Wednesday, November 05, 2008
History in the making...
I am sitting at work listening to Jesu, Joy of Man's Desire sung by Celtic Women and Hlohonolofatsa, a zulu praise song,sung by the ASBC male chorus (I can't find the Soweto Gospel Choir version on youtube). These songs always makes me happy - if you haven't heard them you should. I am listening to happy music and thinking that it is a very good day. You can almost feel the world releasing a pent up breathe we didn't even know we were holding. Barak Obama is the president elect of the U.S. Not only is he the first black man to be elected which is exciting in itself, but he is someone you actually want to believe in. He inspires one to dream and to think of new possibilities in a way that no one else has in my lifetime. People around the world are looking at him with expectation and hope that he can turn things around. The world has hope of being better. I think there is danger in putting so much hope in one person but it feels like the sun is rising on a world that has been waiting for a new day. It is not just Obama the person, it is the change and the hunger for change that he represents. It is a good day!
Monday, November 03, 2008
Fridays in Kigali
While I was in Rwanda I would often wake up to an SMS (a.k.a. text message) from my boss saying that there was a problem with the days program so I should just work from home. I often work from home now that I am back in Canada but in Rwanda I didn’t have any work to do from home. That was not the nature of my job. So these frequent messages were a source of frustration for me a lot of the time. I was in Rwanda to work; I was there to learn how to “do development.” How could I do this if I was at home? But looking back some of my favourite days were these days when I was supposed to be working from home.
My roommate Pip was working with International Teams and on these days I would sometimes join in with whatever she was doing. Fridays were the best. On Fridays we would walk down the hill to Eglise Vivante and help the mamas make lunch for the street kids. Vivante and IT partnered in a street kids ministry and on Friday there was a large lunch served for about 100-200 of these kids. Pip and I would arrive between 9 and 10am to help with the meal. I think in some ways I was not so much of a help as a source of entertainment for the mamas but it was a great time. Chopping cabbage, picking stones out of rice, washing plates, peeling bananas – I never managed to any of this as quickly or as well as they did but I got better every week. The food is cooked over open fires in the church courtyard. Nothing smells as good as Tanzanian rice cooking over an open fire on a Friday morning. While the food cooked we would sit and socialize, sampling some of the food, especially the sauté – essentially fries but the entire potato is put in the oil. Oh so good! It was always fun to talk with these women. I practiced my VERY limited Kinya-rwanda and learned new words, spoke French and translated for Pip and just listened to conversation and laughter. Such a warm place to be! I can still hear Chantal telling Pip to “EAT MEAT” and Mama Francine and Mama Deborah’s laughter and teasing. When the food was cooked we would load it up on plates in an assembly line. I usually did the sauté or the sauce. Pip would steal pieces of sauté and present them as gifts to the other women and we would tease Manou that he was getting ‘so big’ because of all the fries he ate. Finally we would have all the food served out on plates and could let the kids into the courtyard. They would file in and wash their hands with the buckets set out and get in a group. They knew the drill and though for the outside observer it seemed like utter chaos there was a method to the madness. The plates would be distributed and the food would disappear with lightening speed. On my hungriest days I could not even eat half the amount of food that we would pile on those plates but these kids, even the smallest of them, would pack it away and if we could have been able to give them seconds they would have eaten that too.
I think one of the things I value most about these times was the relationship we built with the mamas at the church. As the time approached when both Pip and I would be leaving they planned a goodbye dinner for us. We met at one of their homes and had a feast. They taught us how to cook some of the meal, although we were late so we missed out on some of it. Cooking chapatti on an open fire is harder than you might think! There was so much food. There was Chapatti, goat brochettes, fries, vegetables, salad, rice, pasta and every good thing. We were taking a group picture towards the end of the evening and for a reason that now escapes me we were trying to make fish faces for the picture. I have never laughed so hard. Tears streaming down my face, doubled over in laughter and almost in pain I remember looking into the eyes of Chantal and seeing her tears of laughter and hearing her laugh and all that made me laugh even harder. I have the pictures from that evening on the wall of my little cubicle here in Canada and they never fail to make me smile.
