Education in Emergencies

Hello from Panama City, Panama!  

This summer has turned out to be quite a whirlwind tour of Latin America and some of its most significant institutions for Leilani and me.  We’ve been working on an evaluation of Plan International’s education in emergencies programs which has taken us from Plan’s regional office in Panama City, Panama to field offices in El Salvador, Ecuador, and Peru to conduct interviews with Plan staff and other stakeholders such as Ministries of Education, UN representatives, and program beneficiaries (teachers, children, and parents). 

Although it has been really interesting to talk with each of these groups, I have to say that what has touched us the most has been the conversations and focus groups with local communities and schools.  We’ve traveled out to some pretty remote field sites, especially in El Salvador where at one point after driving up treacherously curvy and bumpy mountain “roads” in a Plan SUV for the better part of an hour I felt compelled to pop Pepto Bismal and furtively hope that we would soon reach our destination.  These remote field visits have been well worth the trouble, though, as we had the opportunity to interact with Plan communities who are often forgotten by the rest of their society. 

The towns we’ve visited have all suffered some time of natural disaster in the past few years, ranging from floods to rockslides to earthquakes.  The people of the community and especially the children are some of the most resilient and strong human beings I’ve ever met.  With Plan’s help, they’ve taken various measures to protect themselves from damage in the future, such as forming “youth brigades” of adolescents whose job it is to be prepared to act in the event of an emergency by alerting the community and helping the younger children, and incorporating disaster risk reduction measures into their classroom curriculum. 

One story from a small town in El Salvador was particularly touching.  This town, called Pequeña Inglaterra, contained a community transplanted from their original location in the mountains in La Libertad.  A terrible 7.6 earthquake had struck La Libertad on January 13, 2001 and killed members of the community along with destroying homes, belongings, and livelihoods.  Below is an excerpt of a case study we wrote for Plan about the situation and services that were provided to this community. 

“The earthquake set off a series of landslides on the slopes of the town and rocks and boulders came crashing down the mountainside.  When it was over the earth looked like a wild animal had come from underneath the ground and destroyed everything in its path. The people of the community were hurt to see their homes destroyed.  The beautiful hillside community where many families had lived for generations was now completely destroyed and the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which had been the bedrock of the community for more than 120 years, had crumbled to the ground. There were casualties, and families had to spend days picking through the rubble to find the bodies of their loved ones.  People spent days looking for family members and collecting their belongings from the rubble. 

Because the town was now inhabitable, those without relatives to stay with in nearby towns all gathered together for the first night in a temporary shelter that was set up by community coordinators in a sturdy building.  About 70 families stayed in this shelter.  The next morning after the earthquake a few of the strongest people from the community journeyed to Santa Tecla to make contact with the outside world and tell them about the injured and dead in Los Amates.  When the country heard about what had happened in their community they were shocked.  The then-president of El Salvador, Francisco Flores, traveled that day by helicopter to the community to see the damage for himself….

…Finally, Plan found the solution for the Los Amates committee in the form of a donor from England who offered funds for 500 permanent homes for them in a new area.  It took Plan and the committee a while to find a new piece of land large enough for the construction of a whole new community, but they succeeded in doing so in the municipality of Maple City.  Here Plan helped the people to build their new permanent houses with the donated materials and to finally re-build their community and their lives.  This new community now houses over 500 families who were evacuated from disaster zones, and marks a new, fresh start to life. 

In addition to the homes, Plan constructed a new elementary school for the community in 2003 and provided the desks and materials necessary for the children to get a good education.  The teachers in the community continued to teach and one teacher comments looking back, “God gave us this opportunity to continue our work and the children give us the joy we need to motivate us to continue.”  Plan continues to provide support to the community in the form of conflict resolution, teacher trainings, and education support.  Plan also funds a pre-school program for children ages 0-5 so that they can begin to learn the skills they will need in school and their parents can feel they are being left in a safe place during the day while they work…”

Hearing incredible stories of resiliency like this is what has made our summer an incredible learning experience both in a professional and personal way.  We are here to evaluate the work that Plan has done, but what has really stood out to us is how well people can overcome the obstacles in their life if they are only given the resources and ability to do so.  

