Resiliency

The bug that I stepped on 2 hours ago is still writhing around on my bathroom floor. That's one thing you can say about Niger--resiliency. Which is funny because when donors come here, they are obsessed with resiliency. How can we enhance resiliency? How can we ensure we get the most out of the funds we send? Can we make sure we don't have to give these same people money ever again?

Well, that's a nice idea. But do you think 2 goats and 3 months' worth of food are really going to turn someone from rags to riches? Especially when Mother Nature and the Sahara Desert are continually toying with them? Development on the cheap...how's that been going for the last 50 years?

On a related tangent--We need to put more money into development training schools--not for upper/middle-class kids from the US, but for HCNs (host-country nationals). Not just staff located in capitals, but for the field staff. They are on the ground, implementing the programs, collecting the data, and, ultimately, the ones that will see to the success or failure of the project. But how many times do they get to go to a training in the US? Whether it's the US or Africa, field staff always get taken for granted, whether it's pay, training, or simple appreciation and recognition. Take time to hug a field agent today.