My roommate Pip was working with International Teams and on these days I would sometimes join in with whatever she was doing. Fridays were the best. On Fridays we would walk down the hill to Eglise Vivante and help the mamas make lunch for the street kids. Vivante and IT partnered in a street kids ministry and on Friday there was a large lunch served for about 100-200 of these kids. Pip and I would arrive between 9 and 10am to help with the meal. I think in some ways I was not so much of a help as a source of entertainment for the mamas but it was a great time. Chopping cabbage, picking stones out of rice, washing plates, peeling bananas – I never managed to any of this as quickly or as well as they did but I got better every week. The food is cooked over open fires in the church courtyard. Nothing smells as good as Tanzanian rice cooking over an open fire on a Friday morning. While the food cooked we would sit and socialize, sampling some of the food, especially the sauté – essentially fries but the entire potato is put in the oil. Oh so good! It was always fun to talk with these women. I practiced my VERY limited Kinya-rwanda and learned new words, spoke French and translated for Pip and just listened to conversation and laughter. Such a warm place to be! I can still hear Chantal telling Pip to “EAT MEAT” and Mama Francine and Mama Deborah’s laughter and teasing. When the food was cooked we would load it up on plates in an assembly line. I usually did the sauté or the sauce. Pip would steal pieces of sauté and present them as gifts to the other women and we would tease Manou that he was getting ‘so big’ because of all the fries he ate. Finally we would have all the food served out on plates and could let the kids into the courtyard. They would file in and wash their hands with the buckets set out and get in a group. They knew the drill and though for the outside observer it seemed like utter chaos there was a method to the madness. The plates would be distributed and the food would disappear with lightening speed. On my hungriest days I could not even eat half the amount of food that we would pile on those plates but these kids, even the smallest of them, would pack it away and if we could have been able to give them seconds they would have eaten that too.
I think one of the things I value most about these times was the relationship we built with the mamas at the church. As the time approached when both Pip and I would be leaving they planned a goodbye dinner for us. We met at one of their homes and had a feast. They taught us how to cook some of the meal, although we were late so we missed out on some of it. Cooking chapatti on an open fire is harder than you might think! There was so much food. There was Chapatti, goat brochettes, fries, vegetables, salad, rice, pasta and every good thing. We were taking a group picture towards the end of the evening and for a reason that now escapes me we were trying to make fish faces for the picture. I have never laughed so hard. Tears streaming down my face, doubled over in laughter and almost in pain I remember looking into the eyes of Chantal and seeing her tears of laughter and hearing her laugh and all that made me laugh even harder. I have the pictures from that evening on the wall of my little cubicle here in Canada and they never fail to make me smile.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The GFCs
There has been a lot of talk in recent months about global crises. First was the fuel crisis, then the food crisis and now the financial crisis. One of my co-workers has pointed out that they can all be reduced to the easy acronym GFC. We love our acronyms in development work.
The level of concern about raising food prices has been interesting to me. This interest comes from a couple of angles. First, how many of us here in North America have really noticed the rising cost of food? When only about 10% of our budget is going to food it doesn't seem to matter too much if the cost of bread goes up by $1.50. Now 15% of our budget goes to food. Now, imagine that food took up 85% or more of your budget. You would notice pretty quickly the difference that $1.50 makes in your ability to pay school fees, buy medicine, pay rent and buy clothes.
This leads me to the other reason I find all this attention interesting. I think the rising food prices first started getting media attention this past spring. The higher fuel prices increased transport costs; the increasing middle class in countries like China and India and the resulting increase in demand for meat; increased of "food" being used for non-food products such as biofuel; crop failures, desertification, soil erosion, climate change. All these factors have been given credit for causing this Global Food Crisis, and they are all valid points. But it all happened all of a sudden and only when people in urban centres in the developed world started to feel the effects. It seems like it all happened overnight. But it has been happening slowly and persistently for the people in the two-thirds world. It has been happening for a long time for the 800 million people who go without enough food every day.
Now we add another GFC, the Global Financial Crisis. With the market tanking and the economy grinding to a near halt people are justified in their concern. I don't want to belittle the jobs that have been or will be lost or the retirement savings that have disappeared. These are terrible things and we are living in difficult times. But I am afraid of what this will mean for the poor, both in our own country and around the world. Governments will be so busy bailing out industry and banks. Reduced personal and family incomes will lead to a reduction in spending. We see it already. My fear is that this will come at the expense of the poor. The provincial government is already talking about less spending on health and education. My organization is already talking about "belt-tightening" measures as we anticipate a drop in donations and sponsorships.
This topic has come up several times this week and in my thinking it over I came across this posted on a blog I read occasionally http://zenpeacekeeping.typepad.com. It is a joint statement made by World Vision International, Oxfam International, Amnesty International, Plan International and Greenpeace. It is a little long, but it is a good summary of what this crisis could mean for the poor.