 By Noel Shadowen

Snapshots from a Summer in DC

Tibetan monks leading a chant prior to the Dalai Lama's speech on the Mall:

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, the first elected female leader in Africa, speaks at US Institute of Peace:

By Lindsay North

Pride

A few weeks ago, I went up to New York City, my favorite place and my home for three years, to visit some of my friends.  Little did I know it would be an historic weekend, with the state's government passing a bill for marriage equality.  It also happened to be the same weekend as the Gay Pride Parade.  I've gone to the Parade in the past and it's always a blast-- doesn't matter if you're gay, straight, questioning, walking through, curious, a supporter, or a participant; all are welcome.  The openness and friendliness I've experienced there are always exhilarating.  As a straight white female raised in the US, I can't begin to imagine how liberating this must be for someone who may otherwise have to hide who they really are, for whatever reasons.  This year, though, the crowd was ecstatic.  Dozens of people marched in wedding dresses despite the heat, while others opted to wear veils, tuxes, or carry bridal bouquets.  I even heard about proposals happening during the parade itself, though I didn't see any myself. 

This one picture brought a particular smile to my face:

But I was particularly moved by this picture:

I read a lot about conflict and horrific acts of violence, so I often forget that there are people living in fear in the US.  This sign was a bittersweet reminder that we still have progress to make in our own country.  Many eyes are on the US; with the passage of progressive bills such as this one that recognize the right to legally share your life and love with someone of the same gender, we can serve as a role model for countries that have endemic and/or institutionalized homophobia.

For more coverage on GLBT rights here and abroad, check:

The New York Times, "An Officer is Caught Up in the Moment"

The Moth, by Charlene Strong "It Wasn't Enough" (highly, highly recommended)

The Moth, by Lt Dan Choi "Don't Tell, Martha!"

The New Civil Rights Movement "South Sudan: Referendum for Democracy, but Not for Gays?"

By Lindsay North

Walking with Another Man’s Crutches

After what seemed like quite the academic marathon, I had finally turned in all my papers and projects and could look forward to my summer adventure in Bolivia.  I would be working for a small non-profit focused on rural development, though my specific role would be to design a women’s leadership and entrepreneurship program.  I could put my coursework from my first year into practice and see what my concentration in “women’s empowerment and workforce development” actually looked like in the field. 

I had been advised that one of the best qualities for a development practitioner to possess is flexibility.  Often projects don’t go as planned, and one has to be resourceful, creative, and patient in dealing with all the bumps along the way.  In my case though, I didn’t even get to Bolivia before I hit my bump in the road.  Two weeks before departure I was playing softball and got tackled at first base, and next thing I knew I had lined myself up for a hospital stay, surgery, and 8 weeks on crutches. The play had been made, and my trip to Bolivia was called out at the bag.

After a month of recovery, I started back at the internship I had held at Plan International USA throughout the previous school year.  Plan’s focus on community-centered development had first grabbed my attention, and I love the Because I’m a Girl campaign that focuses on gender equity.  This summer, I now have the opportunity to work full-time and to attend many of the international development conferences taking place in DC, including those sponsored by the Society for International Development and InterAction.  I have always really enjoyed working for Plan, and now I’m getting more time to work on actually supporting projects in the field.  I am helping to backstop a project we have in Ghana, in addition to writing proposals for several upcoming opportunities.

I have especially loved my work on the Youth, Education, and Workforce Development taskforce.  As my concentration for IDS focuses largely on women’s economic empowerment, I have really enjoyed learning about the transition from school to the workforce for young adults, especially girls.  My participation on the taskforce has enabled me to attend various talks and events on related topics in the area, which I somehow manage to attend by hobbling through DC’s horrible humidity.  I’ll serve as the point person for Plan’s booth at Making Cents' 5th Annual Global Youth Economic Opportunities Conference from September 7-9^th, so my preparations on that have already begun.  And my attendance at another event this week has lead to further responsibilities at work, and also really hit home regarding all I’ve been through this summer.

Last week I attended a USAID-sponsored event at the QED Group called Inclusive Education--A Discussion with Dr. Margaret McLaughlin and Lynn Losert about Best Practices and Continuing Challenges in Europe And Eurasia, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Southeast Asia.  The goal of the talk was “to bring the various stakeholders who work on education and disability together to learn more about inclusive education, including best practices, and the contextual factors that affect program implementation.”  During the talk, I felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb because I am on crutches and for the time being, I am disabled.  It certainly did give me an interesting frame of wind, though- I’ve experienced how incredibly difficult it is to get around in DC, and I can only imagine how much more strenuous such a task would be without paved roads, elevators, and public transportation.

