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August 2010 • Vol. 28 • Issue 8

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Monday Developments Magazine
The Latest Issues and Trends in International Development
and Humanitarian Assistance

www.mondaydevelopments.org

Washington, DC 20036
FORUM 2010
moving at the speed of change
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Monday Developments Magazine
THIS ISSUE
August 2010 Vol. 28 • No. 8
Features
5 Effective Assistance
Photography Award
6 Corporate Recognition
for Humanitarian
Assistance
2010 honors recognize Hanger
Orthopedic Group, JPMorgan Chase,
Toys“R”Us, Whole Foods Market and
American Express.
7 Forum 2010 Award
Winners
8 Plenary—A New Day for
Development
Senior officials highlight changes in
the development landscape during the
Forum’s opening plenary.
10 Plenary—Development
Goes Live!
Two panels broadcast live on The Kojo
Nnamdi Show tackle the Millennium
Development Goals and agriculture.
12 Plenary—Haiti: A New
Way Forward
Turning tragedy into hope for a better
future in Haiti and a more effective
NGO community worldwide.
14 Plenary—
Public Diplomacy:
What Really Works
Panel examines different approaches
and the role of NGOs.
15 Plenary—Engaging Men
and Boys
Sharing success stories at the
Commission on the Advancement of
Women Breakfast.
16 A “Whole of Agency”
Approach to SEA
Exploitation and abuse is everyone’s
concern.
17 Breaking Down Barriers
Encouraging opportunities for learning
between the non-profit, corporate and
public sectors on accountability.
18 Critical Issues in Civil
Military Relations
NGO and government officials
examine the interagency dialog,
mission creep concerns and other
challenges and improvements.
19 Different Needs, Equal
Opportunities
Workshop and new on-line course
tackle integrating gender into
humanitarian response.
20 Clusters: Coordination
out of Chaos?
Taking stock four years into the new
system.
22 Gender Audits Improve
Organizational Efficiency
Senior leaders share experiences,
provide advice on gender integration.
24 Applying Development
Effectiveness Principles in
Practice
Hard-learned lessons from the field on
the importance of commitment and
persistence.
25 Annual Membership
Meeting
Meeting introduces new member
organizations and elects new board
members.
26 Information Technology
in the Driver’s Seat
Realizing the ability of information
technology to spearhead major
development successes.
27 NGO Coordination:
Working Together
After a Disaster
Panel weighs pros and cons, as well as
the current state of play.
28 Mapping the Haiti
Earthquake
Panel discusses open geospatial
technology and transnational social
collaboration.
29 The Power of Mapping
Developing a new, online mapping
platform to highlight the work of
InterAction members.
31 PVO Standards
Leading the way for NGO
accountability in a changing world.
32 Foreign Assistance
Reform Update
Prospects and implications of the PSD,
QDDR and FAA.
33 Bringing Marginalized
Voices to the Table
Disability integration in development.
34 Introduction to
AudienceScapes
Free access to quality analysis of how
recipients and local officials use media.
35 Women’s Political
Participation in South Asia
Panel reviews success stories and charts
challenges ahead.
36 Disaster Risk Reduction
Policy in Urban Settings
Challenges and opportunities in urban
risk, shelter and reconstruction.
37 Field Staff Capacity
Building Models
Workshop highlights innovative,
effective staff training methods.
38 Private Security
Companies and NGOs
Can they co-exist?
39 Images of the South in
Northern Publications
Making sure your promotional photos
also meet ethical standards.
40 Budget and
Appropriations 101
Demystifying the federal budget process.
41 Raising Awareness of
the Role of NGOs
Session with InterAction’s Sam
Worthington considers NGO
coordination and profile.
42 Cashless Management
Policies
Incorporating sound financial practices
into security risk management.
43 Private Development
Assistance and the MDGs
CEO session addresses new polling
results and prospects for the MDGs.
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 3
44 The Intersection of
Climate Change and Food
Security
Taking on the challenges of two
complex and looming issues.
45 A Family Affair
Panel discusses how intergenerational
programs reduce gender inequalities.
46 Telling Stories,
Saving Lives
Session focuses on PCI-Media Impact’s
tested strategies using media to
produce social change.
47 Private Foundations
and Private Development
Assistance
Looking at the global impact of private
international grant-making.
48 Integrating Health and
Education in Relief and
Development
Recognizing the role of health in
educational success.
49 Staff Care
Caring for NGO staff working in
disaster or conflict situations.
50 Transforming the
‘Overhead Squeeze’
Overhead and a proposal to bridge the
funder-grantee divide.
51 Understanding USAID
Procurement Reform
A helpful look at the timing and
goals of the process from two USAID
officials.
52 We Are All
Systems Thinkers
Participants discuss the growing
interconnections and cross-sectional
overlapping in the relief and
development community.
Departments
4 Reflections from
the President
53 Events
54 Job Opportunities
All Forum photography was
courtesy of Darcy Kiefel,
www.kiefelphotography.com
 Reflections from the President
Moving at the
Speed of Change
As I mentioned to
participants at this year’s
Forum, InterAction and
the broader “development
community” look forward to
the challenges of a new decade and our ability to
help shape a critical period of history. The U.S. NGO
community is on the rebound after a serious financial
downturn. Opportunities now abound: for institu-
tional growth; to promote human advancement; and
to respond to a wide array of global challenges from
alleviating poverty to advancing human adaptation
to climate change. Changes in technology, the private
sector, business models, the public and politics offer
the U.S. NGO community an expanded role, yet the
challenges are also tremendous. How we address
large-scale disasters, conflict, issues governance and
transparency, a changing climate, and the space for
NGOs and civil society to play a constructive role—
here and around the world—will define our future.
Within this setting, over 900 attendees from 380
organizations participated in InterAction’s 2010
Forum, Moving at the Speed of Change. Whether
they were members or partners, from NGOs, cor-
porations, foundations, the government, or inter-
national organizations, it was good to welcome the
people who work with the InterAction community
on a daily basis around the world.
The Forum was representative of a unique time in
our evolution. InterAction’s profile and reputation
have grown incredibly over the last few years, giving
our community a level of access to decision-makers
that we have rarely seen. Plenaries and workshops
included such high-level speakers as: Representa-
tive Gerald E. Connolly, U.S. House of Representa-
tives; Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator; Robert
Zoellick, President the World Bank Group; Cheryl
Mills, Counsellor, Department of State; Gayle Smith,
Special Assistant to the President and Senior Direc-
tor, National Security Council; Melanne Verveer,
Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues;
Tina Tchen, Director, White House Office of Pub-
lic Engagement; Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director
of Policy and Planning, Department of State; Paul
Weisenfeld, Coordinator, Haiti Task Force, USAID;
and Ruth Levine, Deputy Assistant Administrator,
Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning, USAID.
4 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
From detailed trainings
to the broadest view of our
impact, the 52 separate
workshops gave attendees
ways to advance their vital
work from the macro to the
micro: training on new tools
to reach each other and our
constituents, detailed dis-
cussions on problems facing
our sector and our field offices, capacity building
tools, high-level discussions on broad policy issues
facing our community, and more. The Forum truly
showcased the breadth of our collective work.
Technology added a new level to our Forum, repre-
sentative of the expanded role InterAction plays and
the breadth of our scope that I hope we can continue
in the future. Due to a last-minute conflict, World
Bank president Robert Zoellick was unable to join us
in person, but was so committed to the work that we
do that he joined us via videocast from London. The
live feed enabled our conversation session to happen
as planned, and also facilitated a lively question and
answer session with the audience. A live broadcast of
The Kojo Nnamdi Show through WAMU, a local NPR
affiliate, was a highlight and brought conversations on
global food security and the Millennium Development
Goals to a broad audience. Mr. Nnamdi not only took
questions from callers into his show, he also opened
the floor to Forum attendees who were in the audience
watching the broadcast in person.
From the opening session “A New Direction for
U.S. Foreign Assistance” to the closing session of
“Haiti—A New Way Forward,” the Forum was a
resource for those interested in saving lives and
improving conditions for the world’s most vul-
nerable people. I hope the workshop and plenary
overviews in the pages ahead will provide you with
food for thought, both on ways to enhance your
own work, and on the issues facing our community.
Next year’s Forum will be held August 9-12,
2011, in the Walter E. Washington Convention
Center. We hope you will be able to join us for
what is sure to be another powerful gathering. MD
Sam Worthington
President and CEO
InterAction
Monday Developments Magazine
Managing Editor/Art Director
Chad Brobst
Advertising/Subscriptions
Katherine Delaney
Copy Editor
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News Editor
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Proofreader
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Monday Developments Magazine
is published by:
InterAction
1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: 202.667.8227
publications@interaction.org
ISSN 1043-8157
Monday Developments Magazine is pub-
lished 11 times a year by InterAction,
the largest alliance of U.S.-based interna-
tional development and humanitarian non-
governmental organizations. With more
than 185 members operating in every
developing country, InterAction works to
overcome poverty, exclusion and suffer-
ing by advancing social justice and basic
dignity for all.
InterAction welcomes submissions of
news articles, opinions and announce-
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antee inclusion in Monday Developments.
We reserve the right to reject submis-
sions for any reason. It is at the discretion
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All statements in articles are the sole
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Articles may be reprinted with prior per-
mission and attribution. Letters to the
editor are encouraged.
A limited number of subscriptions are
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Additional discounts are available for
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 Forum 2010 — Awards

Effective Assistance Photography Award

“Disposable” GRAN D PRIZE W INNER

A young girl cries after another child
Benjamin Rusnak is a humanitarian photojournalist.
stole a toy she found in the garbage
Since 2000, he has documented poverty in the Carib-
dump outside Quezaltenango, Guate-
bean and Latin America as staff photographer for
mala. Desperate people travel for hours
Food For The Poor, the largest international relief
on foot to scrounge through the gar-
and development agency in the United States,
bage daily to find scrap metal or bottles
based in Coconut Creek, Florida. He brings a
they can sell to recyclers or garments,
decade of newspaper experience to telling the
and toys they can repair and sell in a
stories of those in need in the developing world. His
market. Often they eat what they find in
work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year Inter-
the trash, carrying it home to share with
national, the Best of Photojournalism, the International Pho-
their hungry families. In the developing
tography Awards, the New York Photo Awards, Photo District News, the Atlanta
world, this is an all too common way for
Photojournalism Seminar, the Alexia Foundation and the China International
the poor to survive. Food For The Poor
Press Photo Contest. In 2008, Rusnak tied himself for first place to win the
is helping to get people out of the dump
prestigious Gordon Parks Award. In 2009, his exhibition of Dreams & Tempests
with a vocational training center, new
premiered as part of the citywide festival Atlanta Celebrates Photography.
homes and water projects.

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 5

Forum 2010 — Awards

Corporate Recognition
for Humanitarian
Assistance
2010 honors recognize Hanger Orthopedic Frank Galzerano of Toys“R”Us

Group, JPMorgan Chase, Toys“R”Us, Whole emphasized the admirable responses of cor-
Foods Market and American Express. porations to humanitarian emergencies. These
exceptional for-profit corporate partners to
InterAction members are commended for their
By Natalie Ferenbach, Intern, InterAction accomplishments in the field of humanitarian
aid during the Haiti crisis and past disasters.
InterAction and its members nominated five

I
nte rAction’s boar d chai r,
Kathy Spahn of Helen Keller International,
presented the 2010 Corporate Recognition
honors at the reception before the Gala Dinner
and Awards Banquet, celebrating the outstand-
ing leadership and dedication of individuals
and organizations in the realm of humanitar-
ian assistance. In the aftermath of the Janu-
ary earthquake in Haiti, this year’s Corporate
c
Recognition for Humanitarian Assistance
corporations for their contributions to humani-
tarian assistance: Hanger Orthopedic Group,
JPMorgan Chase, Toys“R”Us, Whole Foods
Market and American Express. These organi-
zations have gone above and beyond, not only

c
Food For The Poor transforms lives
by providing relief to the destitute
of the Caribbean and Latin America.
6401 Lyons Road • Coconut Creek, FL 33073
(954) 427-2222 • www.foodforthepoor.org

6 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010


in their commitment to improve the general
quality of life of the world’s poor, but also in
their swift mobilization and generous dona-
tions in the face of humanitarian emergencies.
Hanger Orthopedic Group, nominated by
Physicians for Peace, immediately and gener-
ously responded to the earthquake through
donations of almost $400,000 in money and
equipment to those injured. Hanger Ortho-
pedic also creatively made donations possible
by turning its offices around the country into
collection and shipping points for donations
of parts from used orthopedic devices. To
pursue longer-term goals of prosthetic and
rehabilitation care in Haiti, Hanger Ortho-
pedic partnered with a handful of organiza-
tions, including Physicians for Peace, to set
up a long-term prosthetic and rehabilitation
center on-site at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer
in Deschapelles, Haiti. Since the founding of
the Hanger Clinic in February 2010, nearly
400 Haitian amputees have received prosthetic
care from Hanger’s team of clinicians.
JPMorgan Chase, nominated by CARE,
donated an impressive amount of relief fund-
ing to Haiti. JPMorgan initially responded with
$275,000 in grant funds to CARE for immediate
relief. It also encouraged its employees to sup-
port CARE’s efforts, and later pledged to match
Forum 2010 Award Winners
1 2
1. Humanitarian Award - Betty Makoni
2. Julia Vadala Taft Outstanding Leadership
Award - Peter Bell
3. Security Advisory Group’s Distinguished
Achievement Award - Robert Painter
4. Mildred Robbins Leet Award for the Advancement of Women
- Renée Giovarelli
5. Disability Inclusion Award - Oidov Vaanchig, for Mercy Corps
its employee’s donations. JPMorgan employees
donated over $296,000, of which JPMorgan
matched $205,000. Its donations to Haiti totaled
$1.75 million, with grants to other organizations
including World Vision and UNICEF.
Toys“R”Us, nominated by Save the Children,
has a history of immediately responding when
emergencies strike. Toys“R”Us and Save the
Children have a long-standing partnership;
Toys“R”Us has frequently provided monetary
support for Save the Children through fund-
raising campaigns such as Bundled in Hope,
which raised $1 million for early childhood
programs and blankets for babies in 2009. After
the January earthquake in Haiti, Toys“R”Us
responded quickly and efficiently, donating
$150,000 from the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund.
Save the Children put these funds to use by
providing adults and children with access to
essential resources, including food, clean water
and shelter materials. Toys“R”Us and Save the
Children have also partnered in responding to
other natural disasters, such as the 2004 tsu-
nami and the Southern California wildfires.
Whole Foods Market, nominated by
AmeriCares, undertook a comprehensive
response to the earthquake in Haiti, providing
both immediate and long-term aid. Through
an at-register fundraising campaign, which
3 5
4
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 7
Forum 2010 — Awards
allowed shoppers to directly donate to each
store’s specific relief organization, Whole
Foods Market and its customers raised almost
$1.7 million for relief organizations in just two
weeks. Through the Whole Planet Foundation,
a nonprofit organization established by Whole
Foods Market, the corporation also provided
longer-term support by doubling its original
commitment to its micro-lending partner in
Haiti. These loans benefit women and families
receiving remittances from abroad.
InterAction also gave an honorable mention
to American Express, which was also rec-
ognized at the 2009 Forum. This year, Inter-
Action celebrated the continuing generosity
and commitment of American Express in its
response to Haiti. InterAction and American
Express worked together in order to waive
the credit card transaction fees for donations
to InterAction members responding to the
earthquake, ensuring that the entirety of those
donations went to the affected populations.
This was the second year InterAction has
recognized for-profit corporations for out-
standing humanitarian assistance. InterAction
looks forward to further opportunities to
honor the impressive accomplishments
achieved through partnerships between Inter-
Action members and corporations. MD
Forum 2010 — Plenary
A New Day for
Development
Senior officials highlight changes in the
development landscape during the Forum’s
opening plenary.
By Alex Woodson, Communications Intern, InterAction, and Nolu
Crockett-Ntonga, Senior Public Relations Consultant, InterAction
T
he United States govern-
ment and the NGO community are,
today, in a unique position to define
development in the 21st century. That was the
overarching message coming out of the Inter-
Action Forum’s opening plenary session, “A
New Direction for U.S. Foreign Assistance.”
Representative Gerald E. Connolly
(D-VA) called for the “hollowing out” of the
U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID) to be reversed. “The U.S. has to
have one voice when it comes to international
development. That voice must be USAID.”
8 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
reform development and foreign assistance
is rapidly closing. He said it must de done in
the next 12 to 18 months.
“Despite the president’s strong resource
request, we’re going to face strong headwinds
on the Hill,” said Dr. Shah. “When the econ-
omy is rough and deficit reduction rises to the
top of the agenda, more money for foreign
assistance is going to be a tough sell.”
Ruth Levine, Director of Evaluation, Policy
Analysis & Learning at USAID, said that to
help push the process of foreign aid reform
forward, the NGO community needs to “keep
up the pressure.” “Big institutional changes
come partly in response to outside pressure,”
she added.
Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director of Pol-
icy Planning for the State Department, also
stressed the importance of USAID and said
He went on to explain, “We need a cogent, that along with the State Department, the two
compelling reason to move forward with a bodies are the nexus of the work. “We can use
vigorous development program, beyond the our diplomatic clout to elevate issues.”
legitimate moral argument. We need to rees- Via video-conference from London, World
tablish U.S. credentials in terms of cutting age Bank President Robert Zoellick participated
development in the world. The NGO commu- in a conversation with Samuel A. Worthing-
nity can help us think through the rationales.” ton, InterAction’s President and CEO and the
Representative Connolly also called for the audience of several hundred participants at
reformation of the Foreign Assistance Act of the Forum. He echoed the sentiments of the
1961, noting the law was written with the Cold other speakers. He said the World Bank is
War in mind and it is time to move beyond adapting to a post-Cold War world. “We are
this way of thinking. “Aid is needed more than no longer in a North-South world, we need to
ever before,” he remarked. “We have a great treat developing countries as clients.”
opportunity to be unshackled from the Cold
War rationale. I know we’re up for it.” 
USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah agreed.
“We have the unique opportunity to frame
what development should be for the next
50 years,” said Dr. Shah. “President Obama
believes deeply in development. We have
a Secretary of State who insists that devel-
opment is a strategic, economic and moral
imperative—and it can be all of those things—
and that we have a chance right now to elevate
development to really stand with diplomacy
and defense as a major part of our foreign
policy.”
Dr. Shah stressed the importance of evi-
dence-based development and cited Haiti as
a case in point. “We now have data from 56
sentinel sites in Port-au-Prince that show that
more people in Port-au-Prince get access to
clean water today than they did before the
earthquake. And that has resulted in a 12 per-
cent reduction in diarrheal illness compared
with pre-earthquake levels.”
Dr. Shah also noted that the window to
 Forum 2010 — Plenary

health initiatives and said that they need to Gayle and CARE and said that organization
“We are no longer in a focus on women to truly be successful. “The has done a great job of putting investments in
North-South world, we great majority of farmers around the globe
are women,” she said. “If these initiatives are
women and girls “at the heart of their work.”
He said USAID will follow this strategy as
need to treat developing going to succeed, gender has to be taken into
consideration.”
well, and, as part of the food security initia-
tive, is “deeply prioritizing investing in female
countries as clients.” Dr. Shah noted that investing in women’s farmers.”
issues is an essential part of USAID’s mission. Ambassador Verveer also mentioned that
Mr. Zoellick also called on the NGO com- “We’ve known and studies have shown for development could play a crucial role in
munity to recognize that fact and engage more decades that increasing investments in women reducing violence against women. “When it
with developing countries and find out what and girls is far more likely to improve house- comes to women and girls,” she said, “One of
they think is important. “In some ways it will hold living standards and indicators for chil- the most serious global pandemics is violence.
be a more difficult time for some of the insti- dren’s educational attainment and nutrition.” It’s critical to address this through sustained
tutions,” he explained. “But it will also be a Dr. Shah highlighted the work of Dr. Helene development programs.” MD
more exciting time because you can bring in
more players and more views.”
Agreeing with Dr. Shah and Representative
Connolly, Mr. Zoellick said that the framework
behind development must evolve to reflect the
facts of the 21st century. An important step, he
said, was banishing the term “third world.” He
said that this term affects a “Cold War divi-
sion,” with the “second world” representing
the Communist world order, which ended in
1990. “So at a minimum, the third world has
to move up to second,” he joked.
The plenary also highlighted the need for
a greater emphasis on the role of women in
development. Melanne Verveer, Ambassa-
dor-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, said
that her new position was created because
President Obama and Secretary Clinton both
understand that women’s issues are central to
their development policy.
Ambassador Verveer specifically pointed
to President Obama’s food security and global

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 9

Forum 2010 — Plenary
Development
Goes Live!
Two panels broadcast live on
The Kojo Nnamdi Show tackle
the Millennium Development
Goals and agriculture.
By Alex Woodson, Communications Intern,
InterAction
T
he Kojo Nnamdi Show, broadcast on NPR-
affiliate WAMU 88.5 FM in Washington, D.C., came to the Inter-
Action Forum 2010 for a lunchtime show on June 3 featuring
two, one-hour panel discussions on international development.
Kojo Nnamdi, the host of the show, also received InterAction’s
Award for Excellence in International Reporting during the luncheon.
Mr. Nnamdi, who immigrated from Guyana in 1968 and has been a
TV and radio host since 1985, said that during his time living in the
U.S., “[M]y primary concern has been the welfare of human beings
around the world. I only hope that the small contribution that I have
made in that regard indeed helps with that situation.”
The first panel discussed the UN’s Millennium Development Goals.
While there has been progress in areas such as child mortality and edu-
cation in sub-Saharan Africa, the panel agreed that there is still a lot of
work to be done ahead of the 2015 deadline for completing the goals.
Ambassador Mark Green, currently Director of the Malaria No More
Policy Center and a former U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania and a former
10 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
member of Congress (R-WI), stressed the “moral obligation” of the U.S.
working towards these goals. “As we face fiscal challenges,” said Ambas-
sador Green, “there will be voices that ask if we are spending money
wisely. But if you look at the success stories, to me the answer is yes.”
He also mentioned that the reduction of poverty and illness in the
developing world is important for U.S. security and economic interests.
“It’s the smart thing to do. It is in our interest as much as the interest
as those who receive foreign assistance.”
Sering Falu Njie, Deputy Director for Policy, United Nations Millen-
nium Campaign, said that the greatest burden of achieving the MDGs
falls on the developing world. “When we talk about the MDGs, the
governments of the developing countries have the primary responsibil-
ity to make sure they are achieved. What we’re asking from the U.S. is
to make sure they support these governments.”
Dr. Gloria Ekpo, HIV/AIDS Specialist, International Programs,
World Vision, agreed with Mr. Njie. “Accountability is required on the
part of national governments and policy makers,” she said. “They have
to show that they are able to deliver on their commitments.”
Mr. Njie also noted that it is important to start reforming the global
trading and financial systems so that developing nations can act on their
own. “It is not just giving handouts to these people, but it is also about
reforming the global systems. This will allow them to move on their own.”
The second panel focused on the importance of agriculture in the
fight against poverty in the developing world.
“We have become over-reliant on humanitarian assistance because
we did not focus on agricultural development,” said Josette Lewis,
Director of the Office of Agriculture for USAID. “Agriculture is a
really important tool for income generation, which is where long-term
development happens.”
Jude Banatte, Head of Program, Catholic Relief Services, Les Cayes
 Forum 2010 — Plenary

