"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
Learn 1, Go to Where the Action Is
The tips that are given in the Innovation in Africa article are all great, and I've already commented on one, but when I think about it, the two that most resonate with me are Paul Polak's exhortation to "Go where the action is", which is mirrored by the author Dave Tait's quote "Understand by observing the environment, infrastructure, culture and lives of people by being there."
Both of these touch on an absolutely critical aspect of development work: you can't help people unless you're present, to be there.
I thought I had an idea of what people needed after the Asian tsunami crisis in 2004. I worked for a large food distributor, and was going to send some relief supplies. When I contacted people on the ground, they said they had plenty of supplies, just send money.
My employer was not content to just send money to what he viewed as corrupt bureaucracies (some truth to that), so he sent me.
I was under the impression I'd be building houses, learning about construction and doing really manly stuff. Was I shocked when I got there and found they wanted help building fish farms and crab farms, protecting the marine reserves and replanting mangroves. I hadn't gone there to do some eco-hippy crap! I wanted to do REAL relief work.
Frustrated, I searched around for an aid agency doing what I thought was best, but after a month of searching I ended up back where I started in Ranong on the Burmese border.
In the end I realized that the work they were doing there was what THEY THEMSELVES were asking for. They didn't need new homes, they'd quickly rebuilt their bamboo huts right after the tsunami. What they'd lost were their livelihoods, the farms that sustained them and the marine preserve that provided them with fish and tourism.
The experience was very humbling for me, and was the catalyst for my entering the world of sustainable development. Now I'm a small scale farmer in my hometown, after years of studying and working abroad. Being here is the most important place for me to be, changing people's habits and ideas of what 'good food' is.
Here are some pictures from Thailand and the great people at Project Greenway and HiPhiPhi that I worked with.
Both of these touch on an absolutely critical aspect of development work: you can't help people unless you're present, to be there.
I thought I had an idea of what people needed after the Asian tsunami crisis in 2004. I worked for a large food distributor, and was going to send some relief supplies. When I contacted people on the ground, they said they had plenty of supplies, just send money.
My employer was not content to just send money to what he viewed as corrupt bureaucracies (some truth to that), so he sent me.
I was under the impression I'd be building houses, learning about construction and doing really manly stuff. Was I shocked when I got there and found they wanted help building fish farms and crab farms, protecting the marine reserves and replanting mangroves. I hadn't gone there to do some eco-hippy crap! I wanted to do REAL relief work.
Frustrated, I searched around for an aid agency doing what I thought was best, but after a month of searching I ended up back where I started in Ranong on the Burmese border.
In the end I realized that the work they were doing there was what THEY THEMSELVES were asking for. They didn't need new homes, they'd quickly rebuilt their bamboo huts right after the tsunami. What they'd lost were their livelihoods, the farms that sustained them and the marine preserve that provided them with fish and tourism.
The experience was very humbling for me, and was the catalyst for my entering the world of sustainable development. Now I'm a small scale farmer in my hometown, after years of studying and working abroad. Being here is the most important place for me to be, changing people's habits and ideas of what 'good food' is.
Here are some pictures from Thailand and the great people at Project Greenway and HiPhiPhi that I worked with.
Views: 38
-
Comment by Jenn on March 6, 2010 at 7:07pm
-
Hi Nick, I'd love to hear more about your experiences doing disaster relief work. Have you kept in touch with the friends you made in Ranong? (I hope they weren't also effected by Nargis!) I'd also be interested in your perspective on how folks can help when disasters occur abroad, since you've seen the work first-hand.
-
Comment by Nick Heyming on March 7, 2010 at 12:11am
-
Hey Jenn, thanks, I try to keep in touch but unfortunately several of the local coordinators I got really close to never check their email, so mostly I stay in touch with the volunteers I met at other camps.
I kept a journal the wh*** time I was there which is at www.Inspeyere.com , although I'm revamping that website and writing a book and lecture series about exactly what you're saying.
I've spoken with some friends of mine for another site similar to this one called Evolver, we tried to explain charitable giving of money, resources, and time. Thats a big subject to talk about in a comment though...
-
-
Thanks for sending the journal, I'll be sure to check it out. My experience with disaster management is quite limited. I actually worked on the Thai-Burma border, as well, but farther north in Mae Sot. From what I witnessed when a village inside Burma was forced to relocate to Thailand, handling emergency situations can be incredibly confusing, frustrating and scary. And yes, very big topics to discuss in comments. :) Please post more information about your book and lecture series whenever you're ready!
-
-
Sa wat dee!
Alot of the people in the village I was helping were ethnically Burmese Muslims, and many of them ran into issues regarding lost paperwork and being accused of illegally immigrating.
My journal from May 1, 2005 talks about when we saw firsthand how bad the situation could get...
-
-
Mingalaba!
It sounds like the situation with the Thai police is of a very different variety in the South. In the Northern part of the country it's become become more of an economic machine, feeding off of bribes extorted from Burmese (and their friends and networks) illegally living in the country, though they occasionally still get sent back to Burma to face forced labor and conscription. (Most of my friends were afraid to go out and stayed in hiding.)
I'm really sorry that happened to anyone, let alone a friend of a friend. Thanks for writing about it and telling others.
Comment
Latest Activity
Fourth of July on the Lake
This past weekend was the annual celebration at the lake house in Connecticut. It is amazing that the lake is still so clear and beautiful after all these years. The watershed association has done a wonderful job protecting these waters from the damaging effects of development.The wood grill was finally ready to cook on, so we didn't miss the propane tank fueled grill anymore. The food actually tasted fresher than in the past and was easy to keep fueled.Dad was very proud of the solar hybrid…See More
Stinging Nettle
In this blog post I will focus on a plant that is abundant in our nature, and which is immensely nutritious. It's of course the Stinging Nettle. Let's start with the chemical constituents of this plant:37 % Non-Nitrogen-Extracts19 - 29 % Ash9 - 21 % Fiber4 % Fat22 % ProteinOnce the leaves are drid, their protein content can reach an astounding 40 %, which is much higher than beef, which even under the best of circ**stances can never exceed 31 % protein. In addition the Stinging Nettle consists…See More
The meal
It is 7'oclock, I was late home from work due to an assignment that i wanted to get ahead on. By the time I get home I am feeling extremley tired and I cannot be bothered to make a proper meal. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what there is for me to eat. All of the out of date foodstuffs have been automaticaly thrown away by the fridge, they will be recycled tomorrow as animal feed or something. I see i have organic local eggs and some local cheese. Foods are vacc** sealded for easy…See More
Future
FutureToday is 2020/1/1. It is just like yesterday. The war is still continuing. It has started since 2010. In 2010, that year was a horrible year. Almost every energy ran out. Every country’s governments were crushed down at the same time. There were riots everywhere. All of the big company’s bosses were killed xdeadx in the riots. Troops fought each other everywhere. Food was bought up xawayx at once. There were no more food supplies in any shops. The economy was all crushed down. All the…See More
public servants
The exchange works directly for state and public workers and servants. It gives them credit in exchange for the amount of public work they contribute to the community. The more constructive they are based off a base rate the more credit they recieve.
© 2024 Created by Alchemy.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Urgent Evoke to add comments!
Join Urgent Evoke