Dr. Losert delivered one of the most poignant points during the talk when she explained how a disability is only a disability in a certain context.  If schools, teachers, and communities were equipped with the knowledge, attitude, and resources to care for these children and to help them to excel to their greatest abilities, their “disability” would instead be only a “difference.”  Yet many realities, such as poverty and lack of awareness on the issue, remain in place that contribute to many people viewing these children as broken, less-than, or hopeless.

In my development understanding until this point, I had associated the term “inclusive education” with the full inclusion of girls into a country or community’s education system.  This meant that girls would have the same access to education as boys, considering such factors as school costs, personal safety, familial expectations, and they would also have the same ability as boys to excel once in the classroom.  Never I had I really thought about all the multifaceted barriers facing children with a disability- whether intellectual, physical, or emotional- that often prevent them from having equal access to education.  Or even if they have access into the facilities, are teachers trained to effectively meet their needs and are mechanisms in place to adequately measure their development?  These children have a right to benefit from a quality education that enables them to learn and grow, and to eventually contribute to society.

Much of what I heard in the talk mirrored the language surrounding gender and education. As a movement is well underway in making schools around the world more “girl-friendly,” a movement is also gaining speed on raising awareness of the rights of children with disabilities, both in and out of the classroom.  Now the next step is to figure out how we as development practitioners can be sure to effectively incorporate disability into current and future programs.

I am looking forward to jumping on this bandwagon and exploring more direct ways to incorporate a focus on disability into programming.  Plan is currently undergoing an organization-wide assessment of our efforts on this front, and I will be assisting with the monitoring from the DC office.  It’s definitely a big step in the right direction.

So maybe this message of inclusive education for children with disabilities would not have had the same impact on me had my current circumstances been different.  But as I see it, I only lost out on a trip to South America, whereas kids all over the world lose out on a lot more on account of their disability- an education and a better future. 

By Katie Appel 

*Disclaimer: This post reflects my own opinions, and not necessarily those of Plan International or Plan International USA.

World Bank Cultural Immersion

I did intern/temp/consultant (STT) work at the World Bank from the beginning of February till the end of June. I was based in the OAS for my first few months where I felt fashionably inferior next to all the fancy Latinas. The extent of the inferiority of my fashion-ability was exacerbated by the fact that I was sitting in what my co-workers and I affectionately named "the fish bowl." That is, we sat in a glass conference room in the middle of the hallway where I could constantly see the fancy Latinas flaunt by. I wasn’t invisible either. The Italian men would stare at me unabashedly every time they walked by in spite of my terrible clothes. I eventually went shopping.

In spite of these superficial awkward details, I really enjoyed being forced into this little room with some wonderfully quirky co-workers including one Bangladeshi-American that would serve us tea every day at 4:00 and discuss metaphysical dilemmas with me. He conducted daily lessons using the conference room white board. The lessons ranged from reciting Rumi poems, to the origin of alcohol, to the origin of the tales of the 100 Arabian nights, to potatoes, to cows. That's not to say that we didn't focus on our work. We did. However, these little digressions kept the morale up as we crunched data for hours on end.

At some point in the middle of the STT stint, I was in a corner office in the J building. I shared the office with my Bangladeshi friend who solved all my life problems as we continued crunching numbers. He solved my life problems, and I (upon his request) took the role of 'drill sergeant.' That meant that I would slam my hand on the table to keep him on task when he started looking up lyrics to Persian songs (as we were all getting burnt out from the number crunching).

For the last month of my stint the Bank, I was irrevocably torn from the side of my lovely co-workers. I was kind of promoted in pay. However, that meant that I had to be sent to the dungeon, (which is the basement library in the main complex where there is little cell phone service). There, I was shackled to a public expenditure review spreadsheet in which I entered data and made precision codes. Cool as hell. After a month, I managed to get the Cameroonian sitting next to me to utter a daily "hello, how are you" and a "goodbye." Those were the only words I could get out of him. This was quite a contrast from my last working environment. At least I felt fancy, being as the Latinas at the OAS had inspired me to go shopping.

It seems that almost everyone at the World Bank is from the cultural elite from all places in the world. At one point in my struggle to work my way through the Bank I was interviewed by a Kyrgyz lady from Bishkek who had seen on my resume that I spoke Kyrgyz.

"That's not useful here," she said.

