Northern Voice - Southern Accent

Explanations from another planet

2010-05-05T19:36:00.004+03:00

Actually it is fantastic - life and people can always surprise you.
Some time back there was need to make it clear that claiming - and receiving - travel expenses for exactly the same trip from two sources is not allowed, to put it politely.
But there was an explanation - the reason for the doubble claim was that the trip had two purposes.
The great opportunity for cost saving was not lost since it was never found. What was lost instead was credibility.

More of the same

2009-11-29T10:08:00.002+02:00

I am starting to believe that the more we change the more we stay the same - unless we become brave enough to effect a real transformation.
This is not easy. It implies we would need to know what was there before the intervention in order to know if something is a true change. We would also need be aware of the power relationships and be prepared to face the resistance to change. And first and foremost we would have to appreciate peoples inherent ability to change and develop - both of themselves and their relationships within a structure - and actively involve them in defining the desired outcome.

Round and round

2009-08-26T16:41:00.005+03:00

It was a memorable moment.
We we approaching a roundabout, and just to show my dry-land navigation skills, I reminded my colleague who was driving to go straight - which is why he turned left. Why - one might want to ask? Simply because that is what he thought I meant.

Of Elections

2009-03-25T07:45:00.004+02:00

One of my former Kenyan partner-in-development used to say that his organization should never conduct elections because it is always the wrong, greedy people who get elected. He meant those who have the power - usually financial - to influence the elections, but neither the commitment nor the skills to lead the organization. And he was one of elected leaders himself.
Recently there were national elections in North Korea with only one candidate. Everyone could vote against the candidate, but that meant joining a separate line for entering a booth for the secret ballot – not an easy thing to do.
So the vote is sold to the highest bidder, or voters resign either out of fear or apathy. This can happen in your organization and in your country.
But in Darfur, long time ago, people voted for their local leaders not with ballots, but rather with their attitudes of respect for those who stand out in their service to their communities. These local communities formed sultanships, lead by a sultan, who knew the communities, kept the tally in his head, and appointed the local leaders listening to the will and wisdom of the people. (as described by Daud Hari in “The Translator”)

Reminder

2009-02-16T12:15:00.006+02:00

Am I capacitating organisations to become more effective delivery vehicles for donor agendas, or can I remember that the real change and developement is built by local organisations that:
- have their own purpose and principles
- express the will of their constituents
- are not trying to clone development
- reflect on their own experience and learn, adapt, cooperate, collaborate

Thank you CDRA of reminding me

When to Quit

2008-10-30T06:04:00.004+02:00

In the middle of the chaos and change I can take a break with books and blogs. They can help me to try and stay focused by asking me:
• What are your obligations to the people you serve?
• What are your obligations to the people who work for you?
But when I start suspecting that my leaders have ignored these questions, would it be proper to remind them, and if not - is it decent to stay?

Lydia Hällefors and Naomi Klein

2008-09-12T09:08:00.007+03:00

They have nothing in common. Lydia Hällefors wrote about rural Finland in 19th century, Naomi Klein is an award-winning journalist, author and film maker.
After the 1860s famine in Finland Lydia visited her former home and noted that "once the famine was over, the poor had disappeared, which seemed to surprise, even greatly shock, the better-off villagers".
Naomi Klein discusses what she calls disaster capitalism in her book "The Shock Doctrine". She gives examples of how disasters are treated as exiting market opportunities, and how the vulnerable are left even worse off than before dispite some aid efforts after the catastrophies.
The world was not better before, but nor is it better now.

When are we corrupt - or never?

2008-07-23T15:57:00.007+03:00

Lets say you take money - call it a loan if you will- from a well-known politician. Later you publicly accuse him of corruption and conveniently forget to pay back the loan. What does that make you - a champion of good governance or a corrupt person?
In real life the person who took the loan was interviewed and when "pressed to state why he accepted the money from a person he viewed as corrupt, he said the money belonged to the public as far as he was concerned" (the article from TheCitizen)
Did anyone expect that fighting corruption would be easy?

Aid or Development or just Action

2008-07-14T14:59:00.003+03:00

Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke (MS), (or Danish Association for International Co-operation) the organisation I now work for, has an ambition to become more global. Closer co-operation with Action Aid - starting with association and progressing to affiliation – is what the MS Board recommends. I spent some time browsing the websites of Action Aid Countries and MS, and they give a picture of two quite different organizations. Whereas the difference can be a strength when networking, it can be a real challenge for association and affiliation. So there will be some interesting times ahead.

The monthly New African wrote in 2005 about NGOs’ tainted history. “Charity was not only designed to help the poor, it also served to protect the rich” and that: ”development was framed in the vocabulary of charity, technical expertise, neutrality and deep paternalism albeit accompanied by the rhetoric of participatory development.”

Now is 2008 in the calendar and I wonder when would be the time for us to decide whether we work for Development or Aid.

Circles

2008-06-11T10:23:00.002+03:00

I have just completed a draft of a "due diligence" framework. It is basic and usable - and set to meet the formal requirements. But I am still struggling to balance it with the informal environment our partners interact with and are part of.

