Chec

Out O k
ur
JS OBS
ectio
Page 3 n !
0

Animal Welfare Making Sense

and Sustainable of Population
Development Projections

Poverty UN Financing for

Development
Helping Update

People Help
Themselves Recycling
the Rubble in
Post-Disaster
Reconstruction

From Trash
Kidnapped! to Toys
Family
Involvement

October
2009
Vol. 27, No. 10
 27
MONDAY
DEVELOPMENTS

Managing Editor/Art Director

Chad Brobst

Copy Editor
Kathy Ward 15
Advertising & Sales
Katherine Delaney

Communications Department
Nasserie Carew, Public Relations
Tawana Jacobs, Public Relations
Chad Brobst, Publications

Contents
Katherine Delaney, Publications
Tony Fleming, New Media
Leslie Rigby, Writer/Editor
Margaret Christoph, Admin Associate

Editorial Committee
10
InterAction Communications Team October 2009 • Vol. 27 • No. 10

InterAction
FEATURES
1400 16th Street, NW
Suite 210
Washington, DC 20036 Cover Story:
24
Tel: 202.667.8227
publications@interaction.org
The Last Frontier | 10
Bringing financial services to
ISSN 1043-8157 Africa’s poor.

Monday Developments is published 11 Kidnapped!

times a year by InterAction, the larg- Family Involvement | 13
est alliance of U.S.-based international
development and humanitarian non-
The third article in a continuing
governmental organizations. With more series covering a fictional
than 170 members operating in every kidnapping scenario and how
developing country, InterAction works to an NGO might respond.
overcome poverty, exclusion and suffer-
ing by advancing social justice and basic
dignity for all. Animal Welfare | 15
Sustainable development can
InterAction welcomes submissions of benefit from partnership with
news articles, opinions and announce- animal-focused organizations.
ments. Article submission does not guar-
antee inclusion in Monday Developments.
We reserve the right to reject submis- Population Projections | 16
sions for any reason. It is at the discretion Making sense of the reality
of our editorial team as to which articles behind the estimates. The UN Financing for Recycle the Rubble | 28
are published in individual issues. Development Process: The benefits of using recycled
Year in Review | 23 concrete aggregate.
All statements in articles are the sole Urban Displacement
opinion and responsibility of the authors. and Growth Amidst Key meetings in 2009 produced
significant steps forward, offer DEPARTMENTS
Articles may be reprinted with prior per- Humanitarian Crisis | 19
New realities require a new promise for 2010. Inside This Issue | 3
mission and attribution. Letters to the
editor are encouraged. strategy in Kabul.
Halfway There, But Not Inside Our Community | 4
A limited number of subscriptions are Investing in Health, Rights Halfway Done | 24 Inside InterAction | 5
made available to InterAction member The effectiveness of financing
agencies as part of their dues. Individual and the Future | 21 Step By Step Advocacy | 6
subscriptions cost $80 a year (add $15 The need for and benefits for development in Africa.
for airmail delivery outside the U.S.) of increased investment in Washington Update | 8
Samples are $5, including postage. reproductive health. Trash to Toys | 27
Additional discounts are available for Children demonstrate creativity
Events | 29
bulk orders. Please allow 4-6 weeks for
delivery. Advertising rates are available amidst adversity. Employment
on request. Opportunities | 30
 INSIDE This Issue

Our Community’s Progress

Against Poverty
I
NTERACTION REPRESENTS THE COMMUNITY OF NON-
profits that has been the human face of U.S. foreign assis-
tance for more than 60 years. Before Congress enacted

PROGR
the Marshall Plan in 1948 and the Kennedy administra-
tion established USAID in 1961, privately funded interna-

AGA ESS
tional relief and development organizations were responding

I
to the needs of refugees and victims of conflict, getting food

N
POVER ST
to famine-stricken countries and building schools and health
clinics where none existed.
Today, our community continues to work with the world’s

W TY
poorest and most vulnerable people to enable them to lift

E
themselves out of poverty. Our members’ programs, man-

aged by professional staff and skilled volunteers, reach mil-
lions of people in more than 190 countries every year. While
historically InterAction member organizations have received
the bulk of their funding from donor governments, contri-
butions by private aid actors—including foundations, cor-
porations and more than 13 million individual donors—now
exceed U.S. government funding by a ratio of 2 to 1.
These funds overwhelmingly go to support programs that
target the poorest people in the poorest countries. Within
those countries, InterAction members have established
networks and infrastructure that work with and build the
capacity of local institutions in both rural and urban areas.
Our coalition has tremendous reach and decades of experi-
ence working in particular districts, towns and villages. Our
collective approach to alleviating poverty is multifaceted and
reflects the diversity of the U.S. nongovernmental organiza-
tion (NGO) community, ranging from adaption to climate
change and expanding opportunity through microfinance
to protecting refugees, advancing the rights of women and
improving agricultural livelihoods.
A common theme runs through our work, however, as
NGOs develop strong links with and through local institu-
tions. When we partner with communities and local orga-
nizations, we help people gain the skills they need to reach
markets and create better lives for themselves. A woman who
can’t read will never achieve a level of independence or access
to markets; a child who is hungry will struggle through
school to learn and focus. A farmer without fair access to
markets will never rise above the daily challenges of a sub-
sistence farmer. For people without critical skills, education,
good health or access to capital, “lifting themselves up” out
of poverty is a monumental and sometimes impossible task.
InterAction members work to bridge these gaps and help peo-
ple realize their rights and acquire the techniques and tools
needed to improve their lives.
As InterAction hosts our third annual Progress Against
2 0
E
During C rdinary W K
0 9
Ex trao
ha or
llenging k
Times
Poverty Week October 13–16, we invite you to join us in
showcasing the advances we have made in the fight against
poverty and strategize on what more we can achieve together.
We have made tremendous gains in development and
humanitarian assistance, advancing the ability of people to
adapt to climate change, cope with disease and shape their
futures. In the coming year, InterAction aims to work with
our members to gather the information needed to demon-
strate the difference that we make—the resources our com-
munity brings, the people we reach on a daily basis and the
best practices we have developed over years of experience
working in communities around the world. Let Poverty Week
be a time that encourages you to continue at this work and
inspires you to work better as a community to reach the
world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and have a bigger
impact. Thank you for your efforts. MD
Sam Worthington
President and CEO
InterAction

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 3

 INSIDE Our Community
Catholic Relief Services “Tweets” with a
Zimbabwean Orphan
Recently, Catholic Relief Services allowed its Twit-
ter followers to spend a day in the life of 14-year-old
Brenda from Zimbabwe. Brenda is an orphan living with
family members in Mabvuku Township, right outside of
Harare. CRS staff spent time with Brenda and created a
representative account of her daily life. This project used
Twitter as a platform to show CRS followers what daily
life is like for beneficiaries overseas.
In the week leading up to International Youth Day
on August 12, 2009, CRS followers on Twitter were
directed to a landing page (available here: http://crs.
org/zimbabwe/day-in-the-life/) to provide background
information about Brenda
and explain that, due to
time differences and tech-
nical restraints, Brenda’s
updates were based on
prior conversations and
were posted by CRS staff.
This page also linked from most of Brenda’s updates
throughout the day. Approximately 20 updates demon-
strating a typical day for Brenda were broadcast to CRS’
Twitter audience, including activities such as household
chores, attending school and preparing meals.
This project’s audience consisted of CRS’ followers
on Twitter, some of whom may have been recruited by
promotions posted to Facebook. A few small web blogs
picked up the story and followers of CRS did re-tweet
(RT) and promote Brenda’s updates on Twitter. CRS also
received feedback in the form of @replies, such as “bril-
liant job tweeting Brenda. Really enjoyed following her
today. Thank you,” and “Good Night Brenda. Be safe.”
CRS used hashtag #Brenda to categorize all tweets and
conversations.
Although the initial version of this project was success-
ful, additional promotion is necessary to make a greater
impact. Plans are being made for the next iteration of
the project, using a different CRS beneficiary in another
country or region. CRS hopes to continue these types of
experimental social media projects to foster engagement
and build awareness with online supporters. To follow
CRS on Twitter, visit: www.twitter.com/CatholicRelief.
Helen Keller International Wins Prestigious
$1.4269 Million Award
The Champalimaud Foundation, one of the largest global
science foundations, recently announced the recipient of its
2009 Vision Award. The €1 million (US$1.4 million) António
Champalimaud Vision Award is the largest monetary prize
in the field of vision and among the largest scientific and
humanitarian prizes in the world.
The award has been given to Helen Keller International
4 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
(HKI) for its outstanding
achievements in preventing
blindness in the develop-
ing world. In particular, its
decades-long leadership in
the global control of vitamin
A deficiency—the leading
cause of childhood blind-
ness and a significant con-
tributor to childhood mortality—has helped to save the sight
and lives of millions of people around the world.
The Antonio Champalimaud Vision Award was initiated in
2006 and referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Vision” by the for-
mer President of India, A.P.J. Kalam who hosted the launch-
ing ceremony. The Award has the support of the World Health
Organization’s VISION 2020—The Right To Sight initiative.
In order to provide maximum support for the fight against
blindness, it concentrates both on practical blindness pre-
vention and on scientific research. In odd numbered years,
starting in 2007, the Award is given for blindness prevention
on the ground, particularly in developing countries. In even
numbered years, beginning in 2008, the Award recognizes
outstanding scientific research. In 2007, the Vision Award
was given to India’s Aravind Eye Care System and in 2008 it
was jointly awarded to King-Wai Yau and Jeremy Nathans,
from Johns Hopkins University.
Up Date on Urban Development and
Housing Legislation
Representatives Brad Miller and David Price from North
Carolina have introduced the Shelter, Land, and Urban Man-
agement (SLUM) Assistance Act of 2009 (H.R. 1702) along
with Michael Castle, Jesse Jackson Jr., Gwen Moore and
Keith Ellison. The Act calls on the President to develop an
affordable housing and urban strategy that fosters sustain-
able urban development and expands access to basic urban
housing, essential services, and infrastructure for the poor.
It does not, however, authorize any additional funding. To
date 20 Members of the House have signed on as cospon-
sors of the Bill. It might well be a slow uphill battle for this
Bill to see the light. Its message may ultimately be incorpo-
rated into broader foreign aid legislation, such as that intro-
duced recently in the Senate. Senators John Kerry, Dick
Luger, Bob Menendez, and Bob Corker, along with original
co sponsors Ben Cardin and Jim Risch have introduced the
Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of
2009 (S. 1524). Among other things it would return the policy
making function to USAID and require that USAID mission
directors be made responsible for the coordination of all U.S.
development and humanitarian assistance in the field.
Whatever the outcome of these bills, the SLUM Assistance
Act is a milestone of sorts in the history of U.S. foreign assis-
tance. USAID has had an uneven relationship with housing
and urban development, and the peak of its involvement
(largely through the Housing Guaranty Program) in the sec-
tor is more than a decade past. In the meantime the inexora-
 INSIDE InterAction

