Trust is essential in order to reduce poverty and violence.
That is Celina de Sola’s message in the video below.
I believe that the absence of trust and cooperation is the main reason behind the deficiencies in international aid.

No one can achieve great results on their own.

Celina de Sola is the Co-Founder of an NGO called Glasswing, which works in El Salvador in Central-America. Last year she became one of the Tällberg Foundation Global Leaders. 

El Salvador is a country with one of the highest homicide rates in the world.  Poverty and inequality is rife. Different gangs hold power in many communities. You often have a choice between joining a gang, being killed or making an arduous escape to the U.S.A.   [Read more…]

You have good friends at work, and though some tasks are tedious, you usually look forward to coming there.
Your colleagues support you; and you do your best to support them.
Most often you solve problems together, and your team leader clearly shows that she appreciate you and your efforts.
She sees you as a person, encourages you to develop and she focuses on common results.

Unfortunately, you belong to  the lucky ones.  According to a survey some years ago, merely 13% of workers world-wide are engaged in their jobs. In East Asia the figure was down to 6 %.

For aid workers, the main problem is not lack of engagement, but lack of support. According to a survey done by the Guardian, 79% of the respondent aid workers had experienced mental health issues. 66 % stated a lack of support from their employers as the main factor behind their ill-health.  [Read more…]

I read an article on IRIN the other day about the dysfunctional UN mission in Myanmar, and felt an urge to write some spontaneous, but heartfelt comments.

Myanmar – A Case In Point

What is described in the article is unfortunately not unique. Quite the contrary:

• The absence of leadership. In Myanmar, through a UN representative who is apparently not suited for the job.
• Internal, detrimental strife between different agencies.

This is, unfortunately, the case with many UN missions around the world. As a result, the UN is not able to take a stand and focus on essential matters.

Such as the horrendous situation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

Furthermore, this cowardice mixed with internal battles makes the UN look ridiculous, and more and more insignificant day by day.  [Read more…]

Ahead of last Year´s World Humanitarian Summit, Kristalina Georgieva wrote an article on IRIN about the biggest challenge to humanitarian aid not being money, but the lack of cooperation.

 

 

 

 

She was a member of the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing. As a result of research made by the panel she described the aid community as : “An overcrowded market place… [where] turf wars duplicate effort and saps precious energy.”

I cannot agree with her more. Furthermore, this does not only hold truth for humanitarian aid but also development aid. The problems with non-cooperation within these two artificially separated communities are much the same.  [Read more…]