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Submitting guest blogs is open to Global Washington’s members of the Atlas level and above. We value a diversity of opinions on a broad range of subjects of interest to the global health and development community.
Blog article submissions should be 500-1500 words. Photos, graphs, videos, and other art that supports the main themes are strongly encouraged.
You may not be the best writer, and that’s okay. We can help you shape and edit your contribution. The most important thing is that it furthers an important conversation in your field, and that it is relatively jargon-free. Anyone without a background in global development should still be able to engage with your ideas.
If you include statistics or reference current research, please hyperlink your sources in the text, wherever possible.
Have an idea of what you’d like to write about? Let’s continue the conversation! Email comms@globalWA.org and put “Blog Idea” in the subject line.
Posted on February 24, 2010
Earthquake in Haiti: Effects on Education
The Center of University and Professional Learning in Port-au-Prince was destroyed by the Jan. 12 earthquake. Courtesy of New York Times
It has been over a month since the earthquake in Haiti. Below, we have collected various resources to gain insight into the state of education in Haiti.
Education was also leveled by quake in Haiti
The NY Times reports on a student who was in class at the State University of Haiti when the earthquake hit, as well as the many other educational facilities, universities, and schools that were affected by the earthquake. The article depicts the negative impact that the earthquake has had on the current and future leaders and students of Haiti.
Update on Haiti’s Education System after the Earthquake
This blog provides a quick update on the current education situation in Haiti from Bob Prouty, head of the Education for All: Fast Track Initiative Secretariat. The situation is quite dire; many Ministry of Education officers were killed during the quake.
Haiti Education Foundation (HEF) Update
Founded in 1981, HEF began with one school and now reaches over 12, 040 students in over 34 elementary schools, 7 high schools, and a vocational school. The Haiti Education Foundation is a Christian education organization providing learning opportunities to Haitian children in Haiti. Many of HEF’s schools were damaged during the earthquake, and the organization is currently organizing to rebuild their schools and fundraising to repair other schools where enough funds many not be available.
Haitian Education System ‘totally collapsed’
This article by AsiaONE includes statistics as well as personal stories of those affected by the damage and destruction of schools by the earthquake. The Minister of Education also shares his thoughts on the crisis.
Earthquake Update
H.E.L.P., which is Haiti’s largest university scholarship program, is a non-profit organization promoting the best students in Haiti with scholarships and opportunities to excel in their individual fields. It too suffered greatly because of the earthquake. H.E.L.P. has set up a temporary headquarters and has found that many of the students whom they were providing scholarships for have been found in collapsed buildings.
Hope for Haiti
Founded in 1990, Hope for Haiti acknowledges that Haiti is one of the poorest countries, with an educational system sometimes categorized as a “failed education system.” Hope for Haiti is working to change this. In the last four weeks, they have “delivered and distributed over $20 million in supplies to the affected areas,” but have yet to comment regarding moving forward with education in light of the recent disaster.
-Submitted by Kelly Thoma
Posted on February 23, 2010
A girl uses bottle tops to count in a math lesson in Ghana. See girls' education in Ghana article below.
US Global Development Policy:
Rajiv Shah, the new USAID Administrator, will testify at the upcoming House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing March 3, 2010– U.S. Policies and Programs for Global Development: USAID and the FY 2011 Budget Request. Check this link after March 3rd for the webcast.
Can donors find a better way to deliver aid? The Center for Global Development is promoting a potential new way to disburse foreign assistance called Cash on Delivery Aid. COD Aid seeks to devise simple, results-based contracts that reward developing countries for making progress towards previously agreed goals—such as increased primary school completion rates, vaccination coverage, or access to clean water. This would increase local ownership as developing country governments would come up with their own solutions and hire consultants of their choosing, rather than the current model where donors impose solutions and consultants from outside.
In response to questions triggered by the disaster in Haiti, a PBS program interviewed development experts on foreign aid effectiveness and strategies. The program, “Making Foreign Aid Work,” included interviews with William Easterly (author of White Man’s Burden, NYU professor), David Beckmann (Bread for the World President), and Andrew Natsios (former USAID Administrator, Georgetown professor). For extended interviews click here:
Andrew Natsios extended interview
William Easterly extended interview
David Beckmann extended interview
The President’s 2011 budget request includes a fund for largely neglected health problems in developing countries. Ten countries have been named as priority recipients for support from this $200 million fund. These countries include: Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, Tanzania, Mali, Senegal, Benin, Malawi, Zambia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guatemala and Honduras.
Other Development News:
After last week’s coup in Niger it faces a potentially severe food crisis. The US suspended all non-humanitarian aid to Niger including the $23 million program focusing on girls’ education and government corruption reduction.
One town is using the country’s obsession with football (ie soccer) to promote girls’ education. In Ghana, only 79% of girls finish primary school and by the time they complete junior high school just 54% of girls are still in lessons, according to the lobby group the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition.
UNICEF Seeks to Keep Kids Out of Haiti Orphanages. Marie de la Soudiere, coordinator of the separated-children program in Haiti for UNICEF– the U.N. Children’s Fund– wants to make sure that folks like the 10 US missionaries don’t get many more chances to try reckless engagement in “rescue efforts.” The high-profile case of the 10 US missionaries who were arrested in Haiti for allegedly abducting children has raised an important issue regarding children in devastated areas such as Haiti. Subsequently, she recently initiated a campaign to register Haitian youths, who were among the world’s most vulnerable to trafficking even before the quake. The Haiti list is also designed to prevent children from being placed into Haiti’s muddled orphanages, many of which have long been sources of child trafficking.
“If you give a man a fish, he can eat for a day, but if you teach a man how to fish, he can eat for a lifetime” — Joshua Sperling, a volunteer with EWB-International
The US-founded Engineers Without Borders (EWB) has been a worldwide success in their mission of encouraging young engineers to become leaders in global development. The improvement of the living conditions of people in developing countries has been successful in developing new successful branches such as EWB-India, which has become a major volunteer organization attracting more and more students and organizations despite budget constraints. EWB-India hopes it can motivate its 1.5 million engineering students into helping solve global challenges.
Global Washington members who are involved in Engineers Without Borders chapters:
Gonzaga University, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle University, University of Washington, Washington State University, Western Washington University.
Posted on February 19, 2010
With the recent earthquake in Haiti and the subsequent reconstruction effort, many different models for rebuilding a nation have been suggested for Haiti. Some argue for a centralized, coordinated aid effort focused on rebuilding Haiti’s economic and social infrastructure. Others warn against the usual development approach to reconstruction, contending foreign aid is no more than a stopgap.
Robert Maguire and Robert Muggah of the Christian Science Monitor present a “middle way,” offering five suggestions for the Haitian reconstruction effort: Decentralize relief efforts, establish a national civic service corps, emphasize public-private partnerships, target capital flow to the poor, and focus on political and social inclusion through responsible investment. To read the full article, please visit the Christian Science Monitor.
Many of these suggestions are in line with Global Washington’s Principles of Aid Effectiveness: Transparency, Coordination, Local Ownership, and Targeting. To learn more about GlobalWA’s Principles of Aid Effectiveness and our suggestions for aid reform, please visit our website, and read our white paper.