ble march to a developing world that is more than half urban InterAction Joins USCAN
continues, with the attendant proliferation of slums and To further facilitate InterAction’s engagement in climate
crushing poverty. The coming months will reveal whether change issues, it has decided to join forces with the US Cli-
Congress is intent on following through to better align foreign mate Action Network (USCAN). USCAN is the largest US
assistance with world demographic realities. network of organizations focused on climate change and
The International Housing Coalition, in concert with plays a critical role as the only network connecting organiza-
Habitat for Humanity International and CHF Interna- tions working on climate advocacy and policy development
tional, all InterAction members, have been trying to focus at all three levels of the debate: state/regional, federal, and
more attention on the challenges and opportunities posed by international. The extensive networks that USCAN mobilizes
an increasing urban world. for policy advocacy at the domestic and international levels
can amplify InterAction’s voice on climate change issues.
One of InterAction’s important goals is to address the
Joanne Carter Joins Global Fund Board causes and consequences of climate change within the devel-
Joanne Carter, executive director of RESULTS and oping world. InterAction pursues that goal through collabo-
RESULTS Educational Fund, was recently selected for ration in policy advocacy, and information sharing and
the position of Board Member for the Developed Country engagement on vital issues at the intersection of climate
NGO Delegation to the Global Fund Board, to serve for change, relief and development. The primary mechanism for
the next two years. Carter has a long history of leading InterAction’s activities in the area of climate change is its
RESULTS’ and Climate Change Working Group (CC WG). The group facili-
RESULTS Edu- tates and supports US NGOs in helping vulnerable develop-
cational Fund’s ing countries respond and adapt to the impacts of climate
advocacy efforts change. It also advocates actively on behalf of appropriate
related to the work of the Global Fund and global health, policies and legislation to mitigate and provide support for
including multi-country efforts to expand the fight against adaptation to climate change. MD
tuberculosis. This work intensified with the creation of
the Advocacy to Control Tuberculosis Internationally
(ACTION) project in 2005, with RESULTS Educational
Fund acting as the secretariat for the project.
Since 2005, ACTION has been working in seven coun-
tries to increase funding and improve policies for TB, a
disease of poverty that kills nearly two million people
annually, and has helped mobilize over half a billion
dollars to fight this global killer. In 2007, ACTION was
awarded a five-year renewal grant by The Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation to build on the project’s successes
and to continue advocating for needed resources and
global leadership to stop TB. Many of ACTION’s advocacy
efforts have been focused on increasing support for the
Global Fund because of the Fund’s critical role in expand-
ing countries’ ability to address TB, as well as AIDS and
malaria, and strengthen their health infrastructure.
“I am honored to take on this role.” said Carter. “The
Global Fund’s impact and innovation have made it a top
priority for my own organization and our network of vol-
unteer advocates in over 100 U.S. communities, and in
work we have helped lead with partners in the North and
South.” Looking to the future, Carter said, “The Global
Fund has already allowed countries to massively scale-
up their responses to these diseases and strengthen
their health infrastructure. It now faces a multibillion
dollar funding gap in no small part because of its suc-
cess—countries are now able to do more and ask for
more, and we must ensure that the Global Fund has the
full funding it needs to support countries to win the
fight.” MD

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 5

 STEP BY STEP Advocacy

Advocacy
choose the conference venue, the way you present the infor-
mation and the mix of people you use to present the infor-
mation. However, conferences consume significant resources

Activities: Part 3 and often have little or no discernable influence on actual

BY JOHN RUTHRAUFF
SENIOR MANAGER OF MEMBER ADVOCACY, INTERACTION
Note: This is the seventh installment in a series of articles on
developing an effective advocacy strategy. The series began
in the March 2009 edition of Monday Developments. Previous
installments have examined selecting an issue, defining your
goal and “asks”, conducting a power analysis, building stra-
tegic alliances, developing objectives and advocacy activities
(parts 1 and 2).
policy-making. They should not be undertaken lightly. Care-
fully consider why you might hold a conference and make
sure it will support your broader strategy.
Collaboration
Collaborating with key decision-makers on shared tasks
and goals is often the best road to influence. Working with
decision-makers, their staff and supporters can produce
changes that otherwise would be difficult or impossible to
obtain. Being generous in giving your collaboration partners
credit for new ideas or successful changes is often helpful.
Pilot projects

A
DVOCACY CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF PLANNED Pilot projects can demonstrate the usefulness of a particu-
activities that organizations undertake to press for lar idea. It is important to make sure you have the permis-
policy changes related to a specific issue. The activities sion and resources needed to complete a pilot project before
are the steps you use in your advocacy campaign to influence you begin one. You also need to keep complete records and
key actor(s) who can bring about your desired change. They conduct careful evaluations during and after the project in
should be based on a power analysis and designed to attain order to collect solid evidence that you can use to convince
an objective. Advocacy activi- decision-makers of the effec-
ties can strengthen allies, tiveness of the project. Involv-
increase pubic awareness of ing decision-makers or their
your issue, reduce the influ- staff in the project design and
ence of opponents, and/or evaluation can be helpful as
convince undecided actors to it allows them to more fully
join your effort. An advocacy understand the project.
campaign does not mean you
need to take to the streets in Capacity building
protest or physically confront It may be necessary to
anyone; in fact, doing so is strengthen capability of alliance
often counterproductive and members and/or decision-
can literally be dangerous. makers to perform functions
When choosing your activi- key to achieving your goals.
ties for a particular campaign, Capacity building can involve
make sure they take into training workshops, consulta-
account the local culture, reli- tions, conferences, study tours,
gious practices, social norms, and other activities.
and the political and secu-
rity situations. The activities Study tours
should also draw on and reflect the strengths and interests Study tours can introduce decision-makers and their staff
of your alliance members. In the last two installments we to new information and ideas, but they need to be part of
explored: (1) building relationships; (2) email, phone calls a broader strategy. Study tours are popular but consume a
Photo: Anatoly Tiplyashin - Fotolia.com

and letter writing; (3) meeting with individuals; (4) social
media: (5) negotiations; (6) media; (7) research and publica-
tions; and (8) indirect persuasion. Other possible advocacy
activities include:
Conferences
You can use conferences to present information about the
issue and your proposals to decision-makers, their staff and
interested members of the public. To reinforce the legitimacy
of the information you present, make sure you carefully
great deal of resources. Without an advocacy strategy, care-
ful planning, appropriate preparation, and follow-up study
tours won’t move you towards your goal. You should also be
careful about the details of who will cover what costs on the
tour and possible issues concerning public perceptions for
participants if your study tour will be to an exotic or desir-
able location or involve notable entertainment activities. (For
example, members of Congress have run into trouble in the
past for participating in all-expenses paid trips to places that
might be seen as desirable travel destinations.)

6 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009

Demonstrations, vigils and other public gatherings
Demonstrations, vigils, marches, and other mass gather-
ings need to be used very selectively, be carefully planned,
and most importantly be part of an overall strategy. Demon-
strations take a great deal of resources and effort, and they
may be ignored by decision-makers. This is particularly true
if there is little or no media coverage of the event. Demonstra-
tions do not need to involve confrontation. If confrontation
is involved it must be strategic, carefully planned (not spon-
taneous), and part of an overall strategy. Keep in mind that
confrontation can have negative consequences for your cam-
paign and unless covered by the media will have very limited
or no impact (and even media coverage may not produce a
positive impact if the media does not cover the situation in a
way that is sympathetic to your goals). Confrontation may
inadvertently lead to arrests that will both use up resources
and be covered by the media.
If after selecting a goal, conducting a power analysis, and
setting objectives, you decide that a demonstration is the
most effective means to achieve your goals, the demonstra-
tion must be very carefully planned and executed. Some of
the issues you need to consider include:
• Who is the target of the demonstration? Will the demon-
stration you plan influence him or her to support your
goal or oppose it?
• What size demonstration do you need to attract media
coverage and have an impact on the target? In large cit-
ies like Washington, DC or New York City it takes an
extremely large demonstration to obtain media coverage
or have any impact.
• To obtain media coverage it is important to have speak-
ers with a high public profile such as credible celebrities
or members of Congress.
• What are the logistical requirements necessary to trans-
port and supply the demonstrators (e.g., food, water,
sanitary facilities, public address system, housing and
security)?
• You can’t always control participants in a demonstra-
tion. If some want to commit violence it will be very diffi-
cult to stop and media will focus primarily or exclusively
on the violence and ignore your issue.
• Media coverage is important to publicize an issue and to
strengthen an advocacy campaign. However the media
cannot be controlled and they may accentuate unpopular
aspects of the campaign or focus on violence if it occurs.
• What permits do you need for the demonstration you are
planning?
• How can you protect the physical security of the demon-
strators both during the event and also while traveling to
and from the site? MD
Part eight of this series, which will discuss developing
power to achieve your goal, will appear in the November edi-
tion of Monday Developments.
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 7
 WASHINGTON Update
Shedding Light on
a Many-Layered
Process
BY MARGARET CHRISTOPH, SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE
FOR POLICY & COMMUNICATIONS, INTERACTION
R
EGULAR READERS OF THE WASHINGTON UPDATE
column in Monday Developments know how frequently
it focuses on the federal budget process, but they may
not be familiar with the process itself. It is confusing, to say
the least, so we decided to use this month’s column to outline
the process.
Non-Budget Bills
For normal bills, a Representative or Senator and their
staff will draft a bill, which is then introduced and sent to
a Committee for consideration and possible amendment. If
the Committee agrees, the bill is scheduled for floor consid-
eration and a vote by the full chamber. If the full House or
Senate approves it, the bill goes to the other chamber, where
the same process is followed. If both chambers approve a
bill, it then goes to a Conference Committee to reconcile any
changes made to the text during the second chamber’s pro-
cess of reviewing and approving the bill that the first cham-
ber approved. Each chamber appoints a number of “confer-
ees” from among its members to work on this committee.
Once the conferees have reconciled the bill, each chamber
votes on it one last time. If both chambers approve the rec-
onciled version, it is sent to the president for approval. If the
president signs it, it becomes a law. If he vetoes it, it goes
back to Congress where only the House and Senate both vot-
ing by a two-thirds majority can override the president’s veto.
The Budget Process
While a normal bill can be introduced at any time, the
federal budget is on a timeline based on the federal govern-
ment’s fiscal year (FY), which is October 1 through Septem-
ber 30. For example, FY2011 will run from October 1, 2010
through September 30, 2011. The federal spending bills are
supposed to be approved and signed by the day before the
start of that fiscal year; so for FY2011 they must be signed
by September 30, 2010. If they are not, then the House and
Senate must pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) to provide
funding so that the government does not shut down. CRs
maintain funding at the levels set for the previous fiscal year.
The President’s Budget Request
Instead of being drafted by a Representative or Senator,
the federal budget process begins with the president’s budget
request. The president must submit the budget request for
FY2011 between the first Monday in January of 2010 and
8 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
the first Monday in February 2010. This gives Congress time
to consider the request before they craft spending bills due to
be approved by September 30. The budget request lists the
amounts of money the president is seeking for various “func-
tions” (subject areas) in the budget (such as National Defense
or International Affairs). It also requests specific amounts for
specific accounts and subaccounts within each function. For
example, the “International Affairs” function includes Global
Health and Child Survival, Migration and Refugee Assis-
tance, Contributions for International Peacekeeping, and
several others.
Budget Resolutions
After the president submits the budget request, the House
and the Senate produce their own less detailed spending
plans, proposing an overall spending limit and total amounts
for each budget function. The final versions are called the
House Budget Resolution and the Senate Budget Resolu-
tion. Like other bills, these originate in committee (the Bud-
get Committees) and then are considered by the full House
and Senate. Unlike other bills, however, these do not go to
the president for signature, since they are not laws but sim-
ply spending plans to guide congressional spending bills—
“appropriations.” Additionally, the House and Senate con-
sider their budget resolutions at the same time instead of
passing through the House first and then the Senate (or vice
versa). Once both the House and Senate have passed their
respective Budget Resolutions, the two resolutions go to a
Conference Committee.
The Appropriations Process
After both chambers agree on the Budget Resolution, the
Appropriations Process starts. The Budget Resolution tells
the Chairmen of the Appropriations Committees what their
overall spending cap is for that year. The Chairmen in turn
divide this total amongst their subcommittees, which roughly
correspond to the budget functions. The appropriations sub-
committees for the accounts InterAction tracks are called the
House and Senate “State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs” appropriations subcommittees. These subcom-
mittees each then write an annual appropriations bill speci-
fying how much money from their allocation goes to each
account within their function. This bill is considered, pos-
sibly amended, and voted on (“marked up”) first by the sub-
committee, then the full Appropriations Committee, and then
the full chamber, just like other bills. Once each chamber
has approved each function’s appropriations, if the two bills
have different totals for the same functions and accounts,
the two must be reconciled in a Conference Committee. After
the bill has been approved by the House and Senate after the
Conference Committee, it goes to the president for signature.
Supplemental Funding
If, partway through the year, emergency funding is needed
for an account (for example, if more natural disasters occur
continued on page 18
 Photos: CARE

