Does multiplicity help?

There has been some renewed interest in the blogosphere about the role of aid agencies in the elusive cause of aid effectiveness. From my little experience with an aid recipient NGO in India, I definitely agree with the views expressed by Barder and Harford.

This NGO is probably an approximation, a microcosm, of the aid architecture in place. From 7 donors in 2004 to 15 in 2007, the organisation was faced with the challenge of tracking different reporting guidelines, expenditure tracking systems, billing guidelines, auditing requirements, currency conversions, not to speak of a steady stream of donor missions. In fact, instead of helping, some local donors complicated matters further by insisting not only on new bank accounts, but also that the account be only in a public-sector bank.

Programme-wise, the NGO was big enough to withstand the lure of big money for new projects (for example, it clearly refused big money for HIV-AIDS work, choosing instead to persist with its focus on water and sanitation and watersheds). In my view, what suffered most was organisational learning. And there wasnt much any donor really did to help. One of the main weaknesses of the NGO was its inability to attract and retain fresh talent (or experienced hands) - an area where the galaxy of donors did precious little to help (there is tremendous potential for "technical assistance" at the micro-level, I think). On the other hand, anyone that could speak some English and put a report together was kept busy handling donor relations, which beyond a point, became a painful chore. And here, I am not even talking about multiple sectors of work - just multiple donors for the same sector.

Sure, it is not all bad. Some donors were excellent and the NGO learnt a lot about putting good systems in place and managing knowledge gathered from the field better. However, I have no doubts that the senior management of the NGO and those who were in coordinating positions (and not burdened with the rigour of frontline implementation) did not nearly learn enough from its own successes and failures and in fact, was primarily focused on fulfilling the minimum requirements of each donor and the organisation. As a result, the NGO lost out on most of their time and inputs on facilitating internal sharing and learning.

Meanwhile, the NGO made repeated attempts to create a 'basket fund' where the different donors would pool in their funds and 'harmonise', making life a lot easier for all parties concerned. These attempts succeeded with some donors, but most just stuck to their own rules and procedures.

I always questioned myself about how productive I was being in that system and the simple answer was always that I had a hand in keeping the machine moving. But what was the opportunity cost of the time I spent drafting and editing reports? And was there a better way of managing the NGO-donor relationship so more time could be found for working with field teams and other staff? In the haze of day-to-day activities, it is so easy to forget the need to look for an alternative - to ask how the system can be overhauled instead of oiling a new broken bit each day.

PS - I do not for once suggest this is a problem with donors alone. Just think of the multiple committees and sub-committees NGOs like to create in villages (sometimes in the same village where multiple NGOs operate, the same group of influential village elders and enterprising youth are found in every committee, give or take a few here and there) - for education wat-san, fisheries management, forest management farmers groups, women's group, SHGs etc - all in an attempt to have a distinct footprint...

The obsession

Am I the only one wondering in how many countries, an under-20 World Cup would create this level of excitement? Yes, it is the U-20 football world cup and Ghana is at the moment leading Hungary 3-1 in the semi-final. Pretty much everyone I know here is in front of the TV. Even in cricket-crazy India, almost nobody cares for the U-20 ODI world cup.

Well, seeing the frenzy - its a good thing football matches are only 90 minutes!

What do you do when you are dripping wet and the taps stay dry...

What would you do?

I do a little breathing exercise! It did take me over 10 days in Ghana to realise this is going to be a part of my life here. But what about bathing...flushing the toilet? Also, I hand-wash my clothes and cook, so its a little problem. How do I do the dishes?

So whats the problem? Millions (probably a couple of billion) live that way. So whats the fuss? Nothing! Shut up. I will, I promise.

Say Cheese!

When biking on busy roads, SMILE! I have tested it in Trivandrum (Kerala), Orissa and now, in Accra. Never mind even if its not your fault - when anything goes wrong, and there is a face-to-face on the road, look in the eye and smile (or say cheese, if you just cannot bring one on at being nearly killed)- I guarantee it works most of the time. It works as an apology, works as forgiveness, as a symbol of your immense patience or just plain amusement; but whatever it is, most of the time, people dont get edgy, defensive or aggressive. And remember, sometimes, by following the standard rules, you might actually be breaking informal codes of a particular place.

Life's great!

Decongesting Accra - knock off the extra wheels

Can anyone tell me why there aren't more two-wheelers on the roads in Accra? The weather isnt so bad as to be prohibitive. The roads are narrow, two-wheelers actually would be faster and more fuel efficient. Is it status? Does everyone just aspire to have a car? I know they are considered unsafe on the road? But danger from rash driving is a vicious cycle - lesser the number of bikes and motor-bikes/scooters, the more rash the big boys (cars and SUVs) will become, until they simply dont know how to deal with two-wheelers on the road by their side.

That brings me to the four-wheelers - most private cars are SUVs or similar heavy/big cars (often with one, sometimes two people in them) - it makes sense for those who travel outside the city since the roads may not be conducive to small cars...but surely not everyone is making cross-country trips all the time. I dont think Accra can cope with all these big cars.

If more two-wheelers are encouraged (and they come with a large number of pricing options), methinks traffic jams wouldnt be a constant in our lives in Accra.