Stories about Development from February, 2006
Kenya: Poverty eradication industry
ThinkersRoom comments on the growing poverty eradication industry…“Poverty is one of the biggest employers, and what’s more, has created some of the biggest gravy trains in history”
Vietnam: Planned City
Le Bao Tuan of Sticky Rice experiences “architecture shock” visiting Phu My Hung, a booming planned community built on a former swamp south of Saigon. He writes: “Phu My Hung is an evidence proves Vietnamese economy is developing quickly and Vietnamese people are trying to approach the more modern and...
Hurricane Katrina: Rethinking Disaster Relief Response
Hurricane Katrina: Rethinking Disaster Relief Response
India: Illiteracy and the road ahead
India: Illiteracy and the road ahead
Africa: water & energy solutions
Timbuktu Chronicles reports on an amazing invention that may provide the water and power to may people in poor rural areas of the developing world. “To solve the problem, he’s invented two devices, each about the size of a washing machine that can provide much-needed power and clean water in...
Nigeria: culture and the modern world
Nigeria, what's new? publishes extracts from his forthcoming book – here he discusses where does culture meet the modern world? “Mention female anatomy or clitoral circumcision and our people cringe but the shocking practice of female genital mutilation FGM/C is still being carried out.” hm
Indonesia: Electric Growth
Sarapan Ekonomi critiques John Perkins, author of Confessions of an Economic Hitman: “His self declared crime — inflating the forecast of electrical demand to force Indonesia into bankruptcy — has turned into an important engine of Indonesia’s economic growth since the early 1970s.”
Cuba: Macheteros
Que Bola? posts a lovely black-and-white photo of two macheteros, or Cuban sugar cane workers, remarking that “it is mindboggling to see the old antiquated equipment and ox drawn wagons that are still being used in the small sugar industry that persists in Cuba.”
Ethiopia: Food Aid dependency
Black Star Journal comments on a BBC article on Ethiopia's dependency on foreign food aid..…”It notes that while aid may be well-intentioned, its effects can sometimes be devastating (and I'm careful to not lump all aid together).”
Mozambique: microfinance
Aid worker, Jared of Jared's Mozambique Adventure describes his time spent with the “Caixa das Mulheres de Nampula (CMN), an association that offers savings and small enterprise loans exclusively to female members. These women are given the opportunity to gather in small groups to learn about healthy lifestyles, money management...
Zimbabwe: IMF debt a waste of resources
Zimbabwean Pundit likens Zimbabwe's repayment of the IMF debt to that “the head of a family in a starving village, throwing food over the fence to baboons waiting on the outside, while the children of the village die of hunger, malnutrition and disease”
DRC: Making change work
Breaking Hearts in the Heart of Darkness uses the Nescafe phenomenon or “who do I have to kill to get a decent cup of coffee” as a metaphor for governments and development in many third world countries. In other words when a system is not working you should replace it...
Trindad & Tobago: Port of Spain fire
Both Attillah Springer and Francomenz report on the fire which took place yesterday in the downtown area of Port of Spain, which Francomenz reminds us is “the capital’s second major blaze in less than a year.” “How can there be two fires on the same street in less than six...
Ethiopia: Water raises birth rate
Researchers studying a water supply programme for Ethiopian villages found that it had many benefits, but one unpredicted result was an increase in the birth rate – from EthioBlog
Africa: Entrepeneurs
My Hearts in Accra points to an article in the Washington Posts by William Easterly, an economics professor who asserts that “the West cant save Africa” but possibly African entrepeneurs can.
Bangladesh: Muslim Aid
Bangladesh: Muslim Aid
Nigeria: Postives
Jeremy of Naijablog rooting for Nigeria as usual provides the reaons why he is staying in Nigeria and why maybe some of us should be heading back sometime soon.
Sudan: glimmer of democracy?
Sudan Watch points to a reuters report that might mean “Glimmers of democracy breaking out in Sudan.
Burkina Faso: Missionary Aid in Djibo
Missionary aid worker, Under the Acacais outlines his schedule over the next few weeks and describes the town of Djibo where he will be living in Burkina Faso.
St. Lucia: Tech Institute visit
Matthew Hunte vists the Vieux Fort Technical Institute in southern St. Lucia, “in an attempt to understand a bit more about that nature of this unique school and to truly find out where their students are coming from”.
Africa; politics v entrepreneurship
Africa Unchained points to an article by Pat Utomi of the Lagos Business School on the “disproportionate focus on politics within Africa and the relatively tepid interest in entrepreneurship and wealth creation”.
