your resources are so limited; they will not, however, accept "limited resources" as an excuse for a web site riddled with errors, or as an excuse for negative stories about your organization online.
The Problem
The work of CBOs & NGOs in developing countries is vital to millions of people. However,fund-raising for these organizations is particularly difficult, for numerous reasons:
o There is often great competition among numerous local groups for scarce local
financial resources.
o International funders are reluctant to fund community-based NGOs "directly", because of a perception of lack of accountability, difficulty in establishing credible references, practical issues with resource transfers, and numerous tax questions.
o Some community-based organizations lack what donors regard as the necessary prerequisite structure for being able to process donations, financial or otherwise. For many organizations, this becomes a "Catch 22": resources would permit the necessary administrative changes to become more donor rule-compliant, but they cannot get those resources without making the changes.
- - - - - - -
Fund-raising First Step - Networking & Establishing Credibility
Many funders want to know that a CBO or NGO is credible before they will even reply to an organization's request for funding. Establishing credibility doesn't take money - it takes time, effort and personal attention.
As noted earlier, the first impulse of many CBOs or NGOs seeking funding is to request the contact information for possible funders, and once such information is received, these NGOs often write immediately to the potential funder, stressing how desperately funds are needed. Sadly, this approach often harms the NGO's reputation, rather than garnering support. Not only does it rarely attract funding, it can turn funding sources against the NGO altogether.
The activity to start with for successful fund-raising is networking: establish relationships -- formal or informal -- with local NGOs and representatives from International NGOs, local UN offices, large employers in the area, etc. If someone were to approach any of these agencies and institutions and ask about your organization, the answers should obviously demonstrate that these other organizations know what your CBO or NGO is, why it is important, and some of the good things it has done. Having such good local relationships means its more likely for these situations to occur:
o your CBO or NGO may be able to collaborate with these organizations and institutions and, therefore, receive funding o when funding becomes available for an activity your CBO or NGO undertakes, these organizations will contact you and let you know.
To network, start locally, with:
o local reporters or local media outlets (newspaper, radio, etc.)
o large employers in your area
o local UN offices (UNDP, UNICEF, UNESCO, ITU, etc.)
o local offices for International NGOs with excellent reputations with donors, such as OneWorld, Save the Children, Oxfam, World Vision, MercyCorps, and Doctors Without Borders (this is by no means a comprehensive list)
o local CBOs and NGOs
o local communities of faith
o local universities
o international volunteers serving in your geographic area
o any associations in your area (such as associations for small businesses, associations of women farmers -- such associations can be formally or informally-organized)
o local embassies or consulates
o local and regional government offices
Meet face-to-face with these people, whenever possible, to let them know what your CBO or NGO is doing -- do not emphasize what your organization needs but, rather, the good work that it is doing, and why the organization believes its mission is important, even essential, to the area. Invite representatives of these organizations to visit your organization and see your work first hand -- invite them more than once! If you can, give them printed information about your organization. And people representing your CBO or NGO should attend their events and accept their invitations too!
By doing this, you will lay the groundwork for funding! You will greatly increase your chances of receiving resources if you engage in these networking and reputationbuilding activities.
Even better is if this networking can lead to formal associations/affiliations with other local CBOs, NGOs, International NGOs, or UN agencies in your area, in the form of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), collaborative activities or shared resources. Potential funders view all such associations very favorably when considering who to fund.
But remember -- when networking initially, do NOT ask for funds, nor describe your organization as desperate for support. The purpose of networking is to establish your organizations reputation for excellent, quality work, and to create a network of organizations and people who will verify to others that your organization is legitimate, credible and worth supporting.
Even More Credibility-Building
The aforementioned networking tips should help build up the reputation of your CBO or NGO, but there is more that you can do, if you have the resources to do such. Some of the following activities may not be possible in your geographic area, or, you may not have the funds to engage in these activities:
o Membership in formal networks and associations -- If your country or region has a network or association of CBOs or NGOs, you should be a member. You can find these by contacting other local organizations to find out if such exists, or searching on the Internet for such.
o Excellent online profile -- If you type your organization's name into www.google.com what happens? Does your organization's web site come up (if you have such)? What about an online document by an International NGO or UN agency that references your organization? Or a newspaper article highlighting your organization's work? Or your listing on a site such as www.onlinevolunteering.org ? Anything negative come up? An online profile adds to your organization's credibility, and many potential funders, if they receive a proposal from you, will "Google" your organization's name, as well as the name of the leader of the organization, to see what comes up. Also, post relevant information that can help others at www.developmentgateway.org , www.eldis.org and www.comminit.com . If you involve volunteers, write about how they help your CBO and NGO (especially how they help those you serve, NOT how they save you money), and submit your story to www.worldvolunteerweb.org . Even doing these activities just once every year will help greatly expand your online reputation, and increase the chance of your getting noticed by potential funders.
o A clear, complete, easy-to-use web site -- It's not essential that your organization have a web site in order to attract funding, but it will help in your efforts if you do.
If your organization has a web site, it should be:
o free of advertising for for-profit companies
o free of misspellings
o well-designed; simple and without lots of cumbersome graphics
o accessible via a variety of different types of web browsers
o complete, with a listing of your staff, your board of directors, your organization's address, contact information, and at least a summary of your organization's budget.
o Academic profile -- It's not essential, but it will certainly add greatly to your organization's credibility if it has been referred to in a university-related paper. Ofcourse, it's not always possible to say yes to participation in an academic research project, given your other priorities. But your organization should try, whenever possible and when asked, to participate, as such will add to the appearance of your organization as transparent and credible to anyone investigating your organization for such.
Again, these activities may not be possible in your geographic area, or, you may not have the funds to engage in these activities. Potential funders will understand, for instance, if your CBO or NGO cannot have a web site because your resources are so limited; they will not, however, accept "limited resources" as an excuse for a web site riddled with errors, or as an excuse for negative stories about your organization online.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
RADIO FOR PEACEBUILDING, AFRICA
Search For Common Ground believes that radio has a "huge potential to have a positive impact on conflict, especially in Africa where it is by far the most effective method of communication."