BY DR. HELENE GAYLE, PRESIDENT AND CEO, CARE, AND

GEOFFREY DENNIS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CARE INTERNATIONAL UK

10 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009


T
HE STORY OF AFRICA TODAY IS OFTEN TOLD
in grim statistics. Three-quarters of those living on
less than 50 cents a day are in sub-Saharan Africa.
Africa has 11 percent of the world’s population, but 60
percent of the world’s people living with HIV/AIDS, and
the average life expectancy is actually decreasing in
some places.
But there is a different story unfolding on the conti-
nent as well: the story of women and families in some
of the poorest communities in the world changing their
own lives. It is a story of hope, not despair. We have seen
firsthand that empowered, financially literate women
and girls are one of the world’s most powerful forces in
the fight against poverty.
The power of financial services
Nearly four decades of global microfinance experi-
ence have shown that when poor people have access to
financial services—secure savings, credit, insurance and
other products—they can change their lives and build
stronger, more prosperous communities. A 2006 World
The Last Frontier Bringing financial services to Africa’s poor.
MICROFINANCE
Bank report shows a strong correlation between reduc-
tions in poverty and the development of the financial
sector. If African countries are to achieve long-term
development, the poor in Africa must have access to an
array of flexible, cost-effective financial products and
services targeted to their needs.
The goal of microfinance is to adapt financial services
to meet the needs of poor people who usually lack
access to mainstream banks. Microfinance provides very
small loans from $5 to $50—and accepts savings depos-
its of less than $1, which despite the small size, can be
essential to creating income-generating activities and
sustainable livelihoods.
Why does microfinance focus on women?
Since microfinance began in the early 1970s, approxi-
mately 70 percent of the clients of microfinance institu-
tions—and often 100 percent—have been women. The
reason for this is deliberate and strategic. Women are
the best conduit for ensuring that microfinance confers
the greatest possible benefit on the greatest number of
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 11
 MICROFINANCE
people.
Throughout the world, women are
responsible for the well-being of their
families. Most girls are obliged to start
performing household chores at an
early age—sometimes as soon as they
can walk—and this develops a work
ethic and a sense of responsibility as
nurturers, care-givers and educators
of their young siblings. When women
earn money, they invariably invest
their earnings in improving the lives
of their children and families with bet-
ter food, clothing, shelter, health care
and educational opportunities. When
women earn, everyone benefits.
Moreover, poor women who have
access to financial services have
proven themselves to be highly credit-
worthy. Anecdotal evidence indicates
that women repay their loans more
consistently than men. Necessity has
made women careful strategists who
plan for the future, shrewd risk-takers
with an eye for economic opportunities,
and hard workers who put their fami-
lies’ welfare first. Investing in the earn-
ing power of women pays big dividends
for families, for society and for micro-
finance institutions, enabling them to
serve more and more clients.
Through microfinance, married
women often gain greater control
over household assets, a more equal
share in family decision-making, and
greater freedom to engage in income-
generating activities. Moreover, women
involved in microfinance groups are
more motivated to take action to
improve their lives and those of their
families and are more likely to engage
in social and political activities.
Next Stop: Africa
In Africa, microfinance has caught
on more slowly than in other regions
of the developing world. While it has
made some inroads, primarily in urban
areas, the great majority of Africans
who live off the land and in small towns
and villages have yet to be reached.
Until very recently, the cost of bringing
financial services—even microfinance
services—to remote parts of Africa has
been prohibitive, and the logistics of
doing so daunting.
In Africa’s vast rural areas, where
the world’s poorest people eke out a
living in sparsely populated communi-
12 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
ties, lack of infrastructure and unten- financial cooperatives. Sub-Saharan
ably high costs per transaction have African countries accounted for only
kept microfinance institutions (MFIs) four percent of the global total, with
away. The low levels of savings and an average of four savings or loan
demand for credit generated by such accounts per 100 people, compared
clients are usually not viable, even for to with 17 accounts per 100 people in
nimble MFIs that operate efficiently. Asia and the Pacific. In rural Niger, for
Reaching the poorest of the poor has example, there is one bank branch for
been limited because the scale and every 844,000 people.
structure of microfinance programs Without access to basic financial
have been defined by the need to build services, Africans are at risk of remain-
healthy institutions and a commitment ing at the margins of economic oppor-
to provide services to the enormous tunity. In the past, most poor Africans
population of the unserved rural poor. relied on homegrown, often unreliable
In densely populated areas of Asia and exploitative traditional services in
and Latin America, providing credit has the form of deposit collectors and mon-
been the driving force of microfinance eylenders. Microfinance offers freedom
because opportunities to invest in from these traditional practices, allow-
income-generating activities are many. ing one to monitor their finances. But
But rural Africans have been left out, to finally reach the hundreds of mil-
mainly because they have been hard to lions of Africans without access to any
reach and their bottom-rung economic form of financial services, microfinance
status makes savings a higher priority must become a much bigger piece of the
than credit. microfinance landscape in Africa. MD
In 2006, the Consultative Group
to Assist the World’s Poor (CGAP) This article is an excerpt from CARE’s
conducted a global survey of formal “State of the Sector Report: Bringing
institutions that offer savings and financial services to Africa’s poor”. To
credit services to lower income people, order a free copy, please email info@
including microfinance institutions, care.org. It can also be downloaded
postal savings banks, state-owned from the CARE website: www.care.org.
banks, rural banks, credit unions and
CARE’s innovative contribution to microfinance
CARE has developed a radically different approach to building the financial health of
Africa’s poor. It has found a way to enable isolated, often illiterate women to be their own
bankers. CARE’s experience has shown that the answer is not necessarily to bring banks
or microfinance institutions (MFIs) to Africa’s poor, but instead make it possible for Africa’s
poor to create their own basic Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) without any
outside funding.
By mobilizing small amounts in savings and interest accrued from loans, CARE’s VSLAs
are already laying a foundation of economic security and expanding economic opportu-
nities for 1.2 million Africans. In Niger, the world’s poorest county and the site of the first
VSLAs, nearly 200,000 women have collectively amassed $14 million in savings. Moreover,
60 percent of the money these groups save is loaned out to members. The rest is redistrib-
uted to the members with interest.
Since 1991, CARE has implemented VSLA’s in 16 African countries. The approach is
based on savings and providing financial services such as savings, credit and insurance
to women and subsistence farmers in the sub-continent’s least developed regions. VSLAs
build their assets, and disburse credit, solely from member savings. The self-managed,
flexible system enables VSLA members to take advantage of economic opportunities that
help them respond to unforeseen challenges such as illness that would otherwise drive
them into a cycle of uncontrollable, unpayable debt.
The VSLAs are not in competition with MFIs, but complementary to them. Over time,
VSLAs help create pools of clients who advance to receive the more sophisticated finan-
cial services as their resources, skills and confidence grows. The next step is the linking of
VSLAs to microfinance institutions and banks so that the poorest people in Africa have
access to all of the financial services that can help them improve their lives.

CONTINUING SERIES: KIDNAPPED!
Family Involvement
BY JOSH KEARNS, ASSOCIATE SECURITY COORDINATOR, INTERACTION
This is the third in a four-part series
detailing a fictional kidnap scenario.
The purpose of the series is to high-
light appropriate and inappropriate
responses that organizations might
take and resources that are avail-
able when faced with the kidnapping
of staff. The scenario is based on a
recent hostage incident management
training conducted by the InterAc-
tion Security Unit in conjunction with
InterAction’s Security Advisory Group.
All events and characters are entirely
fictitious, as are all the organizations
with the exception of United Nations
Department of Safety and Security, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation and
Overseas Security Advisor Council.
Photo: endostock - Fotolia.com
F
OUR NGO WORKERS—TONY,
Wali, Sally and Hamid—were
kidnapped 48 hours ago. As NGO
Alpha scrambled to respond to
the incident, the driver Hamid’s dead
body was found with a note stating “no
negotiation policy.” NGO Alpha head-
quarters has set up a Crisis Manage-
ment Team; NGO Bravo’s CEO has
decided to step in and handle the situ-
ation himself. Meanwhile, both orga-
nizations’ field offices are awaiting
direction from headquarters, as are the
victim’s families and the media.
Not long after NGO Alpha’s Crisis
Management Team had convened at
headquarters, the organization received
a call from Patricia, Sally’s mother.
Sally had been kidnapped nearly two
days ago and Patricia, a wealthy widow,
explained that she was at London’s
Heathrow Airport, awaiting her flight
to Nairobi, from where she planned to
find her way to Mogadishu. Once there,
her intention was to pay the $1 million
ransom herself. The call was patched
through to Vivek, who had been tasked
by the CMT to liaise with the victims’
families. Vivek pleaded with Patricia to
remain in the UK, but she would not
be swayed. She was outraged that NGO
Alpha had not contacted her, while
KIDNAPPED!
she had reached out to them twice.
She explained that she did not have
faith in Alpha to resolve the situation
and so she was taking matters into her
own hands. After she had hung up on
him, Vivek immediately picked up the
phone and called Alpha’s Mogadishu
field office to explain the situation,
and instructed Abdi, the security focal
point, to convene the Incident Manage-
ment Team (IMT).
An IMT is a field-based equivalent
of the CMT, designed to help an orga-
nization cope with a crisis in the most
efficient way possible. The IMT is also
responsible for briefing the CMT as
events unfold. Abdi, always one step
ahead of the game, had made Alpha
Mogadishu staff practice convening the
IMT quarterly since he had taken the
post. The IMT consisted of Rex, Alpha’s
logistics person, acting as Coordinator
(in lieu of the Country Director who was
on R&R); Laila the administrator, acting
as “Boardman,” the person who keeps a
written log of events; and Abdi, acting as
Communicator. Abdi’s role as Commu-
nicator was crucial, as he was tasked
not only with relaying updates to head-
quarters, but also reaching out to the
families of local staff who were affected
by the incident. Currently, that involved
visiting Hamid’s family in wake of his
murder at the hands of the kidnappers.
Abdi was filled with a sense of dread
as he jumped into a Landcruiser with
his driver. Hamid had been a close
friend. He had also been the sole bread
winner for his wife Aziza, their chil-
dren, and several members of their
extended family. In the Somalia con-
text, dealing with the family of his slain
co-worker meant not simply extending
NGO Alpha’s condolences, but arrang-
ing for the financial well being of his
family and, possibly, ensuring that the
family did not attempt to take action
against his killers. Adbi, though an
experienced field security professional,
had never before been in this situation.
When he arrived at Aziza’s home,
Abdi was greeted by Aziza and what
appeared to be Hamid’s entire clan. The
front room of the house was packed
full of people. Abdi took a deep breath
and began by expressing his own grief
for the loss of Hamid, his friend and
co-worker. Aziza thanked him for his
kind words, but told him that she held
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 13
 KIDNAPPED!
NGO Alpha responsible for Hamid’s
death. The note found on Hamid’s
body—“No negotiation policy”—was
a clear message that Alpha had not
acted quickly enough to secure the
hostages’ release. Did Alpha not care
about their Somali staff? Why would
they not negotiate? Did they not realize
that Hamid had people who depended
on him when they sent him out on a
dangerous road? Abdi maintained his
composure, explaining that NGO Alpha
had indeed tried to reach out to the
kidnappers, but that the kidnappers
had used Hamid to force the families
of the American victims to pay a higher
ransom. He was quick to point out
that responsibility for Hamid’s death
lay squarely with the kidnappers, and
that NGO Alpha would work with the
appropriate authorities to bring them
to justice, once the other hostages had
been freed. Finally, Hamid explained
that NGO Alpha would continue to
pay Hamid’s family’s finances for four
months. This was eventually negoti-
ated up to eight months by Aziza and
her family, a settlement that seemed
14 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
satisfactory for all, and one that Hamid
was sure he could convince Alpha to
agree to. Finally, Hamid felt comfort-
able enough to leave Aziza and return
to the business of securing the release
of the three remaining hostages.
In Los Angeles, NGO Bravo’s CEO,
Booker, had taken over management
of the incident. With little experience in
these matters he was in over his head.
Bravo did not have kidnap and ran-
som insurance, nor did they have any
policies dealing with the kidnapping
incidents. Vijaya, Bravo’s Operations
Director, pleaded with Booker to hire a
consultant to handle communications.
She quickly prevailed. NGO Alpha had
suggested that Bravo hire the same con-
sulting company employed by Alpha,
and Booker wisely agreed. However, two
problems remained for Bravo: dealing
with the media, and with Tony and Wali’s
families. The media was the more imme-
diate of the two concerns, because inac-
curate or inappropriate media reports
could spell disaster for the kidnappers’
victims. A well crafted press statement
could help the kidnappers view their
victims as human beings, increasing the
likelihood of their safe return.
Not long after Hamid’s body was
discovered in Mogadishu, Al Jazeera
ran a story on the kidnapping, citing
unnamed sources as saying that the
kidnappers had demanded ransom.
NGO Alpha’s CMT in New York called
NGO Bravo immediately to devise a
media statement. Their consultant had
recommended that Sally’s and Tony’s
parents give a joint statement, the
intent of which would be to humanize
the victims and place the responsibil-
ity for their safety on kidnappers. Since
Sally’s mother was en route to Nairobi
and unlikely to cooperate anyway, it
was decided to contact Bruce, Tony’s
father. NGO Bravo set up a meeting
between Bruce and the consultant to
work out the details, and a press con-
ference was called soon after. Various
international media outlets were called
in, and Bruce read a prepared state-
ment that highlighted Bruce’s per-
sonal background, his love for his fam-
ily, and his desire to make the world
continued on page 30

