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Aid Initiatives Not to Be Taken on Faith

This article compares the experiences of two foreign faith-based charitable organisations -World Vision and Dream for Africa - in Swaziland, whose differing attitudes towards local communities determined whether they would suceed or fail in their common mission of 'helping'. (James Hall, IPS News, 10 April 2006)

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=32841

(Added: Fri Apr 21 2006   Modified: Mon Aug 21 2006   Hits: 374)

Aid workers lament rise of 'development pornography'

14 Sep 2005, Source: AlertNet. By Ruth Gidley. Twenty years ago, such images thrust Ethiopia's deadly famine into the global spotlight, helping to raise billions of dollars in aid. But the pictures also sparked soul-searching among aid agencies who felt they reinforced debasing stereotypes of Africa and robbed the subjects of their dignity. That soul-searching led to the development of voluntary standards on the use of images in charity fundraising and appeals, but now some experts say fierce competition for donations in a ballooning NGO sector has led to an alarming resurgence in shock tactics that critics call "development pornography".

http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/112669283410.htm

(Added: Mon Sep 26 2005   Hits: 277)

An African's plea: No more 'saviors'

Africa doesn't want to be saved. With fair partnerships, it is capable of unprecedented growth. (Uzodinma Iweala, Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2007).

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0724/p09s02-coop.html?page=1

(Added: Fri Jul 27 2007   Hits: 197)

Christian Groups Find New Allies At USAID

The AIDS pandemic in Africa has provided an entry point for U.S.-based Christian evangelical organisations that view some of the small countries in that continent as an opportunity for religious, political and social transformation. Working in concert with these groups is the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It is believed that "there's a huge role", for Christian groups because AIDS is an issue that fits with the Christian message. And the prevention of AIDS fits with the righteous living and moral standpoint of Christianity. (Bill Berkowitz, IPS News Agency, Jan 17, 2006)

http://ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=31801

(Added: Tue May 16 2006   Modified: Mon Jun 26 2006   Hits: 258)

Conor Foley's Blog on Comment is Free

Conor Foley is a humanitarian aid worker. He has worked for a variety of human rights and humanitarian aid organizations, including Liberty, Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He currently lives and works in Brazil, and is a research fellow at the Human Rights Law Centre at the University of Nottingham. In his blog on the Guardian's blog site Comment is Free he writes regularly on issues of interest to development practitioners. Eager readers can also join the debate in the blog comments where Connor answers his critics (or, at least, his sane critics).

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/conor_foley/index.html

(Added: Tue Apr 17 2007   Hits: 201)

Disaster Management Ethics (PDF)

UNDP Disaster Management Training Programme, 1997. Module edited by: Eva Jenson, InterWorks. The Disaster Management Ethics module addresses some of the ethical issues and dilemmas faced by the humanitarian assistance community as it seeks to respond to human need in the context of natural and human-caused disasters. The format simulates a discussion which aims to foster conversation and interaction. It brings together the voices of fifteen practitioners and scholars to discuss five ethical issues in humanitarian assistance. While no collection of papers can adequately present a truly global perspective, it is hoped that the differences and conflicts in values and questions presented here hold promise for new understanding.

http://www.crid.or.cr/crid/PDF/Docs.%20PDF/M%C3%B3dulos%20DMTP/Ethics_DMTP.pdf

(Added: Thu Aug 28 2003   Modified: Fri Jul 14 2006   Hits: 601)

Ethics of development aid by Dr. Motilal Sharma

LearningChannel.org, Opinion - June 2003. Dr Motilal Sharma is the chairman of the Worldview Hindustan Foundation, Jaipur, India. "There is a need to strengthen the elements of morality and ethics in development aid intervention including reinforcement of developmental culture. It is high time that Multinational Financial Institutions (MFIs), the World Bank and the IMF realise that active participation of the borrowers in policy-making needs to be strengthened."

http://www.learningchannel.org/views/opinion/2003-06.shtml

(Added: Mon Jul 14 2003   Modified: Tue Jan 10 2006   Hits: 596)

Ethics of Research Dossier - SciDev.Net

Recent years have seen growing international debate about the ethics of conducting medical research in the developing world, with concern that research participants have been exploited in the past. This dossier provides a range of information and online resources regarding ethics of research.

http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=dossierItem&Dossier=5

(Added: Fri Aug 01 2003   Hits: 363)

Gap Years Create 'New Colonialists'

GAP year volunteers are in danger of becoming the new colonialists, indulging in a type of "charity tourism" that can do more harm than good, according to a leading charity. It is seen as a chance to broaden horizons, learn about other cultures and make a positive contribution to the world. But organising volunteering programmes is now big business and too often the schemes are designed with the enjoyment of the volunteers in mind. And some argue that too little concern is shown for the communities they are supposed to be helping. (The Times, August 15, 2006)