Office, gave the Haitian perspective. He mentioned that since the

earthquake, the rural regions of Haiti have experienced a huge influx of
people fleeing Port-Au-Prince. He said securing agricultural production
is vital to the survival of these people, who number around 600,000.
Mr. Banatte also discussed a grafting technique that has increased
the yield of mango production for Haitian farmers. He said this was an
important example of “how information can drive behavioral change.”
Ertharin Cousin, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agen-
cies for Food and Agriculture, outlined several important guidelines
for using agriculture as a development tool. She said that agriculture
needs to be country-led, it requires investments from multilateral
stakeholders, it must be paired with education, and it needs to be
focused on the long-term. As Ambassador Cousin explained, “There
must be sustained and sustainable commitments. Too often, in the
developing world, we have programs that are the flavor of the month.”
Mr. Nnamdi interjected, noting that doing this effectively is like
“walking, chewing gum, juggling and doing handstands at the same
time.” Ambassador Cousin agreed, adding that while the U.S. has a Echoing Mr. Njie’s point from the earlier panel, Ms. Lewis said that
big role to play in using agriculture for development, it requires many while the U.S. is happy to help, the developing world must take the lead
other parties to take part. “It’s not a global answer that will be developed in development issues. “The primary responsibility for combating
here in Washington,” she said. hunger or food insecurity resides in the host country themselves.” She
Ambassador Cousin suggested that research is an area in which then added, “We are committed to supporting them in that process
the U.S. can take the lead. She said that more information is needed and, in so doing, we also are committed to being more transparent. We
to address agricultural issues, and noted that policy-makers need to are interested in engaging a wide variety of stakeholders in this process.
focus on facts instead of anecdotes. It can’t be solely a process led by the elites in the government.” MD

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 11

Forum 2010 — Plenary

Haiti: A New
reality that NGOs are at a crossroads in Haiti,
and that a positive outcome from the tragedy
is the opportunity to rebuild the country bet-

Way Forward
ter with a new era of foreign assistance and
better coordination among NGOs. NGOs
are focusing their efforts on rebuilding the
country. While the commitment to the long
haul of rebuilding has been impressive and
progress has been made, there is always room
Turning tragedy into hope for a better for improvement, especially in how NGOs
coordinate to handle such a massive effort.
future in Haiti and a more effective NGO Following the right path can lead to a model
community worldwide. for future international development activities.
A special video message to Forum participants
By Nolu Crockett-Ntonga, Senior Public Relations Consultant, from UN Special Envoy to Haiti, President Bill
Clinton, also stressed the importance of working
InterAction
together to “build back better” in Haiti and to
create long-term sustainable development. “We
know we have succeeded in Haiti when we have

T
h e in t e r nat ional N G O earthquake. “Data show more people getting worked ourselves out of a job,” said Mr. Clinton.
community “must get it right. This clean water now than before the earthquake,” Dr. Florence Guillaume, Haiti Country
time is different. There is a greater said Dr. Shah. “There is less diarrhea and Director for Management Sciences for Health
investment and there must be greater impact many people are healthier.” (MSH), an international health organization
in Haiti,” said Cheryl Mills, the Counselor The panel on Haiti that followed the pre- and an InterAction member, said that people
and Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hill- sentation by Ms. Mills also highlighted the want to see the pace of reconstruction speeded
ary Clinton, in the closing plenary keynote
address. Haiti offers an opportunity and a
challenge said Ms. Mills. She noted that past
efforts in Haiti were uncoordinated and that
while Haiti has long had a “huge number of
NGOs on the ground, with even new ones
coming in, the Haitian government must lead
and NGOs must figure out how to be effective
partners in leading Haiti to sustainability.”
“NGOs must allow themselves to be coor-
dinated so that capacity-building activities
lead to a real transfer of skills,” Ms. Mills con-
tinued. Ultimately, to help Haitians, NGOs
must align their projects to be consistent with
what Haiti wants. The devastating earthquake
on January 12 that killed more than 200,000
people and left millions homeless has refo-
cused the U.S.-based NGO community not
only on more effective disaster preparedness
and response, but also on how to be better
partners in development with the people of
Haiti and the Haitian government.
Ms. Mills’ points also speak to the most
important aspect of reconstruction in Haiti:
local outreach. All stakeholders agree that for
lasting change and improvements in Haiti,
local communities and the country’s govern-
ment need to be the most important voices.
As USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah high-
lighted during the opening plenary, there is
progress on the ground in Haiti since the

12 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010

 Forum 2010 — Plenary

to Haiti over two years for the nation’s most

up and more local participation. “Haiti is still
in an emergency phase,” she said. “Compre-
hensive social services, including microfi-
nance programs, education and other skills
transfer must be created.”
InterAction President and CEO Sam
Worthington said lessons learned stress the
importance of local outreach, the responsibility
of the NGO community to the people we work
with including citizens, the Haiti government
and donors, and the role of private resources.
“We must consider the big picture and increase
the accountability and transparency of NGOs.”
Paul Weisenfeld, Director of USAID’s Haiti
Task Force, said there is agreement among all
stakeholders in Haiti on the priority sectors:
infrastructure (including housing), agricul-
ture, energy, health and education.
Carolyn Miles, Executive Vice President
and Chief Operating Officer, Save the Chil-
dren Federation, said that ultimately, to build
Haiti the lives of children must be improved.
On June 2 in the Dominican Republic,
donors met at the World Summit for the Future
of Haiti: Solidarity Beyond the Crisis. At the
summit, donors pledged more than $5 billion
immediate rebuilding needs. The donor con-
ference followed the government of Haiti’s offi-
cial launch of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction
Commission co-chaired by Prime Minister
Bellerive and UN Special Envoy Bill Clinton.
Still, NGOs are under great pressure in
Haiti and the job is likely to get harder in the
coming months. Also speaking at the Forum,
Jude Banatte, Head of Programs for Catho-
lic Relief Services at their Les Cayes office
in Haiti, said that since the earthquake, the
rural regions of Haiti have experienced a huge
influx of people who fled Port-Au-Prince. The
people need assistance and training to survive
in their new environment.
Working towards sustainable change in Haiti
is the best way for the NGO community to
prove that money and energy funneled towards
development will be well-spent. As Ms. Mills
noted, right now, the stakes are as high as they
have ever been. A true success story in Haiti
could have ripples far past the Caribbean and
could herald a new and more productive era
for the worldwide NGO community. MD

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August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 13

Forum 2010 — Plenary
Public Diplomacy:
What Really Works
Panel examines different approaches and
the role of NGOs.
By Nolu Crockett-Ntonga, Senior Public Relations Consultant,
InterAction
P
ublic diplomacy remains a
controversial topic, with some observ-
ers considering it vital to U.S. national
security interests and others questioning if it
amounts to anything more than ineffective
public relations messaging. After September
11, the role of much of the U.S. government’s
public diplomacy shifted to focus on combat-
ing terrorism and Muslim extremism.
However, there is widespread agreement
that public diplomacy does, at the very least,
offer an important opportunity for engage-
ment with citizens in other countries at
many different levels, particularly as citizen
to citizen. Such engagement touches directly
on international NGOs whose role in public
diplomacy is often ambiguous since as non-
governmental organizations they are reluctant
to be seen as extensions but at the same time
they have a public persona that is often the
best face of America abroad.
While traditional diplomacy involves gov-
ernment leaders at the highest levels, public
diplomacy focuses on the citizens who comprise
the foundation of any country. The Forum panel
on public diplomacy demonstrated that there
are ever more opportunities for engagement on
the ground around the world. Nasserie Carew,
Managing Director of Public Affairs, Millen-
nium Challenge Corporation (and former
Senior Director for Policy and Communica-
tions at InterAction), moderated the session.
Tina Tchen, Director of the White House
Office of Public Engagement, which calls itself
“the open front door to the White House,”
gave the keynote address and stressed the
importance of two-way dialog. “It is important
for diverse voices to be heard,” said Ms. Chen.
The overarching concept of two-way dialog
is a cornerstone of what the Obama admin-
14 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
istration characterizes as “smart power” in
the post-Cold War world. Smart power takes
into account a number of foreign policy tools,
including public diplomacy, which has long
been considered a key tool.
Speaking on the panel that followed Ms.
Chen’s remarks, Dan Glickman, then Presi-
dent of Refugees International (RI), said
the NGO community should lead with its
strengths and that NGOs are strong in smart
power. “Smart power is about attraction not
coercion. We encourage engagement with
a country’s citizens. Our communities keep
Americans engaged around the world. We stay
engaged by the good work NGOs do every
day.” One of the leading advocacy organiza-
tions for refugees, RI does not accept U.S.
government or UN funding. “[This] allow[s]
our advocacy to be fearless and independent
and therefore valued by many people on the
ground,” explained Mr. Glickman.
“All public diplomacy is local,” noted Bruce
Wharton, Director of Public Diplomacy for
the State Department’s Bureau of African
Affairs. “NGOs provide an incredible voice
and reach beyond traditional audiences by
recognizing that not one size fits all. People
on the ground know best.” Mr. Wharton said
for the first time in a decade there will be an
increased number of public diplomacy officers
in U.S. embassies in Africa.
This marks a shift. James K. Glassman,
former Under Secretary of State for Public
Diplomacy under President George W. Bush
is widely quoted as saying, “In the war of ideas,
it’s often more effective to destroy the brand
of those who oppose the U.S. than build up
ours.” The focus then was on partnering with
organizations opposed to violent extremism,
rather than messaging on American values.
Some public diplomacy specialists continue
to support that approach. But now the focus
seems to be instead on listening and engaging
foreign citizens in conversation. Historically,
some of the most important tools of public
diplomacy include a variety of tried and true
exchanges: cultural exchanges, education,
citizen-to-citizen, English language programs,
and various educational and cultural activities.
Karl Stotz is Director of Public Diplomacy
for the State Department’s Bureau of East
Asian and Pacific Affairs, a region in which he
noted that some countries are closed, “though
other countries are open and that presents a
great opportunity.” He added, “The prevailing
theme is that we are at the stage of potentially
being able to do more than we’ve been able to
do in many years. And so we must coordinate
our efforts and messages more effectively. We
must get public opinion in the countries where
we work to recognize the contribution the U.S.
is making to help citizens help themselves.”
And that is where the work of the inter-
national NGO community is so important.
InterAction members are engaged around
the world in disaster areas and developing
countries to help citizens make a better life
for themselves.
In testimony earlier this year before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Under
Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and
Public Affairs Judith McHale, indicated that
public diplomacy policy is moving in the fight
direction. “We must act boldly and decisively
to develop a clear, consistent and comprehen-
sive approach,” she said. “I believe this is a
moment of great opportunity to redefine our
relationship with people around the world
and to build bridges of knowledge and under-
standing with people everywhere.” MD

Engaging Men
and Boys
Sharing success stories at the Commission
on the Advancement of Women breakfast.
By Jeannie Harvey, Sr. Manager for Gender Integration, and Shafer
Busch, Gender Intern, Strategic Impact Team, InterAction
W
ith adde d h e lp from
coffee, the attentive crowd at this
early morning session explored
gains in addressing gender equality through
the lens of men and masculinities. Modera-
tor, Meg Greene began by reminding us that
focusing only on the needs and issues of
women and girls, addresses only part of the
gender equation. This session helped move
beyond the common thinking that gender
equals women. Panelists included Gary
Barker, Director of Gender, Violence and
Rights at the International Center for Research
on Women, and Aminata Toure, Chief of the
Gender, Human Rights and Culture Branch,
UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
Gary Barker connected the session to the
theme of InterAction’s Forum: moving at the
speed of change. Barker suggested that even
talking about engaging men is talking about
change. “I wish we could say something like
changing men at the speed of light. But to
talk about men and change is to talk about
slow motion.” He asked, “How can we speed
up that change and engage men as partners
in this work?”
It is not enough to talk about men in rela-
tion to women. It is important to look at where
men are themselves. What does it mean to
be a man today? What does a boy hear about
who he is supposed to be as a man? And do
development workers see men as advantaged
and women as disadvantaged? He noted that
in reality, most men do not think they have
power or see themselves as powerful.
So what does it mean to engage men? “It’s
not just opening the floodgates and engaging
men.” If men are present, women may partici-
pate less; men may fill a space that women feel
they have worked hard to gain for themselves.
“This is not easy work…we have to think care-
fully about ‘do no harm’ approaches and listen
to men and women about appropriate ways
to engage men in this work.”
It is important to expect more from men than
simply not being violent or using condoms.
Those are starting points and must continu-
ously be addressed. But a life free of violence is
not necessarily an equitable, equal life. It is time
to think about gender equality beyond ending
violence. It is time to move to gender transfor-
mative programs that explore and change what
it means to be a man or woman.
Mr. Barker highlighted the work of Rozan,
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 15
Forum 2010 — Plenary
a Pakistani NGO that since 1994 has been
training police and citizens to take seriously
reports of violence against women and the
laws criminalize such violence. Rozan staff
has trained 3,000 policemen and women and
connected institutionally with police depart-
ments across the country.
Aminata Toure asked us to consider the space
taken from women when we engage men. For
many women’s groups, this space represents hard
fought wins of the women’s movement. “There
are some who believe men should not be given
more power. They ask, ‘Why would we give men
more power?’” Men are already the gatekeep-
ers in many countries; they already make many
decisions that affect women and girls. Yet, if men
decide how many children the family has, then
they must be part of our programs.
Ms. Toure said men need to be engaged in
three capacities: as partners, as facilitators of
change, and as rights holders themselves. She
noted that an important change is underway
in how we look at gender equality and pro-
vided several examples.
In West Africa, UNFPA decided to include
men in health projects. “We thought it was
important to bring men to clinics; but women
said no, that their husbands didn’t know they
were using birth control.” This demonstrates
the need to design projects that ensure safe
spaces for women who want to come alone,
while also encouraging those who want to
bring a partner. One innovative project uses
an electronic game of soccer available on cell
phones to transmit information about ending
violence against women.
In Niger, UNFPA created the “husband
school” which promotes the idea that husbands
need to speak with their wives about sexual and
reproductive health. At first men were reluctant
to participate, but they quickly got interested
because they learned things. They said they
had not known how women were suffering and
commented that now their eyes were opened.
Both panelists suggested the need to
address how gender policies include men and
regard them. Do national gender action plans
include programs for men? Do they address
men’s issues? Men are still often invisible or
represented stereotypically in gender policies
at organizational, national and local levels.
Finally, while there has been significant
progress in engaging men in gender programs,
the challenge now is to scale up successful
programs that reach 1,000 men so that they
reach hundreds of thousands instead. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
A “Whole of Agency”
Approach to SEA
Exploitation and abuse is everyone’s concern.
By Heather Powell, Senior Program Associate for Protection and
Refugee Affairs, InterAction
A
ddressing sexual exploi-
tation and abuse (SEA) is everyone’s
business. This was the core message of
the Forum workshop, The “Whole of Agency”
Approach to Addressing Sexual Exploitation
and Abuse, facilitated by the co-chairs of
InterAction’s SEA Sub-Working Group, Daisy
Francis of Catholic Relief Services and Angela
Wiens of International Medical Corps.
Over eight years since reports found that
humanitarian workers were perpetrators of
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Tel: (703) 778.9400 | Fax: (703) 778-9405 | USA@KjaerGroup.com | www.kjaergroup.com
16 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
pervasive misconduct against displaced and
host populations, abuse remains prevalent.
Organizations continue to struggle with how to
institutionalize SEA prevention and response.
At the workshop, Margaret Pollack, Director
for Multilateral Coordination and External
Relations at the U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration
(BPRM), stressed the importance of ensuring
zero tolerance within organizations. BPRM
mandates that all partners must have a Code of
Conduct in place, and recently the agency has
been considering whether to require partners
to show SEA prevention and response strategies
in proposal submissions. In order to ensure
program success, it is paramount to ensure that
beneficiaries understand their rights and are
included in the program design phase.
Strategic and organizational approaches
towards addressing SEA are varied, but a
critical component is ensuring that efforts to
address SEA are included in the core man-
date of all parts of an organization. In this
workshop, participants had the opportunity
to hear from senior management from four
organizations, each of which outlined differ-
ent ways in which their organizations have
holistically integrated SEA prevention and
response into their objectives.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC)
has been at the forefront of SEA prevention
and response for decades. Donna Campbell,
Vice President for Human Resources, stressed
the need for organizations to look internally.
IRC as a whole had embarked upon a strategy
to determine the best way to institutionalize
continued on page 54

Breaking Down
Barriers
Encouraging opportunities for learning
between the non-profit, corporate and
public sectors on accountability.
By Beris Gwynne, Director for Global Accountability, World Vision
International and Member of the INGO Accountability Charter Board
A
ccountability is a top issue
for many relief and development orga-
nizations. Whether they are public,
private or non-profit, ever-more actors recog-
nize the need to demonstrate how, to whom
and for what they are accountable. But there
is very limited dialogue and information shar-
ing between sectors on this important issue.
A Forum panel took up the topic. Presen-
tations from One World Trust, World Vision
International, the International NGO Charter
of Accountability and the Global Reporting
Initiative provided fertile ground for exami-
nation of recent experience of multi-sector
engagement on accountability issues, explor-
ing key principles and common definitions
and opening up space for mutual learning,
cross-fertilization and innovation.
Robert Lloyd described London-based
One World Trust’s latest Global Account-
ability Report. The 2008 report assesses the
accountability of inter-governmental, cor-
porate and non-profit organizations to the
people they affect. It examines the degree
to which organizations incorporate the key
accountability principles of transparency,
participation, evaluation, and complaint and
response mechanisms into the policies and
management systems that form their account-
ability capabilities.
The 2008 report is the latest product of an
effort that began with a pilot study in 2003, a
principle-based research framework launched
in 2005, and earlier full reports for 2006
and 2007. The reports have become widely
respected for moving forward the accountabil-
ity debate, practice and reform at the global
level by providing an impartial, evidence-
based tool for practical reform of organiza-
tions. Like its predecessors, the 2008 report
highlights specific areas of reform, identifies
best practices, and provides a global picture of
accountability trends and challenges based on
quantitative measurements. It combines these
into common frame of reference on account-
ability through which the different sectors
can interact and further the basic principles
of accountability to the global level.
As a panelist, I discussed the experience of
World Vision International and certain related
efforts involving the INGO Accountability
Charter.
With the creation of its Global Account-
ability Department in 2008, World Vision
International began mapping “accountabil-
ity frameworks” for use within the organi-
zation and with its partners. To understand
the baseline situation, the team asked staff
from across the organization: To whom are we
accountable? For what? How do we measure
our performance? With whom do we bench-
mark? Whom do we tell? And how can we
more effectively learn from and contribute to
greater accountability in our sector?
While the staff collectively welcomed the
opportunity to reflect on accountability, the
focus of their answers varied significantly.
Many focused on financial accountability,
performance management and compliance.
Others saw greater transparency as a key to
organizational learning and believed such
openness would likely strengthen rather than
endanger relationships with key stakeholders.
Respondents also noted they face multiple lay-
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 17
Forum 2010 — Workshops
ers of accountability to communities, donors
and other supporters, as well as obligations to
comply with national codes of conduct and
various international accountability initiatives
to which World Vision International is a party.
An example of the value of wider engage-
ment within and beyond the sector lies in
World Vision International’s support for the
International NGO Charter of Accountability
and the decision to enlist the Global Report-
ing Initiative (GRI) to help develop reporting
guidelines in the form of a sector supplement
for NGOs. The GRI NGO Sector Supplement
launched in May was the result of a multi-
stakeholder working group involving lead-
ing NGOs, the private sector and academe. It
builds on the GRI’s G3 Guidelines to accom-
modate the unique characteristics of NGOs
working in international development, add-
ing sections on: affected stakeholder engage-
ment; program effectiveness and coordination;
gender and diversity; public awareness and
advocacy; and resource allocation and ethical
fundraising.
While recognizing the diversity of the NGO
community, the Sector Supplement positions
NGOs among the leaders in sustainability and
accountability reporting and is intended to be
generally applicable to NGOs of all sizes and
types. To address the needs of smaller NGOs
and NGOs reporting for the first time under
GRI’s sustainability reporting framework,
the Sector Supplement includes a reporting
template for such organizations and reporting
tips to help them prepare a basic GRI sustain-
ability report.
All of these processes have shown how
multi-stakeholder engagement to enhance
NGO accountability can increase understand-
ing of shared and different challenges,
strengthen relationships based on mutual
respect and solidarity, and increase legitimacy
at a time of increasing pressure on “civil soci-
ety space.” MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops

Critical Issues in Civil The panelists discussed how they see the
interagency dialogue developing, what the
challenges have been and continue to be, and

Military Relations
how the interagency dialogue is addressing the
concerns of NGOs. Dr. Schear highlighted the
key capacities that both NGOs and the mili-
tary bring to the table and the main challenge
in working in the same space: breaking down
NGO and government officials examine the stereotypes and building better understanding
one another. Ms. Hanrahan gave an overview
interagency dialog, mission creep concerns of the lead role that the State Department is
and other challenges and improvements. taking in the interagency dialogue and high-
lighted the need to continue building civil-
ian capacity to engage and to include NGOs
By Tracy O’Heir, Program Manager for Disaster Response, InterAction
throughout the process.
Finally, the panel and other session par-
ticipants discussed challenges NGOs and the
military are facing and ways to address them.

