In the wake of AidData’s unveiling of the huge data set of tracking Chinese Aid to Africa, there has been a rather unsettling backlash against the use of data in development. Data is not the problem, it is the overgeneralization of data that is problematic. The Peace Corps case study detailed here focuses on site and project and is time and space specific, resulting in quantifiable success.
One of the latest case studies out of Senegal is about a health system in Karang that was consistently out of stock of urgently needed medications. This Peace Corps Case Study of the Senegalese town on the northern border of the Gambia details the problem and data-driven solutions. The Karang health system has been under the charge of Pauline Sene for 12 years. During this period over 20,000 individuals have been impacted by out of stock medication. The privately owned pharmacy has brand name drugs that are far too expensive for many residents.
Peace Corps Volunteer William Leborgne and Ms. Sene undertook the case study to identify the problems, trends, and solutions to the stock outs.
Ms. Sene and the head pharmacist identified the problems. Peace Corps Volunteer, Mr. Leborgne, aided in research design, data collection, and proposing solutions.
The problems consisted of three parts. First, there was little oversight. The management structure of the health system gave Ms. Sene little ability to oversee the purchasing and daily needs of the medication distribution centers. Second, there was no inventory management system in place to alert upcoming shortages. Finally, the supplier also had stock outs.
The first stage of the case study was data collection. Data collection was conducted over a year and consisted of reorganizing the medicine cabinets, cataloging the inventory, and collecting data on monthly usage. Excel was used for data entry and management. Monthly minimums of medication stock were determined by minimum monthly consumption. Peace Corps Volunteer Leborgne set up an algorithm to alert the staff when a reorder was necessary. By using some of the most common software and accounting available to US retail establishments, Leborgne helped solve the first two problems: oversight and inventory management.
The second stage of the case study was calculating how to minimize stock outs of important medications. Important medications were determined by manipulating the data collected over the year to find peak medication consumption periods. Peace Corps Volunteer Leborgne used the Senegalese government priorities for the medication categories of Malaria prevention, family planning, diarrhea prevention, and high blood pressure.
Findings and recommendations were as follows:
• “The two peak sales periods are Feb-May and Sept-Oct, the biggest month being Oct with sales of half a million CFA – purchasing price (approx. $1000).
• “The base months are Jul-Aug and Nov-Dec where sales drop drastically. The lowest month is December with half the sales of October – approx. $500.
• “We discern a gap in Sept and the start of Oct as these were the peak stock out periods, which coincides with the peak sales periods. This demonstrates the lack of foresight and planning for these peak sales periods.
• “We observe here that 90% of the sales are for just 10 of the 60+ types of medication for sale.”
Spotlighting the 10 medications and using predetermined categories provided by the Ministry of Health, Peace Corps Volunteer Leborgne made the following recommendations:
• “Completely restock the entire inventory in January and August, before the two peak sales cycles.
• “For the 10 top sellers – utilize the data to create an alert system immediately before their peak sales period.
• “Take into consideration the pinnacles of certain illnesses and prepare accordingly, e.g. resupply on Malaria prevention medication in August and Anti-Diarrheal in May.
• “When ordering more, consider the top sellers and the most likely to have shortages – order additional units of these as a precaution.
• “Exploit the alert algorithm within the Excel file in order to keep track of pharmacy stock and re order in a timely fashion.
• “If possible create a 2 month buffer’s worth of medication for the 30 top sellers to counteract the stock outs at the Sokone Hospital (their supplier).”
The grass-roots level of integrated collaboration between the Peace Corps Volunteer Mr. Leborgne, Senegal Government Health Post Ms. Sene, and local pharmacist Salimata Baudian made data collection and commitment to the solution successful. Once implemented by Ms. Sene and the pharmacists, Leborgne’s recommendations proved effective in mitigating stock outs. Between January –April 2013, there have not been any stock outs.
– Katherine Zobre
Source: Peace Corps
Photo: Senegal Health Institute
Editor’s note: PCV William Leborgne gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the AP Statistics classroom at the Edmund Burke School in Washington DC: teacher Rachel Braun, and students Enesh Annaberdieva, and Elizabeth Bennett. As a side benefit, seeking their assistance in the production of statistical tables and summaries has allowed Mr. Leborgne to nurture enthusiasm for international public health among American high school students.
Does Nature or Nurture Activate Philanthropy?
