Archive for category: Aid Effectiveness & Reform

Information and stories about aid effectiveness and reform

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Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Launched in 2007 through a merger between the Peninsula Community Foundation and the Community Foundation Silicon Valley, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has developed a new approach for giving. The organization’s overall aim is to maximize the impact each donation will have for any given cause.

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation,  led by CEO Emmett D. Carson, operates by working to “simplify giving so donors can focus on their charitable passions, partner with the most effective organizations to create change, and advance innovative philanthropic solutions to challenging problems.” Moreover, its five basic strategies (economic security, education, immigrant integration, regional planning and a community opportunity fund) help ensure the foundation’s success.

In order to achieve maximum outreach, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation collaborates with other foundations and initiatives. Many of these foundations target early childhood education and community leadership projects focused on “strengthening organizations serving low-income and communities of color.”

Initiatives that have recently been completed include the Fostering the Future initiative, which took place over a six year period (2005-2011). Its objective was to provide a better life for youth that are subjected to abuse from either their biological families or foster families, as well as for children who have become too old for foster care. The Envision Bay Area initiative, that took place from 2010-2012, aimed to build a community of both leaders and constituents that made daily decisions based on what would be best for the environment. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation made use of YouChoose Bay Area in order to make this initiative successful. The work from this initiative ultimately “convinced the local planning agencies to set higher greenhouse gas emissions than their staff had initially recommended.”

The Silicon Valley Community Foundation is currently responsible for $2.9 million in assets and has over 1,600 philanthropic funds.

– Jordyn Horowitz

Sources: The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Photo: Future Partners

Blurred Lines: Humanitarian vs. Military Aid

Since the end of World War II and the success of the Marshall Plan in bringing European countries back from the rubble, the United States has lead humanitarian efforts worldwide. When violence and suffering has broken out in various countries, the U.S. has played a central role in addressing the situation.

However, in many instances, the line that divides humanitarian and military responses to crises around the world has been blurred. As the global relief system emerged from a response to post-war years, it is understandable that the military plays an important role in delivering aid to countries facing political struggles or natural disasters.

In 1955, the humanitarian aid system began to expand in response to liberation struggles in new nations. Large groups of people facing displacement required immediate responses from powerful nations to survive. Militaries had the necessary training, discipline and self-supporting manpower to respond to these various disasters.

However, military responses to humanitarian crises can sometimes have unintended results. Transferring modes and doctrines used in post-war Europe to conflict and natural disasters in the third world has proven to be inappropriate or even counterproductive.

“Provision of tents to victims of an earthquake or hurricane often delayed reconstruction and failed to address critical land issues. Construction of refugee camps for famine victims drew people away from their land, making agricultural recovery nearly impossible and creating an even larger relief requirement. Massive inoculations were not only inappropriate but, when applied incompletely, they often broke down the people’s natural immunities, actually increasing their risk to disease.”

Beside these secondary effects, the use of military in humanitarian aid operation leads to a more complex issue: the lack of sufficient funding for humanitarian assistance. Militaries are usually the most accessible for providing emergency relief. However, this does not mean they are the most cost effective. In some instances, these expenses are compensated for by decreasing funding for the actual civilian humanitarian operations.

A common belief is that the cost of military intervention in humanitarian aid is borne by the military itself. But usually, the military is reimbursed by the country’s department or ministry in charge of foreign aid operations. This means that funding is taken away from civilian lead humanitarian aid. It also turn out that the cost of humanitarian operations increases when the military is involved in relief efforts.

Today, more than ever, the military remains involved in humanitarian aid. While this kind of intervention is vital in some instances, it carries hidden costs and produces unintended, harmful consequences in most cases.

– Sahar Abi Hassan

Sources: PBS, USA Today
Photo: USA Today

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Trickle Up Program Empowers People in Poverty

The Trickle Up Program empowers people living on less than $1.25 a day to take the first steps out of poverty.

Trickle Up does this by providing those less fortunate with the resources to build sustainable livelihoods for a better quality of life. They use their partnerships with local agencies in order to provide training and use capital grants to launch or expand microenterprises to support and build assets.

There are an estimated 1.4 billion people living in extreme poverty, which means there is an immense need for economic development programs that can produce sustainable change in the lives of the poorest people.

The Trickle Up Program was founded in 1979 to ensure that the poorest people in any nation could have a chance to build a better life for themselves. In three decades, the program has successfully increased income levels of extremely poor households around the world.