T
here have been growing
concerns in the NGO community that
the U.S. military is seeking to increase
its involvement in humanitarian and devel-
opment activities around the world, and that
this perceived “mission creep” is impacting
the Department of State and USAID’s ability
to carry out their own roles and responsibili-
ties. This concern from the NGO perspec-
tive is illustrated by the inclusion of counter-
insurgency language in USAID solicitations
in Afghanistan. At the same time, NGOs have
seen an evolving U.S. government interagency
dialogue since the inception of the conflict in
Afghanistan and exchanges of staff amongst
civilian and military agencies.
These concerns and others were addressed
by the panel of speakers at a Forum workshop
entitled “Current Issues in Civil Military Rela-
tions,” hosted by the InterAction Civil Military
Working Group. The session featured panelists
from NGOs and the U.S. government who
are very familiar with the issues that NGOs
face when operating in the same space as the
U.S. military: George Devendorf, Vice Presi-
dent for Global Engagement at MercyCorps;
Karen Hanrahan, Chief Operating Officer,
Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development
Review (QDDR) Department of State; and Dr.
James Schear, Deputy Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Partnership Strategy and Stability
Operations, Department of Defense.
All stakeholders have seen that complex
humanitarian and development activities in
difficult environments do not preclude col-
laboration and cooperation, and, at a mini-
mum, coexistence as they are going on. To do
these things well, however, all the actors must
continue the work of defining roles and
remaining faithful to those definitions. This
conversation has never been more crucial than
it is now. As Mr. Devendorf noted, “In the last
eight years, the context has changed signifi-
cantly due to unprecedented numbers of per-
sonnel and amounts of money. The environ-
ments [that NGOs are working in] have never
been this dangerous; the stakes are much
higher.” MD

David Snyder, Joint Aid Management USA

School Lunch

A young student enjoys a meal of highly

nutritious porridge provided to the EPC
Muabvi School through Joint Aid Management.
JAM has been supporting the school with

8th Annual
McGovern-Dole corn soy blend since 2009,
and was providing its own corn soy blend to

Photo
the school in 2008—all of it aimed at keeping
impoverished rural children in school to
complete their studies.
Contest
Finalists

18 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010

 Forum 2010 — Workshops

Different Needs, classic examples in gender and humanitar-

ian practice of the past decade—such Gerald
Martone’s recollections of the impact that

Equal Opportunities
gender-based violence experienced by women
and girls collecting fuelwood in Darfur had
on deepening understanding of gender in
humanitarian work—to the often less recog-
nized issues facing men and boys. Ms. Tinde
Workshop and new on-line course tackle spoke to the crisis in Haiti and the lessons
learned, which opened a discussion on key
integrating gender into humanitarian cases in Haiti, such as how clinics open only
response. during the daytime prohibited men (who
worked days) from accessing essential services
at all. Ms. Nemat brought our attention to the
By Elizabeth Ross, Senior Program Director Africa and South Asia, need to engage top management, such as gov-
Relief International ernment ministers and tribal leaders, in the
advocacy framework to ensure that policies
were officially vetted and advanced—espe-
cially in traditional societies.

H
ow to “unpack” and use the
rich methods in gender analysis that
are available to humanitarians was a
hot topic at this year’s InterAction Forum.
The special workshop on the new “Different
Needs, Equal Opportunities” e-learning certi-
fication course was moderated by Kate Burns,
Senior Gender Advisor, UN OCHA (Office for
the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).
Speakers included Narges Nemat from the
Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emer-
gencies (INEE), Gerald Martone, Director of
Humanitarian Affairs, International Rescue
Committee, and Gry Tina Tinde, Diversity
Advisor in Human Resources, Inter-Ameri-
can Development Bank. The workshop also
presented the newly launched e-learning
course based on the IASC Gender Handbook
(http://www.iasc-elearning.org). The course is
intended to give humanitarian workers access
to methodologies and case studies in gender
that improve their understanding and increase
their ability to design and implement pro-
grams that effectively address gender needs.
Kate Burns kicked things off with the all
important starting point that gender encom-
passes men and women. “We must make
sure as humanitarians that our services reach
women, men, girls and boys.” This spurred
dialogue that raced back and forth between
Key comments and questions from workshop
participants served to illuminate the power and
complexity of gender in humanitarian practice:
How do we work within the legal restrictions
of host countries that can be extremely pro-
hibitive to gender practices not only for the
advancement of women and girls but also for
homosexuals? Can we overcome the abstraction
of gender and integrate it effectively in all sec-
tors? Could the new e-learning tool be as effec-
tive for development contexts? MD
The author is also a member of the advisory
committee that facilitated design of the “Dif-
ferent Needs, Equal Opportunities” e-learning
course.

JoAnna Pollonais, Communications Consultant/

Photographer
Get Lifted

Youth from a dance group at Gihembe Refugee Camp

put on a performance for World Refugee Day 2009.
Organizations like UNHCR work closely with partners
like American Refugee Committee, Jesuit Refugee
Service, FAWE, UNICEF and WFP to provide refugees
in Rwanda with the basic needs and social assistance
that help empower and encourage them to take control
of their lives.

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 19

Forum 2010 — Workshops

Clusters:
tion Officer in the Evaluation and Guidance
Section at UN/OCHA, presented the recent
evaluation. It assessed the operational effec-
tiveness of the cluster approach in order to
propose concrete recommendations for its

Coordination Out
improvement. Case studies were conducted
in Chad, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Gaza/West Bank, Haiti, Myanmar

of Chaos?
and Uganda. The evaluation found that the
cluster approach had contributed to a number
of improvements in humanitarian response
including: improved coverage of humanitar-
ian needs in some areas; better identification
Taking stock four years into the new system. of gaps and reduced duplication; increased
ability to learn through peer review; more
By Elizabeth Bellardo, Senior Program Manager, Disaster Response, predictable leadership; improved partnership
between UN agencies and other international
InterAction humanitarian actors, especially NGOs; and
improved funding appeals.
However, many challenges remain includ-

T
he cluster approach, one
of the pillars of the humanitarian reform
process, was first implemented in 2006
to strengthen the effectiveness of humanitarian
response by addressing gaps, ensuring account-
ability and building partnerships. Since then,
significant time, energy and resources have
gone into implementing the system, which
groups response efforts into thematic groups
or “clusters” (e.g. shelter), assigns a lead agency
for each cluster and calls upon all responding
organizations to coordinate within the cluster
structure. The system brings together NGOs
and UN implementing agencies.
The recently-completed “Cluster Approach
Evaluation, Phase II” was designed to assess
the operational effectiveness of the cluster
approach at the country level. In the workshop
“Clusters: Coordination out of Chaos?” rep-
resentatives from the United Nations Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(UN/OCHA), the U.S. Agency for Interna-
tional Development’s Office of Foreign Disas-
ter Assistance (USAID/OFDA), the United
Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Inter-
national Medical Corps offered perspectives
on the cluster system.
Tijana Bojanic, Humanitarian Evalua-
ing: the weakening of national and local own-
ership and capacities by the cluster system;
threats to humanitarian principles where
cluster members are financially dependent
on clusters; poor cluster management that pre-
vents many clusters from achieving their full
potential; and frequently ineffective coordina-
tion between clusters which leads to neglect of
multidimensional and cross-cutting.
Based on these challenges, the evaluation
made six main recommendations. First, iden-
tify existing preparedness, response and coor-
dination mechanisms and capacities and link
with them, support and complement them

Chris Tyree, Wéyo

Bad Air: A Mother’s Fight for Her Child

Andrena Jamis hovers over her son,

Sunday, 3, who is severely dehydrated
and malnurished from a severe case of
malaria. His limp and unresponsive body
was brought to Akobo Hospital in Akobo,
Sudan. It was two days journey by boat
and on foot to the clinic located on the
Akobo River in Southern Sudan. The
leading cause of death of children world-
wide is malaria and in this remote river
town, nearly 100% of child deaths are the
result of this disease.
Sunday was fortunate to have a skilled
medical team at this remote hospital and
recovered after a week of care.

20 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010

 Forum 2010 — Workshops

Mainstreaming the NGOs that UNICEF has undertaken within

where appropriate. Second, strengthen cluster
management and implementation modalities.
Third, enhance the focus on strengthening
the quality of humanitarian response in clus-
ter operations and activities. Fourth, focus
more cluster approach resources on the local
level. Fifth, identify and properly resource
effective ways to link clusters and financing
mechanisms. And sixth, resolve outstand-
ing policy issues at the global level including
institutional matters and the need to improve
links between peacekeeping and political mis-
sions and humanitarian space. An overview of
the report is available at http://www.gppi.net/
cluster approach remains
a challenge, as does the
cost associated with
being a cluster lead or
co-lead.
fileadmin/gppi/GPPi-URD_Cluster_II_Evalu-
ation_SYNTHESIS_REPORT_e.pdf
Mia Beers, Senior Humanitarian Policy
Advisor in the Office of the Director at
USAID/OFDA, discussed the cluster approach
from the donors’ perspective. She agreed that
the evaluation did a good job highlighting the
positive and negatives of the current system.
A particular interest, from the donor perspec-
tive, is mainstreaming the responsibilities of
the cluster leads at the headquarters levels.
(USAID has supported the larger humanitar-
ian reform process and the cluster roll-out.)
She stressed that the clusters must continue
to reinforce the coordination and response
efforts with international and local NGOs. Ms.
Beers also noted that much of the discussion
around humanitarian reform and the cluster
system in taking place in Geneva.
Dermot Carty, Chief of Inter-Agency and
Humanitarian Partnerships in the Office of
Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) for UNI-
CEF focused on the unique partnership with
the cluster system. He noted that partnerships
are at the core of UNICEF’s cluster work and
that the organization works very closely with
NGOs in four clusters: education, nutrition,
WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene), and
the sub-cluster for child protection. The WASH
cluster example is particularly important as
UNICEF has assembled a roster of respond-
ers from international NGOs that have been
trained as cluster coordinators and are able to
deploy within 72 hours. Mainstreaming the
cluster approach remains a challenge, as does
the cost associated with being a cluster lead or
co-lead, which is often prohibitively high for
NGOs. Integrating cross-cutting issues into
the clusters, such as emergency preparedness,
disaster risk reduction and early recovery has
also proven difficult. Another challenge is man-
aging extremely large clusters, as in Haiti where
over 150 people would attend a single meeting.
At the end of the panel presentation, mod-
erator Mary Pack, Vice President for Domes-
tic and International Programs at Interna-
tional Medical Corps, noted that there seemed
to be general agreement that the cluster system
has indeed improved coordination. Remarks
from the audience focused on things that the
community needs to work on to improve the
cluster system, including: learning across clus-
ters, better leadership and management, and
the challenge presented by the increased level
of participation in the cluster system as was
seen in Haiti. MD

Percy Ramirez, Oxfam America

Peruvian Boys with Their Donkey

Two small boys with their family donkey

in Peru. The boy’s affection is really
clear in the tender, jubilant way they are
embracing the donkey, which is often a
useful working animal for rural families in
the Peruvian highlands.

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 21

 Forum 2010 — Workshops

Gender Audits
World Vision’s international offices. In 2005,
the organization conducted a gender audit in
several World Vision offices. World Vision’s
decision to adopt InterAction’s gender audit

Improve Organizational
process in 2005 was a critical step in further-
ing its commitment to organizational gen-
der integration. Ambassador Ward expressed

Efficiency
excitement about the results of the 2005 audit,
highlighting results from the survey. Sixty-two
percent of staff thought gender integration
fit into World Vision’s mission; 56 percent
Senior leaders share experiences, provide believed the organization could take greater
strides to integrate gender. The survey also
advice on gender integration. indicated significant differences in the per-
ceptions of women and men. For example,
By Jeannie Harvey, Sr. Manager for Gender Integration, and Shafer women and men differed in their views on
Busch, Gender Intern, Strategic Impact Team, InterAction issues such as the importance of gender inte-
gration at senior levels, use of flex time, and
encouragement of taking maternity leave. “We
learned a lot from this process and, as a result,

W
“ ith a session on audits,
one might assume the room would
be filled with accountants eager
to examine the bottom line,” began Amelia
Peltz, Program Officer for Gender and Wom-
en’s Empowerment, Winrock International.
The bottom line examined by these panel-
ists related not to financial statements, but
rather to changing organizational practices to
achieve gender equality. Ms. Peltz introduced
panelists, George Ward, Senior Vice President
for International Programs, World Vision;
Emily Lundell, Campaigns and Policy Coor-
dinator, Plan International USA; and Sahr
Lebbie, Vice President of the Africa Program,
Heifer International. Each organization has
taken significant steps to support gender inte-
gration, including conducting gender audits
and they shared their journeys and successes
with workshop participants.
As Ambassador Ward explained, World
Vision has been a pioneer in the area of gen-
der integration by consistently developing
and broadening its commitment to gender
integration. In 1992, it adopted a policy on
women and development. Then, in the late
1990s, it created a gender and development
position and established a gender network in
made concrete changes in the structure of the
organization and some policies.”
Tangible results of the audit included add-
ing a gender specialist, implementing a gender
review for all project designs, gender training
for staff, developing family-friendly personnel
policies, conducting regular compensation
reviews, and good representation of women
on the board. Looking to the future, World
Vision plans to conduct a follow-up gen-
der audit this year, using the 2005 audit as a
benchmark for where the organization was
and where it can go in the future.
Emily Lundell discussed Plan’s gender audit

Phil Borges, Interplast

The Isolation of the Burned

Iresha, a burn survivor, stands inside

her home wearing a facial mask to
help reduce her scarring. In the Global
South, burn survivors are often left
isolated, stigmatized and without
means to earn an income.

22 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010

 Forum 2010 — Workshops

Women and men differed
in their views on issues
such as ... use of flex
time and encouragement
of taking maternity leave.
process, which is unique in that it combines
elements of both the InterAction and SNV
(Netherlands Development Organization)
gender audit processes. SNV’s gender audit
includes training events and workshops for
staff in addition to document analysis. Both
audit processes are participatory and intended
to include as many staff voices as possible. Plan
conducted its first gender audit in 1999 in the
Thailand and Bangladesh country offices. To
date, gender audits have been conducted in
approximately 18 country offices in Asia,
Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and South
America. Plan’s global gender strategy has
four components: (1) institutional strength-
ening, (2) program quality and effectiveness,
(3) knowledge management and exchange, and
(4) research and advocacy. Ms. Lundell pointed
out factors that can fuel resistance to gender
integration, including a lack of organizational
buy-in and reluctance to move from an exter-
nal program focus to an internal organizational
focus. For organizations considering gender
audits, she recommended: clear communica-
tion and willing participation of senior man-
agement from the start, appropriate allocation
of resources, adequate investment in planning,
and participation by all staff members. Plan
is also launching an effort to conduct gender
audits in two large regions and is excited to
continue this gender integration journey.
Sahr Lebbie explained that Heifer Inter-
national’s efforts to integrate gender go back
to the beginning of the organization, when
Heifer’s founder recognized the importance
of including women. In 2004, Heifer began
undertaking a gender audit process, establish-
ing a series of workshops, meetings and train-
ings for staff members. Mr. Lebbie described
Heifer’s audit process as participatory while
acknowledging initial resistance within the
organization. He recommended clear com-
munication with all parts of the organization,
including partner organizations that may take
part in the gender audit process. “You need
to demystify the process for all involved.” Mr.
Lebbie stressed that everyone who participates
in the audit needs to see the benefit of inte-
grating gender, which takes time to achieve.
Heifer recognizes that programs affect women
and men differently and ongoing dialogue
with staff needs to focus on both these dif-
ferent impacts and the organizational benefits
of gender integration. Moving forward, Mr.
Lebbie said Heifer would focus on committing
financial resources and promoting women’s
leadership in organizational programs.
Ms. Peltz concluded the session by high-
lighting crucial elements for successful gender
auditing: (1) a strong commitment by senior
leaders; (2) involving staff at all levels of the
organization; (3) developing accountability
mechanisms to ensure that gender integration
takes place; and (4) recognizing that this com-
prehensive process links organizational poli-
cies and program results. MD

Plant knowledge. 
Grow justice. 
GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN  
SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL  
DEVELOPMENT 
 MA in Sustainable International Development 
 MS in International Health Policy and Management 
 PHD in Global Health and Development 

Brandeis University
Boston 

http://heller.brandeis.edu 

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 23

Forum 2010 — Workshops
Applying Development
Effectiveness
Principles in Practice
Hard-learned lessons from the field on the
importance of commitment and persistence.
By Carolyn Long, Director for Global Partnerships, and Kimberly
Darter, Program Coordinator, Global Partnerships & Strategic Impact,
InterAction
T
his workshop examined
how well U.S. NGOs can implement
principles of development effectiveness
in practice, looking at the challenges and fac-
tors that facilitate implementation.
It grew out of the Open Forum for CSO
[civil society organization] Development
Effectiveness, a CSO-led global initiative
to define and promote a framework for
CSO development effectiveness (including
principles, guidelines and accountability
mechanisms). The Open Forum process was
proposed and accepted at the 3rd High Level
Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2008. This
year, CSOs in approximately 50 countries are
holding national consultations to determine
their development effectiveness principles.
Earlier this year InterAction hosted the U.S.
national consultation. A global synthesis of
the national results will be presented at the
4th High Level Forum in Seoul, South Korea
in November 2011.
The workshop highlighted initiatives in
Mozambique, Uganda and Kyrgyzstan and
how each implemented specific principles
of development effectiveness (participation,
local ownership, gender equality, transparency
and accountability). It became clear that each
effort could easily have failed because of road-
blocks; and without each organization’s com-
mitment to use these principles in practice,
progress would have been much more elusive.
Each NGO got a lot wrong before getting
things right. For example, initial trainings
attracted only five participants, association
24 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
meetings drew the wrong audiences, and
structures for furthering women’s oppor-
tunities exhibited opaque and centralized
decision-making. But the NGOs ultimately
succeeded because they had the support and
encouragement to think creatively, analyze
their role in the process, and to adapt their
approaches.
Participation and local ownership. Nicky
Benn of World Vision worked on an initiative
in Mozambique that included infrastructure,
specifically, building roads. World Vision’s first
outreach attempt was to local government offi-
cials but it only resulted in roads designated
for areas where there was little need. World
Vision also tried engaging local communities,
but they showed no interest in participating or
contributing their labor to the project. After
trying and trying again, they finally connected
with the local leaders who were the real change
agents. This was key to establishing local
ownership and moving the project forward
in an effective, viable and broadly beneficial
way. The experience highlighted the need to
learn first who all the stakeholders are and the
importance of the international NGO being
willing to hand over power and influence to
local people and organizations.
Gender equality. Alissa Karg with Lutheran
World Relief (LWR) related her experience
with a smallholder women’s seed coopera-
tive in Uganda. The ten year-old cooperative
only admitted men five years ago, does not
allow men to hold leadership positions, and its
membership remains about 80 percent female.
Part of what LWR came to understand was
that power and control issues in the group
contributed to a situation that affected the
whole group. As LWR engaged in the capac-
ity building role that was the focus of their
partnership, the cooperative’s normal election
cycle led to a leadership change that moved
the cooperative in a more participatory and
inclusive direction. Lessons learned included
the need to use a power analysis and participa-
tory development strategies to truly empower
all members and help the organization func-
tion democratically.
Transparency and accountability. Robin Cur-
rey with Mercy Corps Kyrgyzstan discussed
Mercy Corps’ efforts to increase food security
by helping communities improve their home
garden practices. As Mercy Corps worked to
cultivate community interest, they realized
they were not reaching the numbers needed to
make their efforts sustainable. The evolution to
greater accountability happened in small steps
and began with a fully transparent approach.
For access to the trainings, Mercy Corps used
a registration process on a first-come, first-
served basis per household, not individual.
They also began distributing extra “how-to”
handouts so participants could share infor-
mation with neighbors and friends. Staff held
trainings in people’s gardens and neighbors
were allowed to “peek”—thereby receiving the
training at the same time. Participants (and
effectively peekers too) were urged to try the
new techniques on at least one tree or plant.
Because the gardens were small, neighbors
depended on each other for pest control and
getting their produce to market. Mercy Corps
also spent a lot of time reporting back to the
community about project results. The project
produced a micro-finance enterprise in which
individual donors were also the beneficiaries
and therefore were accountable to each other.
Transparency was not only the right thing to
do, it also enhanced accountability.
In each case, the organization’s commitment
to carrying out the development process in
line with principles of effective development
was critical. Paul O’Callaghan, the session
moderator, took questions that ranged from
balancing donor requirements, to organiza-
tional demands for efficiency and cost-control,
to constraints imposed by the local regulatory
or political environment. The bottom line,
though, was that while these challenges had
an effect, what was more important was how
each organization responded to them. MD