Animal Welfare
Sustainable development can benefit from
partnership with animal-focused organizations.
BY LARRY WINTER ROEDER, JR., UNITED NATIONS AFFAIRS DIRECTOR, THE WORLD SOCIETY
FOR THE PROTECTION OF ANIMALS
A
LTHOUGH WE TACKLE
development and relief from
different perspectives, the ani-
mal welfare community has
much in common with the traditional
humanitarian community, which is
why we belong to InterAction. Indeed,
neither can fully reach their potential
without the other.
I first saw this in the 1980s while
serving in the Sinai Peninsula on
detached duty from the Department
of State. It was my third time living
in Egypt. During my first stay in the
1950s, I learned to ride camels from a
police brigade near my home in Maidi
and since the camels followed me home
regularly, the police decided I needed to
learn how to wash and ride them. Years
later while teaching desert survival
and Bedouin culture, I realized that I
hadn’t ever been on a caravan longer
than about twenty miles, so I joined one
from Somalia into Cairo to learn how to
herd. I also did it so that when I entered
a Bedouin camp, I would have a better
idea of what motivated the inhabitants.
One day in a market, a young camel
became angry and protested loudly. He
was beaten to the ground and burned
alive! I can still smell the flesh and hear
his screams. What I saw was great cru-
elty of course, but it was also a lesson in
the interaction of development and ani-
mal welfare. Killing the camel meant a
loss of investment for the herders. Fur-
ther, the buyers lost a valuable asset
needed to develop their farms. Every-
one lost, including the camel, most hor-
ribly. For less and more dramatic ways
Photo: Hamady - Fotolia.com
that is why our communities need to
collaborate more than we do.
Of the world’s one billion very poorest
people, over 650 million totally depend
on animals for a living, according to the
UN. Take away their animals and the
people go from poverty to desperation.
Of course, many more hundreds of mil-
lions depend on animals for food, jobs
and culture. Further, harming animals
can spread disease, as we have seen
through the bush meat trade. Harm-
ing animals also reduces productivity
on the farm and in the slaughterhouse.
Intensive farming hurts the climate
and many poor farming practices dam-
age the environment in general. To
tackle those issues, like any respon-
sible humanitarian NGO, The World
Society for the Protection of Animals
(WSPA) is prepared to operate in any
political or physical environment so
long as effective animal welfare (in our
case) can be produced and so long as
the staff involved can operate in rea-
sonable safety. After all, as with people,
animals in greatest need often live in
harsh environments like droughts or
floods, and in conflicts or lands man-
aged by governments or local bands
with terrible human right records. The
animals did not ask to live there and
should not be left without assistance
simply due to an accident of residence.
We have been doing our work since
1964, when we first established a repu-
tation of which we are proud by sending
an expert from Massachusetts named
John Walsh and his volunteers to save
thousands of animals in an 870-square
mile area of dense rain forest in Suri-
name. A man-made flood related to the
building of a dam prompted a large-
scale human evacuation. The society
took a moral stand that it could not
passively sit by while animals died a
terrible death due to rising lake water.
That willingness to tackle such a cri-
sis set the tone for four decades pro-
tecting animals: from floods in Europe
and South America, to famine in India,
earthquakes in Peru, abandoned ani-
mals in the 1974 Cyprus conflict (in
partnership with the World Health
ANIMAL WELFARE
Organization), working and zoo ani-
mals in war-torn Afghanistan in 2004,
and livestock harmed by the Myanmar
cyclone in 2008 (in partnership with
the UN Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion). In Myanmar, an operation I sup-
ported, we operated in a country with
the very worst human rights record; but
because without livestock the rice could
not have been brought in, and because
without rice, people would have starved,
we went in. In 1992, WSPA was in war-
struck Bosnia, providing assistance
to stray dogs, cattle and zoo animals,
which in turn helped people. We did the
same in Gaza in 2009.
All these operations took place within
the rubric of disaster management; but
what is often misunderstood is that
disaster management is really just a
part of sustainable development. We
also work with farm animals to reduce
cruelty from poorly managed slaughter-
houses, to foster better livestock care
through model farms and protect wild-
life, zoo and entertainment animals; all
have a role in sustainable development.
What that leads to is a need for collabo-
ration between the animal welfare and
development NGOs. After all, disaster
management and development is more
than simply putting people in shelters
or about money. It is about fostering
a sustainable recovery after an emer-
gency and creating a society that can
resist hazards turning into crises. This
requires a holistic approach that ben-
efits all parties. WSPA looks forward
to working with its fellow InterAction
members to that end.
Mr. Roeder retired from the U.S.
Department of State in 2005 as the Pol-
icy Adviser on Disaster Management in
the Bureau of International Organiza-
tion Affairs. MD
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 15
 PROJECTIONS

Population
Projections
Making sense of the reality behind
the estimates.
BY ELIZABETH LEAHY MADSEN, RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, POPULATION
ACTION INTERNATIONAL

“It’s rather odd to talk about climate change and what we

must do to stop and prevent the ill effects without talking
about population and family planning.”
—Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, July 2009

“The Middle East is home to six percent of the world’s popula-

tion but just two percent of the world’s water. A demographic
boom and a shrinking water supply will only tighten the
squeeze.”
—Senator John Kerry, July 2009

“Over the next 20 years certain pressures—population,

resource, energy, climate, economic, and environmental—
could combine with rapid cultural, social, and technological
change… Looking ahead, I believe the most persistent and
potentially dangerous threats will come less from emerging
ambitious states, than from failing ones that cannot meet the
basic needs—much less the aspirations—of their people.”
—Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, July 2008

T
HESE RECENT STATEMENTS INDICATE THAT U.S.
administration officials and legislative leaders increas-
ingly recognize the importance of population trends in
development and foreign policy. Together with health,
human rights, security and other factors, changes in popula-
tion size and age composition influence individual well-being
and national development. However, population projections
that are key for policy-making are unrealistic in some coun-
tries, and assume increasing provision of voluntary family
planning, reproductive and primary health care, and educa-
tion.
Demography offers a unique benefit for long-term plan-
ning because population dynamics over the next few decades
can be projected with a greater degree of confidence than
many other socioeconomic factors, given that the majority
choices or lack thereof that, taken together, shape the direc-
tion of the demographic future.
Population change is driven by three major factors: fertil-
ity, mortality and migration patterns. Fertility (the average
number of children per woman) has by far the greatest effect
on population trends. Although they remain far too high in
some places, mortality rates have declined around the world
and most children born today survive to adulthood. Even in
the countries in southern Africa hardest hit by HIV/AIDS and
other illnesses, fertility rates are high enough to offset mor-
Photo: Jocelyn Cunningham

of the people who will comprise a country’s population 10
or 20 years hence are already alive today. However, popula-
tion projections are not guaranteed, and their uncertainty is
particularly notable in the least developed countries, where
much U.S. development assistance is directed. The accuracy
of population projections will be driven in large part by the
policy decisions made today and their impact on individual
tality, ensuring population growth. Migration, meanwhile,
can affect population growth rates and age composition in
countries that send or receive a high proportion of migrants,
but the scale of its impact does not approach that of fertility.
Projections of global and national population change,
therefore, must make assumptions about the future path
of fertility, migration and mortality. Population projections

16 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009

 PROJECTIONS

Figure 1.
World population under
different UN scenarios

are produced by a handful of organizations, but the most the world (7.1 children per woman in a 2006 survey). Niger’s
comprehensive and widely used are released biannually by population has doubled in the past two decades and is esti-
the United Nations Population Division, with eight variants mated at 16 million in 2010. If fertility stays constant at the
for every country over the century between 1950 and 2050. current level, the population would more than quadruple
Most of the UN projections’ variants are related to differ-
ent assumptions about fertility. The most commonly cited
“medium-fertility variant” assumes that all countries’ fertil-
ity rates will ultimately converge at a universal rate of 1.85
children per woman, regardless of whether current fertility
rates are significantly above or below that figure. The model
only takes recent trends into account over the next five to
10 years; beyond that period, the projections assume regu- 2009 NGO Headquarters  
lar changes in fertility rates towards the universal level. The Salary and Benefits Survey  
fertility variants also assume gradual improvements in life  
expectancy from current levels, and roughly a status quo • The average salary of CEOs in Washington, D.C. 
effect for migration. is...  
The differences and assumptions underlying the popula-
tion projections may seem technical or mundane, but policy- • The average merit increase budgeted for the 
makers and program managers must carefully select which upcoming year is… 
projection variant to use, based on which demographic • Organizations have increased their employee 
assumptions they feel are most likely. Played out over health contribution by...   
decades, seemingly minute differences in fertility rates can
have a major impact on a population’s growth or decline. For Answers to these questions and many more are 
example, a slight increase in Kenya’s total fertility rate from available to survey participants. The survey is open 
4.7 to 4.8 children per woman earlier this decade nearly dou- during the month of September.  
bled the country’s projected total population for 2050 under Contact us! We will be happy to answer your ques‐
the medium-fertility variant. This in turn has major implica-
tions for demands on health care and education systems,
tions about this survey or tell you more about other 
labor markets, social welfare programs and infrastructure. InsideNGO resources and services. 
Although the “constant-fertility” variant functions primar-
ily as an intellectual exercise, given that most countries have
experienced declines in fertility as they pass through the Contact: info@InsideNGO.org or call
demographic transition, the medium-fertility variant does 202-684-3684
not appear to be a realistic possibility in some cases. Con- www.InsideNGO.org
sider Niger, which currently has the highest fertility rate in

