Tag Archives: international development

Why your non-profit CEO needs to be the M&E officer

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, M&E | April 11, 2013 at 9:00 am , by Emanuel Souvairan

CEOs shouldn't just have a great smile, good business sense and a keen nose for fundraising; they need to be masters of monitoring and evaluation (M&E). Emanuel Souvairan of DevEd describes how M&E relates to NGO communications, donor relationships, and even organisational culture....

MDG 5a: An update on maternal mortality

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Health | February 12, 2013 at 8:00 am , by Mike Miesen

2 comments

With two years left, it is highly unlikely that Millennium Development Goal 5a will be met worldwide. In our second post this week on the MDGs, Mike Miesen weighs in with some simple solutions....

Goals are good, but do the MDGs need to be simplified?

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Alternatives in development | February 11, 2013 at 4:00 pm , by Scott Weathers

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This week we present three posts around the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There are eight MDGs that need to be met by 2015. Given the unlikely even that all will be met, Scott Weathers suggests we condense the MDGs into something simpler....

The changing landscape of advertising on Aid & Africa: Oxfam’s new campaigns

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Foreign Aid, Media | January 16, 2013 at 7:46 pm , by Gregory Pellechi

8 comments

Oxfam GB and Oxfam America have both just launched new ad campaigns. Our newly appointed editor, Gregory Pellechi, takes a look at each and what they may mean for the future of aid marketing and the perceptions of Africa....

8 things I wish I knew before I started working in development

Posted in: Career Advice, Reflection | January 9, 2013 at 12:44 pm , by Rachel Kurzyp

12 comments

To kick off the new year, and to get those of you starting out in development to think ahead, here are 8 things Rachel Kurzyp wishes she knew before she started working in development (number 9 being WhyDev of course!). ...

Games in International Development: Fad or Innovation?

Posted in: Alternatives in development, Community Development | August 29, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Jennifer Lentfer

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"People have been playing more games these days in Washington D.C. And I don’t mean the strategies of the Obama and Romney spin teams." A Guest post by Jennifer Lentfer of how-matters.org on the value of using games in aid and development. ...

Is “sustainable development” an oxymoron?

Posted in: Alternatives in development, Environment, Ethics in development | June 11, 2012 at 9:55 pm , by Erin Nash

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In the first of a three-part series leading up to Rio+20 on June 20, Erin Nash asks if environmental sustainability and development can truly co-exist. Are we able to increase human wellbeing and quality of life, without using more resources than the Earth can produce for us?...

Don’t change the message. Change the messenger.

Posted in: Fundraising | May 16, 2012 at 10:00 pm , by Weh Yeoh

5 comments

Everything that we do in development is about selling a message. But how do we convince people when a message goes against the grain of what they already believe? As Weh Yeoh argues, framing the argument is important, but even more important is the person who is doing the framing....

Why I support isolated aid workers across the globe and so should you!

Posted in: Alternatives in development, Blogs, Coaching, Ethics in development, Psychology & Development, Reflection, Self-help | May 14, 2012 at 7:00 am , by Jennifer Lentfer

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Aid workers need to be able to know themselves before they can help others. Supporting and encouraging dedicated and self-identified change agents within aid institutions is crucial to moving this profession forward. In a guest post with us, Jennifer Lentfer, of the wildly successful blog How Matters, explains why a...

So, you’re thinking of studying an MA in Development Studies? Think again.

Posted in: Study | November 18, 2011 at 12:35 am , by Brendan Rigby

41 comments

There are any number of academics, professionals and bloggers offering advice on working in aid and development. Brendan is not one. However, in light of some more recent thoughts about motivation, well being and knowledge in aid and development, he has been thinking about the space in-between motivation and jobs:...

Is China challenging traditional donors’ development policy?

Posted in: China & Development, Foreign Aid | October 14, 2011 at 8:21 pm , by Philippa Brant

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In the lead up to the Fourth High Level Forum in Busan, South Korea, in late November, development thinkers and practitioners are debating what the outcome document could and should reflect, and the role of South-South Cooperation providers in influencing this process. It is within this context that the discussion...

FPIC and Indonesia: Indigenous Forest Rights in Development

Posted in: Indigenous | August 10, 2011 at 9:39 am , by Laura O'Neill

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Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is the right of Indigenous people to reach meaningful community consensus over developers or other interested parties use of indigenous customary land. Laura has recently developed a keen interest in this field while researching indigenous people's role in benefit sharing agreements from development projects...

How do we develop happiness? (Part 2)

Posted in: Alternatives in development | September 30, 2011 at 12:54 am , by Sophia Kagan

9 comments

In Part 1 of ‘How do we develop happiness’, Weh Yeoh looked at the increasing trend of governments to enact policies aimed at increasing their citizens’ happiness. In Part 2, Sophia Kagan looks at how governments can measure happiness and how these measures can impact on government policies. Is...

Who reads international aid and development blogs?

Posted in: Blogs | September 6, 2011 at 7:00 am , by Brendan Rigby

17 comments

A number of bloggers have gotten together to create a joint survey of our readers. International aid and development blogs have expanded rapidly in the past few years, and our audience has expanded too. We want a better sense of just who is reading these blogs and what they're...

The space between: the dance of a Country Program Coordinator in the field

Posted in: Reflection | August 19, 2011 at 8:00 am , by Guest Author/s

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Stuart Thomson explores his role as a Country Program Coordinator (CPC) for World Vision Australia in this latest 'From the Field' dispatch. In particular, he explores the implications for the role of a three-month secondment to World Vision Kenya, as opposed to the regular fleeting monitoring visit normally undertaken by...