I should have responded that of course it isn't useful, but it is a demonstration of my aptitude for languages and my willingness to show respect for other cultures. However, my real response was simply, "yeah, but it's cool."

She introduced me to the big boss who also learned that I spoke Kyrgyz. "Oh, you have that in common!" The big boss responded.

The Kyrgyz lady looked at the ground ashamed. It was clear that she didn't know her own native language. In other words, she was a city girl. She was of the cultural elite.

Of course she was of the cultural elite. How, really, could an average Kyrgyz girl kidnapped and isolated in a rural village have the opportunity to gain the education needed to get to where this lady had gotten? That’s not the question. The question is whether the members of the cultural elites are aware of and grateful for their privilege. Do they wear their elite background on their shoulders like a trophy? Do they really think that they deserve to be where they are more than the average girl does? I am not just talking about developing countries. These problems are present in among us Americans as well. Plenty of talent goes to waste in rural Pennsylvania, in New Orleans, and in rural Kyrgyzstan alike due to unequal opportunities.

By C.S.

Microfinance in Bolivia

Hello IDS crew,

I'm not one for doing any sort of long analytical post, but I just got reprimanded from Jessi - so I'll put a few words up. Bolivia as a whole actually is considered a pretty popular success story in the world of microfinance (this came as a suprise). I've been doing some research for a small non-profit microfinance organization that seems to be lost in the world of microfinance here. They are restructuring and whanot and asked for some suggestions on how to diversify their product offerings.

I personally found the structure of the organization extremely confusing as they seem a little bit over extended, but I wanted them to focus on a poorer segment of the population as their smallest loans currently are at $300 (with some other requirements that eliminate some of the smaller entrepreneurs in the area). I wrote up this report (in Spanish, sorry) suggesting they start a solidarity group loan in addition to their individual loans (much like the Grameen model) to eliminate the risk in including these riskier customers.

The biggest challenge is getting my supervisors to take my gringo opinion seriously. I think the one I linked to is a rough draft, but if you're intrigued, take a look. Hope all is well, I'll see you in August.

JMH

A Post from Palestine

Funny the way life leads us. My plan to spend the summer in the West Bank started out as an idea in January, a back-up plan of sorts, but by April it had become the most viable option for a summer field internship. I had taken two semesters of formal Arabic, and had begun focusing my graduate research on the MENA region. All of my field experience had taken place in Latin America, and I felt it was time to break into a new region. Aware that large amounts of foreign aid flow into Palestine, I arrived in Ramallah with only a list of organizations operating in the area and a handful of contacts. Upon arriving, I literally knocked on the doors of international organizations and introduced myself - “Hi, I’m talented, free labor.” The International Youth Foundation quickly took me up on my offer, and I ended up with an internship related to my concentration in economic development.

I had hoped this summer would be a great learning experience in terms of my career. And while there is that, what I did not see coming is the amount of information I’m internalizing in regards to this half-century-old conflict. It is everywhere and in everything, permeating, often silently, the smallest pieces of every day life in the West Bank. Like many foreigners that stay awhile in these parts, the Israeli occupation and its injustices have consumed much of my thought and energy. Understanding all of its nuances has become the central force of my stay here. For my fairly regular thoughts on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, you can read my blog: http://journalingajourney.blogspot.com/

I consider myself lucky to have an internship that keeps me busy. I’m on my third international internship and they haven’t always been fulfilling. I’m conducting qualitative research on young entrepreneurs in Palestine; listening to young people share their stories of success has been an emotional lifesaver amid a backdrop of depressing realities.

My research is shaping me, as well. I’m increasingly considering tackling development strictly through a business angle. I see so much value in employing people - providing jobs - thereby giving people a sense of purpose and the tools they need to conduct their lives as they see fit, while also stimulating the local economy. In the West Bank, aid often does a lot more harm than good, and, as is, is indisputably detrimental to the economy. Truth is, the best “aid” the U.S. could give to Palestine would be to stop aid to Israel, or to stop politically supporting the occupation. Palestine’s economic development is impossible as long as the occupation continues.

I have no idea how this summer will shape my future, but I’ll certainly return to D.C. with improved Arabic language skills and a connection to this part of the world and this conflict. That’s the beauty of the lifestyle I’ve, we’ve, chosen, alhamdulillah.

