Flora MacDonald in Afghanistan (Aid projects)

[Dog Walker]

There is a report on CBC about the aid projects run by former foreign affairs minister Flora MacDonald in Afghanistan.

http://www.cbc.ca/sunday/2008/10/101908_1.html

 

[Armymedic]

I saw it as well.

I too question why the govt (read CIDA and Foriegn Affairs) have not found a way to support her efforts financially.

 

[The Bread Guy]

I too question why the govt (read CIDA and Foriegn Affairs) have not found a way to support her efforts financially.

I'd love to hear more from anyone closer to such work - I have never been involved in such projects, but my limited experience in government combined with some open source and limited anecdotal evidence from those who've been downrange leads me to believe the work probably doesn't fit the program guideline pigeonholes, or duplicates something already fitting said pigeonholes.  If that's the case:
Option 1)  Change the pigeonholes so the project can fit. 
Option 2)  Change project to fit current pigeonholes.
Option 3)  Sell/finesse/spin project in a way to fit current pigeonholes.
Option 4)  Change or sell/finesse/spin project in a way that makes it different from any current program already funded.

 

[Blackadder1916]

I'd love to hear more from anyone closer to such work - I have never been involved in such projects, but my limited experience in government combined with some open source and limited anecdotal evidence from those who've been downrange leads me to believe the work probably doesn't fit the program guideline pigeonholes, or duplicates something already fitting said pigeonholes.  If that's the case:
Option 1)  Change the pigeonholes so the project can fit. 
Option 2)  Change project to fit current pigeonholes.
Option 3)  Sell/finesse/spin project in a way to fit current pigeonholes.
Option 4)  Change or sell/finesse/spin project in a way that makes it different from any current program already funded.

I'll preface my comment by stating that I have not been to Afghanistan and the only personal knowledge I have of Ms. MacDonald's humanitarian work is briefly meeting her in Rwanda many years ago.  It's inspiring to see that the old gal is still out there.

You're probably correct in that the project doesn't fit the Canadian Government's humanitarian aid priorities for Afghanistan.  However, CIDA wasn't always adverse to funding projects in Afghanistan associated with Flora as exemplified in this CARE Canada project that dates back before 9/11.  Though humanitarian funding from CIDA et al has not always been the most well planned and implemented, sometimes there are valid reasons why funding is not granted or why organizations do not request government money.  This could be the case here.  The sense I get is that there is a greater emphasis on Canadian government funded projects in Afghanistan being so identified.  Sometimes that may create a security or credibility issue for the organization running the project.

As for what Flora and her group Future Generations Canada are now doing over there, this is from their website.
http://www.futuregen.ca/bamyan

FGC has successful community building programs operating in Bamyan Province in Afghanistan under the leadership of FGC Afghanistan Program Director, Abdullah Barat.

Adbullah has implemented operations research and community-based projects which have led to innovative solutions in local governance, maternal and child health, women’s empowerment, women’s literacy, and the reintegration of ex-combatants. Examples of successful projects in Bamyan include:

In Shaidan District, 72 shuras (councils) are providing more responsive, and participatory governance. Communities have planted 500,000 trees, banned poppies, resolved disputes over land and water usage, rehabilitated schools and formed teachers’ associations.
In Bamyan city, a woman now serves as president of a local shura. This is the first time in Bamyan Province, and perhaps all of Afghanistan, that a woman leads a village council.
In Shaidan District, upwards of 500 ex-combatants are actively involved in teaching, local governance, and rebuilding their communities.
In Yakawlang District, mature women have been trained as community health workers using a new model that sustains momentum through women’s action groups.
Large-scale environmental protection and economic developments are being proposed through a province-wide Bamyan water conservation district in which government and communities work as partners.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Though humanitarian funding from CIDA et al has not always been the most well planned and implemented, sometimes there are valid reasons why funding is not granted or why organizations do not request government money.  This could be the case here.

Never even thought of that as an option - there are a number of organizations who don't like to be associated with governments as a way to maintain their perceived independence.

 

[Jack Stratton]

I saw some of the piece on CBC. She seemed to have this "crazy" idea that the way to help communties out is not to tell them what they should want but ask them what they need and then find them the training and assist them to get the resources they need to build/develop/achieve the result they themselves wanted.

I like this kind of "crazy" it seems to build up the receiver of aid rther than build a dependency.

Go Flora!

 

[geo]

Jack...
Part of our CIMIC efforts in Afghanistan requires us to meet with village elders - discuss with them the needs of their community and determine how best these needs can be met.  For the most part, it requires the village to provide the bodies required to do the work - which we will finance.  It's their country, their province & their village.  The only true way of ensuring that they can sustain what is being built - is by building it themselves.

We're just there to Finance, help plan the project, provide some supervision, eusuring that the workforce hired truly reflects the community - ensuring that we are getting bang for the buck - and that what is being built is built.

 

[GAP]

I saw some of the piece on CBC. She seemed to have this "crazy" idea that the way to help communties out is not to tell them what they should want but ask them what they need and then find them the training and assist them to get the resources they need to build/develop/achieve the result they themselves wanted.

I like this kind of "crazy" it seems to build up the receiver of aid rather than build a dependency.

Go Flora!

If someone came to your village, would you not want to have them ask what you want, rather than build something like a bridge where it is not needed, especially if the wadi/irrigation canals needed cleaning to allow the flow of water that the bridge goes over.....

Excellent concepts and seemingly excellent execution of Aid Dollars...now if only someone would write a memo to CIDA.... :

 

[Timex]

I caught part of the program and then  looked for it later so I could watch the whole thing.  It was pretty moving to see her work and the difference it's making in peoples lives. To be fair though she's focused her efforts in the North working with the Hazra. Those folks were really getting a hard time from the Taliban so getting in there and starting up popular aid projects has a better chance than in the Pashtun areas where tribal loyalties need to be overcome.  Having said all that, I haven't seen much evidence from CIDA of what they are accomplishing. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.  I was just on the CIDA website and the page titled "Canada's Progress" is blank. Maybe there's info there but my browser doesn't support that page. They're making it pretty easy for me to jump on the Anti CIDA bandwagon.

 

[Dog Walker]

I caught part of the program and then  looked for it later so I could watch the whole thing.  It was pretty moving to see her work and the difference it's making in peoples lives. To be fair though she's focused her efforts in the North working with the Hazra. Those folks were really getting a hard time from the Taliban so getting in there and starting up popular aid projects has a better chance than in the Pashtun areas where tribal loyalties need to be overcome.  Having said all that, I haven't seen much evidence from CIDA of what they are accomplishing. Maybe I'm just not looking in the right places.  I was just on the CIDA website and the page titled "Canada's Progress" is blank. Maybe there's info there but my browser doesn't support that page. They're making it pretty easy for me to jump on the Anti CIDA bandwagon.

The book Kandahar Tour (Windsor, Charters and Wilson) has a lot of good things to say about CIDA. They point out the CIDA’s goal is “capacity-building”, i.e. they are teaching the local Afghan officials to plan, build and manage their own development projects. The PRT, CIDA and USAID are keeping a low profile because the Afghan people must see that the development is coming from their own government. This is so that they restore faith in the Afghan Government.