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 17

 PROJECTIONS
Figure 2.
Total population in
high and low fertility
countries under
different UN scenarios
to reach 88 million in 2050. The UN medium-fertility vari-
ant, however, projects that Niger’s fertility rate will steadily
decline to 3.8 children per woman by mid-century, resulting
in a total population of 58 million—one-third smaller than
under the constant-fertility scenario. Given that Niger’s fertil-
ity rate today is the same as in 1992 and only five percent of
married women are using a modern contraceptive method, it
is, unfortunately, overly optimistic to assume a speedy and
rapid decline in the future without a strong policy response.
The projection of a universal fertility rate is also optimistic
for the countries where fertility rates have reached very low
levels, a smaller group than those with persistently high fer-
tility but one where current trends also call the prospect of
rapid demographic change into question. In Ukraine, the fer-
tility rate has already been lower than the replacement level
of 2.1 for a generation and was estimated at 1.15 children
per woman in the early 2000s, nearly half the level needed
to maintain a stable population. At this level, the country’s
population will decline from over 45 million today to fewer
than 31 million in 2050. The medium-fertility variant proj-
ects that fertility in Ukraine will reverse its long decline and
rise to 1.85 by mid-century, leaving the population to still
decline, but by 10 million instead of 15 million people.
The different trajectories of Niger and Ukraine illustrate
not only the significant levels of uncertainty inherent in
population projections, but also the disparities within cur-
rent demographic trends. It is fairly well understood that
developing countries, in general, will continue to experience
population growth for decades to come while developed coun-
tries are addressing population aging and, in some cases,
the prospect of decline. This simple demarcation only tells
part of the story. Within the developing world, many regions
and countries are headed on different demographic paths. In
Eastern Asia, fertility has on average already dropped below
replacement level, and is at or below 2.5 children per woman
in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia and South America. The
fertility declines in these regions in recent decades can in
18 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
large part be attributed to government and donor investment
in voluntary family planning and reproductive health pro-
grams, provision of primary health care and increased rates
of girls’ education. However, as the example of Niger dem-
onstrates, this success has not been replicated everywhere.
Fertility rates have stalled or never begun to decline across
much of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East,
where the unmet need for family planning ranges as high as
51 percent among married women. These stark differences
underscore that population projections cannot possibly be
achieved—and in fact should be treated carefully—unless
policy and funding changes provide women, men and young
people with the services they desire and need. MD
Washington Update
continued from page 8
in a year than expected and therefore not enough emergency
response funding was appropriated in the normal budget
process), the president will propose a supplemental funding
bill. Like regular appropriations bills, a supplemental appro-
priations bill generally must go through the whole process of
subcommittee, full committee, floor consideration and vote,
conference committee, and presidential signature. In recent
years supplemental appropriations were used to cover sig-
nificant amounts of spending that some would argue could
have been included in the regular budget process (e.g., fund-
ing for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and funding for a
number of humanitarian efforts). The Obama administration
has stated that it does not want to continue that trend, but it
is too early to tell exactly how that will play out in the budget
process over the next few years. MD
Ken Forsberg, Senior Legislative Manager at InterAction,
contributed to this article, and writes legislative pieces for
InterAction’s weekly e-mail update for public policy issues.

Urban Displacement
and Growth Amidst
Humanitarian Crisis
New realities require a new strategy in Kabul.
BY CHARLES A. SETCHELL, SHELTER, SETTLEMENTS, AND HAZARD MITIGATION
ADVISOR, USAID/OFDA, AND CAROLINE N. LUTHER, SENIOR INFORMATION OFFICER,
USAID/OFDA
B
Y 2008, AN UNPRECEDENTED
half of the world’s population
resided in urban areas. The
current total population of 6.8
billion people is projected by the Pop-
ulation Reference Bureau to increase
to more than 8 billion by 2025, with
a majority of growth occurring in the
urban centers of developing countries.
While sufficiently daunting, the pro-
jections fail to capture urban growth
attributable to displacement. Enduring
conflict and frequent natural disasters
in parts of the developing world encour-
age or force rural migration to urban
centers at rates that accelerate and
exacerbate the urbanization process. In
recent years, for example, cities such
as Freetown, Khartoum and Prishtina,
among many others, have experi-
enced dramatic population increases
(far beyond projections) that confound
efforts to promote urban recovery and
development. A new approach to urban
recovery that addresses humanitarian
concerns and incorporates risk reduc-
tion strategies is required to address
needs generated by rapid urban growth,
reverse the cycle of perpetual humani-
tarian crisis among a largely invisible
segment of urban populations, and
ultimately lay the foundation necessary
for successful urban development.
An often ignored phenomenon
The manifold challenges confronting
Photo: USAID/OFDA
Kabul include, most predominantly,
rapid growth—perhaps the fastest in
the world. In the years since Septem-
ber 11, 2001, Kabul’s population has
tripled in size to approximately 4.5 mil-
DISPLACEMENT
lion people, with returning refugees
and migrants (both those economically
motivated and those forcibly displaced)
constituting 80 percent of the change.
In 2002, only 22 percent of Afghani-
stan’s population lived in urban areas.
The figure may have increased to as
much as 35 percent by 2009, indicat-
ing unprecedented urban growth coun-
trywide, a trend data suggest will con- additional challenges to urban recovery
tinue for the foreseeable future. planning in the capital city.
Volatility amid continuing efforts to Urban displaced populations are often
eradicate the insurgency, the ravages difficult to count, invisible amongst sig-
of recurrent drought and environmental nificant numbers of other urban poor.
degradation, limited employment oppor- Rarely do displaced households reside
tunities, and natural disasters in com- in designated areas, but rather with
munities with poor risk management host families, in demographically diverse
and response capacities continue to informal settlements, or in abandoned
erode coping mechanisms in rural areas buildings.
and prompt residents to flee to Kabul The absence of mechanisms to locate
and other cities. Current and future displaced individuals living in the
migration rates remain indeterminable city, in part a consequence of limited
and unpredictable, respectively, adding humanitarian engagement in the urban
Urban Displacement: A Burgeoning Area of Study
http://blogs.odi.org.uk/blogs/main/archive/2009/06/19/world_refugee_day.aspx
• Over the next two years, the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas
Development Institute (ODI) will be studying urban displacement in partnership
with the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and in collaboration
with the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, UN-Habitat and the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
• Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) research on urban
displacement includes:
http://www.unhcr.org/research/RESEARCH/4a1d33252.pdf
http://www.unhcr.org/research/RESEARCH/487b4c6c2.pdf
• Preparations for the December 2009 High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection
Challenges and ‘Urban Displacement,’ further details of which can be found at:
http://www.unhcr.org/protect/PROTECTION/4a12a6ce2.pdf
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 19
 DISPLACEMENT
USAID
Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance
USAID/OFDA programs account for
unique vulnerabilities, natural hazard
risks, cultural context, existing social and
economic systems, and the role of Kabul
Municipality:
The multi-sectoral KASS project:
• Provides seismic-resistant
transitional shelter and basic
services and infrastructure using
local labor and resources;
• By generating livelihoods, promotes
recovery and local ownership of
projects;
• By accounting for risks, incorporates
long-term view to support
development; and
• By investing in existing communities
to upgrade and expand shelter and
services, ensures cost-effective,
timely humanitarian assistance,
while building on established social
and economic networks.
Capacity building in Kabul municipality:
• USAID/OFDA partners build the
urban recovery management
capacity of Kabul Municipality.
• Means include technical assistance,
advisory services and technology
transfer.
• Urban planning advisors address
strategy and policy issues related to
large-scale urban displacement and
growth.
For additional information, please see:
• Shelter and Settlements Sector
Update, Sept 2009
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/
humanitarian_assistance/disaster_
assistance/sectors/shelter.html
• Overview of the KASS Project
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/
humanitarian_assistance/
disaster_assistance/sectors/files/
kass_summary.pdf
• Delivery of Humanitarian Shelter
in Urban Areas: The Case of “KASS”
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/
humanitarian_assistance/disaster_
assistance/sectors/files/case_of_
kass.pdf
20 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
context, allows government and interna-
tional actors to downplay the displace-
ment crisis, advocate for status quo pro-
grams, and ignore a growing segment of
the population, many of whom require
immediate assistance after arriving
in Kabul with limited or no resources.
Efforts by the humanitarian community
to distinguish between the urban dis-
placed and urban poor—and, therefore,
demarcate humanitarian assistance
and development assistance—have gen-
erated controversy among both policy-
makers and assistance providers. Two
clear facts emerge as indisputable, how-
ever: humanitarian needs exist among
Kabul’s population, due in large part to
rapid and untenable growth, and these
needs are often more acute for house-
holds displaced from rural areas.
Informal settlements become the norm
The time-warp speed at which Kabul
grew in the last eight years hardly
afforded government officials the lux-
ury of foresight to effectively plan for
and accommodate growth when war-
and disaster-ravaged resources and
infrastructure precluded even mini-
mal responses to meet the most basic
needs. Surprisingly, however, a signifi-
cant majority of the population occu-
pies what the World Bank describes
as “substantial” structures, generally
made from mud bricks. The govern-
ment considers only 0.5 percent of the
population homeless. The buildings
where people live, however, form high-
density, crowded settlements precari-
ously balanced on steep hillsides and
buttressing towering and dilapidated
buildings in the city center. The con-
struction of settlements kept pace with
the high rate of displacement and three-
fold increase in population, resulting in
a four-fold increase in land devoted to
urban activities. Unfortunately, con-
tinued government reliance on a 1978
master plan designed to accommodate
only two million people resulted in one
of the highest rates of informal hous-
ing in the world. Thus, although Kabul
avoided a homelessness crisis, approxi-
mately 80 percent of the total popula-
tion resides in officially unauthorized
and unrecognized areas that lack ade-
quate drainage, refuse disposal, grav-
eled roads, water and sanitation facili-
ties, and safe drinking water sources.
Further, although “substantial,” many
structures remain vulnerable to col-
lapse during seismic events—the latter
a critical consideration in one of the
world’s most seismically active and vul-
nerable cities courtesy of the Chaman
fault and low-quality building materi-
als and practices. As a result of location
and poor services, settlements are more
vulnerable to other disasters as well,
including floods, waterborne diseases,
physical damage or loss of life caused
by falling boulders in the hillsides, and
landmines from earlier conflicts.
Responding to needs
The case of Kabul clearly demon-
strates the need for humanitarian and
development actors to re-think urban
interventions. A new strategy that
addresses humanitarian needs caused
by rapid urban growth and displace-
ment in a manner that supports long-
term development goals is required. As
the preceding assessment illustrates,
the current situation is a complex
intertwinement of significant humani-
tarian needs and basic development
needs, compounded by the effects and
high-level risks associated with natural
and human-generated hazards.
Given the sheer number of structures,
the minimal resources in Kabul Munici-
pality coffers, and the need to quickly
address pressing humanitarian needs,
improving the informal settlements
remains the most viable option at pres-
ent. Two questions then arise related to
supporting long-term development: how
to develop and service settlements in a
sustainable manner while strengthen-
ing local capacity to assume ownership
of urban recovery; and how to mitigate
risks in order to protect progress and
maintain a foundation for develop-
ment. For an overview of how the U.S.
Agency for International Development
(USAID), through the Office of U.S. For-
eign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), contin-
ues to answer these questions through
the Kabul Area Shelter and Settlements
(KASS) Project and capacity building
programs, please refer to the sidebar. MD
The views expressed in this article are
the personal views of the authors and
do not necessarily represent the official
views of the United States Agency for
International Development.