Annual
Membership
Meeting
Meeting introduces new member
organizations and elects new board members.
By Sabrina Sojourner, Executive Office Coordinator, InterAction
I
nterAction’s Annual Member-
ship Meeting provided an opportunity for
InterAction’s board of directors to report to
members on the current state of InterAction,
nominate new board members, and propose
steps beginning this summer that will ulti-
mately lead to the development of new strate-
gic goals for 2011-2014 as well as revisions to
InterAction’s mission and vision statements.
Board Chair Kathy Spahn, President and
CEO of Helen Keller International, opened the
meeting with a welcome. She acknowledged
all the new members, encouraging them to get
involved in InterAction’s work and to feel free
to approach her with comments and concerns.
Sam Worthington, President and CEO of
InterAction, next discussed the challenges fac-
ing the U.S. NGO community, particularly the
changing environment in which the commu-
nity operates. He noted that while the Obama
administration is interested in working with
our community, we also face calls for greater
transparency and accountability. As individual
organizations, our community has millions of
supporters among the American people; how-
ever, our collective brand as international NGOs
suffers. He assured members that there would
be a community-wide effort led by all levels of
member organizations to address the challenges.
Mr. Worthington also spoke of the need to
distinguish InterAction’s collective value in
the changing environment. “We can be more
strategic with the limited resources at hand.
InterAction represents all perspectives from
the NGO community.” He also stressed the
need for all voices to be heard at the upcom-
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 25
Forum 2010 — Workshops
ing CEO retreat at which board and members
will finalize the community’s strategic goals
for the next four years.
Nominations Committee Chair Anne
Goddard, President and CEO of ChildFund
International, then turned to the election
of new board members. She explained the
nomination process and noted that nominees
were chosen from a pool of candidates sug-
gested by other board members or the CEO,
or who had expressed an interest to the board
or the CEO. The nominees represent a cross-
section of the community: men and women
CEOs, large and small organizations, as well
as voices inside and outside of Washington,
DC. The names of the nominees were read;
then the chair called a vote in order. Ballots
were distributed and collected. Ms. Goddard
announced that each nominee received more
than 50 percent of the vote of those in atten-
dance (56) and were approved. The newly
elected board members are:
• David Beckmann, Bread for the World;
• Nancy Boswell, Transparency Inter-
national USA;Kim Brown, Holt Inter-
national Children’s Services;Nan Dale,
Action Against Hunger USA;
• George Hamilton, Institute for Sustain-
able Communities;
• Sarah Holewinski, Campaign for Inno-
cent Victims in Conflict;Charlie Mac-
Cormack, Save the Children; and
• Ruth Messinger, American Jewish World
Service
The new board members will serve three-
year terms and be eligible to serve two con-
secutive terms if duly elected.
Four new member organizations were also
announced as approved by the board. InterAc-
tion warmly welcomed:
• Disability Rights Education and Defense
Fund (DREDF);
• Food for the Poor (FFP);
• Friends of the Global Fight; and
• One Economy Corporation
As the last order of business Mr. Worthing-
ton noted the hard work and dedication of two
CEOs stepping down from board: Steve Chang,
President and CEO of the Korean American
Sharing Movement, and Jo Luck, former Pres-
ident and CEO of Heifer International, who
briefly served as board chair. She stepped down
as the head of Heifer, necessitating her resigna-
tion from the InterAction board. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Information
Technology in the
Driver’s Seat
Realizing the ability of information
technology to spearhead major development
successes.
By Allen Abtahi, Chief Technology Officer, InterAction
F
or the first time, InterAc-
tion’s Forum included a panel discus-
sion on the strategic role of information
technology in the non-profit world. Entitled
“The Strategic Role of IT in the NGO: Bal-
ancing Enterprise IT needs with Innovation,”
the panel included some of the field’s most
prominent leaders and stakeholders: Jerry
Mechling, Research Vice President from
Gartner; Todd Okada, Microsoft’s Director of
U.S. Global Public-Private Partnership; Frank
Rijsberman, Google’s Director, Program and
Partnerships in Public Health, Geo, Disaster
Response, Environment and Climate Adap-
tation; and Maura O’Neil, Senior Counselor
to the Administrator and Chief Innovation
Officer, USAID. Scott Mills, Vice President
and Chief Information Officer, AED, moder-
ated the session.
The discussion centered on the rise of infor-
mation technology as a driver of development.
26 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
NGOs have decades of experience using devel-
opment assistance to improve the lives of the
disadvantaged and have long used information
technology to support their programs. But
the playing field is changing. With the mobile
revolution, more than half the world’s popula-
tion is connected through mobile phones. This
includes users who cannot read and write, but
still enjoy the ability to communicate and have
innovated new uses of this technology even
in the remotest of areas. The goal now is to
identify projects that will allow these mobile
phone users to find and create solutions to
some their own problems.
But fully integrating technology into devel-
opment remains a challenge. Market forces
alone do not provide the necessary capital.
So issue is whether sufficient social venture
capital can be leveraged to introduce new
technologies in the developing world and
jumpstart a techno-economic ecosystem.
After Haiti’s earthquake, responders used
an innovative way of running captured satel-
lite images on a database server to improve
the way they delivered aid to survivors. The
updated images of cleared roads with pin-
pointed locations of the aid agencies and
the camps for the displaced people made it
much easier for aid workers to navigate the
often impassable terrain and coordinate their
efforts.
The panel discussion highlighted the para-
digm shift underway concerning the role of
technology in the non-profit world. Technol-
ogy is no longer just a supporting actor in
the development arena. It is now also at the
leading edge: empowering beneficiaries and
allowing them to create their own narratives.
Investing social venture capital in key areas of
technological development will not only create
avenues for sharing information in impov-
erished areas, but also will eventually create
opportunities for local private companies that
will in turn increase the ability of poor people
to use technology to improve their lives.
Securing the needed investment requires
building trust between the players. But if
capital can be obtained the opportunities are
great. While the extensive responsibilities of
NGO leaders may mean they lack the time to
keep up with the latest relevant technological
advancements, information technology lead-
ers can and should develop communications
channels with upper management to create a
strategic planning process and encourage pri-
vate volunteer partnerships and social venture
capital entities to invest in a better future for
the rapidly changing world. MD
 Forum 2010 — Workshops

NGO Coordination:
Working Together
After a Disaster
Panel weighs pros and cons, as
well as the current state of play.
By Go Funai, Disaster Response Associate, InterAction

N
GO coordination is crucial following
natural disasters and complex emergencies. In times of such
urgent need, coordinated relief efforts are essential for maximiz-
ing resources, increasing information sharing and minimizing dupli-
cate efforts. In addition, shared advocacy efforts are preferred among
donors and policy-makers because they provide more efficient ways
of working with the large number of NGOs that respond to disasters.
Thus, it is vital for NGOs to work together in order to reach as many
disaster affected populations as possible.
In Haiti, the role of NGOs in disaster response has gained increased
prominence following the earthquake in January 2010. However, the
proliferation of NGOs has also raised questions about NGO coordina- Commission,” was useful precisely because of the quality and number
tion and accountability. of organizations that signed on as co-signatories.
In a session moderated NGOs must ensure Mr. Morgan added that the INGO Forum in Sudan also relies on its
by Linda Poteat, Direc- member NGOs to work collectively on issues such as its shared advo-
tor of Disaster Response that their headquarters cacy efforts to address challenges faced by NGOs in Sudan. Moreover,
at InterAction, panelists
discussed the tradeoffs
and field offices are the INGO Forum ensures that there is consistent NGO representation
at UN cluster and donor meetings, as well as at high-level government
of NGO coordination in in agreement about meetings. The INGO Forum also provides space for its members to
the wake of natural and share information on issues such as security, access and contingency
human-made disasters. when and how much planning. In both Haiti and Sudan, NGO coordination has proved
Edward P. Joseph, Direc- instrumental in improving the operating environments in disaster
tor of the NGO Coordi- to coordinate their affected areas.
nation Support Office (a
cooperative project cre-
activities with others. Still, NGO coordination is a voluntary process that poses a trad-
eoff between independence of action and collaborative action. NGO
ated by InterAction and its Geneva-based counterpart the International coordination has its clear advantages, but it is up to NGOs to decide
Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA)), shared his experiences from when it is worth their time, effort and commitment. Mr. Morgan added
Port-au-Prince, and Ivor Morgan, Secretariat Coordinator for the that costs are another consideration. Even before securing funds for
Northern Sudan INGO Forum Steering Committee, offered his views meeting space and staff time, NGOs must ensure that their headquar-
from Khartoum. ters and field offices are in agreement about when and how much to
According to Mr. Joseph, NGOs in Port-au-Prince could not have coordinate their activities with others. NGOs have to decide how to
achieved some of their objectives without working closely with others. allocate resources between coordination activities at the community,
The website OneResponse (http://oneresponse.info/Pages/default. regional, state and international levels.
aspx) depends on a community of voluntary contributors to provide While individual NGOs provide essential social services, the cases
real-time information sharing and practical resources to the humani- from Haiti and Sudan demonstrate that collective NGO work deserves
tarian community. In addition, the shared advocacy paper, “Common continued attention from the international community. Working together,
Position on NGO Coordination with the Haiti Interim Reconstruction NGOs can do even more to help people following a disaster. MD

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 27

Forum 2010 — Workshops
Mapping the
Haiti Earthquake
Panel discusses open geospatial technology
and transnational social collaboration.
By Andrew Schroeder, Director of Research and Analysis,
Direct Relief International
I
n the aftermath of the 7.0
earthquake that struck Haiti in January
a transnational network of geographers,
software developers, NGOs, government pro-
fessionals and ordinary citizens sprang into
action to track the damage, direct resources
and prepare for reconstruction. Satellite maps
were opened to the public. Software corpora-
tions like Google and ESRI enabled rapid data
sharing. UN agencies and the U.S. govern-
ment published their spatial data, while also
providing leadership for new data collection
efforts. NGOs like Direct Relief International
distributed stores of information on where
they worked and built interactive maps to
show where their assistance is flowing. Indi-
viduals and volunteers filled the blank spots
in existing maps through novel “crowdsource”
projects like Open Street Map. Combined with
shared data and networked collaboration,
mapping saved lives by enhancing operational
precision and rendering a common, open situ-
ational picture.
Six months after the event, questions persist
about the innovativeness, value, limits and
sustainability of the technologies and work
relations mobilized in the response to the Hai-
tian earthquake. Several key individuals and
organizations from the geospatial response
to the Haiti earthquake including Christiaan
Adams (Google Earth Outreach), Salim
Sawaya (ESRI), Kimberly Konkel (Health
and Human Services Office of Faith Based
and Community Partnerships), Nate Heard
(Department of State), Kate Chapman (Open
Street Map) and I (Direct Relief International),
served on a panel at the InterAction Forum
to reflect on the response and share lessons
28 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
learned. The main threads of this conversa-
tion tracked the geospatial projects assisting
the earthquake response, focused specifically
on the remarkable Interagency Haiti Health
Facility Mapping project, weighed whether
the elements of this response were somehow
distinct to the Haiti’s situation or could likely
be transferred to new events, and flagged ways
to address enduring limitations.
According to Christiaan Adams, Salim
Sawaya and Kate Chapman, mapping the Haiti
earthquake was not one project but multiple
efforts that informed and improved upon one
another. For example, Google’s release of Geo-
eye satellite imagery enabled volunteers at
Open Street Map to build a more detailed
street map than what existed pre-earthquake
and help to identify damage to physical
infrastructure. ESRI contributed to damage
assessment through support teams positioned
with the UN and U.S. government as well as
through user communities on ArcGIS Online
serving as rapid repositories of spatial infor-
mation. In each case panelists agreed the key
to making spatial data more useful for disaster
response lay not in the technologies them-
selves, most of which have been around for
a number of years, but in the willingness of
organizations to share data, the increased use
of networked platforms for data sharing, and
the evolution of standards for ensuring the
accuracy and reliability of shared spatial data.
Exemplary on all of these fronts was the
Interagency Haiti Health Facility Mapping
Group, for which Kimberly Konkel acted as
a primary coordinator and Nate Heard and I
worked as participants and providers of data
on Haitian health facility locations. The prob-
lem addressed by this group was that while a
great deal of information on the landscape of
Haiti’s health infrastructure existed in vari-
ous databases prior to the earthquake, that
information was distributed unevenly across
organizations: some of it public, some private,
little shared and therefore lacking in coordina-
tion and standardization. As Kimberly Kon-
kel recounted, the pressure of events in Haiti
sparked a spontaneous effort across dozens
of organizations in several countries (distinc-
tive as a practice for the U.S. government but
encouraged by the Obama administration’s
open data initiatives) to pull together a com-
mon health facility map. While not strictly
“crowdsourcing” in the manner of Open Street
Map, Nate Heard emphasized the ways this
collaborative project depended upon multiple
parties integrating common identifying codes
that enabled the facility list to build towards a
common language and form a solid element
of long-term informational support for the
Haitian Ministry of Health’s planning efforts.
Every panelist concurred that Haiti’s proxim-
ity to the U.S. and the scale of the disaster
played a unique role in determining the
involvement of U.S.-based institutional and
technological resources in the response. Yet the
panelists also looked forward with great opti-
mism towards a future in which the networked
spatial intelligence on display in Haiti plays a
routine role in disaster response regardless of
where in the world it occurs. Accomplishing
that will require the maturing of open data
standards, the building of institutional cultures
encouraging data sharing and enhanced user-
friendliness in geospatial software. InterAction
has taken decisive steps in these directions with
its creation of a new mapping tool for member
projects. Despite some concerns over public
awareness, positive signs point towards a future
in which open data, geospatial technologies
and networked collaboration may ensure there
is never a case when response to those in need
is delayed or misdirected simply because we
do not know where it ought to go. MD
 Forum 2010 — Workshops

The Power of Mapping

Developing a new, online data standards, increase transparency, build partnerships, and improve
coordination within the NGO community and among other develop-
mapping platform to highlight ment actors.
Mr. Davenport who has worked with the International Aid Trans-
the work of InterAction parency Initiative, which aims to make information about donor aid
members. spending more transparent and accessible, indicated that one of the
most critical elements in tracking aid is having a common set of defi-
nitions and terms. Everyone needs to be speaking the same language.
By Julie Montgomery, Senior Coordinator/Technical
Lesley Roth, Director of Information Management at World Vision
Specialist for Gender, and Laia Grino, Senior U.S., highlighted some of the challenges in ensuring data standards and
Research Associate, InterAction definitions are clear, accurate and consistent. Drawing on her extensive
experience in the information technology sector and at World Vision
U.S., Ms. Roth noted the importance of gathering information that is

I
n a session moderated by Stephen Davenport,
Senior Director of Business Development and Partnerships at
Development Gateway, InterAction and its members shared their
experiences in developing a new, online mapping platform that will
feature information on InterAction members’ work all over the world.
Panelists discussed the value of using mapping technology to develop
comparable across organizations, and collecting it in a way that it can
be shared across systems seamlessly. This makes collecting, and, just
as important, sharing data easier so that users with different needs can
repurpose the information as needed.
Andrew Schroeder, Director of Research and Analysis at Direct Relief
International, stressed that NGOs should adhere to higher standards of

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August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 29

Forum 2010 — Workshops

transparency. Sharing information allows our community and others to

have a better sense of the landscape of aid, facilitating better decisions
about where to establish programs or invest resources. Based on his
experience with several mapping initiatives including InterAction’s
current pilot on food security and agriculture, Mr. Schroeder provided
insight on the value of displaying information using mapping software.
Geography, sometimes more than other methods, makes it easier to
make sense of information and to identify patterns and possible gaps
in programming that may not have been evident otherwise.
John Coonrod, Vice President of Strategy and Impact at The Hunger
Project, spoke of the mapping initiative’s potential to transform people’s
relationship with their world, because it provides a powerful way to
connecting people to each other and to demonstrate the impact of
global civil society. He noted that the possibility of using the mapping
tool is also prompting the organization to change the way it collects
information, to make it easier to share information about what The
Hunger Project is doing with local communities around the world.
Although mapping poses many challenges for us as a community,
the panelists all agreed on one thing: Mapping and sharing data is
valuable. Not only will it enhance country level coordination among Join InterAction’s Mapping Initiative
the international NGO community, partners and donors, mapping will
As part of its efforts to demonstrate and enhance NGO
also raise the profile of the NGO community as a whole and allow
accountability and impact, InterAction is developing an online
donors, policy-makers and the general public to see the value and
mapping platform that will ultimately map its members’ work
breadth of the international development and humanitarian sector. MD
worldwide. The mapping platform will be an effective, flex-
ible and sustainable means of capturing program data across
multiple countries and sectors. Through this platform, InterAc-
tion strives to increase transparency, facilitate partnerships,
improve coordination and help NGOs and other actors make
more informed decisions about where to direct their resources.
Internationally focused The platform will also be a powerful way of demonstrating to
master’s degree programs donors, the media and public the global reach of NGOs.
To develop the mapping platform, InterAction has partnered
designed to advance
with FortiusOne, the developers of robust geo-spatial software
your career. called GeoIQ. GeoIQ will allow field project and humanitarian
response data to be gathered, accessed and shared more eas-
ily. Participating InterAction members will also be able to use
the tool for their own research, analysis and reporting. The tool
also includes over 20,000 data sets from other organizations,
such as the United Nations and World Bank, enabling users
to overlay the community’s project information with related
statistical data and facilitating analysis of users’ work. To make
the data gathering process less time-consuming and more sus-
Put Your passion tainable, InterAction is also exploring the possibility of directly
Into Practice linking to member databases so that the map reflects the most
up-to-date information.
InterAction is piloting the mapping platform in two focus
areas: food security/agriculture and Haiti. These pilots will
provide us an opportunity to begin standardizing the infor-
mation the community collects in a way that is transparent,
comparable and comprehensive. To view a prototype of the
map, visit http://haitiaidmap.org.
Still accepting applications for Fall 2010 InterAction welcomes your feedback on the site and invites
InterAction members to take advantage of this new member
www.sit.edu | admissions@sit.edu
benefit. Email us at mappinginfo@interaction.org.
Toll-free (US) 800-336-1616 or 802-258-3510

30 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010


PVO Standards
Leading the way for NGO accountability in
a changing world.
By Taina Alexander, Program Manager, Membership & Standards,
InterAction
F
or the second year in a row,
the PVO Standards workshop reviewed
and addressed areas of concern, and
offered guidance for the 2010 Self-Certifica-
tion-Plus (SCP) standards compliance report-
ing process. InterAction also introduced the
new logo for use by organizations that have
met the Standards.
Karen Dempsey of Brother’s Brother Foun-
dation and Bill Rastetter of Catholic Relief
Services (who both closely work on their
organizations’ compliance through the SCP
process) and I participated as panelists. Tom
Fox, an independent NGO governance con-
sultant and a member of the working group
that drafted the PVO [private voluntary orga-
nization] Standards, moderated the session.
InterAction members are accountable to
multiple constituencies, including donors, the
public, their boards of directors and staff, part-
ners and the people they serve. InterAction
promotes accountability within its own com-
munity in several different ways: through the
PVO Standards and the SCP process, monitor-
ing and evaluation, and the Open Forum for
CSO [civil society organization] Development
Effectiveness.
The InterAction Standards were born in
response to member demand for greater trans-
parency and accountability of their overseas
work. They define the financial, operational,
programmatic and ethical code of conduct
for InterAction and its members. These high
standards set InterAction members apart from
many other charitable organizations and are
intended to ensure and strengthen public con-
fidence in the integrity, quality and effective-
ness of member organizations.
Since 1994, InterAction member organiza-
tions have agreed to adhere to InterAction’s
PVO Standards in the areas of governance, orga-
nizational integrity, finance, communication
to the U.S. public, management practices and
human resources, programs and public policy.
All members and InterAction itself are
required to comply with the PVO Standards
through a rigorous self-certification process
called Self-Certification-Plus, which is to be
conducted bi-annually using documented
evidence of compliance.
Any InterAction member that does not
complete the Self-Certification-Plus process
is suspended from membership until it is
completed; and any member that identifies
standards with which it is not in compliance
and does not create an action plan to address
noncompliance is also subject to suspension.
Some attendees
expressed the opinion
that external verification
would also provide more
credibility.
The discussion covered improvements to
the SCP process, noting that the evaluation
of the 2008 SCP process resulted to some
improvements. It also addressed the need for
a peer review procedure to supplement the cur-
rent self-certification system to enhance the
credibility of the compliance process. Some
attendees expressed the opinion that external
verification would also provide more credibility
to the new logo that members will use as evi-
dence that their organization complies with all
the requirements of InterAction’s membership.
No new standards were added to this year’s
process, but based on member feedback from
earlier years, a few improvements were made
to the 2010 compliance reporting form. Mem-
bers must submit their reports by December
31, 2010; and this year’s results will be used
to determine revisions for 2012.
Karen Dempsey explained that while the
SCP process is tedious, it enhances the mem-
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 31
Forum 2010 — Workshops
✓
Member
Standards
ber’s organizational integrity and capacity to
do well. It creates a track record of internal
efforts to improve organizational account-
ability and performance. It involves an orga-
nization’s board of directors and all staff, thus
creating a greater sense of unity and purpose.
As a Co-Chair of the Gifts-in-Kind Work-
ing Group, Ms. Dempsey also gave an update
on working group’s efforts to update the lan-
guage of the InterAction Material Assistance
Standards related to pharmaceuticals.
Bill Rastetter highlighted the importance of
the SCP process as it relates to the realities of
the NGO world and the work his organization
does, noting its usefulness and how experi-
ences and shifts in their daily work and pro-
grams are directly reflected in their response.
Overall, the panel was of the opinion that
InterAction should engage in conversations
with other international efforts and entities
involved in accountability processes. There
are several international codes of conducts to
compare and from which to obtain guidance.
They also felt that rather than focusing on a
single code, our community should aim to
have an internally consistent family of codes
that collectively constitute a band of best prac-
tices and a demonstration of excellence.
InterAction also reiterated its interest in
forming a working group to review and revise
the standards. The working group would also
reformat and streamline the SCP process to
align with other reporting systems to which
InterAction members must respond. Since
improving standards, best practices and
accountability is an on-going task, the goal
is to approach this with a “learning agenda”
to continually improve and forge a stronger,
more legitimate and more effective coalition
of organizations.
If you are interested in being part of this
learning agenda/working group on standards,
please contact the author at talexander@
interaction.org. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Foreign Assistance
Reform Update
Prospects and implications of the PSD,
QDDR and FAA.
By Filmona Hailemichael, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, InterAction
O
n the eve of the Fiftieth
anniversary of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961, several government
initiatives are underway to modernize and
elevate U.S. foreign assistance. This workshop
explored the work of the three moving reform
processes: the State Department/USAID Qua-
drennial Diplomacy and Development Review
(QDDR); the White House’s Presidential Study
Directive on U.S. Global Development Policy
(PSD); and Congress’ rewrite of the Foreign
Assistance Act (FAA) of 1961.
The panel, moderated by InterAction’s Senior
Director for Public Policy and External Rela-
tions, Todd Shelton, was the first public presen-
tation on foreign assistance reform to include
representatives from all three government ini-
tiatives. The panelists were Diana Ohlbaum,
Senior Professional Staff, House Committee
on Foreign Affairs, U.S. Congress representing
the FAA rewrite; Jeremy M. Weinstein, White
House National Security Council represent-
ing the PSD; and Ambassador James Michel,
Counselor, USAID representing the QDDR.
They were asked to provide status updates on
their perspective initiatives and describe how
their process would affect the NGO commu-
nity. All three speakers emphasized that the
current aid system in the United States is bro-
ken and that their agencies’ collaborative efforts
are essential to achieving effective reform.
Diana Ohlbaum spoke about the status of
the FAA re-write, saying that a draft will be
released this July and that the original goal
of passing new legislation during 2010 was
unlikely given the upcoming mid-term elec-
tions. She reminded the audience that Chair-
man Berman’s office has released working
papers on development assistance, peace
building, and democracy and human rights,
as well as a concept paper outlining the overall
32 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
structure of the legislation. Each document
was intended to procure feedback from the
Administration and the NGO community. She
reiterated the need to build strong bipartisan
support within Congress and the administra-
tion for the rewrite and eventual passage of a
new Foreign Assistance Act.
Jeremy Weinstein started off by saying the
recently released National Security Strategy
(NSS) is the third straight NSS that recognizes
development as central to U.S. foreign policy
and that the development community should
pay attention to it if it wants to understand the
administration’s thoughts on development.
He said the Presidential Study Directive, an
effort that involves sixteen government agen-
cies and has been in the works for the past
eight months, aims to provide a formal U.S.
development strategy.
Weinstein said it is an effort to ask and have
answered big questions such as:
• What is development?
• What tools do we need to achieve the
outcomes we seek?
• What are we good at and what are others
good at?
• What are our priorities for where and
how to engage?
• Whether, when and how do we need to
put our partners in the driver’s seat?
Ideally, the PSD will result in policy that
drives budgeting instead of the other way
around. It is set to be completed and poten-
tially released publicly in summer 2010.
Michel began by highlighting the synchro-
nization of terminology being used in the
three processes and said it is indicative of the
coordination taking place between the QDDR,
PSD and FAA rewrite. He said the QDDR is
producing recommendations for improving
the State Department and USAID’s capacities
to deliver diplomacy and development results.
The PSD will establish the goals that the State
Department and USAID should work towards
and the QDDR will evaluate how these agen-
cies must be improved to meet these goals.
He expected that the PSD will culminate in a
Presidential Decision Directive.
During the question and answer portion,
members of the NGO community were espe-
cially interested in discussing their concerns
regarding the U.S. government’s increased use
of the military to lead development projects in
conflict zones and whether this trend would
continue. The panelists’ response was that it
is important for the military to be held to the
same standards as other development agen-
cies. Weinstein said that military involvement
is unlikely to decrease so the challenge will
be to bring the development perspective and
discipline to bear. Ohlbaum acknowledged
the difficulty in doing civilian work in conflict
areas because of security restrictions and said
the question will be whether the military con-
tinues to work in those areas, or whether the
U.S. establishes some kind of civilian response
corps which could work alongside or indepen-
dent of the military. This lead to discussion
about the necessity for better alignment of U.S.
foreign aid with host country needs and over-
arching poverty alleviation goals as opposed
to foreign policy and security interests.
The panelists closed by noting that the
QDDR, PSD and FAA rewrite processes have
worked and will continue to work together to
revamp U.S. foreign assistance, and that they
look forward to continued input from the
NGO community. MD