Three years ago, Trickle Up served nearly 8,000 participants with an average of five people benefiting from each Trickle Up-supported enterprise.  This means over 41,000 people will improve their quality of life as a result of the program’s work this year alone.

Trickle Up aims to serve people at the very bottom of the socioeconomic scale. The program’s unique approach is designed for households whose per capita income is less than $1.25 a day.  Households living at this level of poverty lack the security to qualify for formal credit services and are not in a position to benefit from any strategy that carries a risk to plunge them further into debt.

This is where the Trickle Up Program comes into play.  Their poverty reduction strategy includes a one-time capital grant, called a Trickle Up Spark Grant.  This provides the participants with the necessary startup capital to launch or expand microenterprises.

This, in conjunction with highly structured business and livelihood training can facilitate the formation of community-based savings and effectively boost household incomes to make continued progress out of poverty.

Their end goal is to empower the world’s poorest people so that they can develop their potential and strengthen their communities from within. Trickle Up pursues this goal in a way that encourages innovation and leadership while promoting communication and cooperation among all their communities.

– Cara Morgan

Sources: Ford Foundation, Trickle Up
Photo: Trickle Up

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10 Facts About Humanitarian Aid

People talk about it all the time: should we be giving more, less, at all? To whom? When? But exactly how much do people really know about humanitarian aid? Here are 10 facts about humanitarian aid you should know:

1. How much?

It’s difficult to get an exact read on the amount of humanitarian aid given per year because there is no central reporting database and no organization has any obligation to share the amount of humanitarian aid they give. That said, a reasonable estimate for the amount of humanitarian aid given worldwide in 2013 was $22 billion.

2. Span

Humanitarian aid doesn’t just encompass international aid – it also accounts for domestic humanitarian spending.

3. What’s the difference?

Humanitarian aid is different from international aid in another way as well. For aid to be considered humanitarian, it must be allocated according to the principles of humanity, impartiality and neutrality. That is to say, humanitarian aid must be given to save life and prevent suffering considering only the need of the people affected and without supporting any political or military campaign. To put it simply, it’s giving for the good of giving.

4. When is it used?

Political instability in Central African Republic, South Sudan and Syria sent the amount of humanitarian aid given in 2013 to a record high. Humanitarian organizations respond not only to natural disasters and global health conditions but political unrest as well. Not only did government aid increase by nearly a quarter, but private donations increased significantly as well.

5. Is it enough?

It is estimated that one-third of all global need is still not being met.

6. What does it cover?

Responding to death and suffering is only one component of humanitarian aid. Another important part is preventing the situations that cause preventable death and human suffering. In fact, the U.N. recommends donors focus more aid on prevention, as it produces the greatest return on investment in terms of both saving money and reducing human suffering.

7. How much do we give?

Although the U.S. is the top national donor in terms donor in terms of raw dollars allocated to humanitarian aid ($4.7 billion in 2013), the percentage of its GDP it donates is among the lowest in the developed world. We can afford to give much more than we do.

8. Where does it go?

Despite overall increases in humanitarian aid during the past several years, nearly 25 percent of global humanitarian aid goes to just five causes, leaving many other important causes (such as refugees in Algeria) largely neglected.

9. What can it do?

Preserving human dignity is another central goal of humanitarian aid. It’s a hand up to fellow humans with the aim being that those people can eventually help themselves.

10. Is it effective?

Humanitarian aid is effective. For example, aid to West African countries experiencing drought in the last few years was effective in reducing the number of hungry individuals in the region. Though humanitarian aid may not initially be able to completely solve a problem, it is a proven way to improve lives.

– Elise L. Riley

Sources: Global Humanitarian Assistance, The Guardian
Photo: NYSED 

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Aid Impact of Religious Organizations

For a long time faith-based organizations have played an important role in foreign aid. One of the great advantages brought by these organizations is their ability to connect their congregations in developing countries with their counterparts in industrialized nations. But is there really a difference between the contributions of secular versus religious organizations with regard to foreign aid?

Partnerships with faith-based organizations based in countries affected by poverty, natural disasters and other crises has been key in providing access for development agencies and NGOs in these countries. Some would even argue that without faith-based organizations the flow of aid would be halted to a minimum. This argument is supported by the notion that religious individuals or groups find it much easier to translate compassion into action.