Investing in Health,
Rights and the Future
The need for and benefits of increased investment in
reproductive health.
BY THORAYA AHMED OBAID, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNFPA, THE UNITED NATIONS
POPULATION FUND
T
HIS YEAR MARKS TWO IMPOR-
tant occasions: the 40th anni-
versary of UNFPA, the United
Nations Population Fund, and
the 15th anniversary of the historic
International Conference on Popula-
tion and Development. This provides
an opportunity for reflection.
At the international conference in
Cairo 15 years ago, 179 governments
agreed to work towards universal
access to reproductive health by 2015.
This target now appears in the Millen-
nium Development Goals, under MDG
5 to improve maternal health.
But this is an area where we need
to make far greater progress. Today,
poor reproductive health is a leading
killer and disabler of women in the
Photo: Benjamin Edwards
developing world. This causes vast and
needless death and suffering, and it is
dragging down economic growth and
stalling efforts to reduce poverty.
Every year, more than half a million
women die during pregnancy and child-
birth, largely from problems that can be
prevented. For every woman who dies,
20 other women suffer injuries and dis-
abilities that can last a lifetime.
The sad and shocking truth is that
maternal mortality is the largest health
inequity in the world. African countries
have rates at least 100 times those in
developed countries. The result: of all
the MDGs, the one to improve maternal
health is lagging the furthest behind.
It is not lack of knowledge that is
hindering progress; it is weak capacity
and a lack of political will. Decision-
makers must act to protect the health
and rights of women, especially their
right to decide freely the number and
timing of their children.
The world is paying a high price
for not allowing women to live up to
their full potential. While the loss of a
mother is beyond measure for her child
and family, the loss to the world has
actually been measured: maternal and
newborn mortality costs the planet $15
REPRODUCTION
billion in lost productivity every year.
This is unacceptable.
UNFPA has joined together with the
World Bank, UNICEF and the World
Health Organization to reduce the
needless deaths of women and new-
borns. In countries where women have
access to a full range of comprehensive
reproductive health services, maternal
death is rare.
Together, we support governments
and civil society to strengthen health
systems, address the shortage of skilled
health workers, and scale up quality
health services to deliver reproduc-
tive health care. This package includes
family planning, skilled attendance at
delivery and emergency obstetric and
newborn care, ensuring coordination
with HIV prevention and treatment.
We are also tackling the root causes
of maternal death and disability,
including gender inequality, poor
access to education—especially for
girls—child marriage and adolescent
pregnancy. And to ensure we are on
track, we are strengthening systems of
monitoring and evaluation.
We estimate that access to voluntary
family planning could reduce mater-
nal deaths by 25 to 40 percent, and
child deaths by as much as 20 per-
cent. The World Bank estimates that
ensuring skilled care in delivery, espe-
cially access to emergency obstetric
care, would reduce maternal deaths by
about 74 percent—the target of MDG5.
The personal, social, economic and
demographic benefits of reproductive
health services will be even higher.
Reproductive health is not only a right,
but also a critical factor in population
dynamics—the size of a country’s popu-
lation, its growth rate, its age structure.
Today almost all population growth
is occurring in less developed coun-
tries, where young people under age 25
are nearly half of the total population.
Yet national systems are already failing
to meet growing demands for educa-
tion, healthcare, employment, sanita-
tion and housing.
Access to reproductive health care,
particularly family planning, lets
women and girls avoid unintended
pregnancy and unsafe abortions.
Women stay healthier, are more pro-
ductive, and have more opportunities
for education, training and employ-
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 21
 REPRODUCTION
At the moment, just
one in four married
women in the least-
developed countries
is using modern
contraception.
ment. This benefits entire nations: more and healthier
women in the labor force earn more income, which means
less poverty and faster economic growth.
Yet despite the benefits, some 200 million women today
who want to plan and space their births lack access to safe
and effective contraception. If they were able to exercise this
right, it would help to slow population growth so as to be
more in balance with economic growth, giving governments
more time to provide schooling, medical care and other ser-
vices to individuals and families.
Whether family planning services are provided and
expanded to meet rising need will determine whether global
population grows from today’s 6.8 billion people to 9 billion
by 2050, the UN’s most likely projection, or to the high pro-
jection—a staggering 11 billion people.
I make this point because I do not think it is widely appre-
ciated that the projection of nine billion people by mid-cen-
tury assumes further reduction in fertility in the least-devel-
22 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
oped countries. Today, each woman there bears 4.4 children
on average, and the nine billion projection assumes that by
2050 they will each have 2.4 children—in other words, two
children fewer than they are having today. This will require a
dramatic expansion in access to voluntary family planning.
At the moment, just one in four married women in the
least-developed countries is using modern contraception.
A further one in four has an unmet need for family plan-
ning. So the need to expand these services is urgent while the
funding for international family planning, as a percentage of
population spending, has been falling for the past decade.
Think of the many crises the world faces today: the food
crisis, the water crisis, the financial crisis, the crisis of cli-
mate change, the energy crisis. None of these can be man-
aged unless greater attention is paid to population issues.
Stronger action must be taken to implement the Programme
of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development.
Investments in women and reproductive health are critical
for overcoming poverty and achieving the MDGs, and they
are also cost-effective. An investment in contraceptive ser-
vices can be recouped four times over—and sometimes much
more over the long term—by reducing the need for public
spending on health, education, housing, sanitation and
other social services.
When a mother survives, when a young girl gets an educa-
tion and grows into a life filled with opportunities, the con-
sequences reach far beyond these individuals. The return on
our investment is a better world for all. MD

The UN Financing for
Development Process:
Year in Review
Key meetings in 2009 produced significant steps
forward, offer promise for 2010.
BY MATT SIMONDS, POLICY ASSOCIATE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION
S
INCE THE INTERNATIONAL
Conference on Financing for
Development held in Monterrey
Mexico in 2002, NGOs and civil
society organizations (CSOs) have been
actively convening and participating in
initiatives aimed at monitoring progress
and holding governments accountable
to their commitments made in Monter-
rey. They have worked on key Financ-
ing for Development (FfD) themes such
as the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) and poverty eradication, capi-
tal flight, debt cancellation, labor rights
and employment issues, and financ-
ing for gender equality and women’s
empowerment. This has proved of great
value in advancing the FfD goal of pol-
icy coherence, given that FfD is among
the most holistic and inclusive global
processes. It brings together multiple
stakeholders to discuss a wide range of
development-related themes.
From November 2008 to July 2009,
the FfD agenda has advanced substan-
tially through three important meetings.
The Doha International Review
Conference on Financing for
Development
FfD thematic issues have been
championed by key UN member states
(countries) and given greater promi-
nence at the United Nations. This
progress began with the Doha Review
Conference in November/December
2008. The conference brought together
officials from more than 160 countries,
including some 40 heads of state. CSOs
participated actively in the conference
through roundtables, side events, lob-
bying and media activities. The confer-
ence concluded with the adoption of
the UN Doha Declaration on Financing
for Development.
Many CSOs developed critiques of
the Doha Declaration. For example, the
International Trade Union Confederation
felt that “in general, the language of the
Doha Declaration was non-prescriptive,
and failed to establish clear commit-
ments and monitorable goals. Member
States merely promised to do their best to
honor commitments and formulate poli-
cies to address the issues of the Monter-
rey Consensus with a view to achieving
the internationally agreed development
goals, including the MDGs.”
However, CSOs welcomed the Doha
Declaration mandate to hold a follow-up,
high-level conference to take stock of the
global financial and economic crisis and
craft a lasting response. Subsequently,
President of the 63rd UN General Assem-
bly Miguel d’Escoto Brockman spear-
headed the preparations and chaired
the conference at UN headquarters in
New York in June 2009.
UN Conference on the Financial and
Economic Crisis and its Impact on
Development
The June follow-up conference was
the only place other than the G20 sum-
mits in Washington, DC and London
where the financial and economic cri-
sis was specifically addressed at the
intergovernmental level, with the nota-
ble distinction being that 172 countries
that are not members of the G20 were
also present at the negotiating table at
the June UN conference.
A civil society forum was also held
just prior to the UN conference. The
forum offered a unique opportunity for
CSOs and NGOs to carry their engage-
FfD
ment forward by preparing strategic
policy interventions for their participa-
tion in roundtables and a civil society
address to the plenary of the UN con-
ference. The forum also helped build
synergies with governments and insti-
tutional stakeholders, with a view to
intensifying the quest for comprehen-
sive and enduring solutions to the glo-
bal economic and financial crisis.
In preparation for the UN conference,
the president of the General Assembly
appointed a commission of experts,
headed by former Chief Economist of
the World Bank and Nobel Laureate
Joseph Stiglitz, to produce a report out-
lining key components of the crisis and
providing recommendations. CSOs and
NGOs had the opportunity to contribute
to the report through on-line consulta-
tions set up between the Office of the
President of the General Assembly and
the United Nations Non-Governmental
“In general, the
language of the Doha
Declaration was non-
prescriptive, and failed
to establish clear
commitments and
monitorable goals.”
Liaison Service (UN-NGLS). While the
report was intended to inform discus-
sions at the UN conference, many NGOs
and CSOs felt that the conference out-
come document did not sufficiently
reflect the findings of the experts’ report.
While the outcome of the conference
did not meet the expectations of many
CSOs and NGOs, it provided the basis
for the establishment of an ongoing
process within the UN to promote lasting
and comprehensive reform of the exist-
ing global economic governance frame-
work—namely, through the creation of
an ad-hoc working group and a panel of
experts. Other positive elements in the
conference outcome document included:
recognition of the International Labour
Organization’s Global Jobs Pact as an
important roadmap for a sustainable
recovery to the crisis through a job-
intensive approach; strengthening inter-
national cooperation on tax matters; and
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 23
 FfD

emphasis on the importance of the role

of debt in the crisis, providing the pos-
sibility for debt standstills.

The General Segment of the

Substantive Session of ECOSOC
The UN Economic and Social Coun-
cil (ECOSOC) recently met in Geneva to
take stock of the past year’s work and
review reports of its subsidiary bodies.
An important agenda item was a reso-
lution that would provide a more prom-
inent space for the FfD process at the
UN. CSOs and NGOs were pleased with
the outcome of negotiations, as the
agreed upon resolution accomplishes
this goal by formally strengthening the
FfD follow-up process.
The resolution moved to raise the pro-
file of the ECOSOC annual high-level
spring meeting by changing its timing
so that it will be held no less than five
weeks before, and therefore be better
positioned to influence, the high-profile
spring meetings of the International
Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Other key provisions in the resolu-
tion give FfD more prominence at both
the four-week annual Substantive Ses-
sion of ECOSOC and at the General
Assembly, with high priority given to
the biennial High-level Dialogue on
Financing for Development.

Staying Engaged
Since last November, the financing for
development process has grown signifi-
cantly in importance. It also gave birth to
the UN conference on the financial and
economic crisis which allowed for the
establishment of an ad hoc working of Halfway There, But
Not Halfway Done
the general assembly to follow up issues
contained within the outcome document.
The outcome document has also given
ECOSOC a fresh mandate to develop a
new mechanism, namely, a panel of
experts to follow up on the UN Confer-
The effectiveness of financing for development in Africa.
ence. Additionally, with the FfD process BY MARTIN TSOUNKEU, GENERAL REPRESENTATIVE, AFRICA DEVELOPMENT
taking on a more prominent role at the INTERCHANGE NETWORK (ADIN)
UN, ECOSOC now has a stronger man-

A
date to tackle important development
issues. Therefore, it is imperative that
civil society organizations stay engaged
with these parallel processes as they
FRICAN ECONOMIES ARE
mainly characterized by grow-
ing poverty, a result of the
economic crisis that has lin-
financial institutions and bilateral and
multilateral partnerships, have had
very little success.
This article is based on a contribution
Photo: Azra Kacapor

move into the up-coming 64th UN Gen-
eral Assembly (September 2009 to
August 2010) with a goal of monitoring
their effectiveness in achieving a more
just and equitable world. MD
gered since the late 1980s. Since that
time, the continent has suffered con-
tinuously in terms of trade degradation
and growing debt. Various solutions,
including assistance from international
by Africa Development Interchange Net-
work (ADIN) to the Civil Society Consulta-
tion on Innovative Development Financ-
ing Mechanism held in Dakar, Senegal in
April of 2008. It illustrates the socioeco-

