Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Isn't it ironic

In Thailand before the influx of missionaries and other foreigners most children went around naked until puberty and after that young women wore only a sarong around their waist. In many rural villages today old women still go around with just a bra for a top. 

A Thai joke about the transition to more modest clothing goes like this; A young woman is was walking down a dirt road when a missionary yells "You're indecent, cover your breasts" frightened the young woman pulls up the bottom of her sarong to cover her bare chest, exposing her naked bottom.

Today young rural Thai women dress very modestly. If shorts are worn at all they're very long, shirts have sleeves, necklines are high. This standard of modesty meant that some of the clothing donated after the tsunami was too indecent for them to wear.

Ironic isn't it, first we import modesty standards then we import immodest clothing.

The Allure of the Quick Fix

This is an edited version of an earlier post.

"Hit the ground running"

As a Crisis Corps Volunteer (part of the US Peace Corps) I was sent back to Thailand to help with the tsunami recovery efforts. In six months time I was to; determine needs, develop a program, find funding and resources, implement the program, and ensure that it was sustainable. All of this had to be completed on time - there would be no extensions. 

Here is the press release:

"The three resource development volunteers will be working with local governments to determine where the greatest need lies and identifying resources to help the local communities. They will also put together a local staff to insure progress will continue after the Crisis Corps team departs.

How long would it take to develop a program that solves a problem in your own community?

Imagine if a stranger were sent to your community from an aid agency boasting that they were going to solve a community problem. How would your community react and how long would it take for that stranger to be successful?

Mosquito nets, condomns and recycling

This is a repost of an edited previous post

From the Kenyan newspaper the Daily Nation:

Mosquito net manufactures are teaming up with the provincial administration and village elders in several parts of Kenya in an effort to apprehend and prosecute people who use the products for purposes other than covering beds.

According to Dr Elizabeth Juma, who is the head of malaria control under the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, there has been evidence of people turning the nets into fishing gear especially in Nyanza Province. Now a different group has discovered another lucrative business venture, and are using the nets to make wedding dresses.

Upon reading this news clip in William Easterly's blog "Aid Watch", I was reminded of the training in teaching condom use that all Peace Corps volunteers in Thailand were required to attend due to the rampant AIDS problem in Thailand. In the old days volunteers used bananas in the demonstration but switched to wooden replicas when they discovered that some participants went home and actually put condoms on bananas thinking it had some sort of power to keep them safe. Therefore, I was not surprised to learn that mosquito nets are being used for fishing nets and wedding dresses.

When are aid ceremonies appropriate?

When people find out I'm writing a book on aid, they often regale me with stories of their favorite charity. Just last week a woman told me of a project helping elderly Navajos. The program provided assistance by selling rugs woven by the Navajo at an art fair without taking a cut, as well as donating either in-kind goods or certificates that could be used to purchase goods from a store. Although I am always concerned about in-kind donations (see post), what really disturbed me was the ceremony.

If I understand correctly, three times a year donors travel to the reservation for a traditional Navajo ceremony. During this ceremony the donations are given, and the money from the sale of the rugs presented to the weavers. Although my acquaintance described the ceremony as very moving, I question it on several levels.

Disaster Tourism

As director of D-TRAC I was often asked to orient heads of aid agencies and donors on the tsunami recovery efforts. As part of this there was usually a request to visit temporary camps and villages to see things in person. I was always torn as to the right thing to do. Was it more important for that person to see the situation on the ground, or was it more important for people who have just lost their homes and loved ones to be able to care for their children and rebuild their lives without having strangers walking through their village looking at them.

What is interesting and educational to you may be intrusive and demoralizing to them

Recently, a reader argued that the donor's needs for understanding and education are just as important as the needs of the aid recipients. I would disagree with that. I strongly believe that the needs of the aid recipients should be paramount, with the needs of the donor accommodated only when it is appropriate. What is interesting and educational to the donor may be intrusive and demoralizing to the people they are trying to help.

How to determine if an aid project is a good idea

Most of us have heard of bad aid projects, but few of us really know what makes a program good or bad. Because of this, most donors fund what feels good to them. Unfortunately, what feels good to donors might not be best for the people they are trying to help. So I've decided to share a system I use whenever I'm trying to determine whether an aid project is a bad idea.

First, research the current situation on the ground - this is key to making good aid decisions. If you are unwilling or unable to take the time to do the research, then I recommend not donating. Without this information you'll likely donate based on assumptions or stereotypes, both of which play a large role in bad aid. To avoid the possibility of biased information, make sure you use a source other than the agency that is seeking donations.

Hamburgers for Hindus

This is a modified repost from a previous month

Craving beef I stopped by a McDonald's in Indonesia looking for a hamburger. I was surprised at the menu filled with fried chicken and only one hamburger choice. Both McDonald's and international aid are affected by market forces. At McDonald's local tastes of the diners affect what's on the menu. In international aid the "menu" is often based on the taste of the donors and senior management, not the diners.

A hamburger analogy

Imagine aid as fast food. In a top down or "donor led" model, here are some things that could go wrong.

• The restaurant is paid to make hamburgers, but the local people are Hindu and don't eat beef
• The villagers will eat hamburgers but they prefer chicken, which is cheaper

Is International Aid Making Things Worse?

In an article in the Daily Star - Regional, John Holmes, the United Nations undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, wrote a "First Person" article in which he says:

"Roughly 75 percent of Gaza's 1.5 million residents require some kind of aid. But even the most essential imports are subject to intense limitations by Israeli authorities. Only food and a few other items are allowed in. Reconstruction materials and essential spare parts of all kinds are banned. An Israeli ban on exports, apart from a few lorry-loads of flowers, has exacerbated the situation by further crushing Gaza's job-creating industries"

Purchasing goods locally supports the economy

If food is being imported then I would assume that no food is available in the area. Purchasing goods locally supports the economy, while importing goods and then giving them away for free undermines local shopkeepers, factories, farmers and hurts the local economy. For more on this see my post Should the Maersk Alabama have been there in the first place?

Mosquito Nets, Condoms, and Recycling

From the Kenyan newspaper the Daily Nation:

Mosquito net manufactures are teaming up with the provincial administration and village elders in several parts of Kenya in an effort to apprehend and prosecute people who use the products for purposes other than covering beds.

According to Dr Elizabeth Juma, who is the head of malaria control under the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, there has been evidence of people turning the nets into fishing gear especially in Nyanza Province. Now a different group has discovered another lucrative business venture, and are using the nets to make wedding dresses.

Upon reading this news clip in William Easterly's blog "Aid Watch", I was reminded of condom training in the Peace Corps. The rampant AIDS problem in Thailand meant we were all trained on teaching rural Thai's to use condoms, even if we weren't health volunteers.

If aid were like McDonald's

Menus vary according to local taste and preferences

Craving beef I stopped by a McDonald's in Indonesia looking for a hamburger. I was surprised at the menu filled with fried chicken and only one hamburger choice. Both McDonald's and international aid are affected by market forces. At McDonald's local tastes of the diners affect what's on the menu. In international aid the "menu" is too often based on the taste of the donors, not the diners.