Archive for June, 2009
When are aid ceremonies appropriate?
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
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…
Disaster Tourism
Monday, June 29th, 2009
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…
Related articles in the news
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
Avoiding more Useless Charities: 3 questions to ask yourself A blog posting giving three things to consider before creating a new charity. The three questions are worth considering before giving to a charity.
Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground A look…
How to determine if an aid project is a good idea
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
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…
Why do we so often give aid in ways that do not support the local economy?
Thursday, June 18th, 2009
At a dinner party last night the topic of good and bad international assistance came up. A fellow diner had a friend that ran an orphanage in South America and she helped out whenever possible. I carefully brought up the…
Does funding orphanages create orphans?
Monday, June 15th, 2009
If the unthinkable were to happen and you and your spouse, or one of your children and their spouse, were to die in a disaster, would your children or grandchildren be sent to an orphanage?
Most likely, before being sent…
Interesting articles in the news
Sunday, June 14th, 2009
All Disasters are Local - The chronic problem with coordination after a disaster was bridged by having government and civil society prepare together before the disaster strikes.
A Different Discussion About Aid – Written by the President of Rwanda, this…
Common donor misconceptions
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
Everyone has heard of aid agency waste and poorly implemented programs, but few people understand the underlying causes. Unfortunately, poor donor advice, heavy media coverage of “sexy” projects and locations, and aid agency advertisements targeting donor heartstrings, have made it…
The worst in-kind donations
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
Here are the winners from the stories submitted for the worst in-kind donation contest (related post: What is an in-kind donation). You may have your own personal favorites, all submissions can be read here, please feel free…