24 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009


nomic situation in Africa using the case
of Cameroon to appraise the financing
for development process. It reviews pov-
erty reduction policies and challenges,
financing for development mechanisms,
and concludes by highlighting the need
for a new approach to financing for
development that takes better advantage
of domestic financing opportunities and
better implements the resource recycling
scheme of the HIPC (Highly Indebted
Poor Countries) process.
Cameroon offers a good example of
what has happened in sub-Saharan
Africa. After some signs of prosperity in
the late 1970s and great hope of rapid
development in the early 1980s, Cam-
eroon, like many sub-Saharan Afri-
can countries, has sunk into an eco-
nomic crisis. Twenty years of economic
adjustment under World Bank and
International Monetary Fund (IMF) pro-
grams have not produced an effective
solution; and many challenges remain
across the continent, including growing
unemployment and poverty, corrup-
tion and public mismanagement, and
fragile sociopolitical environments and
impaired democracy.
In February 2008, Cameroon experi-
enced social unrest, partially because
of the high cost of living. The unrest
served as a strong warning that the
people’s suffering had reached an
unsustainable level. Other African
countries faced similar situations.
HIPC and poverty reduction
strategic papers
The time period since 1987 has actu-
ally seen a worsening of economic con-
ditions across the continent – despite
programs with the World Bank and the
IMF (including structural adjustment
plans) and other similar efforts. In fact,
many countries in sub-Saharan Africa
have actually moved down the eco-
nomic ladder so that they now qualify
as HIPC nations.
In Cameroon, a Poverty Reduction
Strategic Paper (PRSP) has been in
effect for more than five years, but seri-
ous challenges remain and progress
has been limited at best.
As in many African nations, Camer-
oon’s National Development Strategy
essentially focuses on poverty reduc-
tion. In this respect, Cameroon’s PRSP
lays out the government’s strategic
vision for fighting poverty with the
clear objective of achieving the Millen-
nium Development Goals (MDGs). The
PRSP was approved by the World Bank
and the IMF in 2003 and has seven
main objectives:
• Promoting a stable and growth-
enhancing macroeconomic envi-
ronment;
• Strengthening growth through eco-
nomic diversification;
• Empowering the private sector as
the main engine of growth and a
partner in delivering social services;
• Developing basic infrastructure
and natural resources in an envi-
ronmentally sustainable manner;
• Accelerating regional integration
within the framework of the Eco-
nomic Community of Central Afri-
can States (CEMAC);
• Strengthening human resource
development and boosting social
services; and
• Improving the institutional frame-
work, administrative management
and governance.
In Cameroon, as in a number of other
countries in sub-Saharan Africa, imple-
menting the PRSP has been a night-
mare with poor results. When Camer-
oon’s PRSP was drafted, four out of ten
Cameroonians lived below the poverty
line, locally estimated at CFA Francs
232,547 (US $465) per year as of 2001.
Since then, any improvements that
PRSP implementation efforts might have
produced have been washed out by the
recent economic hardships character-
ised by the very high cost of living, which
likely contributed to the social unrest
in February 2008. In fact, four years of
PRSP implementation have brought very
little livelihood improvement and few of
the objectives set out in the PRSP have
been met. The government effectively
acknowledged this in an assessment of
the implementation process that led to
adjustments and a revised version of the
PRSP in June 2008.
Mechanisms for financing
Domestic financing. The state is the
main source of domestic financing for
development in Cameroon, as in many
African countries, through public funds
from the annual national budget in two
parts: the current working budget and
FfD EFFECTIVENESS
the public investment budget. Foreign
assistance funds supplement the domes-
tic financing to address needs not met
by domestic funds. The financial system
(which includes banks and microfinance
institutions) suffers from multiple weak-
nesses, including mismanagement in
the selection of projects to fund and in
the expenditure structure.
Another major challenge is the dif-
ficulty in obtaining access to needed
investment. Small and medium size
enterprises and other underground
structures are the backbone of the
economy, but they find it difficult to
access available financial resources as
they generally cannot afford the related
banking and credit conditions. Nor do
traditional financial facilities generally
meet the financing needs of the rural
sector, which is also very important. In
short, the system does not respond to
the need. People would very much like
to get credit in rural areas, but funding
is out of reach.
In Cameroon, a Poverty
Reduction Strategic
Paper has been in effect
for more than five years,
but serious challenges
remain and progress
has been limited at best.
Foreign aid, HIPC and other financ-
ing sources. The development strat-
egy in sub-Saharan Africa has always
included foreign assistance: bilateral
and multilateral financing agreements
intended to complement domestic
financing. Official development assist-
ance and foreign direct investment,
highly promoted by governments have
traditionally been regarded as crucial.
As in other African nations, Cameroon
has also relied on international finan-
cial institutions. Besides the IMF and
World Bank economic adjustment facil-
ities, the country also receives financ-
ing from the African Development
Bank, the Islamic Bank and the Inter-
national Fund for Agriculture Develop-
ment (IFAD).
While these institutions have funded
numerous projects, the results have
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 25
 FfD EFFECTIVENESS
generally failed to meet expectations. Failure and early project
termination have most often been the result. Major rural
development projects like the Priority Integrated Action Zone,
funded by the World Bank in the 1970s to boost rural produc-
tion in eastern Cameroon through more efficient community
structuring, turned out to be a debt burden booster. Similarly,
all of the projects funded by the International Fund for Agri-
cultural Development have come into question, including the
Community Development Support Project ($18.3 million), the
Roots and Tuber National Development Programme ($21.7
million) and the Support Project to Microfinance Programme
($22.5 million). When visiting Cameroon in 2008, the presi-
dent of IFAD raised the issue of how best the country could
deal with funding from his institution and a subsequent IFAD
review mission found situations of management incoherence
in almost all IFAD-funded projects.
In a few African countries, the HIPC process has increased
the resources available for achieving the MDGs. For example,
in Cameroon, $426 million was made available for funding
of social projects between 2001 and 2006. When the country
reached the HIPC completion point in 2006, the available fund-
ing increased dramatically with the potential to reach a total
debt relief amount of $2 billion if the related conditions are met.
Other bilateral initiatives provide additional resources.
For example, since 2006 the French government’s Contrat
Désendettement Développement (Debt Relief for Development
Contract) has made $172 million in French debt relief funds
available for eligible projects in Cameroon. However the uti-
Master’s degrees
for Global Social Change
MA in Sustainable Development
MA in Conflict Transformation
MS in Management of Nonprofits and NGOs
and
NEW: Fall 2009
in the Sultanate of Oman
Master of Global Management
www.sit.edu/graduate
26 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
lization rate of the funds has remained very low in Camer-
oon (around 30 percent on average), and the program has
remained inefficient because of:
• the conditions attached to the use of the funds;
• insufficient information on the availability of the funds
and on the financing process;
• incompatibility between French-imposed conditions for
access to the funds and the operational processes of the
local bureaucracy; and
• some public service corruption.
Another significant problem is ensuring that projects respond
to people’s most pressing needs. One reason for the current
shortcoming in this matter is that civil society is not really
allowed to fully participate in choosing or shaping projects.
Moving forward
We can see that the financing for development process in
Cameroon, as in many African countries, is still very weak
and the efficiency of resource allocation is doubtful. The pri-
mary reasons are mismanagement and lack of proper priori-
tization. Now, at the halfway point to the 2015 deadline for
achieving the MDGs, we are behind where we should be and
the quality and quantity of available financing is lacking. It is
time for solutions. Two changes that could make a significant
difference are the improved use of domestic financing and
better implementation of HIPC resource recycling schemes.
Improving the impact of domestic financing. It is cru-
cial to try to draw all possible benefits from domestic financ-
ing opportunities by gearing efforts toward enhancing the
capacity of local resource generation. This should include:
• Establishing an effective micro-development bank for
local small size initiatives;
• Microfinance systems built on production potential at
the grassroots level and in rural areas in particular;
• The writing and enactment of financial regulations that
ensure real accessibility to financing resources for all,
including the rural poor; and
• Empowering civil society to play a central role in deci-
sion-making on financing allocations and utilization,
parallel to traditional donor/international financial insti-
tution co-operation with governments.
Implementing better HIPC resource recycling schemes.
It is important that HIPC financial resources are allocated to
relevant socioeconomic projects. These projects should be
designed by the people themselves at the community level and
should reflect their needs. To reduce dependence on external
assistance, priority must be given to sustainable projects capa-
ble of generating permanent additional resources. HIPC and
other poverty alleviation resources should then be treated as a
source of capital investment for poverty reduction and should
be plowed back into the system to fund the next cycle of sus-
tainable projects. Using this as a means to establish an innova-
tive, self-sustaining financing mechanism for poverty allevia-
tion, offers a promising solution that could address many of
the shortcomings of the current situation. It is crucial to design
“Innovative Financing Mechanisms” for development in Africa.
continued on page 30