Time to spare

2008-02-11T14:58:00.000+02:00

If you have time to spare, you could visit http://www.freerice.com. But be warned. The game might make you smarter, improve your speaking, writing, thinking in English - and end hunger.

Arrows for Valentine's

2008-02-05T22:51:00.000+02:00

This year there will be no Kenyan roses for Valentine's day. will there be arrows instead?

A friend of mine lives in the lakeside millenium city of Kisumu, and she praying for peace to return and for leaders that for once can see and make sense. Strangely the two things are connected.

Empowering communities without destroying their inherent strengths and constructively addressing the weaknesses feels ever so important.

African Union (AU) elected Chad (...) as one of the members of the AU Security Council - a position that Kenya had been interested in.

A way to find more news from Kenya is www.allafrica.com, and www.mamamikes.com is a site to visit in case one wants to support Kenyan Red Cross.

Human Decency Deficiency Syndrome

2008-02-01T14:21:00.000+02:00

Kenya is now too close for comfort, although it is far to the border from where I am.

The news and blogs complement the images of destruction.
The rational explanations of senseless violence; the analysis of the political processes; the many voices for calm and the few concrete peace building initiatives present a kaleidoscope that I cannot let go, but keep turning.

And each turn seems to emphasize the importance of justice and show, that Human Decency Deficiency Syndrome is all too common.

Voice and Ears

2008-01-25T08:59:00.000+02:00

I have been following the news from neighboring Kenya, where years of social tensions and the December 2007 elections have led to violent confrontations. Instead of writing my analysis and recommendations I will refer to the cartoon by one of my favourites - GADO
the demands expressed here are:

work together to stop violence against the poor
dialogue
peace with justice
reconstruction
jobs for all

But why do politicians have ears - it seems they seldom hear and never listen anyway?
And who can now break the circles of violence and promote the rule of reason?

Audits and Attitudes

2007-11-07T13:10:00.000+02:00

Some Northern donors expect their auditors to consider the possibility for fraud, and some send their own auditors. Northern auditors are certainly professional, but when put in another environment they might loose their bearings. Covered in mosquito repellent and armed with a calculator they go hunting for receipts in the spirit of Speke and Stanley.
Meeting them and reading their report is a fascinating and disturbing experience. It makes me want to look for other ways to enhance accountability and good governance.
In communities where informal sector is strong and where formal sector regulations are unevenly implemented, formal, foreign controls and follow-ups put the emphazis on upward, external accountability. Yet we work for empowerment and democracy.

Avoiding Advise

2007-09-12T08:58:00.000+03:00

Shauri in kiswahili means both 'advice' and 'problem'. There is a slight possibility that people associate an advisor (mshauri) with problems rather than with progress.
I am studying the language as a first step to real communication. So far I am learning vocabulary and grammar. Hearing and understanding the real meanings comes later - I can hope

Impact II

2007-08-07T10:53:00.000+03:00

Impact in my development language means a long-term sustainable change that is a result of a development intervention. Assessing impact is thus measuring whether this long-term and sustainable change has occured and whether it has occured as a result of a specific intervention.
Measuring impact of something tangible, like school construction project seems possible, but measuring the impact of an intangible process like "capacity building" can be quite challening.
If a consultant comes to interview me and asks me what is my impact - I would be unable to answer. Wanting to be polite I would think that the consultant's definiton of impact and concept of time, is very different from mine.

Impact I

2007-08-03T14:52:00.000+03:00

Once upon a time there was a water project in North-Eastern Kenya. Foreigners came and for some years wells were digged and pipes laid. Sometime after the project closed down, the equipment stopped functioning and the women had to struggle even more for their families. Besides water, they now needed to look for a special plant, dig the deep roots, pound the roots and mix them with water to make a paste. This paste was used to protect the skin of the very pale children they now had in the village. I guess we can say that the ladies of that village have a knowledge of how to prevent skincancer.
Talk about impact - the change your activities have contributed to. Maybe impact is less what we eventually accomplish, and more the images and memories of how we have intereacted with our surroundings.

Naming

2007-07-30T15:12:00.000+03:00

Creating a blog was possible for an amateur like - but namig it was not.
I remembered a colleague in Zimbabwe. This loving father had named one of his sons Whatever. He never told me this, but requested that I post a letter to his son and it was addressed to "Mr Whatever N..." Another time on the Zimbabwean country side, a young boy was showing us the way, his name was Nomore as in: "no more children wanted in this family". Luos in Western Kenya could name their children after the time of the day they were born. And many a child is named after a significant event or person.
But naming a blog is not like giving a name to a person. And my imagination totally failed me. Well, what ever, no more thinking about it, it is getting late and the day has been rather uneventful.

In the beginning

2007-07-30T14:48:00.000+03:00

I have been in Tanzania since May 2007. Not for the first time, though. But living in Dar es Salaam is a new experince.
I will in this blog document some my experiences and reflections about coming from Scandinavia (e,g, Finland and Sweden), working with the Danish organisation (Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke - MS). My title is Financial Advisor and my ambition is to navigate the paradoxes of development and concentrate my energy on promoting good governance and proper accounting practices.
I guess I mainly write for myself and for my colleagues in development - when I remember, have time, and can get connected