Aidnography

Hi all, I just returned from Batumi and Kotaisi in Georgia and in addition to meeting wonderful academic colleagues from Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine & Sweden again, I can wholeheartedly recommend Georgia as one of your next touristic destinations! It means fewer links, but at least a glimpse into what I caught on my digital #globaldev radar! My quotes of the week Money was invested in global surveillance and response systems, but little attention was given to standards of care and the effects of the outbreak on families, communities, and health workers. The Ebola outbreak response was securitised and politicised. A security-based approach emphasised deterrence, compliance, and punishment, principles contrary to public health. (The mistakes we made over Ebola) The British public remains firmly behind efforts to support people in poorer countries, with almost two-thirds of people canvassed in a survey of EU citizens believing that maintaining overseas aid at its current level should ...

Hi all, First half of the semester almost coming to an end and we enjoyed a great blog presentation day by our N ew Media, ICT & Development students ! But there is always time to share some #globaldev food for thought! My quotes of the week “Despite the best of intentions, the sad truth is that visiting and volunteering in orphanages drives an industry that separates children from their families and puts them at risk of neglect and abuse,” she said. ( JK Rowling urges students not to volunteer at orphanages) The report finds that getting a job was not the only motivation to move, that not all irregular migrants were ‘poor’ in Africa, nor had lower education levels. 58 per cent were either employed or in school at the time of their departure, with the majority of those working earning competitive wages at home. They are of the ‘springboard generation’ – beneficiaries of two decades of remarkable development progress in Africa. Still, some 50 per cent of those working said they w...

Hi all, Busy week with a special section on the Nobel prize for Economics; #AidToo featuring Mercy Corps, Myanmar & WFP; childhood obesity; Bahamas; Haiti; Papua New Guinea; improving conferences & much more! My quotes of the week By the end, more than 75 people, some with tears running down their cheeks, formed a semi-circle around Humphrey. They repeated that they believe her and that she has the support of Mercy Corps employees worldwide. Many thanked her for speaking publicly about her experience.“Thank you for standing here with me,” said Humphrey, looking at the impromptu crowd. (Mercy Corps workers embrace, applaud sex abuse survivor: ‘You matter so much’) But policies like cash transfers would have undermined the approach to aid in which rich countries simply prescribe “solutions” for poor ones, rather than allowing people to take their futures into their own hands. Little about the US’s foreign policy toward Haiti has changed since the 2010 earthquake. The US continu...