Trash to Toys W
Children demonstrate creativity amidst adversity.
BY LEANNE SCHREIBSTEIN, MARKETING CONSULTANT, INTERACTION
Photos: Leanne Schreibstein
TOYS
HEN PEOPLE THROW
their trash away, little do
they know that it could end
up in the hands of children
around the world who not only make
the best of their situations, but also
manage to transform such overlooked
items into innovative toys.
Through ChildFund International’s
program “The Power to Play: From
Trash to Treasure,” children from areas
of Africa, South America, and Asia show
off their ingenuity in creating toys from
materials such as bottle caps, worn
flip flops and old beer cans. These toys
are conceived by children who inhabit
some of the harshest environmental,
political, and economic conditions. At
an August event at the National Press
Club in Washington, ChildFund Inter-
national’s President and CEO, Anne
Lynam Goddard, declared that “these
are children who have experienced all
the grinding burdens the developing
world can inflict on childhood—famine,
war, poverty, sickness. But the toys
they make offer dramatic proof that—
through it all—children can retain
their sense of wonder, their desire to
play, their indomitable spirit, and their
ability to imagine and create.”
On display were soccer balls, dolls,
cars and boats; common toys, yet also
one-of-a-kind crafts that not only
entertain, but provide a sense of pride
and self-esteem for the children who
have made them. MD
MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 27
 RECONSTRUCTION
Recycle the Rubble
The benefits of using recycled concrete aggregate.
BY JONATHAN N. NOGGLE, M.S., FACILITIES MANAGER, U.S. GENERAL SERVICES
ADMINISTRATION, AND SCOTT A. GLICK, PH.D., ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF
CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
O
N OCTOBER 8, 2005, THE
7.6-magnitude Kashmir Earth-
quake in Pakistan demolished
the homes of four million peo-
ple. Even more destructive, the 7.9 East-
ern Sichuan Earthquake of 2008 dam-
aged or destroyed 26 million buildings in
China. When regions encounter natural
disasters, half-demolished structures
provide unsafe havens for impoverished
individuals and families, while creating
undefined new landfills that contribute
to the degradation of the environment.
Because concrete has been the pre-
ferred building material for over 2,000
years, much of the debris caused by
earthquakes and other natural disasters
exists as concrete rubble. In areas with
a substantial amount of concrete debris,
constructing cast-in-place concrete
homes using locally produced recycled
concrete aggregate (RCA) provides a low-
cost solution for disaster reconstruction.
RCA and Sustainability
Crushing, screening and transform-
ing concrete debris into RCA provides
several environmental, societal and
economic benefits. Referred to as the
triple bottom line, these benefits par-
tially stem from concrete’s sustainable
characteristics, which include signifi-
cant energy savings once in place, min-
imized life-cycle costs, high insulation
values, improved air quality, reduced
maintenance costs, and post-consumer
waste minimization, as described by
the Environmental Council for Con-
crete Organizations. Generating RCA in
disaster locations for use in new con-
crete mixes decreases the total societal
impact of the reconstruction process by
reducing the need for raw aggregates.
In turn, CO2 and NO2 emissions caused
from blasting, crushing and transport-
ing raw aggregate decrease, as well as
harmful emissions released from ready-
mix trucks transferring concrete from
28 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009
batch plants to disaster reconstruction
sites. Demolishing and reconstructing
simultaneously using on-site materi-
als shortens the construction schedule
and allows local residents to focus their
efforts on rebuilding their communities
rather than becoming refugees.
Applications for Utilizing RCA
Following a disaster, a decision must
be made concerning what to do with
the construction debris. In underde-
veloped or impoverished countries, few
designated or regulated landfills exist;
therefore, construction debris is often
dumped in rivers, drainage-ways or
shorelines. Within the last thirty years,
the life cycle of concrete has extended
beyond manufacturing, placement,
demolition and transporting to the
landfill or other dump location. Once
concrete’s intended use becomes non-
functional, the material can be crushed
and reused in new concrete generated
for pavements, shoulders, median bar-
riers, sidewalks, curbs and gutters,
bridge foundations, structural grade
concrete, stabilized cement aggregate
pavement bases, lean-concrete, bitu-
minous concrete and aesthetic design,
as stated by the Portland Cement Asso-
ciation. Oftentimes, these opportuni-
ties for reapplication become necessary
after earthquakes and other disasters.
In addition to the reuse of concrete
for the previously mentioned construc-
tion applications, a multitude of case
studies recommend its application for
structural use in residential construc-
tion (i.e. single-story concrete homes).
Exploring the structural integrity and
strength of newly generated concrete
with RCA, Falkner, Sun and Xiao (2005)
performed a series of experiments sup-
porting the use of RCA in concrete
framed structures in areas with seis-
mic activity. Using concrete mixes
consisting of zero percent, 30 percent,
50 percent and 100 percent RCA, seis-
mic performance was tested under a
low-frequency cyclic lateral load with
constant vertical actions, similar to
what would be experienced during
an actual earthquake. Utilizing RCA
produced from the Shanghai Interna-
tional Airport runway deconstruction
material, the researchers determined
that increasing the percentage of RCA
resulted in a decrease in the general
seismic behavior; however, a concrete
structure with a high percentage of
RCA will still resist an earthquake
according to Chinese national building
standard GB 50011-2001. In fact, the
lowest compressive strength of a speci-
men cast with 100 percent RCA broke
at 3160 psi, supporting the use of RCA
in structural concrete. The research-
ers’ conclusion stresses the impor-
tance of quality control by stating that
any concrete mix (i.e. with or without
RCA) must be designed properly for a
structure to withstand an earthquake.
Economics of Producing RCA
The potential for using RCA is clear;
however, little research exists that
explores the monetary costs associated
with disaster relief efforts in which
RCA produced on-site is used in con-
crete mixes for the construction of low-
income, cast-in-place concrete homes.
Research was conducted that
assesses the assumption that construct-
ing simple-designed concrete homes
with RCA instead of virgin aggregate
provides an economical solution to low-
income housing in disaster locations
with severe building and infrastructure
damage. To explore these costs, market
research was gathered from ready-mix
Photo: Jean Marie Stratigos
and aggregate suppliers and incorpo-
rated into the structural RCA concrete
design mixes suggested by Falkner, Sun
and Xiao. These researchers also com-
pared the unit price cost for a cubic yard
of concrete fabricated in the field using
locally produced RCA versus the cost
per cubic yard of concrete delivered to
a disaster site from a stationary con-
Events
crete batch plant. After incorporating
the mobilization costs of concrete recy- SEPTEMBER 17 October
cling equipment ($42,500) and a porta- International Day for the
ble concrete batch plant ($60,000), this 24-25 September Eradication of Poverty
research found that a cost savings will G-20 Summit
be experienced once 4,043 tons of RCA David L. Lawrence Center 24 October
is generated and used to produce 4,492 Pittsburgh, PA UN Day 2009
cubic yards of concrete. (These costs and www.pittsburghsummit.gov
quantities assume all roads and infra- 29 October
structural components are accessible.) 25 September OFDA/PRM/InterAction
Once this break-even point has been OCHA / InterAction Monthly Meeting
achieved, the savings for producing Monthly Meeting National Press Club, 7th Floor
concrete on-site for the production of UN Secretariat Building Washington, DC
concrete homes increase by $22.82 per New York, NY Contact: ebellardo@interaction.org
cubic yard of concrete. To aid with visu- Contact: lpoteat@interaction.org
30 October
alization, once approximately 150 homes
28 September OCHA / InterAction Monthly Meeting
that are each 20 ft. by 20 ft. have been
InterAction Member Discussion on UN Secretariat Building
built using 4,043 tons of RCA, a savings
Urban Poverty: Who’s Doing What? New York, NY
of $22.82 per cubic yard of concrete will
What Should InterAction Do?  Contact: Lpoteat@interaction.org
be experienced for ongoing construction
in which concrete is utilized. InterAction Offices
Washington, DC NOVEMBER
Opportunities and Future Markets Contact: jharvey@interaction.org
The market for this type of applica- 2-7 November
tion will most likely be created through 29-30 September Network of African Youths for
humanitarian responses initiated by 2009 Global Youth Enterprise Development (NAYD) Summit 2009
Conference Nairobi, Kenya
governments and adequately funded
The George Washington University http://www.nayd.org/Summit_2009.
disaster relief organizations following
Cafritz Conference Center htm
disasters. Environmental and social
Washington, DC
responses to disaster relief and recon-
Contact: whitney@makingcents.com 17-18 November
struction will also encourage govern-
ments to seek alternative disposal HIV/AIDS Capacity Building Summit
methods for concrete debris and new National Press Club
OCTOBER Washington, DC
rebuilding techniques. While a private
Contact: HIVsummit@pactworld.org
company working for a government 1-2 October
entity could potentially experience a 2009 Global Corporate Citizenship
profit by transporting all the equipment Conference DECEMBER
and materials to the site at the begin- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business
ning of a disaster relief and reconstruc- Civic Leadership Center 7-9 December
tion project, a non-profit organization Washington, DC InterAction CEO Retreat
could use the break-even point previ- Contact: bclc@uschamber.com Washington, DC
ously identified to develop a humanitar- Contact: dheiberg@interaction.org
ian relief effort without the profit motive; 6-7 October
resulting in more potential reconstruc- World Bank Annual Meeting 7-18 December
tion impacts for those affected by the Istanbul, Turkey United Nations Climate Change
disaster. In some situations, infrastruc- Contact: jruthrauff@interaction.org Conference
ture loss may make it more economical Copenhagen, Denmark
to transport the materials and equip- 12-16 October www.en.cop15.dk/
ment (i.e. concrete crushing plant, por- Progress Against Poverty Week
table concrete batch plant, earthmoving InterAction Offices JANUARY 2010
equipment, cement) via air. Once logis- Washington, DC
tics, operations, management proce- Contact: tjacobs@interaction.org 9-29 January
dures, and all issues have been worked World Learning
out, the organization could potentially 14 October Policy Advocacy Seminar
restructure and transform into a suc- International Day for Washington, DC
cessful for-profit, private company with Disaster Reduction Contact: policyadvocacydc@
a humanitarian agenda. MD Contact: kazima@interaction.org worldlearning.org

MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 29

 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS
EMPLOYMENTOPPORTUNITIES
COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST
Washington, DC
IFPRI seeks a Communications Specialist for its Communications Divi-
sion. Duties include obtaining coverage of IFPRI research in developed
and developing countries, organize and participate in media outreach
campaigns; managing press events; writing and editing press materi-
als and other content; develop and maintain relationships with journal-
ists ; monitoring news outlets; Requirements: Bachelors in Journalism,
Communications, International Development, or related field; Minimum
of three years experience in media relations, experience in project man-
agement, excellent communication skills. For a complete job description
and to apply, go to www.ifpri.org and click on “Careers” and then click on
“Other” to link you to Position # 09-152- Communications Specialist, COM.
InterAction's Job Networking Event
Wednesday, October 14, 9am-11am
By attending this recruitment event, you will:
• Meet HR directors from InterAction member organizations.
• Listen to a round table talk about what NGOs look for in
prospective employees in the current job climate.
• Talk with them directly about your skill set.
• Receive a voucher for ONE-MONTH of FREE ACCESS to In-
terAction’s Online Job Board!
• A light breakfast will be provided.
30 MONDAY DEVELOPMENTS October 2009 To advertise, call 202-667-8227 ext 548 or email publications@interaction.org
FfD Effectiveness
continued from page 26
The role for civil society. No government in Africa is
capable of achieving a good solution on its own. Civil soci-
ety should force its way into the African development pro-
cess and take a more proactive role by working closer and
more efficiently with local communities and people at the
grassroots level. It must shape projects that can be pressed
on decision-makers as the price for political support. Ways
should also be found to allow civil society to deal directly with
international financing institutions where necessary.
Civil society in Africa can help foster effective solutions.
Drawing on its independence and community-oriented mind-
set, which contrasts with the mindset in government which is
far too affected by corruption, self-centered decision-making
including a desire to retain or expand one’s own power, and
subservience to foreign interests that sometimes conflict with
local needs. Civil society organizations can help identify
promising opportunities for policies and programs that could
really make a difference. It can publish and publicize informa-
tion that is important in selecting and monitoring projects
and that demonstrates the performance of implementing and
regulatory institutions. It can also use its position to help
communities upgrade their project management systems and
arrange for a platform that will allow for ongoing communica-
tion and negotiation between communities and officials from
the government and international financing sources. MD
For more information or if you have comments please con-
tact the author at martsou@yahoo.com.
Kidnapped!
continued from page 14
a better place. Vivek then expressed similar sentiments on
behalf of Sally. Now that a cogent message had been funneled
through the media, both NGOs hoped that the kidnappers
would soften their approach.
Meanwhile, in Mogadishu, Alpha’s IMT met to discuss the
looming arrival of Sally’s mother, Patricia. Abdi reckoned
that she would get hung up in Nairobi, but he wasn’t tak-
ing any chances. He decided to designate Laila to depart for
Nairobi the next morning to meet with Patricia. Though he
was losing a valuable staff person from his IMT, he felt it
important that someone with strong interpersonal skills be
sent on this important mission. It also served the purpose of
removing one more staff person from a very dangerous situ-
ation as Abdi suspected that NGO Alpha had been specifi-
cally targeted by the kidnappers. Laila’s instructions were to
prevent Patricia from coming to Mogadishu and to enlist the
help of the U.S. embassy if possible. At the conclusion of the
IMT meeting, Abdi picked up the phone and dialed Tony’s
Thuraya satellite phone number. After two rings one of the
kidnappers picked up the phone. MD
Next month: Resolution and post-incident management.
Job Openings Preservation
Director, Cultural
Heritage Program
Baghdad, Iraq

Monitoring and
Evaluation Team
Leader
Kabul,
Afghanistan

Grants/
Subcontracts
Manager
Kabul,
Afghanistan

Deputy Chief of
Party, Finance and
Administration
Kabul,
Afghanistan

1621 North Kent Street For more

Fourth Floor information,
Arlington,VA 22209 contact Christine
P: 703.248.0161 Dalpino at
F: 703.248.0194 703.248.0161 or
www.ird.org visit www.ird.
org and click on
“careers.”
1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 667-8227
Fax: (202) 667-8236
publications@interaction.org
www.interaction.org

InterAction is the largest alliance of U.S.-based international

development and humanitarian nongovernmental
organizations. With more than 170 members operating in every
developing country, we work to overcome poverty, exclusion
and suffering by advancing social justice and basic dignity for all.

Wherever Your Mission Takes You - We Will Be There...

ContaCt our PVo SPeCialiStS:
Robert W. Albrecht, CPA / ralbrecht@grfcpa.com
Andreas A. Alexandrou, CPA / aalexandrou@grfcpa.com

Worldwide Field Office Travel

• Auditing, A-133 compliance • Internal control evaluation

• Pension plan auditing • Expatriate tax preparation
• Grant compliance procedures • Investment policy analysis
• Employee tax planning • Subrecipient activity review

4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 650 North

Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 301-951-9090 Fax: 301-951-3570
www.grfcpa.com

Member of CPAmerica and Horwath International - a worldwide network of independent CPA firms dedicated to the integrity of the profession.