Buduburam Diaries

Read this for an insider's view of the difficulties encountered by Liberian refugees in Ghana.

Same Old Story

Turmoil in Kenya

"More than 800 people have been killed and 300,000 have fled their homes [...]The United Nations says about half a million people have been affected by the violence and has appealed for $42 million in humanitarian aid. Food, shelter, water, sanitation and disease prevention are among the top priorities. The worst displacement is in the Rift Valley where the United Nations said in early January that 100,000 people could face starvation. Many of those who have been uprooted are too frightened to return home. Others have nothing left to go back to."
(Source: Reuters Alernet: Kenya Violence Briefing )

Let's take a moment to think about the long term implications of this on a human, political and socio-economic level. These 300,000 people are now unemployed and homeless, all the while Kenya's economic is but short of coming to a grinding halt. Regardless, the current situation will have short and long term repercurssions on levels of foreign investment, as well as international development aid (which comes with strings attached). It will take a long time for Kenya to recover from this crisis, which is seriously tarnishing its image. And, as this astute writer notes, this will also have consequences for the image of the continent as a whole.

So in the context of political and social instability, how are those affected going to respond? They will employ desperate measures, and, once again, livelihoods that have been destroyed will perpetuate themselves, and breed anger, resentment. The social effects of this crisis are going to run deep - besides the obvious ethnic tensions this has revealed (created? exacerbated? it's hard to say), let's keep in mind that hundreds of thousands of people are traumatized, and have to rebuild their lives as best they can, with little public or international help.

This blogger, writing from Kenya, explains that he thinks the worst is behind. He notes that Kenya is getting regional and international attention, that the Kenyan civil society is pulling together.... But fails to mention that the African Union - in spite of the exhortations of various Heads of State to end violence - is not taking any concrete steps. The UN's Ban Ki Moon is making only meager efforts, and its the former Sec-Gen, Kofi Annan, who has been most involved. Oh, and the American involvement? The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Jendayi Frazer. Clearly, the American government cares about this...

Yes, the concept of non-intervention is easily deployed here to excuse the lack of international mobilization.... I'm willing to bet that, in retrospect, this stand will be condemned. The consequences of this will primarily impact the most vulnerable, and you can rest assured that greedy politicians will continue to manipulate and abuse them.

Al Jazeera reports on violence in Kenya, 01/28/2008

Getting the Word Out, part 2

My last post was about NGOs, why they're important, why we should support them - there are other types of non profits, which also need to be described, explained, dissected.... Too often, for the general public, the non profit sector is considered a homogenous lump of idealists, with similar objectives, motivations and "raison d'être". However, it is not so at all, and one of the most common misconceptions about this sector is how organizations such as UNICEF, the World Food Program, USAID - to name a random few - are construed.

International Agencies (not-for-profit):
The United Nations has its own more or less "independent" agencies - each is specialized (in theory), and furthers a global agenda. Whether it be UNICEF eradicating childhood mortality, WFP feeding the hungry, UN-Habitat developing an understanding of policy implications of growing urbanization - all of these agencies are fundamentally different from NGOs, per their structure, their mode of operation, how they select projects and partnerships...

While it should be noted that for example 58% of UNICEF's income comes from governments (source: UNICEF Annual Report, 2006), that also means that nearly 40% is coming from the private sector - there are many NGOs that have a higher proportion of public funding.

Then, you also have agencies such as USAID (United States Agency for International Development), or AFD (Agence Francaise de Developpement), DFID (the UK's Department for International Development), all of which are ever present in the field. These are very different organizations that are controlled by national governments - not to say that their work is of less importance, but their objectives are often motivated by geopolitical and strategic considerations for foreign policy.

Here is a video of Henrietta Fore, administrator for USAID (note: the US is the largest bilateral donor in absolute terms - not in relative terms)



So international nonprofit agencies, NGOs - "are they similar??", you must be asking yourself. Well, in a way, yes - they exist to supplement public and State actions, and act where there is a void. A lof ot them have similar income structures as well. So what is the fundamental difference?

The fundamental difference is that UN agencies and national aid agencies are staffed by public servants, who represent their countries' interest within that organization. Power struggles within these organizations and between them (UNICEF and UNESCO are typically at odds over who should get the most funding for education) are prevalent, and often, these structures operate like large bureaucracies.