Billions in bailouts for the wealthy
Last week the US government provided another bailout of $37.8 billion to the giant insurance company, AIG, bringing the total of rescue loans to that one company in the last two weeks to nearly $123 billion. This is $18 billion more than the annual amount of aid to poor countries and twice that needed to achieve the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals. In Europe the bailouts have continued. The UK government has thrown in a further £50 billion to recapitalise the UK banking sector - which is roughly what's needed for poor countries to adapt to climate change each year.
The urgency shown by rich countries to tackle the financial meltdown stands in stark contrast to their foot-dragging and broken promises over aid and poverty alleviation, human rights and climate change.
It is too soon yet to predict exactly how badly the poorest countries will fare in the financial crisis and resulting economic downturn. But it is clear that reduced demands for exports to developed countries and lower foreign investment will mean less growth and government revenue for already-fragile social protection and services.
For millions of the world's poorest citizens, it is literally a matter of life and death. In many countries social safety nets were dismantled under pressure from international financial institutions, leaving the vulnerable unprotected. In late September, while Wall Street was reeling from its financial failures in the glare of publicity, a meeting organized by the United Nations in another part of Manhattan revealed that very few governments will meet the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty by 2015, and that rising food and energy prices have wiped away much of the progress made so far.
The human rights prognosis is not good. Not only are economic and social rights - including the right to housing, health and education - coming under increased pressure, there is a risk of more human rights violations. As the economy shrinks and countries tighten their belts, migrants and refugees could be pushed back to untenable situations. Social tensions could increase, leading nervous governments to clamp down on dissent and impose tough public security policies, curbing civil liberties. Already fragile states could be further weakened by the current crisis and slide back into instability and violence.
Worse could follow if rich countries decide to use the financial crisis as an excuse to cut aid and trade. History gives us cause for concern. During the 1972/3 recession, global aid spending fell by 15 per cent to just $28.8 billion. In 1990/3, aid donors slashed their spending by 25 per cent over a five-year period to $46 billion, and aid did not return to 1992 levels until 2003. Humanitarian aid - what we spend to help people hit by natural disasters and conflict - also fell sharply and over a similar time as a direct result of the 1990-3 recession (only the years of the Rwanda and Kosovo conflicts bucked that trend). In terms of trade, for instance, countries reacted to the 1929 Wall Street crash and global depression by erecting tariff barriers and world trade fell by two-thirds.
A replay of that in 2009 would be a disaster for poor exporting countries. Reduced aid and trade flows could mean that the people in the poorest countries pay the highest price for the profligacy of the credit bubble in North America and Europe.
Human rights are not a luxury for good times. Inaction in the face of climate change is not a viable option. Global poverty does nothing for global stability. Rich countries will be following a myopic and self-defeating strategy if they ignore the most pressing challenges of our times and focus solely on narrow financial interests.
This is not just about money. It is about sustained attention, international collaboration and clear political will to tackle big issues. The signs of concerted action by the G7 finance ministers and the Eurozone finance ministers to address the financial crisis are welcome but they are not enough. Governments must reduce the volatility in energy prices, food prices and the financial markets by ensuring sensible regulation, adequate protection for the rights of poor and vulnerable people, and long-term environmental sustainability. Governments must show decisive leadership to build a global economy that is green and where better lives and livelihoods for all is more important than a system that rewards a privileged few.
Joint statement from:
Dr. Dean Hirsch, Chief Executive Officer, World Vision International
Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International
Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International
Tom Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Plan International
Gerd Leipold, International Executive Director, Greenpeace
The level of concern about raising food prices has been interesting to me. This interest comes from a couple of angles. First, how many of us here in North America have really noticed the rising cost of food? When only about 10% of our budget is going to food it doesn't seem to matter too much if the cost of bread goes up by $1.50. Now 15% of our budget goes to food. Now, imagine that food took up 85% or more of your budget. You would notice pretty quickly the difference that $1.50 makes in your ability to pay school fees, buy medicine, pay rent and buy clothes.
This leads me to the other reason I find all this attention interesting. I think the rising food prices first started getting media attention this past spring. The higher fuel prices increased transport costs; the increasing middle class in countries like China and India and the resulting increase in demand for meat; increased of "food" being used for non-food products such as biofuel; crop failures, desertification, soil erosion, climate change. All these factors have been given credit for causing this Global Food Crisis, and they are all valid points. But it all happened all of a sudden and only when people in urban centres in the developed world started to feel the effects. It seems like it all happened overnight. But it has been happening slowly and persistently for the people in the two-thirds world. It has been happening for a long time for the 800 million people who go without enough food every day.