Bringing Marginalized
Voices to the Table
Disability integration in development.
By Amy Lebichuck, Intern, Strategic Impact, InterAction
I
“ nclusive Foreign Assistance:
Bringing Marginalized Voices to the Table,”
moderated by Susan Dunn, Executive Assis-
tant to the CEO at Mobility International,
tackled the very timely issue of disability
inclusion in foreign assistance. The work-
shop addressed numerous issues surround-
ing disability and development, including
disability rights and legislation, key concepts
for inclusive development, and current initia-
tives, resources and recommendations.
David Morrissey, Executive Director, U.S.
International Council of Disabilities, commented
on the need to evaluate current disability rights
and legislation. Mr. Morrissey cited the UN Con-
vention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UNCRPD) and specifically Article 32, which
advocates cooperation between governments
and NGOs to advance disability inclusive foreign
assistance. Current collaborative initiatives were
discussed including Disabled Peoples Interna-
tional’s support for cross-sectoral cooperation
between funders and disabled persons organiza-
tions (DPOs), and a newly established position at
Human Rights Watch concerning human rights
violations related to disability.
Dr. Aubrey Webson, Consultant on Insti-
tutional Development, Perkins School for the
Blind, outlined the need for building networks
and community negotiations. He highlighted
two successful network models supported by
Perkin’s: a disability job fair in Ghana and the
implementation of an independent voting
system for disabled persons in Sierra Leone.
Dr. Webson also stressed the importance of
community negotiations with rural communi-
ties in order to engage local and international
NGOs; and he noted the importance of cross-
sectoral agricultural programs in East Africa
and the Caribbean that create capacity building
apprenticeships for young leaders.
Susan Sygall, CEO, Mobility International
USA, outlined a twin-track inclusive develop-
ment strategy. The first track includes disabil-
ity focused programs. While vital, according
to Ms. Sygall, it is often where the assistance
ends. She stressed that the second track, which
mainstreams disability across all development
sectors, is essential. She also highlighted the
need to educate USAID field staff regarding
the USAID disability policy and the UNCRPD
to ensure implementation and enforcement of
disability inclusion on the ground.
Dale Buscher, Director of Protection for the
Women’s Refugee Commission, explored the
difficulty of disability inclusion in humanitar-
ian situations. Comparing disability integration
in five refugee camps in Ecuador, Iraq, Myan-
mar, Nepal and Yemen, Mr. Buscher found
established specialized programs but a lack of
“second track” inclusion initiatives. He drew
attention to the need for cross-sectoral work
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 33
Forum 2010 — Workshops
and for large service providers to treat disability
inclusion in mainstream programs as a must.
Panelists Beth MacNairn, Senior Program
Support Office of Institutional Funding Handi-
cap International, and Karen Heinicke-Motsch,
Director of International Programs, Christian
Blind Mission (CBM), discussed current initia-
tives and future-oriented recommendations
efforts in Haiti. They promoted the need for
a multi-sector, “people centered and commu-
nity based” approach that considers individual
needs and seeks disability inclusion in all sec-
tors. Ms. Heinicke-Motsch warned against
disability becoming its own cluster, asserting
that it must be integrated across all sectors.
She also said the Haitian government must be
held accountable to uphold rights and provide
technical and educational support to disabled
individuals. Ms. MacNairn discussed the col-
laboration between Handicap International,
CBM and the U.S. State Department to create
psycho-social support system and rehabilitation
tents provide services to disabled individuals.
The panel was asked to offer suggestions
on the best ways to support disabled children.
Ms. Sygall highlighted the need to identify and
provide support services to and empowerment
for children with disabilities. Ms. Heinicke-
Motsch focused supporting the families of
disabled children in order to successfully
integrate them within the family.
The group also discussed practical solutions
to designing, implementing and evaluating
disability programs. Ms. Sygall noted the
importance of meeting and training CEOs
and field staff, hiring a greater number of
disabled individuals across all sectors, and
creating strong networks.
To end the session, speakers commenting
on current initiatives and future recommenda-
tions, including:
• Mainstreaming disability in develop-
ment, using the Millennium Develop-
ment Goals to promote inclusion.
• The hope that the appointment of dis-
abled advocate Judith Heumann as Spe-
cial Advisor on International Disability
to the U.S. State Department will lead to
systemic change.
• Greater involvement of disabled individu-
als in development with greater access to
livelihood programs, including micro-
finance to decrease social stigmas and
promote inclusion.
• Increased participation in the InterAction
Disability Working Group. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Introduction to
AudienceScapes
Free access to quality analysis of how
recipients and local officials use media.
By Amanda Frankel, Intern, Policy and Communications, InterAction
A
s communications experts
will tell you, knowing your audience is
key. But doing that can be hard, espe-
cially for busy relief and development profes-
sionals with so many demands for their time
and attention. InterMedia, a leading interna-
tional research and consulting organization
specializing in media and communications,
has long recognized this challenge. Its mission
is to equip its clients to gauge their effective-
ness and target their messages in transitional
and developing countries.
To that end, five years ago the organiza-
tion undertook the task of finding out how
the developing world stays informed. At the
Forum, Peter Goldstein, Director of Commu-
nication for InterMedia, explained that while
finding data on media and ICT (information
and communications technology) use may be
challenging, the real task was interpreting it.
He used the workshop to introduce partici-
pants to AudienceScapes, an evidence-based
approach to assessing local development needs
and crafting communications for development
purposes. AudienceScapes is a robust online
tool and research project that aims to help
development practitioners better target com-
munication efforts towards “the bottom billion.”
The biggest surprise? “What seems to jump
out the most is how much information is
relayed from mouth-to-mouth communica-
tion,” said Hannah Bowen, Research Analyst for
InterMedia. While media outlets such as radio,
television, and the Internet play a growing role,
information received from relatives, neighbors
and community leaders still has a fundamental
impact on what people think and do. In many
countries, as much as 80 percent of the popula-
tion has never touched the Internet. For those
working on campaigns in the NGO field, know-
34 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
ing what their target audience really thinks and
how they form their opinions can make a big
difference in communication strategies.
Obtaining this kind of empirical data and
focused research can be challenging for NGOs
that need such information to enhance their
effectiveness with both the most vulnerable
citizens and senior policy-makers. Audienc-
eScapes aims to meet that need free of charge.
With initial help from the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation, AudienceScapes uses
national surveys and in-depth interviews with
senior policy-makers to inform the develop-
ment community and compile reports that
offer actionable recommendations and strate-
gies for development practitioners and their
partners. Data collection and assessment
methods include household surveys, focus
groups and archival research. AudienceScapes
then uses this information to offer a unique
data analysis and cross-referencing tool with
a scientific approach to interpreting relation-
ships between media consumption, access
and a variety of other demographic factors.
AudienceScapes currently offers detailed
information for Colombia, Ghana, Guate-
mala, Kenya, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru,
Sierra Leone and Uganda, with the greatest
detail available for Ghana and Kenya. The
information includes useful case studies that
help practitioners understand how particular
groups use and consume ICT and media. For
example, in Kenya mobile phone usage greatly
influences access to financial information as
well as micro-credit and insurance products—
information NGOs could use to develop a
mobile phone-based platform to increase
effectiveness of communication with local
stakeholders. Another study analyzes media
use and the agricultural sector in Ghana,
noting that many farmers rely on the radio
for vital information about weather patterns,
fertilizers, irrigation and new seed varieties.
Looking at power structures is one way to
discern media impact. A consumption trend
in urban populations is “opinion leadership,”
or the impact of more media-savvy leaders
or information brokers upon a constituency
with limited media access. Television, news-
papers, radio and the Internet may only be
available to those in power and, as a result,
in many cases these opinion leaders serve
as information conduits for people without
direct access. “[Understanding this,] NGOs
can better target these opinion leaders, who
effectively relay messages to the community,”
said Senior Project Manager Dr. Raul Roman.
Urban Indonesia is a case in point. One study
found that 42 percent of opinion leaders and
information brokers shared knowledge of Indo-
nesian news events with community members
every day. So understanding the demographic
and consumption patterns of these leaders is
important. Opinion leaders tend to be govern-
ment workers in the fields of science, medicine
and education, have a post-secondary educa-
tion, and are in the middle- to high-income
brackets. Studies found that Indonesian opin-
ion leaders avidly consume media from a vari-
ety of sources, and regularly use the Internet.
(Detailed statistical analyses of specific Internet
usage patterns for Indonesia and opinion lead-
ers in other countries can be easily accessed
through the InterMedia website.)
The degree and depth of detailed informa-
tion AudienceScapes provides on country
profiles rivals many top research organizations
world-wide. The challenge lies in continuing
to sustain future development, and keeping
the data up to date. “We have plans for keep-
ing it a live, ongoing organization,” Goldstein
said. New and expanded country profiles for
Chad, Guinea, Liberia, Nepal and Pakistan
will be launched soon. MD

Women’s Political
Participation in
South Asia
Panel reviews success stories and charts
challenges ahead.
By Jeannie Harvey, Sr. Manager, Gender Integration, and
Shafer Busch, Gender Intern, Strategic Impact Team, InterAction
I
n a wo r ksho p e n t i t l e d
“Promoting Women’s Political Participa-
tion in South Asia: Afghanistan, Nepal, and
India,” experts explored the work of South
Asian NGOs in advocating for increased and
meaningful women’s political participation
and in promoting women’s human rights in
South Asia and beyond.
Moderator Vasu Mohan, Deputy Director
for Europe and Asia, International Founda-
tion for Electoral Systems (IFES), said doing
this requires creating a space where girls and
women are not only welcomed and encour-
aged to be politically active, but also nurtured
and mentored to become more politically
aware and civically active. Mr. Mohan, who
recently returned from Afghanistan, intro-
duced the diverse panel consisting of: Gul-
mina Bilal Ahmad, Director of Individualland
and author of Women Parliamentarians in
South Asia; Terry Rogers, Senior Advocate and
Co-Founder of WomenPowerConnect, India;
and Robin Lerner, Counsel (Global Issues),
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Gulmina Bilal, a native of Pakistan and
founder of NGO “Individualland: Where
the individual counts,” an online forum for
creating such spaces for women and men in
Pakistan, began with a little of her own story.
No stranger to politics, she is a leader in the
Awami National Party and former candidate
for the Pakistani Senate. Her presentation,
“Pakistani Women in Politics: Swimming
Against the Tide,” illustrated the limited nature
of women’s political participation, while also
recognizing their gains in the past decade.
Ms. Bilal stressed that Pakistani women are
visible participants at all three tiers of govern-
ment and occupy seats reserved for women at
all levels. Female parliamentarians represent
more than 17 percent of the Pakistani national
parliament, higher than any other South Asian
country; and at the provincial level, women
account for almost 22 percent of elected offi-
cials. The first female speaker of the National
Assembly of Pakistan, Dr. Fehmida Mirza, was
elected on a general seat and is the first female
speaker in the Muslim world.
Ms. Bilal described resistance to women’s
political participation that continues to cre-
ate many barriers for women. For example,
one member of parliament described women’s
seats in parliament, as “only Musharraf ’s lib-
eral presentation to the West.”
Another barrier lies in women themselves.
Ms. Bilal said women have not yet internal-
ized their roles as political actors. Throughout
South Asia, there is a need to create more civic
education programs that address the benefits
to women and communities when women
become active politically. She recommended
creating sensitization programs for the media,
which, according to Ms. Bilal, still represent
women politicians as a sideshow. Lastly, she
called for political party reforms to reduce the
“systemic and pervasive obstacles to women’s
political roles.”
Terry Rogers had been working in India
for years when local co-workers at IFES/
India sought to improve women’s political
participation. Their work resulted in creation
of WomenPowerConnect, the first profes-
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 35
Forum 2010 — Workshops
sional women’s lobbying organization in
India. As a lobbyist in the U.S., Ms. Rogers
had gained skills that helped her recognize
what women needed to learn to become lob-
byists for their own issues. She provided the
burgeoning Indian network with technical
guidance, including techniques for partnering
with civil society.
Ironically, explained Ms. Rogers, Women-
PowerConnect grew out of a series of com-
plaints from women leaders that the previous
“Indian women’s movement” had not taken
enough tangible action to improve women’s
political participation.
According to Ms. Rogers, WomenPower-
Connect’s membership now exceeds 1,000
organizations and individuals throughout
India and has five state chapters. Focus areas
include passing the Women’s Reservation
Bill, implementing the Protection of Women
Against Domestic Violence Act, putting into
practice a gender budgeting process, pass-
ing the Protection of Women against Sexual
Harassment Bill, arresting the declining child
sex ratio, and implementing the Pre-Concep-
tion and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques
Act. Ms. Rogers also continues to work with
women’s groups around the world to promote
women’s involvement in legislative processes.
Robin Lerner provided an overview of
U.S perspectives on strengthening women’s
political participation abroad focusing on leg-
islation such as the International Violence
Against Women Act of 2010. She highlighted
the need to look beyond thinking of women
as victims and reframe our efforts to focus on
“empowering women with the tools they need
to be successful on their own.” Ms. Lerner
pointed out that there is an opportunity to
shape the messaging of women’s political par-
ticipation across the globe, viewing women as
empowered political actors, not perpetuating
common stereotypes of women and feminini-
ties. She also stressed the need to educate and
include men in the dialogue.
Looking around the room, Ms. Lerner
asked where the men were and said their par-
ticipation in sessions like this about women’s
issues was critical to success.
Mr. Mohan closed the session with an
Afghan saying, “Drop by drop, a river is
formed,” suggesting that by working together
to enhance women’s political participation in
South Asia and beyond, the session participants
and other concerned actors are indeed creating
the conditions that will make it happen. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Disaster Risk
Reduction Policy in
Urban Settings
Challenges and opportunities in urban risk,
shelter and reconstruction.
By Abby Bruell, Disaster Response Intern, InterAction
T
he unprecedented level of
destruction in Haiti is a humble reminder
of the importance of having an effective
and multi-faceted disaster risk reduction policy
in place, especially in an urban setting. With cit-
ies growing at an average annual rate of around
five percent, and an expected 60 percent of the
36 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
world’s entire population living in cities by mid-
century, more people will be vulnerable to the
effects of a disaster if a city is ill-prepared.
Very few urban areas can keep up with
increasing populations, and this inability leads
to increased impoverishment, over-crowding,
and a decreased capacity to respond and adapt
to natural disasters. These conditions can exacer-
bate the destruction caused by an earthquake or
hurricane and can make reconstruction efforts
incredibly difficult. Moreover, earthquakes are
next to impossible to predict, which means it is
better to have measures in place to safeguard
against potential devastation rather than having
to pick up the pieces after it happens.
In her opening remarks to the panel, Marga-
reta Wahlström, United Nations Special Repre-
sentative of the Secretary-General for Disaster
Risk Reduction, said people tend to plan for
future disasters based on the last one. She used
the example of Haiti, which had a DRR policy
based on hurricanes rather than earthquakes.
As reconstruction gets underway in Haiti,
national and international actors alike must
work together to create a more resilient and bet-
ter-prepared nation. Ms. Wahlström proposed
creating a voluntary monitoring mechanism in
which actors would hold each other accountable
for the quality of their reconstruction projects.
There is also an urgent need to increase the
capacity of the world’s poorest and most vulner-
able countries to adapt to and mitigate climate
change, which is expected to increase the fre-
quency and severity of disasters. Disaster risk
reduction (DRR) in urban settings is becoming
increasingly important as the effects of climate
change take hold. Researchers predict that there
will be greater rural to urban migration as flash
flood and prolonged droughts will cause crop
failures that lead rural populations to cities in
search of a better life. Alice Thomas, Climate
Displacement Program Manager for Refugees
International, spoke about the importance of
having DRR policies with adaptation measures
for climate change, including building resil-
ience, focusing on long-term strategies, and
having a participatory approach. Ms. Thomas
warned against a “one size fits all” model for
DRR because each country will be affected dif-
ferently by climate change.
Amod Dixit, Executive Director for the
National Society for Earthquake Prepared-
ness–Nepal, is proving that disaster prepared-
ness is not as costly as once thought and that
developing countries can protect their citizens
against disasters. Using the latest information
and technology, Mr. Dixit is enjoying great
success in retrofitting buildings in Kathmandu
to be able to withstand an earthquake.
It is possible to plan for disasters. It requires
effective DRR strategies that improve livelihoods,
promote resiliency and encourage building risk-
resistant structures in the first place. MD

Field Staff Capacity
Building Models
Workshop highlights innovative, effective
staff training methods.
By Eric Berg, CEO, LINGOS, and Dr. Beth Birmingham, Associate
Professor of Leadership and Change, Eastern University
F
or years, international NGOs
have struggled to develop the skills and
competencies of their staff around the
world. This challenge has been complex and
daunting: broad geographic dispersion of the
target audience, a wide range of experience and
competence levels, high staff turnover, chal-
lenges identifying content, multiple language
requirements, and very limited resources. For-
tunately, there is good news.
Over the past decade, development organi-
zations have been able to reach thousands of
new learners with quality learning content at
very low incremental cost. What has changed?
The introduction of learning innovations that
help organizations address the “Four A’s” of
capacity building:
• Audience. Can the learning content be
scaled to reach staff across the world?
• Appropriate. Is the content contextual-
ized to the environments where it will
be applied?
• Accessible. Are the learning resources
there for staff to use when they need it
and where they need it?
• Affordable. Can the resources be
deployed given the resource constraints
of development organizations?
There is no single, simple solution that
addresses the Four A’s. However a creative
combination of innovation in learning design
and content distribution have enabled a num-
ber of organizations to successfully address
the challenge.
Blended learning design
Enhancements in learning technologies are
providing opportunities for international NGOs
to blend the best of their traditional approaches
to face-to-face training with an array of new
learning media (e.g. Skype and webinars). One
example of these “blended learning” environ-
ments is a 10-year collaboration between World
Vision International and Eastern University. This
leadership development program brings NGO
leaders together once a year in their region (the
five continents other than Antarctica and Austra-
lia) in a workshop atmosphere. The faculty are a
combination of both professors and practitioners
from the region, who serve as facilitators and
coaches both in the residency environment and
the on-line environment (using an on-line learn-
ing platform) that continues throughout the year.
This on-going interaction beyond the annual
gathering ensures on-the-job coaching and
greater implementation of the training content.
Over the past decade,
development organizations
have been able to reach
thousands of new learners
with quality learning
content at very low
incremental cost.
New distribution models
A second innovation in the world of staff
development training is the introduction of new
models for distributing learning content. Tra-
ditionally, learning has been “pushed” through
organizations from a central office without
much regional contextualization. Increas-
ingly, new distribution models allow learners
in the field to PULL the learning they need to
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 37
Forum 2010 — Workshops
their locations—when they need it, where they
need it and in the form they need it. The new
models are more flexible and available through
self-service approach, whether that be through
on-line courses, communities of practice, RSS
(real simple syndication) feeds, webinars or
recorded content accessible through the internet.
One example of this shift toward social
learning is the work of the Project Manage-
ment Capacity Building Initiative sponsored
by LINGOs (Learning for International NGOs)
and PM4NGOs (Project Management for
Non-Governmental Organizations). While
the program can include formal face-to-face
training approaches where facilitators are
sent to lead trainings around the world, the
same content is also made available through
webinars, recorded sessions and e-learning
modules. Now, if an employee in Ghana wants
to enhance her skills, she no longer needs to
wait for a workshop in Accra. Instead, she can
begin working on her learning immediately. As
a result of these new distribution models, she
has a variety of choices and can decide what
best fits her professional needs, her personal
constraints and/or her learning preferences.
Social learning
While much attention has been placed on
the use of new technologies, some of the most
important recent innovations have been in the
area of social learning. The Project Management
Capacity Building Initiative, for example, invites
all its learners (regardless of the distribution
platform they use) to join an open community
of project management practitioners. In less
than one year, over 750 project managers have
joined the on-line community where devel-
opment practitioners are available to discuss
new approaches and provide guidance for any
learner seeking assistance from the community.
Similarly, the learning collaboration between
World Vision International and Eastern Uni-
versity enhances its instruction through the
use of a cohort model where groups of students
move through the program together, employing
peer support groups intended to support the
application of the learning to their job situations.
For international NGOs, the introduction of
these innovations could not be more timely.
Today, the need to build the capacity of local
partners and national staff is more urgent than
ever. With these new tools, there are now prac-
tical and proven approaches that can help ensure
that appropriate, accessible and affordable train-
ing is available to a global audience. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Private Security
Companies and
NGOs
Can they co-exist?
By Pete Murphy, Associate Security Coordinator, InterAction
I
n th e past five year s, an
increasing number of NGOs have con-
tracted private security companies (PSCs)
in high-risk environments. Traditionally
NGOs have raised ethical concerns about
PSCs and openly criticized their operations in
“humanitarian space.” NGOs have eschewed
partnering with PSCs in the areas they serve,
concerned that such partnerships might com-
promise the relationship between the NGO,
the beneficiary and the donor. Is it possible
that this concern exists solely due to a misun-
derstanding between NGOs and PSCs?
This workshop was intended to provide
an opportunity to openly discuss the practi-
cal advantages, ethical issues and particular
concerns of NGOs vis-à-vis contracting PSCs
in hostile environments. The panel of leading
PSC, military, academic and NGO representa-
tives engaged members in an unusually frank,
focused discussion. Moderated by Robert
Painter (Senior Security Specialist–NGO Liai-
son, UN Department of Safety and Security),
panelists included: Adele Harmer from the
Humanitarian Policy Group of the Overseas
Development Institute, Jay Christi from Triple
Canopy, Col. Chris Mayer, Ret. – Department
of Defense, Pete Dordal of GardaWorld, Jim
38 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
LeBlanc from the Unity Resources Group, and
J.J. Mesner of the Association of the Stability
Operations Industry (IPOA).
Ms. Harmer discussed her group’s recent
studies on the role of PSCs in humanitarian
operations and trends of concern to security
aid workers. The studies drew four major
conclusions. First, NGOs are using PSCs
and similar entities more than before. Sec-
ond, although armed security remains the
exception, all major NGOs report having hired
armed guards in at least one context. Third,
the vast majority of NGOs have not devel-
Ultimately, it is the
responsibility of the
NGO to ensure that the
contractor they select is
the best for the job.
oped clear policies or guidelines concerning
whether, when or how to hire and manage
PSCs. And fourth, sensitivities surrounding
the issue have hindered frank communica-
tion and scrutiny of PSC contracting—both
within and between organizations. This has in
turn prevented the development of a common
approach to informed decision-making and
the implementation of best, safe practices.
Col. Mayer looked at the development of
Department of Defense industry standards for
PSCs, due to be implemented by September
23, 2010. Of chief import to this process is cer-
tification and oversight of PSCs by a governing
body, outreach and education, maintenance
and enforcement of the standards, develop-
ment of a public reporting and complaints
procedure, and a third party certification of
compliance. Col. Mayer also noted it is the
responsibility of contracting NGOs to be pro-
active when it comes to PSC accountability:
overseeing the contractor and reporting mal-
feasance is a requirement, not an option.
Jay Christy, Pete Dordal and Jim LeBlanc
all briefly outlined the operation capaci-
ties of their organizations, as well as their
ethical guidelines, quality control measures,
corporate accountability structures, vetting
and training systems, and client-oriented
approach. They were all in relative agree-
ment about the need for PSCs to adapt to
the culture of the humanitarian community
when working with NGOs. However, it is up
to the contracting NGO to clearly define its
goals and objectives so the PSC can tailor its
services to those requirements. The NGO/
PSC relationship must be fostered in order
to be successful. This means that both sides
need to commonly identify areas of concern
and work together to overcome operational
and ideological challenges. The panelists went
on to describe what an NGO should look for
when contracting a PSC and red flags that
might indicate a sub-standard provider.
J.J. Mesner closed the panel presentation
with his thoughts on selecting a PSC. Ulti-
mately, it is the responsibility of the NGO to
ensure that the contractor they select is the
best for the job. That requires due diligence: a
good contract and solid oversight of the PSC. It
also means NGOs need to clearly identify and
explain their needs to the PSC. He also noted
that the PSC community needs a regulatory and
oversight system and a code of conduct must
be enforced, preferably through peer review.
The question and answer period produced
frank discussion of the reservations that
plague many NGOs when it comes to using
PSCs. With more questions than time allowed,
the session ended with a clear need for more
such discussions in the future—a need that
InterAction will work to address. It is in the
interest of all to develop new effective, ethical
strategies that enable NGOs to carry out pro-
gramming in this increasingly hostile environ-
ment. Finally, the panel and member attend-
ees are in agreement that just as IPOA and
the Department of Defense are developing
standards and guidelines concerning relation-
ships with PSCs, it would behoove the NGO
community to do the same. MD

