03.15.06
An Analysis of Bias in Participatory Methods
Here is another guide on participatory methods, or rather what to avoid when implementing them.
Bias was assessed on three levels:
* practitioner
* community
PDF-document: Poverty and participation: an analysis of bias in participatory methods. Livestock Participation Group / Livestock Development Group , 2003
Create a Village Phone programme
Guide on creating sustainable access to affordable telecommunications for the rural poor.
It draws on Grameen’s experience in both Bangladesh and Uganda and establishes a template for creating sustainable initiatives that simultaneously bring telecommunications to the rural poor, create viable new businesses for microentrepreneurs, and expand the customer base of telecommunications companies. The authors point out that no two implementations of the Village Phone programme will be exactly alike. Each country will have unique variables, participants, and environments. However, it is expected that there will be common structures, applications, and processes.
03.14.06
The 4th World Water Forum
Sampsa Daily has couple of thorough posts about water privatisation debate and the problems of financing the water sector. Good reading before The 4th World Water Forum beginning on 16th of march in Mexico.
02.21.06
Tools for policy influence in natural resource management
Power tools offers an excellent collection of policy tools for people and organisations working with natural resources management. The tools are especially directed to marginalised groups or those working with them. The tools they offer are transferable, not static, meaning that they are a set of ideas that can be taken from one place or a context to another. These tools try to avoid the usual problem with participatory methods; guiding too much and making the methods and tools unflexible. So when you use the tools be creative and don’t take them as the only way to do things.
The tools are divided into (1) tools for understanding, (2) tools for organising, (3) tools for engaging and (4) tools for ensuring. They include such power tools as: Community tradeoffs assessment, Mechanisms for organisation, Connecting communities to markets and People’s law.
All tool documents are available for free download in pdf -format in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese).
Power tools: for policy influence in natural resource management
01.13.06
Poverty Compared
Adamash noticed an article on the Economist, contemplating the difference between poverty in the North and in the South. Is poverty relative? A poor US citizen, Mr Banks is better off financially (even when the difference in the cost of living is taken into account) than Dr. Kabamba in DR Congo, but still feels poorer than the Congolese?
In Autumn, I had a debate about the subject with an American friend of mine. She was offended by my comment that “eventhough there’s poverty in the US, it can not be compared to “real” poverty in the South”. The subject has been in my mind eversince and I’m glad that I found Adamash’s post about it.
…Dr Kabamba earns enough to feed his children, but not as well as he would like. The family eats meat about twice a month; Dr Kabamba calls it “a great luxury”. In America, poor children eat more meat than the well-to-do. In fact, they get twice as much protein as their government says is good for them, which is why the Wal-Mart near Mr Banks sells such enormous jeans…
While reading, remember the fact that nothing lies as much as statistics used in a misleading way. I don’t mean that there are fouls in the article, just that there might be.
…“Poverty” describes two quite different phenomena: utter penury, of the sort experienced by the billion or so souls who subsist on $1 a day or less; and the situation of people in rich countries who are less well off than their compatriots…”
Eventhough the doctor is financially struggling, he is treated with respect by the authorities and doesn’t break his family to fool social security system (the absent one). The poor US man lives in a separate moving-home than his ex-wife to get more support from the government and is considered as typical trailer thrash by the government officials. Is this the much talked about cultural difference? Which one do you prefer?
The article: Adamash: Comparing a mountain man’s poverty in US to a doctor’s poverty in Africa (found via 007 in Africa)
Related reading: Sampsa Daily: Poverty in the US (17/11/05)
01.04.06
Maps with a Difference
Mapping Worlds (via Sampsa Daily) provides maps that make it easier to understand the state of the World.
01.03.06
EU provides 10 African states with aid of US$200m
EU to Boost Development Aid- Deutche Welle
EU provides 10 African states with aid of US$200m- China Daily
What’s your opinion, do you think that this kind of aid will be effective?
01.02.06
Travel to Reduce Poverty
Many developing nations are getting a growing part of their foreign exchange income as tourism. “When tourism is thriving, we get better schools, better hospitals and better infrastructure. When tourism does well, so do our other industries,” Says Kenya tourism ministry official Rebecca Nabutola.
Akaki Ayumu Jovino, Uganda’s minister of tourism and antiquities replies to critics fearing that tourism will endanger traditional way of life, by saying that “tourism, means jobs, poverty reduction and a better life for all the citizens.”
African countries hope tourism will reduce poverty, drive development- Post Gazette
I visited Ghana, some years ago and was amazed by it’s rich culture and beautiful nature. I believe Ghana has much more to offer than just the beutiful beaches. I was especially fascinated with the town of Tamale in the North of the country and The city of Kumasi in the Centre. You can find more about my trip to Ghana and related links on my homepage.