Of course, some very large, influential NGOs are also faced with these issues - but to a lesser extent. It is quite difficult to untangle the reality of the global non-profit sector - there is such a large variety of organizations, that operate in myriads of ways, in every corner of the earth.

I mentioned Zoe's Ark in my previous post (the French NGO which tried to have Darfur orphans adopted in France, except they essentially abducted Tchadian children...) The consequences of their actions negatively impacted all non profits which work in the developing world - both the beneficiaries of aid and financial supporters of nonprofits don't differentiate between Zoe's Ark, Doctors Without Borders, and UNICEF.

As I've tried to show, the international non profit sector is rich (in diversity), complex and is made up of largely different organizations. Do we compare Shell, Exxon or BP with MTV? Do we compare plastic container makers with Avis Rent-A-Car? We operate essential distinctions between all of these organizations, and the same type of critical approach is needed when assessing the international non profit sector.

Getting the Word Out

Surprisingly, the hardest thing about running a nonprofit is not to come up with strategy, to work efficiently with partners, to make "executive" decisions with my co-director, to deal with the daily administrative chores... No, the hardest part is to get people to be interested in what you're doing.
Obviously, to me, anyone who doesn't think that The Niapele Project is a cool organization that deserves to be supported is clearly a misguided individual. But there are SO many organizations out there - some doing fabulous work (Doctors Without Borders), and others ruining international NGOs reputations (Zoe's Ark - a real life horror story about humanitarianism gone wrong: BBC Profile on Zoe's Ark.)

Not only that, but for a novice to the world of NGOs, it's hard to differentiate between organizations, to decide if you want to support, and which one, which KIND of organization you should support, depending on your sensibility....

There are at least two major categories of nonprofits out there, and perhaps this nomenclature will be helpful to some of you, in order to navigate the complicated world of charity work:

- International NGOs (non-governmental organizations): Within this category, you find orgs. such as The Niapele Project (tiny) and Doctors Without Borders (huge). Their missions vary - humanitarianism, development work, private-public partnerships.... the list goes on. One thing they all share: they operate independently from governments and States.

Well, at least in theory. Because a lot of INGOs receive funding from governments and are thus subject to certain guidelines and standards. Furthermore, when an INGO has a high profile (ie. Save the Children), it can't always say or do what it wants - their public funding does not come with no strings attached.

In any case, a lot of people around the world support this type of organization with private contributions (depending on the country you live in, these contributions may or may not be tax deductible), and these organizations work really contribute to alleviating suffering, poverty, disease, etc..... It seems to me that there is an NGO out there for everyone's sensibility, and, as the notion of global consciousness is taking root, it's our duty to share some of our privileges with those less fortunate.

Oh sure, I sound patronizing, don't I?

I know these words can sound very hollow - but seriously, there are thousands of NGOs out there, doing work ranging from helping unemployed mothers in your neighborhood start a business to feeding the downtrodden in far flung corners of the earth - there really is something for everyone to support.

People always complain that their taxes never contribute to ameliorating anything - well why not pay less taxes, and choose where you want that money to go? For example, towards a cause that you feel strongly about?

Also, the vitality of NGOs contribute to the overall strength of civil society - which is the bedrock of functioning democracies. Also, interestingly, consider that international NGOs, which garner support from around the world, are helping the "global consciousness" we always hear about become a reality - no longer just a hazy concept, "global consciousness" relates to the notion that we are all part of the same human family, and that, as such, there are transnational issues that transcend particular interests (perfect example: climate change)

Anyway, I'll post about the other category of nonprofits tomorrow - I'm trying not to bore you too much, faithful readers (Hi Mom)

Check out what Bill Clinton has to say about YouTube NonProfit Initiative:

Why a School Feeding Program?

Why is The Niapele Project investing in a school feeding program? Perhaps the reasons are intuitive: feeding hungry children is a worthwhile enterprise to finance, particularly in a refugee setting. It seems to me, though, that it's important to highlight the more complex reality that lead The Niapele Project to push very hard for the creation and implementation of a School Feeding Program at the Carolyn A. Miller School.