Images of the
South in Northern
Publications
Making sure your promotional photos also
meet ethical standards.
By Margaret Christoph, Senior Administrative Associate, InterAction
D
ignity. Respect. Empower-
ment. Do these suffice as ethical pho-
tography guidelines? Rachel Tallon of
the Council for International Development in
Aotearoa, New Zealand, explored this issue in
the 90 minute workshop “Images of the South
in Northern Publications: Ethical Photography
and Related Issues Concerning Representa-
tion.” The presentation has been given around
the world and was created by 15 photogra-
phers, academics, NGO staff and others who
explored what they considered to be the six
most crucial dilemmas facing organizations
that use images of Southern constituents to
promote their work.
Stereotype/metonym
Also known as “the branding effect,” orga-
nizations must be careful to avoid allowing
one symbol to represent an entire country or
continent. Also beware the subtle message
of superiority that can come through photo-
graphs: “We are saving them from themselves.”
The “infantilization” of the South
Photos of children flood NGOs’ websites
because they stir emotion in donors, but is that
really a realistic representation of the South? In
a quick survey of the pictures on InterAction
member website pages, Ms. Tallon revealed that
only 13 percent of the individuals represented
were Southern men, while Southern women
and children made up 80 percent of the pictures.
“What would the subject
want as a caption? Did
you ask them?”
What is absent and why?
Context is crucial. Ms. Tallon showed a
photograph of a beautiful modern city, and
explained that most people are stunned to
find that city is Nairobi, which is predomi-
nantly known for its slums. She also explained
that many local NGOs get overshadowed by
international NGOs that publicize their own
successes but not the earlier successes of local
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 39
Forum 2010 — Workshops
NGOs on which their work often builds.
The power of the Gaze and the Text
“Gaze” raises the question of whether
NGOs create short-term emotions in a pho-
tograph without sufficient education around
the issues. This ties in with the “Text”—what is
your photograph’s caption? There is a world of
difference between “Two AIDS orphans” and
“Jamal and Robert celebrate winning a soccer
game at their AIDS orphanage in Kigali.” One
thing to ask is “What would the subject of the
photo want as a caption? Did you ask them?”
The production process
Who is in control of what images should
be used and how they should be used? Why
do they choose the images they do? Do they
either work with the South or mix daily with
the people your organization works with in
the South? These are all questions to consider
during the production process.
Citizenship journalism
One way to address some of the ethical ques-
tions that arise is to use local Southern photog-
raphers who are aware of the cultural practices
in their own countries and to give them free
reign. Most of the time your organization will
get pictures like those a Northern photographer
would have taken, but sometimes you will get a
picture that you wouldn’t have imagined.
Some of these concerns are more familiar
than others; the first two have been around
for decades. But in the world of cell phones,
YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, your pho-
tographs are being seen by more than just
your intended audience, which means that
organizations need to be even more careful
than ever that the photographs they use meet
the highest ethical standards. To facilitate this,
NGOs need to make sure they not only have a
code of conduct for photographs, but also that
everyone is aware of it and that it gets enforced.
The overarching message from the work-
shop was that being ethical is really taking the
time to consider both the pros and cons of the
image, being aware of potential reactions and
being prepared to explain why your organiza-
tion decided to use it. No single quick fix exists
to identify what is an ethical photograph.
Organizations need to consider images in the
context of the critiques covered above or oth-
ers that may be more relevant to the indi-
vidual organization, always keeping in mind
that these images will be globally viewed. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Budget and
Appropriations 101
Demystifying the federal budget process.
By Nicole Rappin, Intern, InterAction
I
n the aptly titled workshop,
“Budget and Appropriations 101: The
Theory and the Messy Reality,” panelists
from the Department of State, the Office
of Management and Budget, and InterAc-
tion explained the federal budget process,
discussed the role that NGOs can play in
influencing federal budgets, and commiser-
ated over the complexities of the budget and
appropriations process.
Ken Forsberg, InterAction’s Senior Manager
for Legislative Affairs, moderated the panel and
presented on the congressional budget process.
He downplayed the clout of the president’s bud-
get, explaining that although the presidential
budget request is politically important, it is
sometimes pronounced “dead on arrival” when
received by Congress. Ultimately, Congress
writes the spending bills and the president only
has the power to sign or veto them. The con-
gressional budget process is lengthy and com-
plex, with deadlines often missed. The result is
frequent reliance on Continuing Resolutions,
which appropriate (make available) just enough
money for agencies to continue to function
while the appropriations bills continue to push
through the approval process.
Laurie Mignone, Program Examiner in the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB),
talked about OMB’s role in the budget process.
She stressed the complex dynamics involved,
noting the combination of career and political
workers in the Executive Office of the Presi-
dent (ExOP) (of which OMB is a part) who
have different views and ideas for each budget.
Despite her emphasis on the role of political
appointees, Mignone clarified that OMB is 90
percent career staff who are not appointed by
a particular administration.
Ms. Mignone also mentioned that while
OMB is happy to meet with NGOs to discuss
40 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
the president’s budget request, OMB is able to
be more receptive to NGO recommendations
if they are already reflected in the budget pro-
posal that OMB has received from the agency
in question. It is important to note that much
of the budget work by OMB is done in isola-
tion, so the best opportunities for meeting
with OMB are in the summer while OMB
prepares for the arrival of budget submissions.
Wade Warren, Acting Chief Operating Offi-
cer of the U.S. State Department’s Office of the
Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance, explained
that the U.S. government (USG) works on the
budgets for four fiscal years simultaneously,
causing increased complexities. Currently the
USG is reporting on Fiscal Year (FY) 2009
results, implementing the FY2010 budget, jus-
tifying the FY2011 budget to Congress, and
planning the FY2012 budget. This process is
so time consuming that a USAID post in the
field will be appropriated money two and a
half years after it requests money, when situ-
ations and needs may have changed.
Additional budgetary problems arise from
fragmentation. There is fragmentation both
in the way money is received from Congress
and in the way it is managed upon arrival.
There are twenty-five different agencies that
manage foreign assistance funding, although
USAID and the Department of State manage
approximately 90 percent of it. This division
of agencies not only complicates the budget
formulation process, it is also confusing for the
U.S. ambassador in a given country, the host
country government and others on the ground.
USAID budget formulation is a recon-
ciliation of a bottom-up from the ground
approach and a top-down from the govern-
ment approach. Each mission and embassy
sends a specific request, giving Washington a
sense of the post’s priorities; concurrently levels
and earmarks are set by Washington to account
for Presidential Initiatives and high priority
countries (including, for instance, countries in
which the U.S. is involved in military activity).
During questioning, the panelists were able
to further clarify their earlier statements, pro-
vide recommendations for NGOs, and com-
ment on opportunities and hopes for reforms
to the budget formulation process. Mr. Warren
noted that there is valid concern about con-
flicts between on the ground priorities devel-
oped with the host country and Presidential
Initiatives that limit flexibility. For example,
in Africa a team on the ground may want to
focus on democracy-building and govern-
mental work, but the funding received may be
mostly earmarked by Washington for health
issues. Posts are then required to adhere to
Washington’s earmarks and analyze what to
do with the money left over. Justin Pressfield,
Advisor to the Director of U.S. Foreign Assis-
tance at the U.S. State Department, chimed
in saying that Congress is allotting smaller
sums while increasing these earmarks; this
“squeezes” the money available for discretion-
ary use by the USAID country missions.
Mr. Warren and Mr. Pressfield agreed that
the best entrance for advocacy is with people in
the field. Pressfield clarified that since USAID’s
budgeting is so field-driven, an organization
wanting to influence the USAID budget in a
certain country should talk directly to the post
on the ground and not to staff in Washington.
Mr. Pressfield also urged the NGO community
to frame their talks with the State Department
and Congress in terms of the importance of
the work to national security.
Mr. Warren assured the workshop that
reforms are being proposed at all levels to
speed up the release of funds. MD
 Forum 2010 — Workshops

Raising example, he noted the mapping project underway for Haiti that is
intended to create the sort of unified picture of NGO impact that can
help officials and the public better appreciate the community’s scope

Awareness of the and importance. To create a reliable picture of the community’s work,
InterAction will be requesting from member organizations confidential
program information, including funds spent. He encouraged CEOs to

Role of NGOs
participate in the project and stressed the need to be open and trans-
parent with their spending, particularly with regard to Haiti because
the whole world is watching—literally. The information InterAction
receives will feed into the larger goal of creating a broader mapping
Session with InterAction’s Sam system for the community. The platform is already in use (see www.
interaction.org) and has about 20,000 files in it but there is more to be
Worthington considers NGO done. The toughest thing so far has been standardizing information
coordination and profile. for the database. Each organization has a different means of collecting
and storing data; InterAction is in the process of creating a template
that will eliminate discrepancies and allow for easier data processing.
By Emily Valk, Executive Office Consultant, InterAction One of the purposes of the Haiti database is to determine who is doing
what where. Additionally, with over 1,000 NGOs in Haiti, InterAction

D
uring the Forum, more than 60 member CEOs wants to use the mapping project to shine a spotlight on the work of its
met with InterAction President and CEO Sam Worthington to 100 members, helping the public and policy-makers better understand
discuss issues affecting the U.S. international NGO community. what makes their work special. The mapping collaboration offers an
He began the conversation by describing InterAction as a “community added benefit in that can demonstrate and strengthen what InterAction
effort to change the human condition by providing a space that allows members can accomplish in coordination with one another and other
for recognition of dignity and humanity. We are all part of a movement.” partners. Meeting participants agreed that members should use available
But, Mr. Worthington noted, a strong understanding of the collec- opportunities and channels that facilitate coordination. MD
tive value of the NGO world and civil society organizations remains
a goal rather than a consistent reality. As was clear during a recent
trip he made to Haiti, NGOs are still sometimes seen as part of the
problem rather than the solution. He highlighted the persistent lack
of understanding by government officials and the public at large of
the sophistication, scale and diversity of the NGO community and its
work. Noting that many do not realize the community has carefully
developed ideas and philosophies that underlie its work, he urged the
community to bring that thinking forward.
When questioned about whether InterAction would be a forum
through which to spotlight the community’s influence and reach, Mr.
Worthington stressed that the voice of InterAction cannot be the voice
of one or two organizations; it is up to every member CEO to speak for
the whole of the community. He noted polling by the UN Foundation
concerning the Millennium Development Goals that seems to provide
a good framework for exploring the issue of American public opinion
as well as opinions the world over. (The poll was also discussed in more
detail in a separate workshop at the Forum.) Mr. Worthington said that
while, as a community, we have generally responded defensively to reports
that Americans are still skeptical about how money is spent and do not
support increasing foreign assistance in the current economic climate, we
should instead work together to prove that we are relevant and necessary.
Participants also drew attention to the challenges of resourcing
and branding, and the competition between organizations that causes
NGOs to work against each other. On the former, Mr. Worthington
reiterated his strong belief that the InterAction brand is a subsidiary
brand to member brands and that InterAction’s goal to help support
and align member brands.
On the issue of competition, Mr. Worthington stressed the need
to identify and take advantage of synergies that can bring the com-
munity together and areas that require collaboration for success. For

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 41

Forum 2010 — Workshops

Cashless ticularly in post-disaster areas. He focused

on the Haiti relief area and the proprietary
mobile solution that his firm has developed:

Management
AirCredit. This system is a global mobile
banking solution facilitating peer-to-peer
and consumer-to-business transactions for
the secure exchange of currency between

Policies
banks and end users via a mobile device.
The software that drives AirCredit can be
integrated with any financial institution and
wireless operator worldwide. Mobile Accord
deployed AirCredit in Haiti in support of the
International Committee of the Red Cross
Incorporating sound financial practices into (ICRC) in order to facilitate the distribution
security risk management. of grants to thousands of displaced people
in a manner that removed the necessity for
By Pete Murphy, Associate Security Coordinator, InterAction distributing cash directly. Mr. Blanken also
touched upon the practical methods of estab-
lishing similar programs in any NGO operat-

I
n today’s increasingly hostile
operating environment where financial
institutions are often non-existent, inter-
mittently accessible or have been reduced to
inoperability, how can NGOs develop sound
financial management policies that ensure
staff safety and continuity of operations? To
bring this issue to the table and facilitate a
conversation on possible and proven solu-
tions, the Cashless Management Workshop
featured presentations from Monica Ortiz
and Ryan Garvey of the Overseas Security
Advisory Council (OSAC), Norman Sheehan
of the Academy for Educational Development
(AED), Bob Degen from Western Union, and
Brad Blanken from Mobile Accord.
Mr. Sheehan opened the conversation
with some anecdotes from his experience as
a security manager in the Sudan. He touched
on the extreme difficulty of implementing
programs in an all-cash environment where
ready access to sufficient funds and the threat
of robbery—armed or otherwise—is a real,
ongoing concern. He discussed issues such as
storing and transporting monies, controlling
information and intelligence, payroll, and the
general necessity to have significant sums of
cash on one’s person, looking at the challenges
from a first person perspective. Mr. Sheehan
also offered possible mitigation measures,
but noted that better solutions are necessary
and oftentimes available. The question then
becomes whether NGOs possess sufficient
understanding of these potential solutions.
Mr. Garvey followed with an introduction
into information security management. He
touched on specific matters of access control
and protection when a reliable network is in
place and where mobile devices are readily
employable. Mr. Garvey gave a very detailed
account of potential threats to networks and
portable devices that could exploit vulner-
abilities in an NGO’s electronic financial man-
agement system. While many of the issues
he discussed were framed in the context of
sustainable electronic banking systems, they
also apply to a wide range of NGO operations.
Brad Blanken discussed mobile solutions
for controlling and dispensing funds, par-
ing environment.
Mr. Degen presented the Western Union
model of financial distribution, also with spe-
cific reference to the Haiti disaster. Western
Union operates globally with a network of
over 370,000 agents worldwide. They func-
tion in areas where banks oftentimes do not.
Mr. Degen discussed the feasibility of using
the Western Union network for NGO opera-
tions, although he was fair enough to point out
the expense involved in doing so. However,
in Haiti, where many banks had crumbled
and ready cash was in short supply, West-
ern Union was able to establish the precise
amount of cash available through the national
reserve at the time, re-open a large portion
of its destroyed agent locations, and resume
operations in a matter of days. Mr. Degen went
on to describe other field uses for the Western
Union system worldwide.
The humanitarian operating environment
has changed over the past several years,
becoming increasingly violent and unpredict-
able. At the same time, advances in banking,
mobile and other technologies have greatly
altered the way our economies function, mak-
ing banking and access to money faster and
more accessible than ever. As always, the tech-
nology is two steps ahead of the people who
need to use it—or the environment they need
to use it in—meaning that humanitarians will
need to continue to combine modern financial
technology with more rudimentary means to
meet their security needs. And the first step
to accomplishing this is for NGOs to develop
situational specific, timely and relevant finan-
cial management plans. MD