Jessi

Jamaica’s Coastal Capital at Risk

*This is a repost from the World Resources Institute's website. The original post, published on June 16, 2011, can be found at www.wri.org/stories/2011/06/jamaicas-coastal-capital-risk-report-field.

Reef-related fisheries contribute to the livelihoods of 100,000 Jamaicans island-wide. Photo credit: flickr/LeonidasGR

A new economic valuation by the World Resources Institute shows what Jamaica’s economy stands to lose if its coral reefs decline further.

Last week, I traveled to Jamaica with my colleagues to launch a new analysis called Coastal Capital: Jamaica – The Economic Contribution of Jamaica’s Coral Reefs. We spent several rainy days in Kingston, where we launched the report at two events, met with many members of Jamaica’s environmental community, and sampled delicious (but spicy) Jamaican cuisine. The sun came out near the end of the week, which allowed us to get out to the beach and see some coral reefs before heading back home.

Our first stop was the Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals’ (JIEP) bi-annual conference in Kingston. This year’s conference theme was “Balancing National Development and Environmental Protection,” and WRI officially launched Coastal Capital: Jamaica. We followed this launch event with a three-hour seminar on our results at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus. More than 80 people attended the two events, including some of the key players in environmental policy and coastal management in the country. Two of Jamaica’s national newspapers also covered the report, headlining the importance of the country’s coral reefs to its tourism and fishing industries.

Read the summary of Coastal Capital: Jamaica.

Coral Reefs are Valuable

Coastal Capital: Jamaica finds that coral reefs provide significant value to the Jamaican economy. Reefs help build and protect Jamaica’s beautiful white coralline beaches, which attract millions of international tourists each year. Reefs provide critical habitat for Jamaica’s artisanal and industrial fisheries, and they also protect Jamaica’s coastline—including coastal communities and tourist hotels—from the destructive force of tropical storms. Unfortunately, Jamaica’s reefs are severely at risk, from overfishing, poorly planned coastal development, and pollution from land and sea. Climate change—which triggers warming seas and ocean acidification—is also taking its toll and its impacts are likely to increase in the future. Jamaica’s economy stands to lose if its reefs decline further.

Our key findings include:

• Coral reef-related fisheries contribute US $34.3 million to Jamaica’s economy each year, and that this number could be much higher if Jamaica’s fisheries were sustainably managed.
• Reef-related fisheries support between 15,000–20,000 fishermen, and contribute directly and indirectly to the livelihoods of at least 100,000 Jamaicans (or nearly 5% of the population) island-wide.
• Further loss of coral reefs could more than double beach erosion rates in Jamaica’s major beach resort towns. Beach erosion rates could increase by more than 50 percent in Montego Bay, 70 percent in Ocho Rios, and 100 percent in Negril over a 10-year period.


• Increased beach erosion could drive between 9,000–18,000 foreign tourists away from Jamaica each year, costing the country up to US $19 million in lost tourism revenue per year, and up to US $23 million in lost revenues to the wider Jamaican economy.
• Coral reef degradation leads to increased wave heights during storms and thus leads to more widespread coastal flooding. For example, in Discovery Bay, severe reef degradation could cause the number of buildings flooded to more than triple.

Not the Last Word

We do not see Coastal Capital: Jamaica as the last word on the economic value and importance of the country’s coral reefs. Quite the contrary, we hope that these results will contribute to the ongoing conversation within the country about how to effectively balance Jamaica’s long-term development goals with its need to protect its natural environment in order to sustain development long into the future.

To that end, we had lively discussions at both events, as participants raised questions that quickly got to the heart of Jamaica’s most pressing environmental issues. How should Jamaica deal with its current situation of too many fishermen and not enough fish? Is the tourism industry—a leading moneymaker in Jamaica—degrading the very ecosystems it depends on, and what can be done about it? The sessions ended on a hopeful note that analysis, debate and collaboration would lead to real action.

To the Beach

A glimpse of Jamaica’s degraded reefs. Photo credit: WRI

Our last stop, of course, was the beach. At first glance, it was a tropical paradise. The sun was shining, the palm trees waved in the breeze, and the Caribbean Sea was warm and relaxing. However, all was not well under the sea surface: the corals we saw were small and some were diseased, algae was widespread, and fish (save for the invasive carnivorous lionfish) were few. Later that evening, we sampled the lionfish at a local market—contributing to the Jamaican government’s plan to encourage citizens to “eat it to beat it”—and found it quite tasty.