Because of this, SFCG has initiated Radio for Peacebuilding, Africa. This project hopes to develop, spread and encourage the use of radio broadcasting techniques and content for the purpose of building peace in various communities which have suffered conflict.
According to SFCG: "We want this website to be a useful interactive tool for radio broadcasters in Africa and elsewhere. The site's objectives are to disseminate materials/knowledge created by radio professionals during the project (training manuals and audio programmes) and to develop positive interactions with you."
In particular, Search for Common Ground's Radio for Peacebuilding hopes to help sub-Saharan African radio broadcasters' develop their potential to have a constructive impact on conflicts of all kinds, to build on other successes and to share lessons learnt with other radio professionals across the continent.
Because conflicts in general are highly complex and operate on many different levels, "the project takes the form of a series of interlinked elements that complement each another." SFCG intends to ensure that each of these discrete elements will be pre-tested and assessed in a practical environment of professionals. Then it will be re-written or re-designed accordingly before being taken into a final or 'public' phase.
According to Search For Common Ground's web site:
The project is multi-pronged as follows:
# baseline attitudinal survey of African radio broadcasters' knowledge of, attitudes toward, and use of peacebuilding techniques
# two workshops for radio broadcasters to build new skills and techniques, and to help develop practical training manuals
# the development of three training manuals for radio professionals in English, French, Swahili and Hausa
# the production and broadcast of numerous exemplary programmes in English, French, Swahili and Hausa
# the development of training modules for media schools and colleges in Africa and elsewhere, so that the next generation of broadcasters knows, recognises and is able to use these techniques
After the analysis of the survey, we will select 20 well-known professionals from the respondents to take part in workshops. The goal of the workshops is to build new skills and techniques for peacebuilding and to help develop practical training manuals. It is hoped that the participants, as well as many other broadcasters, will contribute to the exemplary programmes.
Search For Common Ground states that: "the project's most important target audience is sub-Saharan African broadcasters themselves. However, by producing the programmes, the materials, and the website in the four languages, the project has an ultimate, potential target audience of about 73 million radio listeners in sub-Saharan Africa."
The project also provides manuals to help broadcasters achieve the intended goals.
Three of the manuals focuses on:
"Youth Radio for peacebuilding a guide"
"Radio Talkshows for Peacebuilding a guide" (2nd edition)
"How to produce a radio soap for conflict prevention/resolution"
Search For Common Ground feels that the success of this website relies partly on stakeholders in the global community and it asks for feedback on its site and ask that you write to: radiopeaceafrica@sfcg.be
Radio For Peacebuilding Africa (English version - the web site is also in Swahili, French and Hausa)
Manuals
Because of this, SFCG has initiated Radio for Peacebuilding, Africa. This project hopes to develop, spread and encourage the use of radio broadcasting techniques and content for the purpose of building peace in various communities which have suffered conflict.
According to SFCG: "We want this website to be a useful interactive tool for radio broadcasters in Africa and elsewhere. The site's objectives are to disseminate materials/knowledge created by radio professionals during the project (training manuals and audio programmes) and to develop positive interactions with you."
In particular, Search for Common Ground's Radio for Peacebuilding hopes to help sub-Saharan African radio broadcasters' develop their potential to have a constructive impact on conflicts of all kinds, to build on other successes and to share lessons learnt with other radio professionals across the continent.
Because conflicts in general are highly complex and operate on many different levels, "the project takes the form of a series of interlinked elements that complement each another." SFCG intends to ensure that each of these discrete elements will be pre-tested and assessed in a practical environment of professionals. Then it will be re-written or re-designed accordingly before being taken into a final or 'public' phase.
According to Search For Common Ground's web site:
The project is multi-pronged as follows:
# baseline attitudinal survey of African radio broadcasters' knowledge of, attitudes toward, and use of peacebuilding techniques
# two workshops for radio broadcasters to build new skills and techniques, and to help develop practical training manuals
# the development of three training manuals for radio professionals in English, French, Swahili and Hausa
# the production and broadcast of numerous exemplary programmes in English, French, Swahili and Hausa
# the development of training modules for media schools and colleges in Africa and elsewhere, so that the next generation of broadcasters knows, recognises and is able to use these techniques
After the analysis of the survey, we will select 20 well-known professionals from the respondents to take part in workshops. The goal of the workshops is to build new skills and techniques for peacebuilding and to help develop practical training manuals. It is hoped that the participants, as well as many other broadcasters, will contribute to the exemplary programmes.
Search For Common Ground states that: "the project's most important target audience is sub-Saharan African broadcasters themselves. However, by producing the programmes, the materials, and the website in the four languages, the project has an ultimate, potential target audience of about 73 million radio listeners in sub-Saharan Africa."
The project also provides manuals to help broadcasters achieve the intended goals.
Three of the manuals focuses on:
"Youth Radio for peacebuilding a guide"
"Radio Talkshows for Peacebuilding a guide" (2nd edition)
"How to produce a radio soap for conflict prevention/resolution"
Search For Common Ground feels that the success of this website relies partly on stakeholders in the global community and it asks for feedback on its site and ask that you write to: radiopeaceafrica@sfcg.be
Radio For Peacebuilding Africa (English version - the web site is also in Swahili, French and Hausa)
Manuals
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
AN OPERA OF THE SAHEL
On 17 February, Their Royal Highnesses Prince Friso, Princess Mabel, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands attended the world premiere of 'Bintou Were, a Sahel Opera' in Bamako, Mali. This musical spectacle was be held at an open-air theatre on the banks of the Niger. Prince Friso and Prince Constantijn. You may well wonder why the Prince and Princess were attending an opera performed in an open-air theatre in Mali; but the answer is simple. They are the Prince Claus Fund's honorary chairmen.
