AsianNGO #8 - July-August 2014 Issue

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2014 www.asianngo.org

ISSUE #8 | JUL-AUG 2014 ISSN: 2312-0924

Funds | Partnerships | Learning

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FEATURED GRANT

Grant for Iraqi health and sciences expert for US research tour

CRDF Global invites applications from scientists, researchers, and experts working at state-operated laboratories under Iraq’s ministries of Health, Agriculture or Science and Technology to apply for a Professional Network Building Programme grant that seeks to create opportunities and environment to build professional

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FEATURED EVENT

CSR Asia summit celebrates a decade of rallying private sector

Designed to be the biggest CSR Asia event, the 10th summit on 16-17 September will take place in Hong Kong—right where the journey for the organisation began. This year will see more sessions, insights, speakers and even more take away for attendees, with the summit’s key focus for 2014 on development and strategies associated with shared value and inclusive business;

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Rising from the rubble, and NGOs laying the bricks again Non-government organisations—most notably with the example of the International Committee of the Red Cross for a century and a half now—have played a vital response system to victims of conflict situations and disaster-stricken areas. The region’s post-conflict economies—Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Myanmar easily come to mind—provide good examples as communities ripe for an aggressive wave of social development. Cont. page 5

CO U NTRY F EATURE

CSOs revive hopes for Afghan development

ASEAN urged: strengthen security ties Amid the recent rows over territorial disputes between China and its neighbours in the south-east and the ethnic conflicts on some of its borders, fortifying good relations among countries is needed more than ever as Southeast Asia looks to reduce trans-national crimes and improve regional economy. The Philippine government has pointed out that for the South-east to achieve economic integration, sought by 2015, there must be harmonious regional security.

“Human security and freedom from unease can lead to stability and confidence in our markets. All of us play an important role in ensuring that the current momentum of growth in ASEAN is sustained,” Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said to ASEAN heads of state and defence officials at the 34th Cont. page 12

Image: Ashley Jenkins/Flickr

Decades of war and internal armed conflict have torn Afghanistan leaving many of its people as refugees and its infrastructure in ruins. Now, in its most fragile state as most of the US and other foreign troops are set to leave the country by the year’s end, there is only a speculative outlook of what lies ahead for its people. Despite all these, the events in the past decade that have shaken Afghanistan and its people, have only strengthened their bond that gave rise to an empowered, focused civil society.

“Afghan civil society is omnipresent almost every part of the population” according to an ADB civil society country brief, noting that [Afghan civil society] plays a key role in the country’s steps towards meaningful democracy. Civil society practices—even has to fight for—the right to participate in nation building, freedom of expression and perform different Cont. page 4

B’Tselem: human rights probe in conflict areas need accurate data B'Tselem was initially founded as an information centre with belief that if people knew what was happening around them, where the Israeli military maintained occupation of the Palestinians, problems of violence and oppression would be solved—or so we hoped. Monitoring, reporting and fact-finding (MRF) were the primary tasks of the organisation: taking testimonies from victims and eye-witnesses to human rights violations; cross-checking these information with other sources and producing comprehensive reports that place these violations in their broader legal context. That was 25 years ago.

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FEATURED PROJECT

Safe steps for disaster resiliency in Asia

SAFE STEPS is a pan-Asian public service programme aimed at enhancing disaster preparedness and awareness through the dissemination of educational survival tips in response to natural disasters. Videos on typhoon and earthquake have tapped a regional reach, starting to air in May across 13 TV channels including National Geographic, all the Star channels, FX and Channel V.

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T OP S T OR I E S Innovation for better delivery of aid: Aidex 2014 page 3 Exclusive interview with Afghanistan’s only female governor page 4 PPPs, technology and post- conflict development page 6 South Asian Development Bank proposed page 10

Exclusive interview with an anti-child trafficking advocate page 11 USAID grant for Sri Lanka youth, civil society page 15

Community development in conflict areas page 16

For more information on grants and events useful for your NGO, turn to page 15-16 or sign up for free at www.asianngo.org.

