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Shit Happens: Community–Led Total Sanitation

10/03/2017 by sissel Leave a Comment

Maybe Community-Led Total Sanitation is familiar to you, but I must admit it was new to me before I came across the handbook. Hence, I assume there are several others out there who have not heard about it either.

Here is a brief presentation of the concept and its potential.

The Concept

Community-Led Total Sanitation started as a consequence of a sanitation project in Bangladesh. A project that included the provision of costly toilets no one used.

Dr. Kamal Kar, the innovator of CLTS, realised that without changing the mindset of the villagers; and making them aware of the wider consequences of open defecation, similar projects would continue to fail. [Read more…]

‘It Is the Behaviour, Stupid’

07/02/2017 by sissel Leave a Comment

Many aid and development programmes focus merely on technology and knowledge transfer or on providing services. That is the reason why many of them do not achieve their intended results. Because the heart of the matter: mindset and behaviour, is not addressed.

A good example is the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa, described by many as a behaviour-driven crisis. Traditional burial practices together with distrust in government and health authorities were the main drivers behind the epidemic. [Read more…]

How to Find Your Inner Strength In a Bad Work Environment

11/12/2016 by sissel Leave a Comment

When I embarked on my mid-life career change into international aid I was full of optimism. Finally I had found what I was looking for: dedicating myself to meaningful tasks in an international and vibrant community.

Moreover, I thought I was well informed about the flaws and deficiencies of the UN system and I had received warnings about INGOs being bad employers.

I also had many years of work experience and believed I was seasoned and prepared.
I was not. [Read more…]

Why I Started This Blog

11/12/2016 by sissel Leave a Comment

This blog is my attempt to give you what I would have needed when I felt most disheartened. Both by the environment I was working in, but also by the aid community in general.

Many aid-workers do a tremendous job in difficult circumstances. The problem is that there are too many around who do not live up to the standards the organizations and the agencies have set for themselves. And sadly, that includes a large number of people in leading positions. [Read more…]