The Prince Claus Fund:
The Prince Claus Fund is a Netherlands foundation that aims at increasing cultural awareness and promoting exchange between culture and development. It also initiates and supports artistic and intellectual quality, creates platforms for debate and stimulates creative processes and artistic productions. The Prince Claus Fund is a platform for intercultural exchange and works jointly with individuals and organizations mainly in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean on the realization of activities and publications reflecting a contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development.
Background to the concept:
The idea of a Sahel Opera came originally from His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands who died in 2002. His idea was to create an African opera production composed and performed by people from the various Sahel countries. During the many years he lived and worked in Africa, the Prince developed a great love for the continent and he felt that the Sahel region in particular had a wealth of talent in the fields of dance, music, design and fashion. He envisaged an opera that would highlight all those talents. The Fund established in his name took up the challenge to initiate the project. The Sahel Opera illustrates beautifully many dimensions of the link between culture and development. The Sahel region covers Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
The title of the opera is "Bintou-Were, An Opera of the Sahel" and the story takes place in a village in the Sahel. According to the Libretto: In the village "[y]oung people are confused and have no hope in the future, trapped as they are by natural disaster, war and dictatorship. Weary of life in Africa, they decide to leave and try to breach the walls that separate the Sahel from Europe. Bintou-Were, a former child soldier, is expecting a 'love child'. She decides to cross the barricades protecting the borders of Morocco and Spain along with several other people she has met in her hectic life. If the perilous attack of the barbed wire of Melilla is successful, and the baby waits to be born on the other side, will there be a 'right of asylum' for all those claiming paternity of Bintou-Were's baby?"
In the drama of this story, all "social levels intersect in this modern day odyssey. Those on the road to exile encounter others who are returning." From the ethnic Fulani shepherd to the delinquent apprentice who has been jailed several times, from the woman who is following her husband to the enigmatic frontier runner who is the king pin of the puzzle they challenge one another in their songs.
A durable project:
The Prince Clause Fund says: "The Sahel Opera is more than simply a first-rate, spectacular performance, attended by many people in Africa and beyond; it is also a durable project with a lasting, though partly intangible influence. New talent has been scouted for the Opera and has received an international platform. The Opera has created direct employment and, once the project is finished, the people involved will have skills and experience that help them develop new collaborative relations in the region and beyond, a process of broadening intercultural exchange. Furthermore, the production has created a new infrastructure - both cultural and logistical - that will remain."
The Sahel Opera Project
The Prince Clause Fund
The Prince Claus Fund:
The Prince Claus Fund is a Netherlands foundation that aims at increasing cultural awareness and promoting exchange between culture and development. It also initiates and supports artistic and intellectual quality, creates platforms for debate and stimulates creative processes and artistic productions. The Prince Claus Fund is a platform for intercultural exchange and works jointly with individuals and organizations mainly in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean on the realization of activities and publications reflecting a contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development.
Background to the concept:
The idea of a Sahel Opera came originally from His Royal Highness Prince Claus of the Netherlands who died in 2002. His idea was to create an African opera production composed and performed by people from the various Sahel countries. During the many years he lived and worked in Africa, the Prince developed a great love for the continent and he felt that the Sahel region in particular had a wealth of talent in the fields of dance, music, design and fashion. He envisaged an opera that would highlight all those talents. The Fund established in his name took up the challenge to initiate the project. The Sahel Opera illustrates beautifully many dimensions of the link between culture and development. The Sahel region covers Mauritania, Cape Verde, Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
The title of the opera is "Bintou-Were, An Opera of the Sahel" and the story takes place in a village in the Sahel. According to the Libretto: In the village "[y]oung people are confused and have no hope in the future, trapped as they are by natural disaster, war and dictatorship. Weary of life in Africa, they decide to leave and try to breach the walls that separate the Sahel from Europe. Bintou-Were, a former child soldier, is expecting a 'love child'. She decides to cross the barricades protecting the borders of Morocco and Spain along with several other people she has met in her hectic life. If the perilous attack of the barbed wire of Melilla is successful, and the baby waits to be born on the other side, will there be a 'right of asylum' for all those claiming paternity of Bintou-Were's baby?"
In the drama of this story, all "social levels intersect in this modern day odyssey. Those on the road to exile encounter others who are returning." From the ethnic Fulani shepherd to the delinquent apprentice who has been jailed several times, from the woman who is following her husband to the enigmatic frontier runner who is the king pin of the puzzle they challenge one another in their songs.
A durable project:
The Prince Clause Fund says: "The Sahel Opera is more than simply a first-rate, spectacular performance, attended by many people in Africa and beyond; it is also a durable project with a lasting, though partly intangible influence. New talent has been scouted for the Opera and has received an international platform. The Opera has created direct employment and, once the project is finished, the people involved will have skills and experience that help them develop new collaborative relations in the region and beyond, a process of broadening intercultural exchange. Furthermore, the production has created a new infrastructure - both cultural and logistical - that will remain."
The Sahel Opera Project
The Prince Clause Fund
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
TIPS FROM ONLINEVOLUNTEERING.ORG
I have seen more and more NGOs who are trying to accomplish their missions with the help of on-line volunteers run into difficulty, I was very happy to see this article published by On Line Volunteering dot Org. I have reprinted it here in its entirety and the authors may be found at On Line Volunteering .org
TIPS FOR HOST ORGANIZATIONS:
A well-planned and well-formulated assignment is the starting point for a successful online collaboration.
When planning an assignment, make sure to:
CLEARLY DEFINE THE TASK: Break your needs down into clearly defined tasks and create one assignment per task, e.g. (assignment 1) ‘Develop website’ and (assignment 2) ‘Edit website content’. This will increase your chances of finding the most qualified online volunteers for the respective tasks.
ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY: To ensure the sustainability of an online volunteer’s contribution, think about how the online volunteer can help develop your organization’s skills. For example, don’t just ask for an online volunteer to update your website, but ask him or her to teach you how to do it yourself.