The fates of Jamaica’s economy and of its natural environment are closely intertwined. Although the view under the water was sobering, we came home energized and cautiously optimistic. The enthusiastic participation and healthy debates at our two events in Kingston gave us reason for hope, and reassured us that meaningful change—driven by well-intentioned and better informed individuals from all sectors of Jamaican society—is indeed possible.

WRI produced Coastal Capital: Jamaica in collaboration with UWI’s Marine Geology Unit, the Mona GeoInformatics Institute, The Nature Conservancy and Texas A&M University, with generous support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. For a summary and the full technical reports, including the valuation methodology, please visit www.wri.org/coastal-capital.

West Timor Research Insights from a Boren Fellow

*This is a repost from Kiva Stories from the Field highlighting a current IDS student, Yvonne Chen.  The original post can be found at http://fellowsblog.kiva.org/2011/05/01/west-timor-research-insights/.

1 May 2011

 

Yvonne Chen, a Boren Fellow in Indonesia (2010-2011) and a graduate student at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs, contacted me after reading about my experience here at TLM on the Kiva Fellows blog.  She was interested in conducting her research study in West Timor with TLM to collect data for her thesis on youth financial inclusion in East Indonesia.  Despite her busy schedule, Yvonne was able to share some findings from her West Timor research as well as thoughts on Indonesian microfinance and Kiva’s work.  Enjoy reading the interview below!

Youth borrower, Yani, and her little sister

Q1:  What initially interested you in microfinance and pursuing a degree in development?
Developing countries have always interested me. I grew up to stories about how hard life was for my parents who lived in China before immigrating to America in the 70s. It made me interested in learning about the political and economic conditions that encourage so many people to leave their homes.
I was introduced to microfinance in an international development class in college.  My first thoughts were that it is a far more effective solution to reducing poverty than traditional forms of foreign aid. Look at a country like Haiti, which has received foreign aid for the vast majority of its existence, yet remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

Research assistant, Dewa, and youth borrower, Eki

Q2:  What made you pick your research topic of youth financial inclusion?
When forming my research topic, I knew I wanted to do something that I cared about and I wanted to make a contribution to the development field.

There is not a lot of primary research about how and why poor young people use financial services. Portfolios of the Poor is a groundbreaking study that looks at the financial lives of the poor.  But no published studies to date look at the financial lives of youth in particular. So I saw an opportunity there.  In fact, I borrowed some of the ‘portfolios’ methodology of Portfolios of the Poor for my own research.

As for studying youth, I think the youth population in a country is incredibly salient to the development of a country. In many developing countries there is a youth bulge, that is, youth make up the majority of the population.  Youth movements have led to social change [or political instability depending how you like to look at it]. The Arab Spring movements are an example of the power of youth. However, youths’ needs are much more acute at this stage of their development, and unlike children, they tend to lack an accessible safety net e.g. parents, guardians, or school structure for out-of-school youth. With the pressing social, economic and health issues in a developing country, the situation of young people is more vulnerable than that of older age groups.

Youth borrowers, Yohana and Yosefina

Q3:  Can you summarize your research process at TLM?
I emailed Lisa, who was gracious enough to ask the TLM staff if I could research with them. Then, when I arrived in West Timor, Shanty, the PR Representative at TLM, introduced me to Pak Jon, one of the branch coordinators in Kupang. Pak Jon then talked with his staff and created a list of clients who fit the criteria. During the week, we went out with loan officers to meet the borrowers in their homes and interview them. My research assistant, Dewa Keta, conducted the interviews in Indonesian and I guided him when there were problems, set up the camera and recorder, and took notes about the setting and the flow of the interview. Most of the places we went to were villages that lie about 30 minutes from the center of Kupang. Some of the clients also introduced us to neighbors who fit the criteria, whom we also interviewed. We also interviewed Pak Jon and talked with the loan officers to get information about TLM and the kind of products that they offered. We interviewed a total of 15 people over six days.

Youth borrower, Gaspar, and his family

Q4:  Were there any trends or major findings from your West Timor interviews?
We have not analyzed the transcripts yet so I cannot say definitively. But I can speak about some of my general impressions from observing the interviews.
First, there is a lack of financial literacy when it comes to financial products among the youth we interviewed. Most of them have never gone into a bank and have no idea how many products work. The ones who do understand a lot of what’s out there for them are usually youth who have experience with financial products. They tend to be married, are the primary breadwinners in their households, or have run their own business for some time.