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3223-2313014,00.html

(Added: Mon Aug 28 2006   Hits: 267)

Imaging Famine

Imaging Famine is a research project that details how famine has been represented in the media, from the 19th century to the present day. Its aim is to provoke a debate about the political effect of such photographs on our understanding of the majority world. This is a brilliant website with a wide range of features such as images, articles, documents and links.

http://www.imaging-famine.org/index.htm

(Added: Wed Aug 23 2006   Modified: Thu Aug 31 2006   Hits: 223)

Institute for Global Ethics

The Institute for Global Ethics' Mission: To promote ethical behavior in individuals, institutions, and nations through research, public discourse, and practical action. Values: As a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, global research and educational membership organization, we strive always to be: Honest and truthful in all our dealings; Responsible and accountable in every transaction; Fair and equitable in each relationship; Respectful and mindful of the dignity of every individual; Compassionate and caring in each situation.

http://globalethics.org/

(Added: Thu Jan 16 2003   Hits: 443)

Playing Politics With Aid: The Unholy Trinity of Defense, Diplomacy and Development in the War on Terrorism (pdf)

This report examines the Bush administration's efforts to bring the administration of aid under the control of the State Department and tie foreign assistance to U.S. strategic military interests. At a time when the U.S. foreign aid has been made a central team member of the Bush administration's war on terrorism, the policy brief advocates that it is in the interest of the United States to ensure that each dollar of development aid is invested in building self-reliant societies abroad instead of subjecting them to its short-term foreign and military policy goals. Development assistance constitutes only 30 percent of the U.S. foreign aid budget, while military and economic aid for strategic allies constitutes more than half of the same budget. The 2007 foreign operations budget further reduces poverty-focused development assistance programs, including cuts in Child Survival and Health Fund, Development Assistance, Disaster and Famine Assistance, by over $400 million. (Anuradha Mittal, The Oakland Institute, 27 April 2006)

http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/pdfs/anu_web.pdf

(Added: Wed May 17 2006   Hits: 280)

Poems from the Solomon Islands

These poems vividly illustrate some of the paradoxes of 'development'. (Jully Makini, Development Journal no.49, Society for International Development, 2006)

http://www.palgrave-journals.com/development/journal/v49/n1/full/1100241a.html

(Added: Wed May 17 2006   Hits: 255)

The International Development Ethics Association

The International Development Ethics Association is a cross-cultural group of philosophers, social scientists, and practitioners who apply ethical reflection to global development goals and strategies and to North/South relations. The aim of IDEA is threefold: To apply ethical reflection to development goals and strategies and to relations between the "North" and "South"; To effect ethically sound development policies, institutions, and practices. To promote solidarity, mutual support, and interchange among those development theorists and practitioners throughout the world who are seeking to implement ethically better development paradigms and strategies.

http://www.development-ethics.org/

(Added: Tue May 06 2003   Hits: 454)

The People In Aid Code of Best Practice

The People In Aid Code of Good Practice is an internationally recognised management tool that helps agencies enhance the quality of their human resources management. The Code provides a comprehensive and sector specific framework relevant to organisations of any shape or size. Built on the guiding principle that "people are central to the achievement of our mission", the Code comprises seven principles: 1. health, safety and security 2. learning, training and development 3. recruitment and selection 4. consultation and communication 5. support, management and leadership 6. staff policies and practices 7. human resources strategy

http://www.peopleinaid.org/code/

(Added: Tue Mar 12 2002   Modified: Fri Feb 09 2007   Hits: 458)

The Pitfalls and Consequences of Development 'Pornography'

For decades, development and aid charities in the western world have believed the best way to raise funds from the public for their work is to shock people with astonishing pictures of poverty from the 'developing' world. An iconic poster example of these pictures is one of a skeletal looking 2 or 3 year old brown skinned girl in a dirty torn dress, too weak to chase off dozens of flies settling on her wasted and diseased body and her big round eyes pleading for help. This article explains why such images foster racist stereotypes, strip entire peoples of their dignity, encourage prejudice, and, for donors, encourage poverty fatigue. (Rotimi Sankore, Bond, 2005)

http://www.bond.org.uk/networker/2005/april05/opinion.htm

(Added: Wed Jan 31 2007   Hits: 195)

The Scramble for Oil

According to this article, the Bush Administration's warm embrace of the Equatorial Guinea's despotic President Teodoro Mbasogo demonstrates how low it will go in pursuit of oil. (Cora Currier, The Nation, 18 May 2006)

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/currier

(Added: Mon May 22 2006   Modified: Tue Jun 27 2006   Hits: 267)