When formulating the assignment, do it in a clear, precise and detailed way. Make sure to:
CHOOSE A MEANINGFUL TITLE: It is on the basis of the title that potential applicants will assess whether it is worth seeking more information in the detailed assignment description. The title should therefore be descriptive and reflect the task which the online volunteer is expected to perform (e.g. ’Help design website’), rather than the volunteer position (‘Website designer’). This is more appropriate to the volunteer nature of the assignment and helps attract the interest of qualified online volunteers.
INCLUDE DETAILS: The more information online volunteers have before deciding whether they want to apply for an assignment, the more focused the applications are which you receive. Hence, in addition to clearly describing the task you expect the online volunteer to carry out, include further details about the assignment, e.g. the kind of materials the volunteer will be translating, the number of pages of the document, and about the support your organization will provide.
HIGHLIGHT IMPACT: Online volunteers are always interested to see how their contribution is used and how their assignment deliverable benefits the organization and those it serves -- adding this information will make your assignment more attractive for potential candidates.
TIPS FOR HOST ORGANIZATIONS:
A well-planned and well-formulated assignment is the starting point for a successful online collaboration.
When planning an assignment, make sure to:
CLEARLY DEFINE THE TASK: Break your needs down into clearly defined tasks and create one assignment per task, e.g. (assignment 1) ‘Develop website’ and (assignment 2) ‘Edit website content’. This will increase your chances of finding the most qualified online volunteers for the respective tasks.
ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY: To ensure the sustainability of an online volunteer’s contribution, think about how the online volunteer can help develop your organization’s skills. For example, don’t just ask for an online volunteer to update your website, but ask him or her to teach you how to do it yourself.
When formulating the assignment, do it in a clear, precise and detailed way. Make sure to:
CHOOSE A MEANINGFUL TITLE: It is on the basis of the title that potential applicants will assess whether it is worth seeking more information in the detailed assignment description. The title should therefore be descriptive and reflect the task which the online volunteer is expected to perform (e.g. ’Help design website’), rather than the volunteer position (‘Website designer’). This is more appropriate to the volunteer nature of the assignment and helps attract the interest of qualified online volunteers.
INCLUDE DETAILS: The more information online volunteers have before deciding whether they want to apply for an assignment, the more focused the applications are which you receive. Hence, in addition to clearly describing the task you expect the online volunteer to carry out, include further details about the assignment, e.g. the kind of materials the volunteer will be translating, the number of pages of the document, and about the support your organization will provide.
HIGHLIGHT IMPACT: Online volunteers are always interested to see how their contribution is used and how their assignment deliverable benefits the organization and those it serves -- adding this information will make your assignment more attractive for potential candidates.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
KEEPING AN EYE ON CORPORATE IMPERIALISM
Networking through the internet is a great way for information to be distributed globally. One good example how this is done is the article below which I found on the Africa Files and Africa Files pulled it from the internet magazine Grain
It's important for the stakeholders in the global community to understand the economic and political forces that shape our lives and spreading information like that found in this article that I came across. Multinational corporations are seeking to gain control over access to much of the world's resources. Oil, gas, metals and the other typical commodities have been fought over for centuries in the transnational economic arena; but now game is afoot to put water and grain under corporate lock and key. The following article articulates this problem clearly, and I have reprinted part of its text here and provided a link to the original.
The end of farm-saved seed?
Industry's wish list for the next revision of UPOV
GRAIN
"The big players in the world seed industry are grumbling about loopholes in the plant variety protection system, which was the alternative to patenting that they set up in the 1960s. The Europeans want to get rid of farmers' limited entitlement to save seed. The Americans want to restrict the exemption by which breeders have the free use of each other's commercial varieties for research purposes. In both cases, the point is to reduce competition and boost profits. In the short term, the victims will be farmers, who will probably end up paying the seed giants an additional US$7 billion each year. But in the long run, we will all lose from the growing corporate stranglehold over our food systems. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent"
Introduction
"No more farm-saved seed and no more free access to protected varieties for breeding. In other words, remove the two main differences between plant variety protection and industrial patents. That's the beginning of the seed industry's wish list for a new revision of the UPOV convention. [1] {The Footnotes may be found at the original Article found through the link below}
"When plant variety protection (PVP) was first standardised by the UPOV convention in the 1960s, it was a mostly copyright-like form of intellectual property. The variety owner had a monopoly on the commercial propagation and marketing of the variety, but little control over other uses. Farmers were free to multiply seed for their own use for as long as they wished. Other breeders could freely use protected varieties to develop their own material.
"This changed dramatically with the 1991 revision of UPOV. Based on successful lobbying from the global seed industry, the revision turned PVP into something very close to a patent. Farm-saved seed was allowed only as an optional exception, restrictions were put on further breeding, and monopoly rights were extended all the way to harvest products. This is the version of UPOV which is now being rapidly rolled out across developing countries as a result of the WTO TRIPS [2] {The Footnotes may be found at the original Article found through the link below} agreement.
"The industry, however, is still not content. Over the past few years, it has started gearing up its lobby machine for a final attack on the remaining "loopholes" in the PVP system. If it succeeds, it will certainly spell the end of farm-saved seed, probably the end of free access to PVP-protected material for plant breeding, and a general tightening of the ropes with longer terms, stricter enforcement and wider scope of monopoly rights.
"This GRAIN briefing traces the recent internal discussions of the seed industry and tries to visualise what will happen if a plant variety right becomes a patent. Will UPOV become superfluous and slowly disappear? Not necessarily. The seed industry is promiscuous in its use of intellectual property rights (IPR). It likes to have many options. Judging from developments in the USA, the future lies not in opting for one form of IPR over another, but in combining two, three or more layers of legal monopoly on top of each other. …"
This article is well worth reading, even if your particular interests are not focused upon agriculture. This type of imperialistic behavior exhibited by global players seeking to gain hegemony over the world's resources must be watched closely and resisted when it threatens to erode the quality of life of the worlds peoples.