What makes people give? University of Minnesota psychologist Mark Snyder, PhD, asked himself that very question when he first began researching volunteerism. Snyder had a hard time thinking of reasons to volunteer, while reasons not to volunteer seemed to come easily. Could it be a question of nature vs. nurture?
Snyder has been trying to discover what exactly motivates people to volunteer for over 20 years. Through their research, he and his colleagues have identified 5 primary motivators:
Values. Volunteering satisfies personal values or humanitarian concerns, and for some, religious beliefs.
Community concern. Volunteers often feel compelled to help groups they feel a personal connection to.
Esteem enhancement. Volunteering can make you feel better about yourself as a person.
Understanding. Some people volunteer to gain understanding about cultures beyond their own.
Personal development. Some volunteers are looking to build new relationships or further their career.
The identification of these primary motivations provides insight into why some people are more philanthropic. But what steers them toward a specific motivator? Have they been taught to place value on community involvement? Have they witnessed others excel in their careers as a result of volunteer work? Or is it more basic than that? Are some people born with a desire to help others engraved in their genes?
Consider identical twins; are they alike because of genetic similarity, or because they have been raised in the same conditions? Studies show that twins exhibit striking similarities, even when they have been raised apart (genetics). But these studies also showed identical twins are never exactly alike in all respects (nurture).
So is it nature or nurture? The answer is, we just don’t know. The age old argument has never been settled, but it is commonly believed that both genetics and environment play a role in shaping who a person becomes; nature provides us with abilities and traits, but nurture shapes those traits as we learn and mature.
– Dana Johnson
Sources: American Psychological Association, About.com
Photo: High Cotton Style
Afghan Child Refugees Flee to Europe
As citizens of the United States, we hear a lot about the war in Afghanistan. We hear about what the U.S. is doing, our withdrawal timeline, attacks and progress. What we don’t hear about is how the war has affected Afghan citizens, and what life has been like for them.
Right now in Afghanistan, there is a mass exodus of teenage boys who are fleeing Afghanistan. These Afghan child refugees are headed on a 10,000-mile journey towards Europe, where, if they are lucky enough to live and arrive in Europe, they may be able to seek asylum. Teens are forced to trust in smugglers who transport them in secret compartments in vans and truck, or take them on dangerous water crossings with low survival rates. Many of the boys who take on this journey die in the process, with estimates as low as 35% of boys making it to Europe.
Additionally, Afghan boys are at risk for sex trafficking on their journey. Many of the boys are sexually abused, or turned into sex slaves by their smugglers. They are powerless to the smugglers, who control their livelihood and safety. Many children may also be diverted into menial jobs as they try to save money to pay smugglers for future legs of their jouney. Boys disappear often, and anonymously. They are incredibly vulnerable and very susceptible to kidnappers.
The deaths and disappearances of these boys are, in part, a result of their vulnerability and poverty. The poorer and less educated the boys, the bigger risk they may suffer. Additionally, some of the children may be experiencing post-traumatic stress from the war-related events that they may have witnessed in Afghanistan. The children are also subject to the constant threat of deportation, as most of them do not have legal status or documentation.
The lack of legal status can have many implications on the children. They could be exposed to organized crime, physical abuse, and child labor, as well as the previously mentioned sex trafficking. In several of the countries through which the boys travel, such as Greece, unaccompanied children are not guaranteed asylum or refugee status. Those children who are caught, deported, and sent back to Afghanistan may be at an even greater risk if returned. The plight of young Afghans is undoubtedly a serious human rights violation and one that should be more widely covered by mainstream media.
– Caitlin Zusy
Sources: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes, UNHRC
Photo: The National
Peace Corps Case Study Helps Senegal’s Pharmacies
In the wake of AidData’s unveiling of the huge data set of tracking Chinese Aid to Africa, there has been a rather unsettling backlash against the use of data in development. Data is not the problem, it is the overgeneralization of data that is problematic. The Peace Corps case study detailed here focuses on site and project and is time and space specific, resulting in quantifiable success.
One of the latest case studies out of Senegal is about a health system in Karang that was consistently out of stock of urgently needed medications. This Peace Corps Case Study of the Senegalese town on the northern border of the Gambia details the problem and data-driven solutions. The Karang health system has been under the charge of Pauline Sene for 12 years. During this period over 20,000 individuals have been impacted by out of stock medication. The privately owned pharmacy has brand name drugs that are far too expensive for many residents.
Peace Corps Volunteer William Leborgne and Ms. Sene undertook the case study to identify the problems, trends, and solutions to the stock outs.