Second, location is very important. Many of the people we interviewed had no vehicle and used a bemo or ojek to get into the city, so it costs them both time and money to get to a bank, even though they live just thirty minutes outside the capital city. TLM clients liked that someone comes to their door to tell them about the product or to make transactions with them. There was only one client who was a commercial bank client, and it was for the local BRI. The other product they knew about were from the local koperasi.

Third, many of the clients used informal financial services. For example, they said they usually saved in the form of cash in their homes and in the form of livestock. When faced with a financial emergency, they said they ask friends and family for help.
Fourth, there seems to be demand for many kinds of financial products. I think this can be explained by the context in which youth live. For example, when asked what their plans were in the next five years, many said they planned to look for work, start a business, start their own families and build a house. So it makes sense that some of the most highly demanded products they mentioned were bank accounts, home loans, and business training.

Home of youth borrower accessible only by foot on an irrigation canal

Q5:  You found out about TLM from my posts on the Kiva Fellows blog – how did you first hear about the Kiva Fellows program?
Someone at a Christmas party four years ago mentioned receiving a Kiva loan for Christmas, and explained the concept to me. I also have some friends who were fellows.

Q6:  Any general thoughts on Kiva’s work?
Kiva offers a very reliable way to invest in microfinance. I like that Kiva verifies client information and takes into account their partner MFI’s financial performance. Moreover, having worked in NGOs before, and seeing how much of a budget goes towards overhead costs, I also think Kiva loans are an effective alternative to giving money to a charity. All of your investment goes towards a borrower who needs it. After visiting Kiva’s site in West Timor and seeing the good work they do, I decided to become a lender for the TLM group.

Youth borrower, Maria, and her one year old baby

Author: Lisa Skowron (KF14) is currently working with Kiva’s MFI partner, TLM Cooperative, in West Timor.

Monsoon Summer

I’ve noticed that no one has posted to our IDS blog, which makes me sad. Sad enough to post something myself, even though I was initially hesitant to share my rambling stories on a public platform. So here goes…

Bombay is an amazing city… one that I have a love-hate relationship with. It is far too vast to generalize, and the diversity you find within the city is mind-boggling. Some parts are stunning and beautiful, while others are gritty an overwhelming. It’s the kind of city I doubt you ever get to know completely. Even my taxi drivers seem to get lost in its twisting streets (or maybe their just trying to get that meter up).

The most striking aspect of the city is the enormous gap between the extreme poverty and extreme wealth of the city. Hanging out in the wealthy suburbs, shopping at American style malls, clubbing with the hipsters in Churchgate, you can almost forget that there is another side to Bombay. And I think that many do. The Bombay of the slum dweller, of the servants who live in the shanty adjoining my apartment, and the countless numbers who line the sidewalks to get some sleep at night, is not the Bombay of the upper crusts. And what so many seem oblivious of is what bothers me the most while I’m here. I can’t seem to ignore the poverty, but I also can’t seem to do anything about it.

I try to comfort myself by thinking that that is what I’m here for-- that I am doing something about it. I’m spending May-July working for an NGO called Pratham. They are the largest NGO working in the education sector in India. I am working with the Program Management team, helping with monitoring and reporting on project outcomes and doing some proposal writing. In addition, I have been asked to conduct research on health outcomes for girls enrolled in Pratham’s programs in Bombay’s slums. Each day I work, I find myself smiling with the realization that my first year of grad school actually has prepared me for development work. Why, just this morning I was reading a log frame!

India has been an amazing (rainy) ride so far. I’ve been gone from home for just shy of one month. It feels like I’ve been gone for a year. And I still have two months left to go. Despite this being an amazing experience I can’t help but feel homesick. I miss my friends and family, but most of all I miss my rain boots. I had a crazy notion that they would be an easy thing to find in a city that experiences three months of flooded streets a year… but I was wrong. So it has been my mission to find boots for the past two weeks. I’ll report back to let you all know if I have any luck. Pace.

Summer is Here!

Congrats on finishing finals everyone!  Now that summer's here, many of us will be starting up new jobs or internships, and we'd love to hear about your experiences over the next few months.  Please contribute to the blog with any posts of development-related work or travel- anything's game.  Safe travels to those of you traveling far, and enjoy summer in DC for those of you staying in town,  Looking forward to reading about all your summer adventures!