Now we add another GFC, the Global Financial Crisis. With the market tanking and the economy grinding to a near halt people are justified in their concern. I don't want to belittle the jobs that have been or will be lost or the retirement savings that have disappeared. These are terrible things and we are living in difficult times. But I am afraid of what this will mean for the poor, both in our own country and around the world. Governments will be so busy bailing out industry and banks. Reduced personal and family incomes will lead to a reduction in spending. We see it already. My fear is that this will come at the expense of the poor. The provincial government is already talking about less spending on health and education. My organization is already talking about "belt-tightening" measures as we anticipate a drop in donations and sponsorships.
This topic has come up several times this week and in my thinking it over I came across this posted on a blog I read occasionally http://zenpeacekeeping.typepad.com. It is a joint statement made by World Vision International, Oxfam International, Amnesty International, Plan International and Greenpeace. It is a little long, but it is a good summary of what this crisis could mean for the poor.
Billions in bailouts for the wealthy
Last week the US government provided another bailout of $37.8 billion to the giant insurance company, AIG, bringing the total of rescue loans to that one company in the last two weeks to nearly $123 billion. This is $18 billion more than the annual amount of aid to poor countries and twice that needed to achieve the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals. In Europe the bailouts have continued. The UK government has thrown in a further £50 billion to recapitalise the UK banking sector - which is roughly what's needed for poor countries to adapt to climate change each year.
The urgency shown by rich countries to tackle the financial meltdown stands in stark contrast to their foot-dragging and broken promises over aid and poverty alleviation, human rights and climate change.
It is too soon yet to predict exactly how badly the poorest countries will fare in the financial crisis and resulting economic downturn. But it is clear that reduced demands for exports to developed countries and lower foreign investment will mean less growth and government revenue for already-fragile social protection and services.
For millions of the world's poorest citizens, it is literally a matter of life and death. In many countries social safety nets were dismantled under pressure from international financial institutions, leaving the vulnerable unprotected. In late September, while Wall Street was reeling from its financial failures in the glare of publicity, a meeting organized by the United Nations in another part of Manhattan revealed that very few governments will meet the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty by 2015, and that rising food and energy prices have wiped away much of the progress made so far.
The human rights prognosis is not good. Not only are economic and social rights - including the right to housing, health and education - coming under increased pressure, there is a risk of more human rights violations. As the economy shrinks and countries tighten their belts, migrants and refugees could be pushed back to untenable situations. Social tensions could increase, leading nervous governments to clamp down on dissent and impose tough public security policies, curbing civil liberties. Already fragile states could be further weakened by the current crisis and slide back into instability and violence.
Worse could follow if rich countries decide to use the financial crisis as an excuse to cut aid and trade. History gives us cause for concern. During the 1972/3 recession, global aid spending fell by 15 per cent to just $28.8 billion. In 1990/3, aid donors slashed their spending by 25 per cent over a five-year period to $46 billion, and aid did not return to 1992 levels until 2003. Humanitarian aid - what we spend to help people hit by natural disasters and conflict - also fell sharply and over a similar time as a direct result of the 1990-3 recession (only the years of the Rwanda and Kosovo conflicts bucked that trend). In terms of trade, for instance, countries reacted to the 1929 Wall Street crash and global depression by erecting tariff barriers and world trade fell by two-thirds.
A replay of that in 2009 would be a disaster for poor exporting countries. Reduced aid and trade flows could mean that the people in the poorest countries pay the highest price for the profligacy of the credit bubble in North America and Europe.
Human rights are not a luxury for good times. Inaction in the face of climate change is not a viable option. Global poverty does nothing for global stability. Rich countries will be following a myopic and self-defeating strategy if they ignore the most pressing challenges of our times and focus solely on narrow financial interests.
This is not just about money. It is about sustained attention, international collaboration and clear political will to tackle big issues. The signs of concerted action by the G7 finance ministers and the Eurozone finance ministers to address the financial crisis are welcome but they are not enough. Governments must reduce the volatility in energy prices, food prices and the financial markets by ensuring sensible regulation, adequate protection for the rights of poor and vulnerable people, and long-term environmental sustainability. Governments must show decisive leadership to build a global economy that is green and where better lives and livelihoods for all is more important than a system that rewards a privileged few.
Joint statement from:
Dr. Dean Hirsch, Chief Executive Officer, World Vision International
Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International
Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International
Tom Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Plan International
Gerd Leipold, International Executive Director, Greenpeace
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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