Ms. Sene and the head pharmacist identified the problems. Peace Corps Volunteer, Mr. Leborgne, aided in research design, data collection, and proposing solutions.
The problems consisted of three parts. First, there was little oversight. The management structure of the health system gave Ms. Sene little ability to oversee the purchasing and daily needs of the medication distribution centers. Second, there was no inventory management system in place to alert upcoming shortages. Finally, the supplier also had stock outs.
The first stage of the case study was data collection. Data collection was conducted over a year and consisted of reorganizing the medicine cabinets, cataloging the inventory, and collecting data on monthly usage. Excel was used for data entry and management. Monthly minimums of medication stock were determined by minimum monthly consumption. Peace Corps Volunteer Leborgne set up an algorithm to alert the staff when a reorder was necessary. By using some of the most common software and accounting available to US retail establishments, Leborgne helped solve the first two problems: oversight and inventory management.
The second stage of the case study was calculating how to minimize stock outs of important medications. Important medications were determined by manipulating the data collected over the year to find peak medication consumption periods. Peace Corps Volunteer Leborgne used the Senegalese government priorities for the medication categories of Malaria prevention, family planning, diarrhea prevention, and high blood pressure.
Findings and recommendations were as follows:
• “The two peak sales periods are Feb-May and Sept-Oct, the biggest month being Oct with sales of half a million CFA – purchasing price (approx. $1000).
• “The base months are Jul-Aug and Nov-Dec where sales drop drastically. The lowest month is December with half the sales of October – approx. $500.
• “We discern a gap in Sept and the start of Oct as these were the peak stock out periods, which coincides with the peak sales periods. This demonstrates the lack of foresight and planning for these peak sales periods.
• “We observe here that 90% of the sales are for just 10 of the 60+ types of medication for sale.”
Spotlighting the 10 medications and using predetermined categories provided by the Ministry of Health, Peace Corps Volunteer Leborgne made the following recommendations:
• “Completely restock the entire inventory in January and August, before the two peak sales cycles.
• “For the 10 top sellers – utilize the data to create an alert system immediately before their peak sales period.
• “Take into consideration the pinnacles of certain illnesses and prepare accordingly, e.g. resupply on Malaria prevention medication in August and Anti-Diarrheal in May.
• “When ordering more, consider the top sellers and the most likely to have shortages – order additional units of these as a precaution.
• “Exploit the alert algorithm within the Excel file in order to keep track of pharmacy stock and re order in a timely fashion.
• “If possible create a 2 month buffer’s worth of medication for the 30 top sellers to counteract the stock outs at the Sokone Hospital (their supplier).”
The grass-roots level of integrated collaboration between the Peace Corps Volunteer Mr. Leborgne, Senegal Government Health Post Ms. Sene, and local pharmacist Salimata Baudian made data collection and commitment to the solution successful. Once implemented by Ms. Sene and the pharmacists, Leborgne’s recommendations proved effective in mitigating stock outs. Between January –April 2013, there have not been any stock outs.
– Katherine Zobre
Source: Peace Corps
Photo: Senegal Health Institute
Editor’s note: PCV William Leborgne gratefully acknowledges the assistance of the AP Statistics classroom at the Edmund Burke School in Washington DC: teacher Rachel Braun, and students Enesh Annaberdieva, and Elizabeth Bennett. As a side benefit, seeking their assistance in the production of statistical tables and summaries has allowed Mr. Leborgne to nurture enthusiasm for international public health among American high school students.
Frontiers in Development
“Frontiers in Development is designed to encourage forward-looking, provocative discussion and debate and to strengthen the analysis, design, and implementation of development programs.” – Rajiv Shah (Administrator) & Steven Radelet (Chief Economist), U.S. Agency for International Development, May 2012
In international development, there have been 60 years of dedicated experience in frontiers. The milestones set out before us by the UN’s Millenium Development Goals have shown the development community that more can be accomplished than the skeptics would have us believe. However, several of the goals have fallen far short of their targets. Both successes and failures shed light on the efficacy of the current development models, techniques, and technology. As the world changes, international development must change too.
“Frontiers in Development” is a USAID initiative with both private and public partners aimed at monitoring and evaluating the efficacy of international development projects. The project aims at drawing on the best and brightest to create a new model for achieving development. As USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah stated, “Never before have we had the opportunity to achieve so much together in global development.” Shah noted that the opportunity relies on using a new partnership model, including a larger slice of American society, and utilizing cutting edge technology.