Below is a short account of why I believe an SFP is of paramount importance - I wrote this while in Buduburam the first time around, when I was the health coordinator at the Carolyn A. Miller School, before the SFP began. It's not necessarily the most well-written piece I've ever produced, but I think (hope!) it helps shed light on why this program is of paramount importance:

"Surely, the Carolyn A. Miller School is a strikingly different environment than the one most of us grew up in. Cultural, social and environmental differences aside, one of the things that strike international volunteers the most is the issue of malnutrition among CAMES students. Often, one will teach a class where a number of students are asleep on their desks. While in our countries this would be unacceptable behavior, teachers and staff quietly accept this situations – comments are rarely made, and children are rarely woken. This implicit acceptance is linked to a recognition that this lack of energy is due to a lack of food – too often, students will come to school on an empty stomach, having not eaten for perhaps 48 hours.

While this problem is pervasive throughout the Buduburam community, it is worryingly prevalent at CAMES. Most students are unaccompanied minors, whose guardians already have too many mouths to feed; or perhaps the students’ household is headed by an unemployed widow, who struggles with little to no resources. While the school struggles to make ends meet and certainly faces structural and cyclical issues, the issue of student malnutrition is high on their list of priorities. Teachers and staff are concerned that their efforts to provide education to these children will come to no avail if students, weak from hunger, are unable to benefit from what

Whatever the reasons, it is clear that there is a severe problem which calls for action. Most of the students as CAMES see education as their salvation, as their means to achieve a fulfilling life. But when one has little to no food or drink to subsist on, it is difficult – if not impossible – for these children to achieve the level of academic excellence that they are striving for."

Teaching Sex Ed to Teenagers, my life calling?

This is an excerpt of an email I wrote while I was in Buduburam the first time, which was almost exactly a year ago. Below you will find a brief account of my first sexual health class at the Carolyn A. Miller School.... Enjoy !
"im teaching health to grades 4, 5 and 6, and ive also just started a
sexual health class for grade 6. the kids in 6th grade are anywhere
between 12 and 18, and no one has ever told them anything about sexual
health, sex or anything related to that. with the prevalence of STDs,
gender based violence, rape and HIV, these kids really need to be
given proper information so that they know whats going on. its taboo
at home, and most of the kids at school dont live with their families
- they have foster parents, legal guardians or live with their
aunties/grandmas/cousins. so last week was the first class, which
ended up lasting 2 hours, instead of 30 minutes, because some teachers
were absent, and they told me to just stay in there to keep teaching.
well, let me tell you, that was the most interesting/weird thing ive
done in a long time. since this was the introductory session, we just
let the kids ask us anything they wanted (i teach with a liberian
woman, who is training to become a nurse - im getting her involved so
that the kids still have a health teacher once i leave).
sample questions:
" is it true that when boys look at pictures of naked ladies, they
have "warm feelings inside"?"
( i let the boys in the class answer that one)
" is it true that if a boy has "warm feelings inside" and there is no
girl to satisfy him , he uses soap?
(again i let the boys answer this - and i was surprised by the honesty
of their answers....) actually, at that point, their Religious and
Moral Education teacher came in to sit in on the class, and gave a
VERY detailed answer.
"how do lesbians have sex?"
" is it true that people can have sex in the anus?"
" what is semen? where does it come from?"
" if a man has sex in the anus, will he get his period?"
most of them did not know about the concept of oral sex, and they
wanted me to explain it to them...... seriously......
you get the picture - this lasted for 2 hours. this week, im gearing
the discussion towards relationships, responsibility, self-respect and
all that BS. i never thought in my wildest dreams that i would have to
talk about sperm to teen age boys."

EABJM Winter Concert Presentation

On January 21st, the Ecole Active Bilingue Jeannine Manuel (my former high school in Paris) held a Winter Concert to benefit The Niapele Project. Special thanks to Mme. Bosc, Virginie, Delphine and the 1ere IB Niapele team for raising a little over $1000 that night.

Here is a video of the presentation I made presenting the organization (in french, unfortunately for all of you who don't speak Gerard Depardieu's tongue)

I'm no blogger, but I'll give this a shot

I suppose...

So here I am - 24 years old, the "proud" owner of two university degrees in international affairs, trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my existence. The plan is to become Benevolent Dictator of the World, but that might take some time to materialize - so what to do in the mean time?

Well, I've co-founded The Niapele Project, with my soul sister Celina Guich. We both volunteered at the Buduburam Refugee Camp in Ghana in Jan/Feb 2007, and since then, we've created a non-profit to continue our engagement with this amazing community.