However, this argument loses some of its strength if we consider aid not as a charity, but as an investment. What is more, there are certainly large secular organizations such as Doctors without Borders or Oxfam that have made a huge impact on poverty alleviation.

There is certainly a premise within religious indoctrination that drives to donate for charitable causes. It is even specifically included in the various religious customs and traditions. However, this does not necessarily mean that there would be no aid without faith-based organization.

According to Fiona Fox, founding director of the independent press office Science Media Centre, to improve people’s lives is as much the mission of science as it is of religion. There are countless individuals and groups who do not abide by any religion, and who work arduously to fight hunger and poverty.

In fact, an expanded definition of aid which includes the work of institutes such a the Welcome Trust and the Medical Research Centre dedicated to finding solutions to many health problems in the developing world shows that faith-based organizations do not stand alone in fighting the human plight.

It is difficult to support the idea that there would be no aid without religious organizations. However, it would also be unfair to assume that these organizations do not do their fair share of the work. In the end, it should not matter how much is contributed by a faith-based versus a secular organization, but taking note of the real impact and what kind of results are being generated by both.

– Sahar Abi Hassan

Sources: Center for American Progress, The Guardian 1, The Guardian 2
Photo: opbronx

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InterAction: A Voice for Global Change

Interaction
InterAction is a coalition of U.S.-based international non-governmental organizations dedicated to improving the lives of the world’s poor and most vulnerable. It has 190 members working in every developing country to expand opportunities and support gender equality in the areas of health care, education, agriculture and small business, among others.

Their membership is wide and inclusive, including faith-based groups, secular groups, advocacy-focused groups, or groups focused on public education and other media education related to international issues. While different, all work toward common goals.

All members of InterAction share a set of common values that drive their work: to “foster economic and social development, provide relief to those affected by disaster and war, assist refugees and internally displaced persons, advance human rights, support gender equity, protect the environment, address population concerns, and press for more equitable, just and effective public policies.”

In 2013, in alliance with FedEx, InterAction launched “The FedEx Award for Innovations in Disaster Preparedness,” aimed at promoting and sharing ideas about preparedness and emergency relief. The award will recognize innovative strategy in preparing for vulnerabilities and dealing with emergency situations.
Moreover, as the largest coalition of its kind, InterAction hosts a wide array of educational and training events, development related research and disaster data all available on its website. In recent years, InterAction has published over 5000 documents with findings and policy recommendations about the successes of various development strategies in developing countries and disaster relief measures.

InterAction’s work has been sub-divided into four main categories: international development, accountability and learning, humanitarian action, and policy and advocacy. This makes its work wide-ranging, going from the goal to improve social and economic conditions for the worlds poorest, to relief activities to alleviate suffering during critical moments.

– Sahar Abi Hassan

Sources: InterAction, PreventionWeb

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10 Ways to Make Every Foreign Aid Dollar Count

Foreign Aid Dollar
Public opinion about U.S. foreign assistance has remained unchanged for many decades. It is still not unusual for people to choose foreign aid when it comes to deciding where to cut funding to reduce the national deficit.

For decades, pollsters continue to show us how most people think that foreign aid accounts for over 20 percent of the federal budget. In fact, foreign aid accounts for only 1 percent of the federal budget. What is more, of that 1 percent, only half is dedicated to helping the world’s poor.

Despite the limited amount of foreign aid, and the fact that it is always in danger of being cut further, there are several ways in which we can make our foreign aid dollars count. Here are 10 ways to make every foreign aid dollar count; some of which are already being put in practice.

1. Engage recipients of foreign aid as part of the solution.

Instead of treating people in foreign countries as “passive recipients” of money and food, it has been demonstrated that it is much more productive to include them in the process of formulating and implementing poverty reduction initiatives.

2. Transfer some of the responsibilities to local authorities.

Following up with the previous point, another way of engaging with aid recipients is to delegate some of the work to local authorities. Involving local authorities in the design and implementation of aid policies promises to create better results.

3. Use technological advances to improve data management.

Putting to work the many tools available is crucial for gathering data and monitoring the achievements of each aid program. For instance, the State Department launched a website called “dashboard” where all foreign aid programs can be monitored.

4. Create new partnerships and strengthen existing ones with private businesses.

Partnering with businesses and nonprofit organizations provides additional funding sources that helps leverage the small amount dedicated to foreign assistance by the federal government.