Africa Files
Grain
It's important for the stakeholders in the global community to understand the economic and political forces that shape our lives and spreading information like that found in this article that I came across. Multinational corporations are seeking to gain control over access to much of the world's resources. Oil, gas, metals and the other typical commodities have been fought over for centuries in the transnational economic arena; but now game is afoot to put water and grain under corporate lock and key. The following article articulates this problem clearly, and I have reprinted part of its text here and provided a link to the original.
The end of farm-saved seed?
Industry's wish list for the next revision of UPOV
GRAIN
"The big players in the world seed industry are grumbling about loopholes in the plant variety protection system, which was the alternative to patenting that they set up in the 1960s. The Europeans want to get rid of farmers' limited entitlement to save seed. The Americans want to restrict the exemption by which breeders have the free use of each other's commercial varieties for research purposes. In both cases, the point is to reduce competition and boost profits. In the short term, the victims will be farmers, who will probably end up paying the seed giants an additional US$7 billion each year. But in the long run, we will all lose from the growing corporate stranglehold over our food systems. This briefing traces the recent discussions within the seed industry and explores what will happen if a plant variety right becomes virtually indistinguishable from a patent"
Introduction
"No more farm-saved seed and no more free access to protected varieties for breeding. In other words, remove the two main differences between plant variety protection and industrial patents. That's the beginning of the seed industry's wish list for a new revision of the UPOV convention. [1] {The Footnotes may be found at the original Article found through the link below}
"When plant variety protection (PVP) was first standardised by the UPOV convention in the 1960s, it was a mostly copyright-like form of intellectual property. The variety owner had a monopoly on the commercial propagation and marketing of the variety, but little control over other uses. Farmers were free to multiply seed for their own use for as long as they wished. Other breeders could freely use protected varieties to develop their own material.
"This changed dramatically with the 1991 revision of UPOV. Based on successful lobbying from the global seed industry, the revision turned PVP into something very close to a patent. Farm-saved seed was allowed only as an optional exception, restrictions were put on further breeding, and monopoly rights were extended all the way to harvest products. This is the version of UPOV which is now being rapidly rolled out across developing countries as a result of the WTO TRIPS [2] {The Footnotes may be found at the original Article found through the link below} agreement.
"The industry, however, is still not content. Over the past few years, it has started gearing up its lobby machine for a final attack on the remaining "loopholes" in the PVP system. If it succeeds, it will certainly spell the end of farm-saved seed, probably the end of free access to PVP-protected material for plant breeding, and a general tightening of the ropes with longer terms, stricter enforcement and wider scope of monopoly rights.
"This GRAIN briefing traces the recent internal discussions of the seed industry and tries to visualise what will happen if a plant variety right becomes a patent. Will UPOV become superfluous and slowly disappear? Not necessarily. The seed industry is promiscuous in its use of intellectual property rights (IPR). It likes to have many options. Judging from developments in the USA, the future lies not in opting for one form of IPR over another, but in combining two, three or more layers of legal monopoly on top of each other. …"
This article is well worth reading, even if your particular interests are not focused upon agriculture. This type of imperialistic behavior exhibited by global players seeking to gain hegemony over the world's resources must be watched closely and resisted when it threatens to erode the quality of life of the worlds peoples.
Africa Files
Grain
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
MUKOMA NGUGI WRITES ON "AFRICAN DEMOCRACIES FOR SALE" ONLINE ON Z-NET
Mukoma Ngugi in his article: "African Democracies for Sale" published online on Z-Net warns that some of "the most important threats to democracy in Africa are the international NGOs that are funded by the government of the United States. "
Ngugi writes that these NGOs are "US foreign policy institutions that masquerade as philanthropic organizations of good-will all the while furthering American foreign policy. " He also believes that these organizations are of particular danger to Africa as they are currently operating in over 40 African nations.
Mukoma Ngugi decries this situation as being absurd and by comparison postulates how the reverse would be completely unacceptable to the United States. "To understand the absurdity of what Africans have accepted as a norm, imagine African countries financing a third party in the United States. And in addition they also train student leaders, trade unionists, journalists and the rest of American civil society how to oppose or overthrow the US Government. Americans wouldn't stand for it."
One example of certain international NGOs working against the interest of Africans is the fact that USAID required Zambia to accept Genetically Modified (GM) foodstuffs in order for that nation to receive foreign aid disaster relief in 2002. This required acceptance of GM foods have been shown by Oxfam and other reputable organizations to be harmful not only to local small farmers in Africa but that they could possibly lead to the destruction of local food economies and the creation of a cycle of dependency that could cause more acute starvation in the future. " It was an absurd case of stopping starvation today by creating conditions for more starvation tomorrow."
He finds the roots to this problem in the fact that incumbent African governments have access to all of the state resources such as capital, media outlets (state newspapers, television and radio) and money from foreign and domestic business seeking to gain favors. To offset this advantage opposition organizations are forced to take foreign funds in order to establish and maintain their programs. " But foreign money perpetuates the goals of the donor."
The crux of Ngugi's article is that alternatives to this situation must be found. He posits that there has to be a more fair election process, possibly monitored by the African Union, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the international community to ensure that all candidates, including opposition candidates, have equal access to the media - and through them - the public. Mukoma Ngugi suggests that there should also be instituted campaign finance laws that would make it illegal for any candidate or political party to accept foreign funding and possibly disbursing tax generated revenues to viable candidates as determined by a reasonable process of measurement.
You can read "African Democracies for Sale" by Mukoma Ngugi in its entirety.
And you can find other articles by Mukoma Ngugi on Z-NET
Ngugi writes that these NGOs are "US foreign policy institutions that masquerade as philanthropic organizations of good-will all the while furthering American foreign policy. " He also believes that these organizations are of particular danger to Africa as they are currently operating in over 40 African nations.
