Blog: Africa
Who is accountable for the ‘sustained development’ of those who suffer, and for how long? US/Czech and Kenyan Views
Who is accountable for the ‘sustained development’ of those who suffer, and for how long? Some of the rarely discussed myths of ‘sustainable development is that the aid we donors and implementers bring will help everyone, and that recipient governments can take...
What should projects accomplish… and for whom?
What should projects accomplish... and for whom? An unnamed international non-profit client contacted me to evaluate their resilience project mid-stream, to gauge prospects for sustainable handover. EUREKA, I thought! After email discussions with them I...
What’s likely to ‘stand’ after we go? A new consideration in project design and evaluation
What's likely to 'stand' after we go? A new consideration in project design and evaluation This spring I had the opportunity to not only evaluate a food security project but also to use the knowledge gleaned for the follow-on project design. This Ethiopian Red Cross...
Youth Series Part III: The Role of ICT4D (Information and Communications Technology for Development) in Empowering Youth
Youth Series Part III: The Role of ICT4D (Information and Communications Technology for Development) in Empowering Youth Youth Series Part I here Factors Hindering Youth Participation in Development Youth Series Part II here How Technology Enables Youth Participation...
Youth Series Part I: Factors Hindering Youth Participation in Development
Youth Series Part I: Factors Hindering Youth Participation in Development My most recent research has been focused on global youth and their capacity (or incapacity) to be integrally involved in their own development process. With such huge youth cohorts...
Stepping up community self-sustainability, one [Ethiopian] step at a time
Stepping up community self-sustainability, one [Ethiopian] step at a time Having just come back from evaluation and design fieldwork for an Ethiopian Red Cross (ERCS)/ Swedish Red Cross/ Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent project, the power of...
Aminata and I both want to be proud…
Aminata and I both want to be proud... I met Aminata in Mali in 1990 during my doctoral research. She was a Bambara farmer and an impressive woman, with pride in her community. She was a helpful informant during my research on how communities cope with...
Prospects for long-term sustainability…or lack thereof at the Macro Level (Part 2)
Prospects for long-term sustainability... or lack thereof at the Macro level (Part 2) During 2003-2004, the OECD conducted a very interesting Ex-Post Evaluation Sustainability Summary that synthesizes four separate Regional Rural Development (RRD) projects,...
‘Developing them’ fails. Long live country-led development!(?)
'Developing them' fails (Haiti). Long live country-led development! (?) I am tired of inefficiency and waste of tax dollars and human capacity and time. Some organizations use images of Africans, Asians, Latin Americans and Caribbean people...
Let’s start turning the oceanliner of development to dignified sustainability – today!
Let's start turning the oceanliner of development to dignified sustainability - today! No time like the present, our participants are waiting for dignified development to fully arrive. Dignity is the "quality or state of being worthy of esteem...
Is Development Doomed? No! Youth and community input are key to sustainability
Is Development Doomed? No! Youth and community input are key to sustainability Paul Theroux has a deeply depressing, if quite realistic, view of how development has failed Africa. "Zambian-born economist Dambisa Moyo calls aid a "debilitating...
Bringing Mandela to grassroots evaluation
Bringing Mandela to grassroots evaluation After South Africa's Nelson Mandela died, accolades flowed as did deep sorrow for a passing of a man of such forgiveness and peace. I too was one of millions who went to anti-apartheid rallies and rejoiced when he too...
Unintended impacts – LWR and Gates Drought Resilience in Niger
Unintended impacts - LWR and Gates Drought Resilience in Niger Unintended development program impacts - how much do we know about what they are and how we could learn from them for future programming? How often do we even question our assumptions about what we meant...
Corruption. Now I’ve said it, fear is our greatest barrier
Corruption. Now I've said it, fear is our greatest barrier That wasn't a typo. When I started working in international development, and quite regularly since, the need for us international development agencies as intermediaries has been that we...
Sustainable Development… are we done yet?
Sustainable Development... are we done yet? The UN's Commission on Sustainable Development has just disbanded after 20 years. They have given their convening power and work to a High‐level Political Forum, saying "we...
Accountability and Solidarity – what does it take?
Accountability and Solidarity- what does it take? Who are we accountable to? US agencies would say our taxpayers, international charities would say their donors, but what would ordinary folks like you and me say? Our consciences? My dear friend Peter...
“Free” resources? How many (no-comment) strings are attached?
"Free" resources? How many (no-comment) strings are attached? Is aid really free? We offer communities, households, individuals a lot -- training, in-kind resources such as seeds/ tools or clean water dispensers, etc. We also ask some in return, as...
Valuing Voices That Change The World… Why?
Valuing Voices That Change the World... Why? Why have I cared for them so? I started interviewing scores of people in all corners of Nigeria when I wrote grant proposals for an amazing Bishop (now Cardinal Onaiyekan) in Ilorin Diocese in 1987. I wanted...
The pitfalls of pushing development even faster… we need compassion for all
The pitfalls of pushing development ever faster... we need compassion for all There is great need for compassion in development, for all those pushed to perform. First, for the participants of development projects, who can have projects imposed on them...
Rewarding Enterprising Desperation: Youth (Un)employment
Rewarding Enterprising Desperation: Youth (Un)employment Eight years ago I interviewed the Kenyan CEO of a big meat processing corporation during a consultancy. After the interview I tried to get him interested in a local nonprofit I support (KUSARD). He...
Jindra Cekan, Ph.D. has used participatory methods for 30 years to connect with participants, ranging from villagers in Africa, Central/ Latin America and the Balkans to policy makers and Ministers around the world for her international clients. Their voices have informed the new Sustained and Emerging Impacts Evaluation, other M&E, stakeholder analysis, strategic planning, knowledge management and organizational learning.