The USAID e-book “Frontiers in Development” details the approaches, innovative models, new technology, and approaches suggested by the ongoing dialogue between practitioners, recipients and academics of international development. In 265 pages, the book details international development in four sections: Democracy and Security, Pressure on the Planet, Technology and Service Delivery, and Development Assistance in a Changing World.
The new partnership model alluded to in Shah’s opening speech involves a heavier reliance on local partners, as well as a stronger partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Hewlett Foundation and MacArthur Foundation. Furthermore, the involvement of a number of high-ranking global politicians will broaden the base of knowledge. The cutting edge technology involves taking risks and trying out new concepts, processes, and devices. Most importantly, the purpose of the initiative is to determine how to better deliver results.
– Katherine Zobre
Sources: USAID , USAID eBook
2 Reasons Urbanization Helps Curb Poverty
In light of the U.N.’s Millenium Development Goals ending in two years and its own goal to end global poverty by 2030, the World Bank has published its annual report on the issue: the Global Monitoring Report 2013. In it, urbanization is strongly linked to alleviation of poverty. Jos Verbeek, the leading economist on the report, cites the following reasons.
Verbeek does warn, however, that unchecked development can lead to slums. He implies that the institutions within a developing region are just as important as the cities themselves. For instance, urban planning is vital to increase the efficiency of buying and selling land. He says, “If there is uncertainty [over land ownership], then public providers will not come in and extend water pipes into the slums – because no one knows for sure if the slums will still be there a year from now. Government might [decide to] empty them out, which in certain countries has happened in the past.”
– Samantha Mauney
Source: Voice of America
Photo: Goway
Pathfinder International
Aisha gave birth to her 9th child at home in Nigeria in 2009. Hemorrhaging and in shock, she was immediately rushed to the Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital in Kano, northern Nigeria. Upon arrival her blood pressure was very low and she had lost a lot of blood, a leading cause of maternal death in developing countries. Doctors immediately wrapped Aisha in an anti-shock garment that encourages blood flow to all parts of the body. In places like Nigeria, it can take several hours for a patient to receive the blood they need. In Aisha’s case, it took 4 and a half hours. Without this garment, Aisha would likely have died, waiting for blood.
Aisha’s story is all too familiar for millions of women around the world. Access to pre and postnatal healthcare as well as general sexual health resources, in developing nations is limited, if available at all, and women often die during childbirth. Pathfinder International, however, is an organization dedicated to bringing vital, life saving sexual and reproductive health care education and practices to the people that need it most.
222 million women today lack access to contraceptives. They have limited ability to choose when, if, and how often to have children. When women are educated and empowered with the ability to make these decisions, they are happier and healthier. Their children are more likely to stay in school longer and in turn lead longer, more productive lives.
Pathfinder International, founded in 1957, is active in more than 20 countries today in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. They have five key areas of focus in addition to maternal and newborn health. These include education and services for adolescents, HIV, contraception and family planning, abortion, and advocacy. Multi-level collaboration and data are key components of the work they do. They partner closely with NGOs, community and faith-based organizations, local governments, and individuals and emphasize collecting reliable, consistent data to improve programs and provide accountability to donors.
For more information about Pathfinder International and to find out how you can help, visit their website.
– Erin N. Ponsonby
Sources: Pathfinder International
Photo: Hope Ofiriha
5 Facts About Energy Poverty
Energy poverty is an issue that is little known by people around the world. Many people assume that poverty only means lacking money or food, but it also means cooking and living with very primitive energy sources, which could be even deadlier than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. If nothing is done by 2030 about the energy poverty crisis, 4,000 people could die each day of the toxic smoke and fires from primitive, unsafe stoves. Also, there are a few surprising facts about energy poverty that many people may not know.
1. There has been a tremendous amount of progress in delivering safe energy to people who need it, but it makes little difference. From 1990 to 2010, 1.7 billion gained access to electricity, and an additional 1.6 billion gained cleaner cooking fuels. But because the population grew by 1.6 billion during those years, there were still billions without safe energy.
2. It’s the quickly-developing countries that have the biggest energy problem. India is the fastest country to get her people access to electricity, and China has the most efficient energy on the planet, yet both countries have millions of people without electricity and other forms of safe energy.
3. About 3.5 million people each year die from indoor pollution caused by the smoke when cooking on wood and biomass cookstoves. Cookstove smoke is considered by some to be the largest environmental threat because it kills more than malaria (1.2 million) and HIV/AIDS (1.5 million) each year.