42 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010


Private Development
Assistance and the MDGs
CEO session addresses new polling results
and prospects for the MDGs.
By Emily Valk, Executive Office Consultant, InterAction
A
mericans are skeptical
about how money is spent and where it
goes,” said William McInturff, Director,
Public Opinion Strategies, to begin Thursday’s
“panel on public opinion of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and ways NGOs
can increase support for foreign assistance and
help achieve the MDGs by the 2015 deadline.
Mr. McInturff and Geoff Garin, President,
Peter D. Hart Research Associates, then reviewed
the following findings from a recent survey on
the MDGs: A positive shift in perception of how
America is viewed abroad. Americans believe
Mr. Obama is more engaged internationally.
Mr. Garin noted this is about respect:
• Is America appreciated? Americans feel
the U.S. does a lot in the world but is not
appreciated for it.
• For the first time in five years, Americans’
image of the United Nations has risen to
60 percent favorable; positive media cov-
erage of relief efforts involving the UN
has helped.
• People vastly misjudge the percentage the
budget spent on foreign aid. And wording
is important. “International assistance”
garners significantly greater support than
“foreign aid.” Mentioning the president
increases partisanship, with Republicans
more likely to oppose a proposal when it
is attached to the Obama administration.
• Most Americans believe that achieving the
MDGs other than MDG 8 (creating a global
partnership for development) by 2015
should be a high priority and believe the
U.S. and other developed countries share
some responsibility for achieving the most
of the substance of the goals (other than the
points on gender and partnership).
• After a reminder of the contents, roughly
nine out of ten Americans say they are
familiar with the MDGs, with 87 percent
believing the U.S. should be involved in
a worldwide effort to accomplish them
by 2015.
National self-interest remains an important
guiding principle, particularly among Republi-
can policy elites who consider the MDGs well
intentioned but unrealistic Mr. McInturff said
the NGO community must concentrate on the
most basic and achievable MDGs and noted
American taxpayers often treat tax expendi-
tures on foreign aid differently than individual
donations to NGOs. Poll participants were
hopeful the goals would all be reached, but
hesitant about the U.S. publicly recommitting
itself to achieving the entire slate by 2015. They
supported the idea of increased U.S. invest-
ment in the MDGs, but lack faith that invest-
ment alone will prove successful, which lim-
its their willingness to support international
assistance. Americans are also very skeptical
of leaders in other countries, believing some
are corrupt or will not allocate aid effectively.
The poll also highlighted the importance
of framing. Framing the goals as a moral
imperative or raising the risk they might not
be met invited resistance and weakened sup-
port. The least successful message read, “The
MDGs are still achievable by 2015. The U.S.
Government has begun an effort to improve
the way in which our international assistance
and health efforts are administered abroad.”
Conversely, the most successful message was:
“It is important for developing nations to learn
how to provide for themselves. Investment
today in helping people in poor areas of the
world develop the tools they need to provide
for themselves will go a long way to help ensure
their ability to be self-sufficient in the future.”
Panelists Mark Green, Director, MalariaNo-
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 43
Forum 2010 — Workshops
More Policy Center, Joanna Rubinstein, Chief
of Staff to Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, Strategic
Initiatives, The Earth Institute, and Sering Falu
Njie, Deputy Director, Policy, UN Millennium
Campaign, then shared their insights on the
MDGs. Mr. Green began by stating that the
only way to succeed is for the private and pub-
lic sectors to come together. Mr. Njie added
that while the U.S. government must assist
countries in need, local governments are ulti-
mately responsible for making changes. Ms.
Rubinstein agreed, using the Earth Institute’s
Millennium Villages as evidence that MDGs
can be achieved using an integrative approach.
Replying to a question, Ms. Rubinstein
said the MDGs highlight the importance of
synergy between all actors as the only way to
overcome poverty. Mr. Njie noted that the U.S
could increase its leadership role by meeting
its existing MDG commitments.
The panelists generally agreed that develop-
ing countries will be better able to support
themselves through local ownership of funded
projects, allowing them to develop their own
needs-based strategies. Mr. Green said there
is no one approach and that the general public
supports the goals for countless different rea-
sons. What is important is to look for ways to
build on what the public already supports and
seek opportunities to showcase what has
worked. “We need to avoid playing into pub-
lic perceptions,” said Mr. Green, “or anything
that reinforces inaccurate ideas.” He added that
success stories of people in the field always
help increase support for the MDGs. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
The Intersection of
Climate Change and
Food Security
Taking on the challenges of two complex
and looming issues.
By Danielle Heiberg, Program Associate, InterAction
S
ixty percent of the world’s
roughly 1 billion hungry people are
smallholder farmers who face daunt-
ing challenges in securing land and gaining
access to credit, technology and markets.
Throw climate change and the resulting lower
crop yields into the mix and their challenges
are even more daunting.
Smallholder farmers are important con-
tributors to reducing poverty and rural devel-
opment, but they must compete with large-
scale commercial agriculturalists for land and
resources. For women, who are the majority
of smallholder farmers, the problems are even
greater as agriculture policies and programs
have tended to favor men.
Jeanette Gurung, Founder and Director
of Women Organizing for Change in Agri-
culture and Natural Resource Management
(WOCAN), moderated a discussion at the
Forum on the impact of climate change on
agricultural productivity and how communities
can adapt. According to Owen Cylke, Director
of the Macroeconomics Program Office at the
World Wildlife Fund, climate change adds a
new set of complex management factors that
make existing agricultural challenges more dif-
ficult to confront. Smallholder farmers face new
questions such as how to build the resilience of
their production systems, whether to cultivate
bio-fuel crops and how to manage fertilizers,
land and water resources.
Climate change increases land degradation
by affecting soil moisture availability, precipi-
tation patterns, the length of growing season,
and the intensity and frequency of extreme
weather events. It also leads to greater vulner-
44 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
ability to pest outbreaks, invasive species and
wildfires. It is estimated that due to climate
change there will be a 50 percent decline in
crop yields in parts of sub-Saharan Africa in
ten years and a 30 percent decline in Central
and South Asia by 2050. With up to 2 billion
people reliant on small-scale, rain-fed agri-
culture, the decline in crop yields will result
in rising food insecurity. With these numbers
in mind, panelist Peter O’Driscoll, Executive
Director of ActionAid USA, stated that it will
be impossible for the NGO community to
implement future agriculture programs with-
out applying a climate change lens.
Mr. O’Driscoll described the continuum
between climate adaptation and sustainable
agriculture. At one end of the spectrum are
traditional development activities with little
or no accounting of climate change impacts.
The other end is represented by highly spe-
cialized activities that focus on the mitiga-
tion of and adaptation to climate change. In
the middle are a range of activities that, to
varying degrees, integrate climate response
into development activities. He believes that
agriculture programs will need to incorporate
cost-effective agro-ecological techniques to
maintain or increase productivity.
Seth Shames, Policies and Markets Program
Manager with Ecoagriculture Partners, pointed
out that program interventions should have
both adaptation and mitigation benefits for
farmers. He focused the discussion on car-
bon-specific projects that have garnered the
most interest from development organizations.
Keeping transaction costs low, providing risk
management and easing access to financing for
farmers are a few of the key factors for success in
carbon sequestration projects. Obstacles to the
success of such projects include: land tenure and
carbon rights, sufficient incentives for farmers,
project management/implementation capacity
and sufficient demand for agricultural credits.
A wide range of actors will need to be
involved to ensure the success of ecoagricultural
projects. NGOs, international donors and local
farmers’ organizations should all be involved,
and national governments will need to develop
comprehensive climate policies that align with
agricultural policies. The private sector and
research institutions should have expanded roles
in the research, development and management
of new technologies and projects.
The strategies and solutions highlighted by
the panelists will first and foremost require a
better understanding among policy-makers,
legislators, donors and development agencies
of the nexus between agriculture and climate
change. Equally important will be reliable,
long-term commitments of adequate financial
resources by governments, donors and the
private sector. Mr. O’Driscoll noted that to
achieve improved food security, NGOs will
need to persuasively push for more systematic
integration of climate change into agricultural
development plans and press for significantly
increased flexible funding resources. MD

A Family Affair
Panel discusses how intergenerational
programs reduce gender inequalities.
By Jeannie Harvey, Sr. Manager Gender Integration, and Shafer Busch,
Gender Intern, Strategic Impact, InterAction
T
he young are indeed the
leaders of tomorrow, but they do need
help to become those leaders. Expecting
and receiving that help from parents is not
new, but enlisting development organizations
to provide incentives for mothers, fathers and
other “elders” to nudge these future leaders
and to reduce barriers they experience is novel
and exciting. This session explored programs
that offer intergenerational programming to
promote community success and to build
those future leaders. Carolyn Rose-Avila,
Vice President of Policy and Public Engage-
ment, Plan USA, moderated the panel, which
highlighted intergenerational programs that
link mothers and daughters, and fathers and
sons. These programs show exciting results in
promoting school attendance and achieving
greater educational attainment, improving
access to reproductive health services and
reducing violence against women. Panelists
included: Carol O’Laughlin, Group Vice Presi-
dent of Empowerment and Civic Engagement,
Winrock International; Josephine Tinajero,
Dean of the College of Education and Director
of the Mother-Daughter Program, Univer-
sity of Texas El Paso; and Christine Ricardo,
Executive Co-Director, Promundo, Brazil.
Describing Winrock’s pilot effort in
Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana, Carol O’Laughlin
expressed enthusiasm for this family schol-
arship program. Part of a larger program,
ECHOES Alliance (Empowering Cocoa
Households with Opportunities & Education
Solutions), the mother-daughter scholarship
component provides conditional scholarships
and loans over multiple years. During the first
year of the program, the scholarship goes
directly toward the child’s scholastic needs
such as tuition, books and supplies. Then,
during the last two years of the program, a
loan goes toward an economic enterprise of
the mother’s choosing, in exchange for her
commitment to keep her daughter in school.
Ms. O’Laughlin emphasized that although
the program is new, it has already achieved
considerable success. In three years, over 672
scholarship/loans were provided to children in
Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana with high repayment
rates (Ghana 91 percent and Cote d’Ivoire
99 percent). She added that one of the most
promising results was the increased level of
appreciation and respect for girl’s education,
and noted that Winrock is eagerly looking
forward to the next stages of the program.
Josephine Tinajero, Dean of the College
of Education at University of Texas, El Paso,
spoke of one of the oldest intergenerational
programs in the U.S.: the Mother-Daughter
Program at the University of Texas, El Paso
(UTEP). Founded by Tinajero in 1986, the
Mother-Daughter Program targets local
Hispanic families. Given the high dropout
rates for Latinas, the UTEP program aims to
raise expectations and change attitudes by
empowering both mothers and daughters. The
program began by reaching out to girls in the
sixth grade, believing that starting early would
reduce the factors that cause them to drop
out. UTEP’s program emphasizes engaging
both mothers and daughters in the empower-
ment process and simultaneously recogniz-
ing cultural traditions and norms. A program
shift several years ago recognized that fathers’
voices were key to a girls’ educational attain-
ment, so some program events were opened
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 45
Forum 2010 — Workshops
to them. Each year, four key events are held
on the UTEP campus: an open house and
university campus tour, career day, a lead-
ership conference, and a summer camp and
awards ceremony. Program staff also conduct
outreach to local school districts. Results
demonstrate a number of positive impacts
on families including decreasing high school
dropout rates for program participants. Of
the first-year program participants, 94 per-
cent attended college; a major success for this
community.
Christine Ricardo, Executive Co-Director
of Promundo, headquartered in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil, has been promoting the inclu-
sion of men and boys in gender equality pro-
gramming since 1997. Promundo initially
developed programs targeting men and boys
that addressed issues such as sexual and repro-
ductive health, HIV prevention and decreas-
ing violence against women. One project
focuses on messaging around fatherhood and
enlists men to create a photo exhibit of posi-
tive images of manhood: men nurturing chil-
dren, care-giving, leading and mentoring
children. Promundo’s challenge is designing
programs to deal with cultural stereotypes of
care-giving and nurturing as exclusively
women’s roles. Promundo works to challenge
and deconstruct these stereotypes as well as
beliefs in many service-delivery organizations
that these gendered stereotypes are true. After
a very successful local campaign, Promundo
is launching its photography exhibit nation-
wide to offer positive views of masculinity
and fatherhood. Ms. Ricardo sees hope in
these efforts to change expectations of men
that limit them from positive parenting and
bar them from fully enjoying their children
and families. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Telling Stories,
Saving Lives
Session focuses on PCI-Media Impact’s
tested strategies using media to produce
social change.
By Amanda Frankel, Intern, Policy and Communications, InterAction
I
n today’s overwhelming bar-
rage of information, making a message
stick is challenging. In a workshop entitled
Building Constituencies for Social Change Using
Creative Communication Strategies PCI-Media
Impact Director of Programs Sean Southey
and Search for Common Ground’s Director
of Institutional Learning Nick Oatley began
with an open-ended question: How do you
hold people’s attention?
Plan USA Program Management Director
Winnie Tay responded by noting what he finds
challenging about capturing an audience. “We
would like to be able to get the emotion that
people feel in the field and translate that into
writing; in this way we can distinguish our
brand from others.” Others mentioned addi-
tional challenges such as telling stories without
exploiting vulnerable populations or breaking
privacy agreements and figuring out how to best
use new social media such as Twitter.
Michael Castle, Executive Director of PCI-
Media Impact, spoke to the challenges of creat-
ing a brand in an era in which having a project
is not enough, you also have to prove you have
made a lasting impact. The secret, according to
Mr. Castle, is to “train your staff on how to tell a
story that will resonate with the folks at home.”
PCI-Media Impact’s E.E. (Education-Enter-
tainment) project aims to achieve precisely
that. A unique spin on the traditional soap
opera, the project offers educational program-
ming with a narrative form. Whether it be
improving health, protecting the environ-
ment, promoting human rights or bringing
social advancement, the core concept is to
overcome obstacles by shifting cultural mosa-
ics. Sean Southey described the programming
as “eighty percent entertainment, 20 percent
46 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
“We would like to be
able to get the emotion
that people feel in the
field and translate that
into writing; in this way
we can distinguish our
brand from others.”
educational” and called it a forward thinking
model that will expand the constituency.
For 35 years, PCI-Media Impact has trained
hundreds of organizations and community
leaders in the effective use of media and broad-
cast more than 242 productions in 27 coun-
tries, including radio and television serial dra-
mas, comic books, documentaries and public
service announcements. Central to the work is
the fact that its productions carry researched-
based, culturally sensitive messages to catalyze
a positive shift in the cultural landscape.
Workshop participants were mesmerized by
a mini-episode from Kenyan soap opera The
Team. In the episode dealing with deadly and
generational hatred towards rival tribes, the
main character discovers that the captain of his
soccer team belongs to a tribe responsible for
the death of his late wife. Mr. Oatley explained
that the episode’s ability to hold people’s atten-
tion lies in their innate ability to sympathize
with the main character’s irresolute behavior.
On one hand, the audience understands that
it is difficult to let go of painful past situations,
but as the character evolves, the audience is
also led to see the divinity in forgiveness. All
the while, the community becomes enraptured
and entertained, yearning to come back to
revisit familiar characters and plot lines.
“We think it’s working,” Mr. Oatley said.
“We use SMS [text] messaging and email to
receive feedback and determine the effective-
ness of the program.” What’s more, the local
community becomes invested in the actual
production. Locals perform and work behind
the scenes so that the program becomes their
own, not simply a foreign viewpoint on the
cultural landscape.
PCI Media-Impact has established an
affinity for working with local groups and
organizations during production. In Guate-
mala, K’ulb alib’ Tz’ Ixamal (Around the Fire)
is a radio program that deals with poverty
and environmental issues. Radio Ixil is an
indigenous Mayan partner that received PCI
Media-Impact training to use the education-
entertainment methodology to improve food
security and prevent child malnutrition. The
production includes open lines to foster audi-
ence participation, testimonials on how to
achieve food security in one’s home and reci-
pes featuring local ingredients.
PCI Media-Impact currently has broadcasts
in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Peru; and
the group is also seeking partnerships in
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British
Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat,
St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and
the Grenadines for its climate change awareness
initiative. This project, My Island – My Com-
munity is PCI-Media Impact’s latest project to
include Eastern Caribbean locals in education-
entertainment training and mobilize citizens to
make positive, grassroots change. MD

Private
Foundations
and Private
Development Assistance
Looking at the global impact
of private international grant-
making.
By Emily Valk, Executive Office Consultant,
InterAction
T
his year’s Forum included a session in
which representatives from three private foundations and Inter-
Action member CEOs addressed the growing contribution from
private foundations to civil society organizations.
Moderated by Kimberly Hamilton, Gates Foundation Deputy Direc-
tor Policy and Advocacy for the Global Development Program, the
discussion focused on the role private foundations play in supporting
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in research and practice.
The panelists were Dr. Kate Wolford, President, McKnight Founda-
tion, and Dr. Ellen Dorsey, Executive Director, Wallace Global Fund.
Dr. Wolford described the McKnight foundation as primarily a U.S.-
based organization with an increasing international reach. Dr. Dorsey
described the Wallace Global Fund as a family foundation with a very
progressive ideology that provides funding across many issue areas
including environmental sustainability, human rights impact, gender
and alternative media.
Ms. Hamilton began by asking the panelists their strategies in select-
ing organizations and sectors to support. Dr. Dorsey said that from the
foundation’s perspective, two tensions need to be addressed. The first
is to ensure that money is being spent effectively, while not preclud-
ing the potentially transformative in favor of the clearly achievable.
Second, it is important to stress that the foundation is not doing the
work; it is funding the work.
It is up to the foundation to find a balance between the strategies set
by the organization seeking funding and the foundation’s own preferred
strategies. “It is important to look at the political, social and economic
trends that exist that either need to be reinforced or reversed. We must
understand the power and capacity to influence these trends.”
Dr. Wolford also said it is vital to understand the interconnection
between issues while identifying a niche that suits the foundation’s
particular competencies. She used the example of systems mapping.
In mapping, it is important to determine what added value (beyond
funding) a particular foundation can contribute to a particular effort.
Forum 2010 — Workshops
She suggested that every five years foundations should take an expan-
sive look at the effectiveness of their investment strategies to create a
level of organizational learning.
Discussing desired elements in grant recipients, Dr. Dorsey and Dr.
Wolford agreed that the main focus is not necessarily about leadership,
ability to articulate goals, or strategies. Instead, they look for political
savvy, natural power analysis, and a willingness to take risks. They then
define the role of the organization among several others. Knowing how
to run an organization, remain mission focused, and use resources
effectively are all qualities sought after in leadership.
Ms. Hamilton asked what one thing each panelist would change
about their field if they were given the opportunity.
Dr. Dorsey replied that, issue-wise, anyone working internationally
needs to look at climate change and that the U.S. needs to be at the
forefront of the climate change movement. Foundations are looking
closely at mission-related investment and how to align their giving
more closely. She added that accountability and transparency in general
are key elements to success.
Dr. Wolford said she would require that all development be guided
by a rights-based approach. She believes that when the community
comes together from all sectors (humanitarian, development, gender
and climate), “[W]e have a much larger resource base and much larger
power to tackle the issues.” She also voiced her concern that the human
rights sector currently only touches on civil or political violations and
not all human rights violations.
When the discussion was opened to the floor, the issues of align-
ment and the power of alliances were raised. Both panelists agreed
that foundations would love to see more alliance among organizations
focused on the poorest of the poor, whom they perceive as often left
out of the discussion.
Ms. Hamilton conceded that foundations have historically played
a role in the proliferation of non-profits in order to generate competi-
tion of ideas to show their distinctiveness (instead of focusing on
collaborative efforts). However, she sees foundations now moving
away from that strategy and now increasingly partnering with one
another to support new initiatives, adopt new projects and provide
institutional support (which avoids startup costs). She added that she
is excited about the proliferation of ideas among younger generations
and noted the need to cultivate younger people. MD
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 47
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Integrating Health and
Education in Relief and
Development
Recognizing the role of health in
educational success.
By Danielle Heiberg, Program Associate, InterAction
U
SAID Administrator Rajiv
Shah has said that more extensively
integrated programming is neces-
sary to facilitate broader development goals.
And the Global Health Initiative highlights
the value of integrated health programming
in development. But what does successful
integration look like? A panel moderated by
Chris Elias, President and CEO of PATH,
provided Forum attendees with perspective
on this landscape. The discussion focused on
health integration through an examination
of multi-sector, integrated interventions that
lead to both positive health and educational
results for school-aged children.
According to Seung Lee, Senior Director of
School Health and Nutrition (SHN) at Save the
Children, the most effective preventative mea-
sure in avoiding the adverse impacts of prob-
lems related to poverty and underdevelopment
is to ensure good educational outcomes. Ms.
Lee noted that the correlation between low
school attainment and poor health and nutri-
tion is most noticeable in school-aged girls.
Malnourished girls become mothers who face
a high rate of maternal mortality and give
birth to low-weight babies. Better educated
girls take better care of themselves and will
have healthier and fewer children. Steps that
foster improved educational achievement
include: increasing the use of health and
nutrition services, improving access to water
and sanitation facilities in schools, promoting
healthy behaviors and skills-based education,
and advancing school health-related policies.
While school-aged children have passed
the narrow window of nutritional opportunity
48 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
(the age during which nutrition has the greatest
impact), there are still many benefits to ensur-
ing they receive adequate nutrition. Joy Miller
Del Rosso, Senior Nutrition Advisor with the
Manoff Group, noted that nutrient and food
availability directly affect a child’s capacity to
learn. Micronutrient deficiencies in school-aged
children result in increased absences, more ill-
nesses, lower academic performance and lower
mental development. Students who have nutri-
tional food and a safe learning environment
at school achieve higher academic goals and
ultimately become more productive adults.
Besides hunger, a number of “invisible”
chronic health problems affect school-aged
children including poor hearing and vision,
malnutrition and parasitic infections. Ms. Lee
focused on the SHN program’s interventions
on deworming, which is of great concern to
both educational and health officials. Children
infected with worms eat less and absorb fewer
nutrients; worms diminish children’s capacity
to learn and their ability to pay attention and
concentrate. Results from the SHN program
found that deworming was the most cost-effec-
tive way to reduce absenteeism. An investment
of four dollars in deworming resulted in an
extra year of primary schooling for a child.
Ms. Lee noted that Save the Children’s SHN
programming has increased the number of
children who survived to their fifth birthday
by 93 percent, while approximately 89 percent
of these children are enrolled in school.
Murat Sahin, Advisor for WASH in Schools
with UNICEF, emphasized the challenges of
providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene
(WASH) education to school-aged children.
Each year, 272 million school days are lost to
diarrhea alone. Improving WASH in schools
and communities impacts enrollment levels,
girl/boy ratios, quality of education and edu-
cational achievement. As children more easily
adapt their behavior and often serve as role
models for other children, hygiene education
should be part of any successful WASH pro-
gram. Mr. Sahin also stressed the challenges
that girls in particular face when adequate
facilities are not provided in schools; absen-
teeism rates can reach 20 percent if privacy is
not available for adolescent girls. By providing
private sanitary facilities for girls and train-
ing educators to better understand physical
changes in adolescents, WASH programs can
promote better gender equality in schools.
Sustainable school health programs will
require strengthening and developing relation-
ships with national ministries of health and
education, as well as mobilizing local com-
munities. Implementing successful program-
ming also requires changing the mindset that
health and education are two distinct programs
to fund. Furthermore, as schools play central
roles in many communities, there are oppor-
tunities for the benefits and lessons of school
health programs to extend beyond the school
walls and into the greater community. MD