Mukoma Ngugi decries this situation as being absurd and by comparison postulates how the reverse would be completely unacceptable to the United States. "To understand the absurdity of what Africans have accepted as a norm, imagine African countries financing a third party in the United States. And in addition they also train student leaders, trade unionists, journalists and the rest of American civil society how to oppose or overthrow the US Government. Americans wouldn't stand for it."
One example of certain international NGOs working against the interest of Africans is the fact that USAID required Zambia to accept Genetically Modified (GM) foodstuffs in order for that nation to receive foreign aid disaster relief in 2002. This required acceptance of GM foods have been shown by Oxfam and other reputable organizations to be harmful not only to local small farmers in Africa but that they could possibly lead to the destruction of local food economies and the creation of a cycle of dependency that could cause more acute starvation in the future. " It was an absurd case of stopping starvation today by creating conditions for more starvation tomorrow."
He finds the roots to this problem in the fact that incumbent African governments have access to all of the state resources such as capital, media outlets (state newspapers, television and radio) and money from foreign and domestic business seeking to gain favors. To offset this advantage opposition organizations are forced to take foreign funds in order to establish and maintain their programs. " But foreign money perpetuates the goals of the donor."
The crux of Ngugi's article is that alternatives to this situation must be found. He posits that there has to be a more fair election process, possibly monitored by the African Union, the African Peer Review Mechanism and the international community to ensure that all candidates, including opposition candidates, have equal access to the media - and through them - the public. Mukoma Ngugi suggests that there should also be instituted campaign finance laws that would make it illegal for any candidate or political party to accept foreign funding and possibly disbursing tax generated revenues to viable candidates as determined by a reasonable process of measurement.
You can read "African Democracies for Sale" by Mukoma Ngugi in its entirety.
And you can find other articles by Mukoma Ngugi on Z-NET
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Grant Proposals for NGO Funding
The material below was written by Hari Srinivas for the NGO Cafe and was taken by the Bazaar taken from the web pages of THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER whose web address is listed below. I have added emphasis to certain words, which I hope the original author does not mind.
The NGO Cafe sits in the middle - between funding organizations on hand, and NGOs seeking funds on the other. While it has not itself disbursed funds, The NGO Cafe as learnt a number of lessons on the way. Here are some working strategies for successful proposal writing, written in no particular order:
Building credibility goes a long way in getting that grant. Use your board members and advisors to 'advertise' your proposal (and set up an advisory board if you don't have one already!).
Funding organizations work in grant cycles, disbursing grants one to three times a year. So, if you fail for the current grant, you can always apply for the next round.
It is important that the requested budget is within the limits of the funding organization's limits. Check their annual reports or similar documents to see the average size of funding made available.
Make sure to write a proposal that is within the limits of your organization's capacities and competencies. And within the limits of the budget requested.
Make sure you have clearly outlined exactly what is intended - do not use grand language without the substantial details of the exact impact that is intended, or benefits for the target groups. Ask friends and advisors to check the proposal.
Make sure you have fully studied and understood the priorities of the funding organization, and the reasons they are providing funds.
Many times, key wordings and well articulated proposals help convince the funders of its viability and impact. Again, link it strongly to the priorities of the funding organization, but don't quote it verbatim!
Most funding organization have clear guidelines, instructions and guides on their funding procedures. Many times they are targeted at a particular group, for a particular purpose or a region.
Since many organizations apply for funding make sure your proposal and application form is correct in all respects and follows the procedures properly.
Ultimately, no funding organization want to see a dependency on external funds for the success of a project. Clearly outline how self-sufficiency will be built using a long-term strategy, which goes beyond the time frames of the proposal being made.
Successful Proposals: Some working strategies - By: Hari SrinivasWriting
THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER (G D R C)
The NGO Cafe sits in the middle - between funding organizations on hand, and NGOs seeking funds on the other. While it has not itself disbursed funds, The NGO Cafe as learnt a number of lessons on the way. Here are some working strategies for successful proposal writing, written in no particular order:
Building credibility goes a long way in getting that grant. Use your board members and advisors to 'advertise' your proposal (and set up an advisory board if you don't have one already!).
Funding organizations work in grant cycles, disbursing grants one to three times a year. So, if you fail for the current grant, you can always apply for the next round.
It is important that the requested budget is within the limits of the funding organization's limits. Check their annual reports or similar documents to see the average size of funding made available.
Make sure to write a proposal that is within the limits of your organization's capacities and competencies. And within the limits of the budget requested.
Make sure you have clearly outlined exactly what is intended - do not use grand language without the substantial details of the exact impact that is intended, or benefits for the target groups. Ask friends and advisors to check the proposal.
Make sure you have fully studied and understood the priorities of the funding organization, and the reasons they are providing funds.
Many times, key wordings and well articulated proposals help convince the funders of its viability and impact. Again, link it strongly to the priorities of the funding organization, but don't quote it verbatim!
Most funding organization have clear guidelines, instructions and guides on their funding procedures. Many times they are targeted at a particular group, for a particular purpose or a region.
Since many organizations apply for funding make sure your proposal and application form is correct in all respects and follows the procedures properly.
Ultimately, no funding organization want to see a dependency on external funds for the success of a project. Clearly outline how self-sufficiency will be built using a long-term strategy, which goes beyond the time frames of the proposal being made.
Successful Proposals: Some working strategies - By: Hari SrinivasWriting
THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER (G D R C)
Grant Proposals for NGO Funding
[em]The material below was written by Hari Srinivas for the NGO Cafe and was taken by the Bazaar taken from the web pages of THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER whose web address is listed below. I have added emphasis to certain words, which I hope the original author does not mind.[/em]
The NGO Cafe sits in the middle - between funding organizations on hand, and NGOs seeking funds on the other. While it has not itself disbursed funds, The NGO Cafe as learnt a number of lessons on the way. Here are some working strategies for successful proposal writing, written in no particular order:
Building credibility goes a long way in getting that grant. Use your board members and advisors to 'advertise' your proposal (and set up an advisory board if you don't have one already!).
