A picture says more than...what development in Nepal looks like

I love my facebook newsfeed. I love the fact that it offers me fascinating anthropological encounters of the visual kind or, in short, with moments of clarity that are difficult to express with words alone.
Last year I had a great 'what the UN looks like' moment and this week it's a picture from Gulariya, a few miles away from Nepalganj one of the hubs in central Nepal.



The picture was taken at a workshop on 'Enhancing Access to Aid Information in Rural Nepal' organised by the Alliance for Aid Monitor Nepal, an organisation that works on aid transparency and foreign aid debates in Nepal. There are quite a few things about this picture that make me hopeful: The equal number of women and men participating in the workshop and one of the women standing up during the dicussion to make a contribution. The fact that aid transparency and access to aid information is discussed in rural Nepal. The use of technology and the power of 'the laptop' in facilitating change without being a barrier to discussions or intimidating participants.
But the picture also highlights some of the challenges development faces in Nepal: It's great to have a laptop and projector - but the building, the physical infrastructure, still needs improvement. One of the reasons why most of the participants are wearing their coats is that it's probably freezing cold inside the room. Rural life is still tough and development is still behind Kathmandu levels. And there is also the question of the limits of technology. The laptop and projector seem a bit out of place in this setting. A few months ago I wrote about why having a laptop is not enough in the context of aid transparency and that's probably true in this context, too. But in the end, the picture leaves me more hopeful than sceptical and once again I'm glad to have connections on facebook to so many friends who do great things around the world!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Links & Contents I Liked 490

Image
Hi all, Welcome to a fresh round of #globaldev readings-and an extra warm welcome to our new students who are hopefully getting inspired from these contemporary readings on a broad range of #globaldev topics-from refugees writing about their experience in Bangladesh & Kenya, to the UN's lack of peace meditation efforts, Yemen's crowd-funded humanitarianism, Ghana's rising property prices & a great call for action from Brazilian gig workers: 'Come downstairs or we’ll eat your order!' Enjoy! My quotes of the week Sure, the history of tensions between Rohingya and Rakhine communities in Myanmar is long. But, in my personal experience, there was no substantial day-to-day animosity between our peoples until smartphones, and Facebook, entered into our lives and allowed politicians, bigots and opportunists to propagate hate against my people in real time. (Facebook should pay for what it did to my people, Rohingya) Among the recent coups in Africa, Gabon presents
Read more

Links & Contents I Liked 491

Image
Hi all, Last week I received a very nice message on LinkedIn  from a reader whose Masters thesis research was inspired by something she read in my weekly #globaldev review-a great reminder on why I like to do what I do almost every Friday! :) From Albania's ventures into humanitarian response, to Australia's public opinion on aid, fake news crisis in Bangladesh & a growing crisis in Congo there's lot to explore this week as well-including the impact of a returning fashion designer from Ghana, the hypocrisy of BRICS & the weaponized misspent of lots and lots of US dollars in Afghanistan and the long history of getting a Malaria vaccine. New academic publications on visa inequalities, the limits of global commissions & failures to include indigenous voices in global governance - and so much more! Enjoy! My quotes of the week The development of malaria vaccines was stalled over and over again: by the focus on the eradication campaign and suspension of research; the
Read more

Links & Contents I Liked 492

Image
Hi all, Migration, conflict, drugs, greenwashing, the political economy of humanitarianism, transitional justice, NGOs vs civil society, reparations & a thirst for numbers - big issues featured in news articles, opinion pieces, reports & research articles - as you expect it from one of your favourite weekly #globaldev digest! Enjoy! My quotes of the week The Colombians transporting migrants through the jungle say they are providing a humanitarian service. The migrants will try to get to the United States regardless, they say, driven by violence, poverty and political upheaval at home. So, by professionalizing the migration business, Colombian leaders say they can prevent their impoverished towns from being overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of needy people, help the migrants traverse the treacherous jungle more safely — and feed their own economies in the process. (‘A Ticket to Disney’? Politicians Charge Millions to Send Migrants to U.S.) Members of the Network agree that th
Read more

Links & Contents I Liked 493

Image
Hi all, Another busy week with stories from Sudan, Myanmar, Venezuela, Mozambique, Jamaica, India, the US & Uganda & people that deserve our attention, compassion + engagement from young mothers in Mozambique, women in Jamaica or aid workers in Myanmar, Venezuela & elsewhere! And make sure to scroll down to the posts from the archive-including a reflexive essay on colonialism, dangerous fieldwork & white academia. P.S.: Next Friday we are going to have a fantastic alumni day & will celebrate 20+ years of ComDev with alumni, students, colleagues & friends here in Malmö-so the link review takes a break. My quotes of the week “What is happening – something curious – is that unfortunately we have some schools where the girls become pregnant – because we now allow pregnant girls to study, they continue to study normally – they are studying, but the children are outside the school grounds with a minor, with a nanny, looking after the baby, seven or eight years old, an
Read more

Links & Contents I Liked 242

Image
Hi all, Did I mention that 'summer' has so far passed by the South of Sweden and I am finishing this review on a November-like gloomy afternoon...anyway, there is lots to discover this week-regardless of whether you are going to read on a beach, in the office or in front of a cozy fireplace ;)! Development news: Orphanages and exploitation in Haiti ; Somali piracy reloaded; African academics and their wish list for the WHO director; The G20 and the limitations of its Compact With Africa; inside the dysfunctional UN in Myanmar ; remittances, rice & real estate in Nepal ; Kathmandu’s wood carvers; reviewing emergency shelters; lunch meetings are a terrible idea; Americans want to help homeless people, but…; social justice orthodoxies; South African poets on writing & changing minds. Our digital lives: Reclaiming social entrepreneurship; the trouble with Bridge academies; a 4,000 USD Renault for India ; why study journalism these days?  Publications: M
Read more