5. No private without public.

At the same time, it is imperative not to deviate too much from public funding sources. In the last decade there has been a growing notion that private organizations can gather enough funding for foreign aid. However, according to Paul Farmer, no intervention can be brought to a scale large enough to make a difference without some input from the state.

6. Do independent scientific research.

This is another tool to determine what really works and what does not. More importantly, it is a means to disaggregate politically motivated foreign programs from the ones that would create a real impact on poverty alleviation.

7. Centralize data for better monitoring of aid programs.

Creating an integral database for foreign aid helps identify redundant programs, eliminating waste. In addition, it is an effective way to determine goal-based foreign assistance and monitor the achievements accordingly.

8. Move away from one-size-fits all policies.

In countries with relatively stable governments, it makes sense to implement programs that rely on “country ownership” and more “participatory processes.” However, this might not be possible in countries with governance and corruption issues.

9. Tie aid to goals with measurable results.

This way both donors and recipients can be held more accountable for specific achievements. This will require moving away from generalized goals toward specifying the particular quality and scope for each program.

10. Reassess the way in which foreign aid is allocated based on risk factors.

This last point speaks directly to reassessing expectation. It is important to be realistic when it comes to foreign assistance. Under the best circumstances, there are still many factors that can hinder the progress made in poverty reduction programs. However, studying the risk involved in each case specifically can be a way to improve the chances of success.

There is no single answer to development and poverty alleviation. Foreign aid can be a lengthy and risky business. But using the tools at our disposal and learning from past experience is still a good way to achieve a growing number of successes.

– Sahar Abi Hassan

Sources: Politix, Foreign Affairs
Photo: The Economist

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48 Years After Day of Affirmation Speech

June 6 is the 48th anniversary of Robert Kennedy’s “Ripple of Hope” speech. On this day Kennedy gave his speech at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He called it a day of affirmation, defined by the freedom for which it stood. It was an incredible statement at the time to come to a third world country ruled by apartheid and express to the people that they are human beings, and that they do matter.

Senator Kennedy went on to talk of equality and its vital importance to progress and a better world. He noted the sad reality of discrimination, and that as a result, many never reached their full potential. As Kennedy notes, it is for this reason that we lost many great contributions to the world.

It was Senator Kennedy’s desire that equal opportunity exist for all and for the simplest of reasoning: “We must do [this] for the single and fundamental reason that it is the right thing to do.”

Where do we stand today? Have we eliminated discrimination and the poverty and suffering it brings with it?

Ideally, we would like to think we have, but there is much work still to be done. The best way to combat this ongoing struggle is to continue to create opportunity. We do this by empowering every man and woman on earth to lift themselves out of poverty so that they may realize their potential as well.

We have had many successes with eliminating poverty, including a reduction in extreme poverty by over half since 1981. However, with 1.2 billion people still living in extreme poverty, there is no doubt that there is much more potential to be realized.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where Kennedy spoke 48 years ago, there lives more than one-third of the world’s extreme poor. That is the equivalent of more than 400,000,000 people living in extreme poverty. The average income of these individuals is 84 cents a day.

It is discouraging to realize that of all the wealth we have amassed, we still have not eliminated extreme poverty. A 2012 report by Oxfam showed that, in 2012 alone, the world’s 100 wealthiest individuals earned enough money to end extreme poverty four times over.

This distribution of wealth does not represent the equality that Kennedy and so many others sought. The term equality encompasses more than rights and protection. It encompasses access to resources, income equality and fairness in general.

However, it is too early to get discouraged. In 2010, the world achieved Millennium Development Goal One, which was to decrease poverty in developing countries by half. The number of those living in poverty is still declining and if we as an international community keep working toward this goal, then ending extreme poverty is possible in our lifetime.

In the words of Kennedy on this day 48 years ago, “they are hoping and they are gambling their progress and their stability on the chance that we will meet our responsibilities to them, to help them overcome their poverty.”

– Christopher Kolezynski

Sources: Day of Affirmation Speech, The Huffington Post, Policy Mic
Photo: NPR

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What is a Food Riot?

Throughout history, food shortages have led to civil unrest. Most notably in recent history, the Global Food Crisis of 2008 spurred an outbreak of food riots around the world. Now, with food prices increasing at the highest rate since 2008, political leaders are concerned that a similar outbreak of food riots may be on its way.

In the beginning of 2014, international food prices rose 4 percent. In the time between January and April, food prices spiked to a level just short of their all-time high in August 2012. The rapid increase is similar to the surge in food prices in 2007 and 2008 that led to so many food riots.