EDITORIAL Commentary

How the private sector can help us help NGOs After the ADB Annual Meeting in Astana last May, in which I was invited by the NGO Centre of the [ADB] to present at some of the plenary and panel discussions, I met several new friends both in and outside the development sector. One common sentiment is that many community-based NGOs find it very difficult to sustain their operations or finance their projects because of the lack of funds; or dwindling external support.

Some are quite lucky to be associated with loyal donors and state-level Sreenivas Narayanan sreeni@asianngo.org subsidies to pursue social progress; but majority struggle with the shifting focus of many traditional (international) donors.

In addition, NGOs who rely mostly on grants are not necessarily aware of the availability of [grants] provided by multi-lateral agencies, inter-governmental bodies, international NGOs, development ministries of foreign governments and the increasingly generous corporate foundations and CSRs. This is what we at AsianNGO continuously strive to address.

Last month’s issue—which celebrated the first anniversary of the magazine—saw the launch of the new sub-magazine, AsianCSR. We would like to bring together ideas and stories from our corporate partners and community-based NGOs. It is, in a way, a showcase of opportunities and in my best hopes, eventually be able to facilitate collaborations for communitybased development.

We profile some aid donors and development assistance providers in the region—regardless of whether we have running partnerships with them or otherwise—so other NGOs who may need grants in the future now know where to go. We also take this venue to highlight our own CSR and private-public partnerships (PPP) stakeholders in the works that we do at ASSIST. But to a much larger scale it is to put the spotlight on the fact that the private sector—along with their corporate foundations and CSR arms—has resources and, again based on our experience, is more pro-active in lending support to the aid, humanitarian and development communities globally.

We are also very happy to have enduring partnerships with capacity-builders like MDF International, Claro KC, InsideNGO and Blackbaud International—all private providers of technical capacities that NGOs need to run their operations—for sharing their learning assets with us which, in turn, are most relevant to the NGOs we reach out to in the region. Their materials, notably MDF’s, have been localised as part of the Learning Series booklets, which are now translated to Vietnamese and Tamil. Works are under

way to translate them into Khmer and, very soon, Burmese.

Thanks to our private sector partners operating in these areas, our reach to NGOs has increased at unprecedented scale; and we would like to engage even more partners to pursue similar collaborations with us.

Of course, all these linkages are augmented by the web portal that AsianNGO has so far enabled local NGOs with, through the updates on grants, events, project partnerships and learning assets for [NGOs] to make full use of. The discussions in Astana in May centred on public-private financing and collaborations between member countries’ governments and their private sectors, but overall it is undeniable that NGOs and social enterprises are taking the development sector seriously—and vice versa. Thus, the need to enable a stronger interface, and collaborate even more assertively.

Although this is largely the domain of bigger, more experienced institutions, consequently, we also ask ourselves: how about those NGOs in rural areas who just might have the brilliant idea to re-stratgise poverty alleviation, influence state-level policy reforms or develop the cure to cancer in the near future? We respond by going back to their most basic needs: the knowledge, mostly technical, that they need in their operational strategies, work processes and outward engagement to their stakeholders; including raising funds and attracting donors. This is what the Learning Series booklets seek to address; the lessons of which can also be learned from the experience and expertise of the private sector. ■

Editorial

Rising above the fall and moving forward

Mike Saycon mike@asianngo.org

In a paper I wrote in 2008 on the practical failure of international law to curb the issue of child conscription into armed conflict both by state military agencies and paramilitary insurgent groups across the globe, one of the conclusions stood out: armed conflict is a by-product of a cycle of poverty and lack of social cohesion in communitybuilding. It is a chain of cause-and-effect of inequality, absence of opportunities to improve people’s lives, distrust in governments, clamour for power—yet nearly all point back to a society lacking a sense of unified direction.

Although natural calamities are never borne out of the same circumstances, any aftermath calls for similar needs and thus, communities [may] face the same challenges.

In this issue we tackle the different dimensions of post-conflict and after-calamity development; and how civil society can be empowered, mobilised and monitored efficiently—given the fragile state of communities that are just barely recovering from disaster, man-made or natural. While it is obvious that large international organisations and the private sector are usually the first to rush aid to communities that may not even have the internal capacity to respond ad hoc, knowing the strategic touch-points of communities’ needs is huge first step.