Funding organizations work in grant cycles, disbursing grants one to three times a year. So, if you fail for the current grant, you can always apply for the next round.
It is important that the requested budget is within the limits of the funding organization's limits. Check their annual reports or similar documents to see the average size of funding made available.
Make sure to write a proposal that is within the limits of your organization's capacities and competencies. And within the limits of the budget requested.
Make sure you have clearly outlined exactly what is intended - do not use grand language without the substantial details of the exact impact that is intended, or benefits for the target groups. Ask friends and advisors to check the proposal.
Make sure you have fully studied and understood the priorities of the funding organization, and the reasons they are providing funds.
Many times, key wordings and well articulated proposals help convince the funders of its viability and impact. Again, link it strongly to the priorities of the funding organization, but don't quote it verbatim!
Most funding organization have clear guidelines, instructions and guides on their funding procedures. Many times they are targeted at a particular group, for a particular purpose or a region.
Since many organizations apply for funding make sure your proposal and application form is correct in all respects and follows the procedures properly.
Ultimately, no funding organization want to see a dependency on external funds for the success of a project. Clearly outline how self-sufficiency will be built using a long-term strategy, which goes beyond the time frames of the proposal being made.
Successful Proposals: Some working strategies - By: Hari SrinivasWriting
THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER (G D R C)
The NGO Cafe sits in the middle - between funding organizations on hand, and NGOs seeking funds on the other. While it has not itself disbursed funds, The NGO Cafe as learnt a number of lessons on the way. Here are some working strategies for successful proposal writing, written in no particular order:
Building credibility goes a long way in getting that grant. Use your board members and advisors to 'advertise' your proposal (and set up an advisory board if you don't have one already!).
Funding organizations work in grant cycles, disbursing grants one to three times a year. So, if you fail for the current grant, you can always apply for the next round.
It is important that the requested budget is within the limits of the funding organization's limits. Check their annual reports or similar documents to see the average size of funding made available.
Make sure to write a proposal that is within the limits of your organization's capacities and competencies. And within the limits of the budget requested.
Make sure you have clearly outlined exactly what is intended - do not use grand language without the substantial details of the exact impact that is intended, or benefits for the target groups. Ask friends and advisors to check the proposal.
Make sure you have fully studied and understood the priorities of the funding organization, and the reasons they are providing funds.
Many times, key wordings and well articulated proposals help convince the funders of its viability and impact. Again, link it strongly to the priorities of the funding organization, but don't quote it verbatim!
Most funding organization have clear guidelines, instructions and guides on their funding procedures. Many times they are targeted at a particular group, for a particular purpose or a region.
Since many organizations apply for funding make sure your proposal and application form is correct in all respects and follows the procedures properly.
Ultimately, no funding organization want to see a dependency on external funds for the success of a project. Clearly outline how self-sufficiency will be built using a long-term strategy, which goes beyond the time frames of the proposal being made.
Successful Proposals: Some working strategies - By: Hari SrinivasWriting
THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTER (G D R C)
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
THE MICROLIBRARY
The Microlibrary is a project of The Center for Open and Sustainable Learning - COSL
The Microlibrary is an effort to develop an affordable print-on-demand service for public domain and open access educational materials, including books (e.g., from Project Gutenberg), courses (e.g., from OpenCourseWare), learning modules (e.g., from Connexions), and other materials, so that these can be turned into paperback books very inexpensively. The library is currently comprised of a few thousand dollars of commodity hardware that can travel from place to place and some custom software written by COSL engineers. The goal is to leverage existing open educational resources and put them (literally) in the hands of those who need them and - for whatever reason - want them in print.
--------------
COSL says that you can go to their web site in order to learn how it works, download any of 20,000 free books ready to print or see where they have been lately.
In the Spring Semester of 2007 over 150 kids (and some of their parents) will experience the Microlibrary and learn about the history of printing, the history of books, and how books are made today. They'll get hands-on experience with the printing, binding, and trimming processes involved in making books, and all 150 children will get a free paperback book like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Hamlet.
------------------
The book creation process begins with converting one of the 20,000 free ebooks from Project Gutenberg into a specially prepared PDF file that is properly rotated, paginated, and prepared for duplex printing.
The second step is actually printing the PDF on a duplex-capable printer. The duplex printer prints on both sides of the sheets of paper, so that the pages in the book have text on both sides, just like you would expect.
The third step is trimming the printed pages and preparing them to go into the binding machine. Sometimes it's a little tricky to get all the edges cut perfectly straight!
The final step is placing the prepared pages in the binder, together with either a clear cover or more traditional paperback cover and a glue-covered spine strip. The binding machine heats up the glue on the spine strip, which binds the pages together and the cover to the pages.
COSL has a link to Instructables for instructions on how to make the books without the expensive equipment listed above; but at the time of this article, the Instructables web site was down and this could not be verified.
-------------------------------------------
Microlibrary
The 20,000 available books can be found at their
Link to the Online Library
The Microlibrary is an effort to develop an affordable print-on-demand service for public domain and open access educational materials, including books (e.g., from Project Gutenberg), courses (e.g., from OpenCourseWare), learning modules (e.g., from Connexions), and other materials, so that these can be turned into paperback books very inexpensively. The library is currently comprised of a few thousand dollars of commodity hardware that can travel from place to place and some custom software written by COSL engineers. The goal is to leverage existing open educational resources and put them (literally) in the hands of those who need them and - for whatever reason - want them in print.
--------------
COSL says that you can go to their web site in order to learn how it works, download any of 20,000 free books ready to print or see where they have been lately.
In the Spring Semester of 2007 over 150 kids (and some of their parents) will experience the Microlibrary and learn about the history of printing, the history of books, and how books are made today. They'll get hands-on experience with the printing, binding, and trimming processes involved in making books, and all 150 children will get a free paperback book like Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Hamlet.
------------------
The book creation process begins with converting one of the 20,000 free ebooks from Project Gutenberg into a specially prepared PDF file that is properly rotated, paginated, and prepared for duplex printing.
