Devon Whittle » Development

Travis Kavulla on AIDS relief and culture

devonwhittle — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:12:34 +0000

Aids Relief and Moral Myopia by Travis Kavulla is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in the intersection between ‘Western development’ and local cultures.

Kavulla articles addresses how and why current Western approaches to AIDS aren’t working in Africa due to differing cultural approaches to problem solving.

Whereas in the West we have dealt with AIDS with primarily technical solutions like condoms and ARVs (which have worked!), Kavulla writes that we can’t just transplant to Africa and expect good results, as it fails to take into account the non-Western approach to problems which involves more than just material/technical solutions.

He argues that we need to understand the role spirituality plays in African societies to be able to really tackle AIDS, and that we need to be willing to advocate the altering of behaviour rather then just rely on ’scientific’ or technical solutions to problems.

Some good quotes:

The lesson the public-health community derived from this experience was that widespread sex and drug use is an immutable fact of life. In this light, the main task of the public-health community was and is to give risky behaviors an appliqué of safety, not to seek to alter behavior fundamentally, lest stigma and alienation result. This attitude is rigorously enforced today in such circles; at the 2007 worldwide conference on AIDS in Mexico City, a number of scientists emphasizing behavioral change over condom use were actually shouted down. …

Go to any district hospital in Africa today, and you will find two clinics: one for AIDS—built, funded, and perhaps even staffed by the donor community—and the other for everything else, supported by whatever invariably cash-strapped and corrupt government presides. Bruce Dahlman notes, “Medical officers in either clinic will be seeing the same conditions, because those HIV patients come in with colds and flus and everything else, but they’ll be treated as a separate category because of their status.” So, in addition to the prospect of being medicated for life, Africans who develop AIDS and need intensive treatment become taboo figures—the lepers of this century, you might say, though exquisitely looked after by comparison, much to the resentment of those who must make do with regular health care.

It’s a great read to see how important our cultural blinders can be when trying to ‘help’ others.

There is an obvious danger of condescension and hypocrisy in “telling Africans to abstain and be faithful”, but I think Travulla’s argument is more nuanced then this sort of paternalism. It recognises that for an approach to work it needs to be rooted in the local culture and make sense to the people its designed to help. And I think all to often Western assistance fails because it just doesn’t make sense outside of the donor country.

Travis Kavulla on AIDS relief and culture is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Why are we holding governments to the 0.7% GNI aid target?

devonwhittle — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 15:20:13 +0000

Alex Evans has a provocative post over at Global Dashboard arguing against the sacred cow of the “aspirational target” of aid levels set at 0.7% GNI.

Alex makes some excellent points about the meaningless nature of this target. It was set over three decades ago, wasn’t based on any actual assessment of money needed, and current estimates put the actual required global ODA flows at far lower. And I agree that 0.7 isn’t entirely relevant except as a rhetorical tool for motivating governments to give more.

I think what Alex’s post stands for the strongest is a real need for investigation into how much money is actually needed, and ways to spend the money that actually make a difference. The UN target remains as a powerful burden on our governments who fail to live up to their agreement to convince us why their spending is adequate and well placed.

If the world is ready to move on from 0.7%, and I think clearly we are, then we need to establish what the new benchmark will be and this time actually live up to it.

Why are we holding governments to the 0.7% GNI aid target? is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

This would have been awesome

devonwhittle — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 09:54:44 +0000

Blattman calls it The Greatest Development Story Ever Told – a 1950’s idea to turn the DRC into an inland sea in Africa. This would have been awesome is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com. Related posts:Awesome development data resources Oxfam's new fairtrade chocolate is awesome Development Tourists – good, bad or ugly?

This would have been awesome is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Fascinating Gapminder HIV chart

devonwhittle — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:15:58 +0000

Gapminder have a great new chart out covering HIV infection rates around the world. It’s a fantastic way to visualise which countries are being most effected, as it clearly shows percentage infection and absolute infection numbers.

Fascinating Gapminder HIV chart is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Mobile phone hack to detect disease

devonwhittle — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:36:27 +0000

Researchers at UCLA have developed a portable hack to an ordinary, off the shelf mobile phone that is capable of detecting HIV, malaria and other illnesses. Very clever stuff.

Mobile phone hack to detect disease is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Climate of Change: Tear on our 'Shared Sky'

devonwhittle — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 02:47:19 +0000

I’m on a seasonal clerkship at the moment so posting may be sporadic at best for a few more weeks. But I’ve been meaning to post this link to TEAR’s Climate of Change DVD for awhile.

I like Ben’s conception of the “shared sky” at the start of the video and the way they simply present some of the issues climate change has forced us to confront.

TEAR is one aid agency/development/social justice group that I really like. They’ve done a great job on this climate change resource. It’s especially impressive given the limited resources at their disposal.

(also Room3 have done a great job on their video productions too).

Climate of Change: Tear on our 'Shared Sky' is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Spare a thought for the donkeys of Ethiopia

devonwhittle — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:12:09 +0000

This story from Owen abroad is like a strange PETA-inspired farce. Daily Mail writer Liz Jones goes to Ethiopia. Has a ‘heart rending’ experience. Writes an article on cruelty to donkeys…wait, what? Spare a thought for the donkeys of Ethiopia is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com. Related posts:Now tweeting live [...]

Spare a thought for the donkeys of Ethiopia is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

If you're thinking of starting an NGO – READ THIS

devonwhittle — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:09:02 +0000

If you are thinking about starting an NGO you must read this. Way too many NGOs get started to fill resumes or even for good intentions but with total ignorance of the mass of groups and people already working in the field. If you’re excited about a campaign or problem-solving, don’t start from scratch – join up with an existing organisation with the resources and infrastructure to really get things done. I’m sure they’d love to have more hands on deck.

If you're thinking of starting an NGO – READ THIS is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

Ted Conover "Trucking Through the AIDS Belt" (1993)

devonwhittle — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 22:36:55 +0000

I highly recommend Ted Conover’s Trucking Through the AIDS Belt to gain another perspective on AIDS in Africa. Though written almost 15 years ago now, it’s a very valuable read. Especially when thinking about people taking risks and just to get a general insight into one side of life as truckers in Tanzania/Rwanda.

Ted Conover "Trucking Through the AIDS Belt" (1993) is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.

$3.2 billion to development experts in Africa in 2005

devonwhittle — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:40:54 +0000

According to the report of the Commission for Africa, in 2005, $3.2 billion was paid to one hundred thousand “experts” to provide technical assistance to Africa. See Blattman for more.

$3.2 billion to development experts in Africa in 2005 is a post from: Devon Whittle. You can contact the author at devonwhittle@gmail.com.