If history repeats itself, the recent food price hikes give government officials adequate reason to worry.

The difficulty with monitoring food riots is that the term is loosely defined. In broad terms, a food riot is some sort of public disturbance raised in response to food’s availability. Interpretations of this definition, however, are as varied as the riots themselves, leading to a great deal of confusion surrounding the topic of food riots.

How severe must the disturbance be to earn the title of a riot? A food riot is generally a violent protest. Participants have been known to harm other citizens or police forces. In return, police forces respond with brutality to control the situation. Some news articles will only cite occasions that have resulted in casualties as food riots.

Other news sources believe that any public response to food-related issues falls in this category. They report even the most peaceful demonstrations as food riots.

Where is the proper balance? How can the media successfully educate the public on these world events without an accepted definition of a riot?

In the wake of recent food pricing inclines, The World Bank has developed a widely accepted definition to guide examinations of these conflicts. Their 2014 Food Price Watch defines a food riot as “a violent, collective unrest leading to a loss of control, bodily harm or damage to property.”

The definition has helped The World Bank determine which episodes in the recent past were actually food riots. A database of food riots between 2007 and 2014 has since been collected, revealing that 51 riots have taken place in 37 countries.

The cause of food riots also prompts confusion. Increasing food prices are not the only cause of riots. In Vietnam, decreasing prices of coffee have resulted in violent outbreaks in the past. A decline in value of major exports can have just as strong of an impact on a nation as unavailability of food and other resources.

The World Bank has also established guidelines for the causes of food riots, saying that they are “motivated by a lack of food availability, accessibility or affordability,” whether directed at the government or other groups.

There are two types of food riots. In a Type 1 incident, the riots are directed at the government. Distress takes its form in public protests outside of government buildings, often in response to rising food prices. It is the most common form of food riot reported in the media because their causes often have international implications.

In a Type 2 episode, rioters demonstrate near food suppliers because they are not politically driven. They attack supply trucks, stores or refugee camps. These riots are more locally focused and occur during times of drastic food shortages.

Defining food riots helps aid organizations determine how to best help areas experiencing food shortages to prevent violent outbreaks. Government officials know how to respond to rising food prices by studying food riots of the past. By alleviating causes of global hunger, aid organizations and government officials can increase peace in underprivileged nations.

– Emily Walthouse

Sources: Food Price Watch, Global Issues, Slate, The World Bank
Photo: NPR

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Malnutrition in Cambodia

After many decades of economic struggle and vicious civil strife Cambodia is slowly working toward becoming an advanced society with a robust economy.

Cambodia is a colorful and richly cultural society that has contributed pricelessly to the Asian and Buddhist realms, among countless others. Despite its encouraging contemporary development, there are still drastically high levels of malnutrition in Cambodia, as in many developing countries.

For those unfamiliar with this nation, some descriptive information may help to place it in perspective. Cambodia is referred to as the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is in Southeast Asia and is located in the southern area of the Indochina Peninsula. It is surrounded by Thailand to the northeast, Laos to the northwest and is largely bordered by Vietnam in its southern and eastern regions. Its national language is Khmer, and its officially recognized religion is Theravada Buddhism.

Cambodia’s incremental progress is and has been significant. Since 2004, its poverty rate has decreased by 5 percent every consecutive three years. Additionally, the population statistics on most “key health indicators” have improved dramatically over recent decades. At the same time, however, sizeable segments of its population still suffer from gross malnutrition, and the population’s average life expectancy is 58 and 64 years for men and women, respectively.

According to the United Nations World Food Programme data, 18 percent of the population lives under the food poverty line. The child population is alarmingly more afflicted; about 40 percent of Cambodian children suffer from chronic malnutrition and stunted development consequent of nutrient deficiency. This is a troublingly high statistic that begs attention and effective, long-term solutions.

Though Cambodia primarily exports high volumes of paddy rice produced at a surplus, the U.N. reports that extremely high poverty rates and inaccessibility to nutritious food are responsible for this widespread malnutrition. Natural disasters such as droughts and occasional flooding additionally contribute unfavorable and sometimes devastating circumstances for residences and agricultural production.

The population’s alarmingly high malnutrition rates are currently being addressed by the U.N., which provides assistance, local food education and attempts to formulate and implement more long-term food security and production infrastructure.

– Ariel Swett

Sources: WFP, UNICEF
Photo: Flickr