The second step is actually printing the PDF on a duplex-capable printer. The duplex printer prints on both sides of the sheets of paper, so that the pages in the book have text on both sides, just like you would expect.
The third step is trimming the printed pages and preparing them to go into the binding machine. Sometimes it's a little tricky to get all the edges cut perfectly straight!
The final step is placing the prepared pages in the binder, together with either a clear cover or more traditional paperback cover and a glue-covered spine strip. The binding machine heats up the glue on the spine strip, which binds the pages together and the cover to the pages.
COSL has a link to Instructables for instructions on how to make the books without the expensive equipment listed above; but at the time of this article, the Instructables web site was down and this could not be verified.
-------------------------------------------
Microlibrary
The 20,000 available books can be found at their
Link to the Online Library
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
CAMPWARE: Helping to get the Word Out
One of the difficulties for NGOs in Africa and other developing nations is the inability to communicate effectively with a target audience. The Media Develoment Loan Fund (MDLF), through its initiative Campware is addressing this problem.
The text below is taken from the Campware web site.
The Media Develoment Loan Fund launched the Campware initiative in March 2001 as a platform for open source solutions for independent news media organizations in emerging democracies. The initative is coordinated by MDLF's new-media arm, the Center for Advanced Media--Prague (CAMP).
Campware grew out organically from the need of MDLF's CAMP to provide cost-effective, open solutions for a number of new-media projects it was pursuing.
While searching for such solutions (from 1999 onwards), CAMP realized that most available software solutions for print and radio catered to commercial players in the West and were thus beyond the financial reach of independent media in emerging
democracies. At the same time, open source software tended to cater to the geek/webmaster community and as such was not tremendously suitable for journalists. Mulitlinguality or Unicode-support were just an occasional afterthought.
CAMP's main idea was that software developed and distributed under the Campware initiative should be user-centric, i.e. built explicitly for the end user. Our first project, Campsite, first released in March 2001, embodied such ideals. For example, we called things the way they are called: our article was an "article," not an "asset"; our images were called images not "objects"; Campsite's user interface was automatically customized to each user based on his rights, so there were almost no "You don't have the right to do this, please contact your administrator" messages. And all of this the end user could read in her very own language.
Campware continues to adhere to the logic of short learning curves and non-mystifying interfaces in all its projects, from the Cream customer relationship management software for newspapers, to the emerging Campcaster radio automation solution.
MDLF's active partners in Campware are Redaktion und Alltag (Berlin) and the Department of Digital Design of the Parsons School of Design (New York). Campware is open to cooperation with likeminded projects.
Some of Campware's products are listed below.
Campsite
Campsite is a free and open multilingual web publishing tool for news sites. It provides a robust, stable, and journalist-friendly solution for online magazines and newspapers.
Campcaster
Campcaster is a free and open source automation system for radio stations. It provides live studio broadcast capabilities as well as remote automation in one integrated system.
Cream
Cream is a free and open-source customer relationship management (CRM) system designed for media organizations.
Cream is designed to meet the unique demands publishers have, including features that allow subscription management, support for multiple products (print subscriptions, advertising, online subscriptions, books, etc.), customer communications (both incoming and outgoing), and easy-to-use reporting and analytical functions. Cream also enables publishers to track special offers, such as seasonal discounts and trade shows.
Dream<
A distribution-management system for print publications.
Dream helps publishers by providing ways of monitoring distribution, ensuring that publications get out to readers in the best possible way, and optimizing the number of returned copies in an edition.
Campware
The text below is taken from the Campware web site.
The Media Develoment Loan Fund launched the Campware initiative in March 2001 as a platform for open source solutions for independent news media organizations in emerging democracies. The initative is coordinated by MDLF's new-media arm, the Center for Advanced Media--Prague (CAMP).
Campware grew out organically from the need of MDLF's CAMP to provide cost-effective, open solutions for a number of new-media projects it was pursuing.
While searching for such solutions (from 1999 onwards), CAMP realized that most available software solutions for print and radio catered to commercial players in the West and were thus beyond the financial reach of independent media in emerging
democracies. At the same time, open source software tended to cater to the geek/webmaster community and as such was not tremendously suitable for journalists. Mulitlinguality or Unicode-support were just an occasional afterthought.
CAMP's main idea was that software developed and distributed under the Campware initiative should be user-centric, i.e. built explicitly for the end user. Our first project, Campsite, first released in March 2001, embodied such ideals. For example, we called things the way they are called: our article was an "article," not an "asset"; our images were called images not "objects"; Campsite's user interface was automatically customized to each user based on his rights, so there were almost no "You don't have the right to do this, please contact your administrator" messages. And all of this the end user could read in her very own language.
Campware continues to adhere to the logic of short learning curves and non-mystifying interfaces in all its projects, from the Cream customer relationship management software for newspapers, to the emerging Campcaster radio automation solution.
MDLF's active partners in Campware are Redaktion und Alltag (Berlin) and the Department of Digital Design of the Parsons School of Design (New York). Campware is open to cooperation with likeminded projects.
Some of Campware's products are listed below.
Campsite
Campsite is a free and open multilingual web publishing tool for news sites. It provides a robust, stable, and journalist-friendly solution for online magazines and newspapers.
Campcaster
Campcaster is a free and open source automation system for radio stations. It provides live studio broadcast capabilities as well as remote automation in one integrated system.
Cream
Cream is a free and open-source customer relationship management (CRM) system designed for media organizations.
Cream is designed to meet the unique demands publishers have, including features that allow subscription management, support for multiple products (print subscriptions, advertising, online subscriptions, books, etc.), customer communications (both incoming and outgoing), and easy-to-use reporting and analytical functions. Cream also enables publishers to track special offers, such as seasonal discounts and trade shows.
Dream<
A distribution-management system for print publications.
Dream helps publishers by providing ways of monitoring distribution, ensuring that publications get out to readers in the best possible way, and optimizing the number of returned copies in an edition.
Campware
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