I realize that saying things like "it was an eye opening experience", or "I was profoundly moved by what I saw there", is basically meaningless. These expressions are overused, which makes them empty shells. It's also very easy to say something like this, but not really mean it. While my understanding of the world is by no means superior to anybody else's (or only maybe to some people's), I have to admit that living and working in a refugee camp, and really being confronted with the cold, hard facts of that reality was traumatic, but in a good way.

The Niapele Project is small, but it's growing, and Celina and I are working very hard to get it off the ground and make it a respectable organization. It's a challenge, for sure. The biggest daily struggle for the directors of a non-profit is to come up with the funds needed to actually implement our ideas on the ground. A constant, uphill fight for funding. We've been successful so far - $25,000 + in the last 10 months, which we are very proud of. But the money is never enough, because the needs are infinite.

For every child we feed, educate and take care of, there are 100 more starving, poor, traumatized children who continue to be victims. It's hard. I guess we do what we can, which is this:

A School Feeding Program, which feeds 530 elementary school children on a daily basis. We do this in partnership with a local tuition-free elementary school (the only free school in the refugee camp).

When I first came to the refugee camp as a volunteer, I was the health coordinator at that elementary school (cue chuckles from people who know me and my health habits).

As the health coordinator, I had to learn about what sort of health issues the kids were facing, and what were the important things for them to know. I developed a health curriculum (simple) with the help from the local clinic personnel, conducted nutrition workshops with the staff and teachers, taught sexual health class to the 6th graders (more on this experience later), but mostly, I focused on teaching the kids about personal health and hygiene, which are almost unknown concepts to most of them.... We talked about how to boil water so it's fit for consumption, how to keep your environment "clean" (as much as possible in this setting), but when it came to nutrition, it became clear that NONE of these children were eating properly.

It was heart wrenching to see the kids fall asleep in class. Education is the only hope they have to escape the vicious cycle in which they were born - simply put, in Africa, education is salvation. If you can't even take advantage of your education because you are too hungry to focus and stay awake, then what?? What do you do when your stomach grumbles all day long, and hunger pangs take over your entire conscious thought process?

That was the initial impetus for me to want to continue being involve with this community - there was a huge, visible, urgent need for food for these children.

To cut a long story short, by August 2007, Celina and I had raised enough funds to start up the School Feeding Program, and since September, ALL elementary school students receive a daily meal.

Abandoned Refugee Children's Home, ARCH. Now this initiative is also very close to our hearts. Celina and I met Regina, who is the Mama at ARCH, during our first stint on camp. She was struggling to feed the 12 children she was living with - 3 of her own, 9 abandoned ones she had taken in because no one else cared enough to take care of them. Living in a room that was about the size of my freshman year dorm room at Tufts, they slept on the floor, and ate once in a while. There were a few babies there - 2 of them were being nursed by their mothers (because Regina also lived with 2 teenage mothers), and the other, Angel, 1, would eat whenever food was available. (This is Angel in the picture on the left).

Now, at the time, Celina and I gave Regina money, bought food for her, bought some pieces of foam for the kids to sleep on, tried to help her start a water business.... But when we came back in August 2007, her family had grown and resources had not. She was with 17 children, and no resources. A woman died and Regina inherited her house - which was amazingly lucky - and so The Niapele Project decided to combine forces with Regina to create ARCH. We bought them bunk beds, mosquito nets, baby cribs, medication, send them funds every month to buy food, pay for school fees and supplies, etc.

There is never enough money for them though - it's hard for us to see them struggling in spite of our constant assistance. We really hope that in the near future we're going to be able to make their lives comfortable, so that these kids can learn to live instead of just surviving.

Recently, we partnered with The Harmony Center, which is a center founded by a french physiotherapist who has been on camp for 2 years, and whose mission is to help handicapped children develop in accordance with their special needs.
We started off this partnership by allowing the handicapped children to benefit from the School Feeding Program, and we're now going to support them financially, as well as logistically. We're looking for special education specialists to come volunteer their time with them.

It's a new, exciting initiative that we're really proud of counting as part of our work in Buduburam.

This is already a very long post - is anyone still reading? Anyway, I'll continue writing about Niapele, and what we do, and how we're progressing.... I hope someone out there finds this mildly interesting! And don't forget to check out our website :www.theniapeleproject.org, and visit our super cool new store with tons of fun things to buy to support our work.

Cheers!