Staff Care
Caring for NGO staff working in disaster or
conflict situations.
By Abby Bruell, Disaster Response Intern, InterAction
W
hether responding to
natural disasters, violent conflicts
or man-made emergencies, NGO
staff members face the constant challenge of
caring for themselves, family and friends
while simultaneously meeting the needs of
the affected community. The daily stresses
of the humanitarian response environment,
compounded by long hours, few social outlets
and poor management, can take a toll on the
well-being of any staff member. Haiti is a good
case in point.
In the past, staff care was all too frequently
not a high priority and often overlooked dur-
ing relief and recovery efforts. However, in
recent years recognition of the importance
of mainstreaming staff care mechanisms into
NGOs’ organizational cultures has grown. In a
panel moderated by Jonathan Potter, Executive
Director of People In Aid, staff care special-
ists addressed the psycho-social aspects of
the challenges faced by staff responding to
humanitarian emergencies.
Amber Gray, a licensed mental health pro-
fessional and psychotherapist and Director of
Restorative Resources Consulting and Train-
ing, opened the discussion by noting that the
same challenges repeatedly arise regardless of
the nature of the disaster. Some of the greatest
challenges occur when a country’s infrastruc-
ture is destroyed, as is the case in Haiti. These
challenges include providing basic needs like
shelter, food and security, traumatic reminders
due to constant exposure to devastation and
destruction, and an inability to orient oneself
because of the level of destruction. In response
to these and many other challenges, Ms. Gray
created a staff support working group in Haiti
so people could share ideas and resources and
engage in training about ways to cope with the
experience of responding to a disaster.
Penelope Curling, a clinical psychologist
with UNICEF, pointed out that the stressful
situations NGO workers experience in emer-
gency situations equally affect national and
international staff, albeit in different ways.
National NGO staff have little respite from
these stressful situations as they are both liv-
ing and working in it. In conflict situations,
they, as well as their families and commu-
nities, are increasingly becoming targets of
violence. Unlike their national counterparts,
international staff often must deal with stress-
ful situations alone since their support base
of friends and family are back at home. Ms.
Curling stressed that NGOs must be proactive
and suggested preventative measures, includ-
Online Master of
Professional Studies
Degree
Humanitarian Services
Administration
• Humanitarian Response
• Disaster Relief
• Sustainable Development
Be Part of
Something
Bigger
For more information
contact Donna Campbell
phone: 860.486.0184
email: donna.campbell@uconn.edu
mps.uconn.edu
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 49
Forum 2010 — Workshops
ing creating peer support programs that train
volunteers how to recognize symptoms of
stress and help their peers cope.
Karma Lively, Team Leader for the Opera-
tions and Management Division of USAID’s
Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) and
a member of USAID’s Staff Care Working
Group, suggested one creative way to promote
staff care to senior managers and donors is
to present it as a monetary issue. Organiza-
tions will find it is more cost effective to spend
resources on caring for staff upfront than con-
stantly having to hire and train new staff as a
result of high staff turnover due to burnout.
She said more emphasis should be placed on
the need for staff counseling. At USAID, all
staff returning from critical priority countries
are required to attend a debriefing session to
discuss their experiences and suggest areas
for improvement.
There is a growing realization that NGO
employees must deal with the same situations
as the people they are trying to help. What is
now needed is a significant shift in attitude
and policies towards the issue of staff care. MD
Center for Continuing Studies
Forum 2010 — Workshops
Transforming
the ‘Overhead
Squeeze’
Overhead and a proposal to bridge
the funder-grantee divide.
By Emily Valk, Executive Office Consultant, InterAction
A
t the 2009 Annual Inter-
Action CEO Retreat, a conversation
began on overhead costs and the rela-
tionship between the philanthropic commu-
nity and the U.S. NGO community, with the
intent of creating a new partnership business
model. At that meeting, participants agreed
that the framing of perceptions needs to
change and that (as always) politics is involved.
Following up on the CEO retreat conversa-
tion, at the 2010 Forum Nazir Ahmad, CEO
of Global Giving, returned to facilitate a con-
versation on the overhead squeeze and grants.
The conversation focused on the implications
for the health and effectiveness of the NGO
sector. He suggested the need to define a new
strategic compact between foundations and
international NGOs. He offered the following
framework for the discussion:
• Due to the economic downturn, private
individual funding has decreased and
become less flexible. The result is founda-
tions now make up a larger proportion of
private funding to NGOs (although they
too have seen decreased funding). Although
doubly squeezed by reduced funding and
operational support, some NGOs are turn-
ing down grants due to matching fund and/
or overhead ceiling requirements because
the core costs are at the bone.
• A 1999-2004 Bridgespan study indicated
that the cycle of misleading reporting
(underreporting of overhead costs) led
to unrealistic donor expectations, which
in turn created pressure for NGOs to con-
form back to the misleading reporting,
resulting in a starvation cycle for NGOs
50 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010
and other non-profits.
• The fundamental problems are the inabil-
ity of NGOs to reliably measure impact
and the mistaken belief by funders that
the amount of overhead is a proxy for per-
formance, with lower overhead indicat-
ing better performance. (The linkage of
overhead to performance is conceptually
recognized as a false.) What is less recog-
nized is the need to measure community
impact quantitatively over a period that
is longer than most grants.
• A new “compact” is needed: NGOs need
sustainable organizational infrastructure
and foundations need greater clarity and
reassurance on how investments in infra-
structure lead to results. Hence, the need
to reframe the longstanding cost account-
ing debate and have a strategic conversa-
tion about enabling organizational per-
formance and mission statement impact.
NGOs are coping with this environment in
a number of ways. They are reallocating indi-
rect to direct costs to lower rates at the margin
for donors, partnering with other NGOs to
reduce overhead (even though the partnership
may not make sense in terms of compatibility
of mission statements), co-funding overhead,
and creating corporate separation—legally
distinct subsidiaries.
In the end, these actions are not mission-
driven; rather, they may relegate mission
needs to the sidelines in order to deal with
the funding realities. The downsides are
organizational ineffectiveness, performance
based on cost ratios instead of effectiveness
in furthering the mission, strategies driven by
the need to accommodate overhead funding
constraints, and the need to turn down grants
driven by donor practices that starve the core
funding needs of an organization.
Foundations have their own legitimate con-
cerns about funding overhead. Their boards of
directors press foundations to fund prudently,
ensure grantee accountability, and ensure
alignment of programmatic priorities at the
grantee organizational level to reduce cross-
subsidization. But foundations do not share
clear norms and or agree on a common set
of best practices regarding funding overhead
investment and, so far, recommendations have
been more directional than actionable.
In light of these challenges and concerns,
Mr. Nazir and InterAction President and CEO
Sam Worthington offered a proposal that
would call for two expert groups: a 16-per-
son strategic leadership team and a six-person
operations leadership team. The groups would
work in tandem to define a new strategic con-
sensus and implementation modalities. The
goal would be to develop and consider a range
of potential solutions and determine the most
effective path forward.
Member CEOs were asked to share their
initial reactions to the proposal. Issues raised
were member dependence on U.S. govern-
ment funding, NGOs with field offices that
may be more affected by grants than central
offices, and an overall skepticism on getting
all major foundations to the table. Finally, the
question was raised of what the indicators of
success would be and what it is that this com-
munity is trying to achieve. MD

Understanding
USAID Procurement
Reform
A helpful look at the timing and goals of the
process from two USAID officials.
By Lily Olson, Public Policy Intern, InterAction
U
SAID Administrator Rajiv
Shah has made it clear that the agen-
cy’s procurement process must be
reformed—a view shared by some key mem-
bers of Congress and many in the NGO com-
munity. While the need for reform is widely
accepted, questions remain concerning what
it will look like and how it will affect funding
and operations for organizations that work
closely with USAID. Two members of the
Administrator’s procurement reform work-
ing group tried to answer these questions and
explain the upcoming changes.
Lisa Gomer, General Council, USAID, and
Ari Alexander, Deputy Director of the Center
for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives,
USAID, presented a slideshow on the need for
reform, its process and timeline, and objec-
tives for delivering aid more effectively. Con-
cerning the timeline, they said a procurement
reform group with representatives from across
USAID has identified five priority objectives
and steps needed to achieve these objectives
and was due to present the Administrator with
an implementation plan and timeline by June
30. The plan will set targets and indicators for
the agency as a whole over a five-year period.
The first objective is to strengthen host
government capacity to improve aid effective-
ness and sustainability, and will be piloted in
Liberia, Nepal, Pakistan and Peru. To address
the risk that is inevitable when relying more
heavily on host country systems, Ms. Gomer
described a system in which countries have to
meet minimum standards and can “graduate”
in time from smaller amounts of funding to
increased amounts. She said USAID must also
The application process
to partner with USAID
must be simplified and
capacity building support
for local civil society will
be prioritized.
support countries to increase their capacity to
improve their own systems over the long term.
The second objective is to strengthen civil
society and private sector capacity by support-
ing local entities that can take greater ownership
over the development of their countries. The
key here, Ms. Gomer said, is to diversify and
expand the partners with whom USAID works
in developing countries. She said each USAID
Country Mission is to set aside at least $2 mil-
lion in program funds to be issued through
grants with local NGOs. The application pro-
cess to partner with USAID must be simplified
August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 51
Forum 2010 — Workshops
and capacity building support for local civil
society will be prioritized. The second objec-
tive, like the first, emphasizes a movement
towards country-led aid and a greater reliance
on local civil society and host governments in
the development process.
Objective three is to enhance participation
and effectiveness when USAID uses direct
awards by increasing competition and including
a wider range of U.S. organizations including
small, disadvantaged, women- and minority-
owned businesses and small NGOs. This objec-
tive, like the second one, will require simpli-
fying the application process and reducing
the cost burden to contractors and grantees.
The fourth objective (to use U.S. government
resources more efficiently and effectively) will be
achieved in part by decreasing the size and num-
ber of large grants and diversifying the range of
groups that receive awards (including contracts).
Both courses of action reflect USAID’s intent to
transition away from overly relying on a few very
large contracts, towards use of more and smaller
grants to a larger pool of partners.
The fifth and final objective is to strengthen
collaboration and partnership with other bilat-
eral donors and with multilateral and interna-
tional organizations. This will include drafting
new models for donor cooperation at the field
level to facilitate joint funding in development
assistance.
Mrs. Gomer and Mr. Alexander provided
a significant level of detail about the reform
process goals. They emphasized that what
they have is a general blueprint and that they
want to consult with NGO community going
forward.
Questions covered an array of issues includ-
ing the reliance on the military to deliver aid
in conflict areas such as Pakistan. Mrs. Gomer
said that Pakistan and Afghanistan are anom-
alies because of their political significance and
should not be viewed as a template for develop-
ment aid going forward. USAID’s commitment
to reducing large contracts and diversifying
partners, however, was called into question
since very large indefinite quantity contracts
(IQCs) continue to be awarded even as pro-
curement reform is being discussed. Mr. Alex-
ander said that the reform process is in its
initial stage and that it would probably by six
months before any changes were evident. It was
clear that both speakers view the nonprofit
community as a partner in their procurement
reform efforts and look forward to receiving
NGO feedback as it moves ahead. MD
Forum 2010 — Workshops

We Are All Systems Thinkers

Participants discuss and Tom Rautenberg, Strategy Director, Project on National Security
Reform. The three began with an overview of systems thinking.
interconnections and cross- Ms. Diamond introduced performance leadership and stressed the
growing understanding of interconnections and cross-sectional overlaps
sectional overlapping in within and across different communities. She explained how one field
the relief and development or sector is, by necessity, intrinsically tied with several others in order to
function effectively. Participants were asked to break into small groups
community. to discuss their views on system thinking as it stands in the NGO com-
munity. Comments and perceptions from the small groups included:
By Sabrina Sojourner, Executive Office Coordinator, • The world is more dangerous world than it was previously.
InterAction • There is an increasing power among NGOs. Though they are often
independent players, NGOs are able to work more collaboratively

S
ystems scientists and CEOs came together
to discuss the growing interconnectedness of the international
NGO community and to identify concrete tools for social change.
In January, Louise Diamond, the president of Global Systems Initiative,
organized a session between non-profit senior staff and system thinkers
that introduced systems thinking to the NGO community. She facilitated
the Forum workshop along with Barbara Murphy-Warrington, Senior
Vice President of Human Resources, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC,
in the field, and leverage this growing power by increasing part-
nerships for mission-driven, programmatic work.
• The world is no longer multi-polar. It is instead a multi-partner
world. While this creates opportunities, challenges in the NGO
world remain including competition between organizations and
doubt regarding NGO capacity and intentions.
• The shift from sector orientation to a country driven agenda now
shapes the environment in which NGOs operate.

Ms. Diamond defined systems thinking as a science-based structure

that explains the nature and dynamics of living systems. She added that it
is exceptionally useful in the 21st century world of complexity and inter-
connectedness. She gave a brief overview of the 12 simple rules that shape
the field of systems thinking. A few of the rules are paraphrased below:
• Systems exist with context. As human beings, basic assumptions
guide our actions, and these assumptions are based on the stories,
narratives and mental models we collectively and individually
believe to be true. It is important to articulate, validate and commu-
Learn—Share—Connect nicate the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and each other.
• Everything is interconnected. Think of a giant web in which every-
InsideNGO  supports  the  operations  staff  (finance, 
thing is connected to everything else. Independence, integrity,
HR, contracts & grants, IT, legal, general operations)  synthesis, collaboration, co-intelligence, empathy, partnership
in international relief & development organizations.  and well-being are of and for the whole. There is no such thing
We conduct training workshops, roundtables, salary  as being disconnected.
• Points of connection are relationships.
and indirect cost surveys; hold annual meetings; host 
• In a non-linear system complexity creates unpredictability. Indi-
listservs  and  members‐only  sites;  lead  member 
viduals and organizations can best manage waves of events when
advocacy initiatives.  they ground themselves in unpredictability.
• Wholes and parts are one. Everything is a whole in itself and
InsideNGO helps you: also part of a larger whole. It is important to attend to ever-larger
◊ connect with peers  wholes and ever-smaller parts.
◊ stay current with sector trends  • Chaos is normal. Seek opportunities for coherence within chaos.
◊ gain practical tools & resources  
◊ grow your knowledge & leadership skills Tom Rautenberg concluded the workshop by listing the five vital
components for greater wellness: living in a non-conflict society, uni-
versal education for women and girls, access to livelihoods, access to
To learn more about us, go to—www.InsideNGO.org.  clean water, and access to sanitation. Lastly, he asked participants to
To learn how to become an organizational member,      continue the conversation by sharing disconnections and connections
email us at membership@InsideNGO.org. in their communities’ member organizations, the InterAction family,
and the broader NGO community. MD

52 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010

Events
It’s free and easy to publicize
your upcoming events in Monday
Developments Magazine. Send your
event’s name, date, location and
contact information to publications@
interaction.org

August 20 – 22 September 22-24 September October

UN Summit: Millenium Development
30 August Millennium Development Goals Review Summit 5 October
63rd NGO/DPI Annual Goals (MDGs) New York, NY InsideNGO Workshop:
Conference New York, NY www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ USAID Rules and
Melbourne, Australia Contact: Melissa Powell, calendar.shtml Regulations
www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/ powell1@un.org Washington, DC
index.asp 23 – 24 September www.insidengo.org/
21 September International Banking workshops.htm
September International Day of Peace Conference:
Macro-prudential 9-11 October
15 September 23 September Regulatory Policies 2010 Meetings of the IMF
AME-SADA Hosts the Fifth Third Annual Dining Chicago, IL and the World Bank Group
Annual Founders Award Gala For Women Leadership www.chicagofed.org/ Washington, DC
Arlington, VA Summit webpages/events/2010/ www.imf.org/external/am/
www.ame-sada.org/index. Norcross, GA international_conference.cfm index.htm
html www.care.org

World Conference on Mental Health Promotion

The Sixth World Conference on Mental Health, “Addressing
Imbalances: Promoting Equity in Mental Health,” takes place Novem-
ber 17-19 in Washington, D.C., featuring advocates, academics,
policy makers and practitioners from around the world working in
the fields of mental health promotion and prevention of disorders.
Launched in 2000 by the Carter Center in collaboration with the
Clifford Beers Foundation and the World Federation for Mental
Health, the conference has been held in London, Auckland, Oslo,
and Melbourne. This year, its tenth anniversary, it is co-hosted by
InterAction member Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC)
A critical theme of this year’s conference is healing from trauma,
which speakers will cover from several perspectives: intergener-
ational trauma of indigenous peoples; the trauma of witnessing
domestic violence; and trauma from natural disasters or war. Themes
include exploring mental health and community well-being, protec-
tion of human rights, preventing discrimination, and healing from
adverse experiences and trauma.
Researchers will present strategies to promote mental health
and prevent and treat mental disorders, including psychiatrist Dr.
Carl Bell who will discuss ways that countries can prevent mental
disorders among children and youth. Sir Michael Marmot will dis-
cuss the social and economic determinants of mental health, and
Sir Mason Durie from New Zealand will speak about the Maori of
his country and the intergenerational trauma of indigenous peoples.
The conference is designed for policy makers, educators, employ-
ers, researchers, scientists, and practitioners in health, mental health,
and social services worldwide.
For more information, contact Ms. Anne O’Neill, 617-618-2262,
aoneill@edc.org or visit http://wmhconf2010.hhd.org/.

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 53

Jobs
Are you looking to hire experienced
development and humanitarian
professionals? The candidates
you’re looking for read Monday
Developments! Send your classified
position announcements or display
advertisements to Katie Delaney at
publications@interaction.org

Finance & Administration SEA

Manager
Boston, MA
JSI/BOSTON INTERNATIONAL DIVISION
The F&A Manager focuses on issues related
to efficient management of financial systems
for field projects. S/he works closely with
project teams to provide daily direction and
support to JSI bilateral projects. Responsi-
bilities include serving as a resource, ensur-
ing implementation of financial policies, de-
veloping tools, training staff in their use, and
traveling to field offices to perform financial
reviews. Qualifications: BS in finance, MBA
preferred, five years experience managing
financial systems, preferably overseas, good
knowledge of USAID rules, ability to work as
part of a team. Interested candidates should
apply online: www.jsi.com.
continued from page 16
SEA prevention and response. The organization examined existing constraints, such as staff
turnover, limited resources, challenges posed by assisting displaced populations in urban
setting and the need to ensure staff anonymity when adhering to compliance enforcement.
IRC embedded SEA prevention and response within the human resources department, and
moved the organization away from its original focus on accountability towards a values-based,
mission-driven policy focused on prevention.
Lisa Laumann, Associate Vice President of the Department of Child Protection at Save the
Children US, outlined how her organization incorporated SEA prevention into its strategic
operational programming. The organization developed guidance by sector and reminded staff
how to think of themselves as protectors of children. For the operations department, the focus was
on making protection from SEA a responsibility of all technical staff. Save the Children applied
this approach recently in their response to the Haiti earthquake by seeking ways to appropriately
and effectively orient staff to SEA prevention as a moral obligation—ensuring senior manage-
ment involvement in the process of protecting beneficiaries, especially the most vulnerable, and
using mass messaging in innovative ways to reach beneficiaries and ensure awareness of rights.

Country Directors*
The Peace Corps is looking for senior-level executives and
managers with exceptional leadership and motivational
skills, international experience (including living overseas),
administrative and financial management expertise, and
strong cross-cultural experience to serve as country directors.
International development experience is desired.
We seek candidates that are reflective of the diversity of
Peace Corps and our Volunteers.
Country directors must be United States citizens and must not
have been associated with intelligence activities. Candidates
should have work experience managing a program or business
of comparable size to a Peace Corps country program (i.e.,
approximately 15 to 50 staff, 50 to 250 Volunteers, and an
operating budget ranging from $900,000 to $4 million), as
well as experience mentoring staff and volunteers. Since
approximately 90 percent of Peace Corps staff at each post
are host country nationals, cross-cultural communication skills
are critical.
The salary range for these positions is $87,848 - $140,940.
These positions are time limited, as are the positions of
all Peace Corps U.S. direct hire employees. Employees are
appointed for a 30-month tour and may be granted a second
tour for a maximum of five years (60 months) with the agency.
NOW HIRING:
Program & Training Officers*
The Peace Corps is looking for senior-level managers with exceptional
skills to manage staff and design and manage international
development programs in a variety of fields such as health, education,
small business development and agriculture/environment that
positively impact communities overseas. International and cross-
cultural experience are required.
PTOs manage, advise and develop teams of professional program
and training staff to support Peace Corps Volunteers at post. Our
PTOs oversee the processes of planning, analysis, implementation
and monitoring of programs and training activities, support staff and
Volunteers to meet the expectations of project partners and conduct
staff development. These officers guide coordination between working
units to ensure effective strategic planning, cost-effective budgeting,
and appropriate recommendations.
We seek candidates that are reflective of the diversity of Peace Corps
and our Volunteers.
All PTOs must be United States citizens and must not have been
associated with intelligence activities. Candidates should have work
experience managing an international development program or
business, and mentoring staff and volunteers. Since approximately 90
percent of Peace Corps staff at each post are host country nationals,
strong cross-cultural communication skills are critical.
The salary range for these positions is $57,678 - $129,008. All Peace
Corps U.S. direct hire positions are time limited. Employees are
appointed for a 30-month tour and may be granted a second tour for a
maximum of five years (60 months) with the agency.
Administrative Officers*
The Peace Corps is looking for senior-level managers with
extensive administration and finance experience, international
and cross-cultural experience (including living overseas),
and exceptional management and leadership skills to serve
overseas as administrative officers.
The Administrative Officer ensures the effective management
of country operations in support of a population of staff
and Volunteers entirely dependent on the critical services
(administrative unit supervision, financial analysis, policy
execution and implementation) the AO provides.
We seek candidates that are reflective of the diversity of
Peace Corps and our Volunteers.
All Administrative Officers must be United States citizens and
must not have been associated with intelligence activities.
Candidates should have work experience managing a program
or business, and mentoring staff and volunteers. Since
approximately 90 percent of Peace Corps staff at each post
are host country nationals, cross-cultural communication skills
are critical.
The salary range for these positions is $46,736 - $104,534.
All Peace Corps U.S. direct hire positions are time limited.
Employees are appointed for a 30-month tour and may
be granted a second tour for a maximum of five years (60
months) with the agency.

The Peace Corps is one of the most successful and respected development agencies in the world. More than 195,000 Volunteers have served in 139 countries
since the inception of the Peace Corps in 1961. Thousands more from every background are eager to serve as teachers, business advisors, information technology
consultants, health and HIV/AIDS educators, and agricultural extension Volunteers.
Peace Corps accepts applications for these positions throughout the year. You may apply on-line through the website, http://pcoverseasjobs.avuedigital.us/. You
must complete the on-line application to be considered for a position; resumes are supplemental.
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Overseas Recruitment, Selection and Support at 202-692-2411 or e-mail AOandPTOjobs@peacecorps.gov for
AO and PTO positions and CDSelection@peacecorps.gov for Country Director positions.
*While many of these positions do not require fluency in a language, some do. We anticipate a specific need for fluent French, Portuguese and Spanish speakers.

54 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS August 2010

 At International Medical Corps (IMC), the focus has been on ensur-
ing that documentation is in place within the human resources depart-
ment. General Counsel plays a significant role in ensuring that the
organization is protected from potential liabilities when responding  
to allegations of SEA and working with staff. Barbara Fortson, General  
Counsel at IMC, explained to participants that the organization’s legal
function intersects with protection from SEA especially when there
is need to conduct an investigation. General Counsel advises the case Employment
team on how to assess evidence; how to ensure the assumption of
innocence and the protection of both the victim and the perpetrator;
and how to identify and work with local authorities as needed.
Opportunities
NGO auditors also assess the effectiveness of agency standards.
Richard Kosik, Director of Internal Audit at Catholic Relief Services,
outlined how the audit department plays an important role in ensuring Administrati on Manager Port-au-Prince, Haiti
compliance to ethical organizational standards. Auditors develop a
planning program so that organizations refer to and implement inter- Africa Regional Direc tor Kam p al a, U ga nd a
national standards in agency codes of conduct, keep cases confidential
and secure, and resolve cases as quickly as possible. Organizations Asia Regional Direc tor Phnom Penh, Cambodia
must ensure that code violations are reported to the audit committee,
that staff receive proper training, and that provisions are in place to Hai ti Country Director Port-au-Prince, Haiti
protect the organization and staff from potential retribution in the
reporting of SEA cases.
Institutionalizing SEA prevention and response into organizational
policies and programming presents a challenge for NGO staff at all
levels. The Step by Step Guide to Addressing Sexual Exploitation and If you would like to learn more about Medical Teams
Abuse—the Sub-Working Group’s new tool launched at this workshop International or to apply for these positions visit us
—was developed to assist NGO staff in designing and implementing at www.medicalteams.org.
SEA policies and programs. Staff at all levels and sectors have a respon-
sibility to address SEA and ensure that a culture of intolerance is
engrained within the organization’s mandate. MD

August 2010 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS 55

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