More than bringing peace and order to conflict societies, (re-) development is not single-handedly addressed during or directly after the situation. This is where the works to build preparedness, capacity and resiliency becomes most opportune because mostly, as illustrated in that 2008 paper I presented, it goes long way back to before any conflict can even happen.

And it extends to a long way after, rehabilitating not only the infrastructure of the community and normalising community life but also the mental and emotional well-being of people.

Children, women and vulnerable groups, including victims and survivors, also need the psychological rehabilitation to integrate them into normal life and become able and willing to work their way back to business-as-usual. So while it may seem that the first thing to come to mind is peace-building or relief response missions, it is equally important to nurture the overall well-being of communities.

In a heartwarming example set by Habiba Sarabi, first and

the outcomes that countries like Vietnam have achieved.

In all sides of the spectrum of development, cooperation is always the key for post-conflict and post-disaster communities to move forward. ■ About the cover photo

only female governor of Afghanistan (this issue’s country feature), we also have a story of putting a community’s common good to avert any conflict to escalate and glue her citizens together for nation-building. Ms Sarabi sat with us for an interview last year after she received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in Manila, dubbed Asia’s answer to the Nobel Peace Prize. Her feat proves that communities’ peace efforts start in building people’s capacities as individuals and enabling an environment for them to thrive.

Our friends from the humanitarian relief and aid sector have also been generous to share with us their insights on and the importance of accurate reporting and monitoring on the field: Jessica Montel, human rights campaigner in Israel and Palestine, and Donatella Rovera of Amnesty International writing for the Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection. Together, they highlight the importance of diligent data gathering in the pursuit of proper legal responses both for the community itself and for its people.

Finally, back to the main theme of this issue, there is a growing interest in developing post-conflict communities in Asia—Myanmar and Cambodia are stand-out examples—and we see partners work their way to the area. There is much work to do, but along the lines of investing in the prospects of both countries’ resources, it will be equally important to look after the human potentials.

Be it in education, health care, other basic social services; tools for good governance, active participation, transparency monitoring, trans-national justice and border security; and most importantly, protecting children and women from trafficking and sexual exploitation—this means one thing: all possible advocacies now have the opportunity to translate to

Women from community-based organisations meet to discuss village re-construction in Indonesia in 2011, under the Java Reconstruction Fund, in response to the May 2006 6.2 magnitude earthquake that killed over 5,700 and injured almost 50,000 people in Yogyakarta and Central Java.

Total damage and losses were estimated at US$ 3.1 billion; and more than 300,000 houses were destroyed or heavily damaged. In July of that year, along the south coast of West Java, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami that killing at least 660 people and displaced more than 51,500 people.

The JRF is a multi-donor post-disaster rehabilitation fund pledged by the EU and the governments of the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, Finland and Denmark. To assist the Indonesian government in rebuilding the lives of the people affected by the 2006 disasters, mainly in the areas of housing reconstruction and rehabilitation and restoring livelihoods.

Image: Nugroho Nurdikiawan Sunjoyo, from the World Bank Photo Collection.

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F E AT U R E S from page 1

B’Tselem: human rights probe in conflict areas need accurate data

A daughter of a family whose household was destroyed in the conflict, searches for her school materials through the rubble.

Fairly quickly, we came to understand that ignorance regarding human rights violations is not the primary problem. Even when presented with clear evidences of human rights violations, people found ways to explain, and deny and justify—a phenomenon studied by criminologist Stanly Cohen, one of B'Tselem's founders, in his book States of Denial. Even more proof of the violations were not going to overcome these mechanisms of rationalisation. In response, B’Tselem developed new strategies to advance human rights by conducting domestic and international advocacies, promoting criminal accountability and using new media tools to mobilise the public. MRF has been the backbone of B'Tselem's work; because accurate and reliable information is the necessary first step of any strategy to make change.

Our work in Operation Cast Lead illustrates this quite clearly. The suffering caused in Israel's large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip in December 2008-January 2009 was clear: hundreds of people killed, thousands injured, and massive destruction of homes, infrastructure and property.