4. Countries with the most energy have people with the least. Nigeria produces the highest quantity of oil in Africa, yet it has the second highest number of people without safe energy in the world (behind India).
5. Renewable resources are currently not enough to provide safe energy across the world. The UN’s Sustainable Energy For All programs rely on creating more energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, to provide energy without polluting the earth, but renewable energy only accounts for less than 1% of the world’s energy consumption.
– Katie Brockman
Source National Geographic, National Geographic
Azerbaijan: MDGs Progress
Azerbaijan is a country of 9.5 million people in Southwestern Asia, surrounded by the Caspian Sea, Iran, Russia, and the European Caucasus mountain range. For a country with a name many Americans could not pronounce, let alone place on a map, Azerbaijan has made huge strides towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the UN and World Bank.
Public and private supporters have rallied to “slash poverty, hunger and disease by 2015.” Private partnership has included the oil and gas industries. Revenues from these industries have been used to achieve significant economic growth and progress towards the MDGs. Diversification of this landlocked country is the next step in continuing progress. The “Azerbaijan 2020: vision of the future” details a plan to increase non-oil exports and decrease poverty. This plan develops the concept of growth based on the available natural and human resources in the country. The goals of the plan are:
• “sustainable economic growth;
• “social prosperity;
• “effective state governance;
• “rule of law;
• “complete exercise of all human rights and freedoms;
• “reach a development stage characterized with an active status of civil society in the country’s public life.”
The World Bank identified areas of progress: poverty reduction, basic education, and HIV infection. Because of the significant strides, the UN has included Azerbaijan in the group of 100 countries to define goals for post-2015 development. Areas specific to Azerbaijan include inclusive economic growth, new jobs, and regional development. Development of Human Capital should continue to be spotlighted, according to the World Bank.
The goal of achieving the MDGs and fulfilling the “Azerbaijan 2020: vision of the future” plan is to be an economic and politically competitive force. “From the standpoint of economic development, Azerbaijan will advance from being a regional leader to become a highly competitive participant in the system of international economic relations.”
– Katherine Zobre
Sources: Azernews
Photo: Azernews
Taxation Could End Global Poverty
Research released by Oxfam declared that global poverty could be solved entirely if taxes were applied to the offshore assets across the globe. At a rate of 3.5% taxation on the USD trillions of assets and capital held in hidden havens could generate USD 156 billion in extra tax revenue.
According to Oxfam, this taxation could end global poverty with room to spare. Oxfam research indicates that USD 66 billion per year is the cost of funding poverty reduction. If the taxation were to take place, it would ensure that every person in the world could be given a minimum income of USD 1.25 per day. This minimum income is the estimated amount of money needed to lift one person out of poverty.
Currently there are USD 18.5 billion in assets and capital in offshore jurisdictions with approximately USD 12 billion being held in European tax havens such as Luxembourg, Andorra, and Malta.
– Kira Maixner
Source: Taxation Info News
Photo: Jezebel
U.S. Generals Want Congress to Help the Poor
A surprising number of U.S. generals feel very strongly that the American Congress has the responsibility to fund U.S. programs to help the world’s poor. Many U.S. Generals have vocalized their beliefs to U.S. Congress that they should promote legislation and budgets that would increase funding to USAID and foreign investment, calling it an investment not only in our future, but also in American National Security.
Recently, many of these generals signed party to a letter to Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski and Congressman Richard Shelby, Chairwoman and Vice Chairman, respectively, of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee. In the letter, the U.S. generals and admirals, a group of more than 115 retired U.S. three and four star generals and admirals, urge the committee to, “support a strong allocation for FY14 State-Foreign Operations.”
The U.S. generals and admirals urge the committee to support this funding because, in their professional opinions, decreasing the current funding would diminish America’s ability to influence foreign affairs at a time of increasing global threats and competitors. They claim that our defense department’s military strength is not sufficient to combat instability in the world. The United States requires more to address the deep-rooted causes of instability and to foster strength in our national interests and to bolster economic growth.
The letter indicates the importance of balancing defense, diplomacy and development, and it also condemns the lack of focus on diplomacy and development. The generals and admirals remind the U.S. Senate appropriations committee that investing in diplomacy and development in the form of foreign aid is a critical component of America’s national security strategy, and that it helps to complete this goal at a far lower cost- in both dollars and American lives lost.
– Caitlin Zusy
Source USGLC
Photo Center for American Progress