Effectively addressing this suffering, however, required a clear analysis of the problems; and this required accurate data.

This fact-finding formed the basis for all our advocacy and public education activities intended to promote accountability for individual cases; as well as systemic changes to promote accountability and ensure protection for civilians. Given the highly-charged context of B’Tselem’s work and the politicised efforts to discredit the work of similar organisations, ours would not be possible without strong bases of accurate, reliable information.

Palestinians accused Israel of killing innocent civilians.

Israelis responded that armed Palestinian groups used their own civilians as human shields, forcing the former to fight in densely populated civilian neighbourhoods. The only way to evaluate these conflicting claims was through rigorous investigation into each casualty: how many of those killed were civilians and how many took an active part in armed hostilities? Were civilian installations willfully targeted or damaged in the course of legitimate military operations?

Were civilian facilities used by armed Palestinian groups, making them legitimate targets?

About the Author Jessica Montell has been a leading figure in the Israeli human rights community for two decades. For the past 13 years she has headed B'Tselem, the pre-eminent Israeli organisation addressing human rights in the Occupied Territories. Under her leadership B'Tselem has more than doubled in size, responded to dramatic changes in the external environment and developed innovative advocacy and public education strategies.

She is a frequent speaker and commentator on human rights, international humanitarian law and counter-terror policies, Only at the conclusion of an investigation lasting many particularly in the Israeli context. In 2011 Montell was months did B'Tselem publish its findings. Its research selected by Ha'aretz as one of the “ten most influential Anglo raised grave suspicions that the Israeli military had in fact immigrants;" and in 2013, UK-based Action on Armed violated its legal obligations in its conduct in this operation. Violence chose her as one of “100 most influential people There are compelling allegations of excessive force, use of working to make the world a safer place.” indiscriminate weapons, obstruction of ambulances and directing attacks at civilian rather than military targets.

B'Tselem's video project serves as a global model for B'Tselem also collected similar information on nine Israelis citizen journalism, providing cameras and training to turn killed by Palestinians during this same period. In this case, Palestinian victims of human rights violations into advocates facts were not in dispute: it is clear that three of those for their own rights. The organisation has pioneered the use were civilians killed in a willful targeting [of civilians] by of video as a tool to advance human rights. ■ Palestinian armed groups.

Innovation for better delivery of aid: the 2014 AidEx Now in its fourth year, the AidEx in Brussels will welcome over 2,000 visitors from the international aid community and more than 200 suppliers of essential aid equipment to come together for over two days to advance a common advocacy: improve the delivery of aid globally. This year’s event will take place at the Brussels Expo on 11-12 November.

presents

Expected to attend this year’s AidEx are senior management and procurement professionals, consultants, logistics coordinators and field operators from a variety of international NGOs, government agencies and policy makers from across the globe— all with the shared goal to improve delivery of aid through sourcing new products and innovations and forming longerlasting relationships.

“The AidEx 2014 Conference programme will focus on innovation in aid. Innovation does not just encompass product design; we need to look at and understand the fundamental changes going on within the commercial and non-profit sector, allowing organisations to be as efficient as possible whilst providing the best possible care to those in need,” noted conference author Rob McConnell.

Some agencies supporting AidEx are the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), the UK Trade and Investment Aid-Funded Business Service, and the city government of Brussels; along with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. NGOs like Global Hand, HLA, the International Human Rights Observer (IHRO), LIFESAVER, The Red Cross EU Office and ShelterBox are also partners.

“AidEx is an opportunity for the humanitarian and civil protection sectors to look at what new ideas, new innovations, new products and new services are out there, while converging stakeholders and interest groups to expand their networks,” noted Val Flynn of the European Commission.

Visit www.aid-expo.com for more information; or contact Nicholas Rutherford, AidEx event director, at +44 20 7970 4058 or nicholas.rutherford@centaur.co.uk. ■

2-3 October 2014 Asian Institute of Management Makati City, Philippines

Technology for Good Technology for Governance Technology for Youth, Education & Employment Technology for Disaster Management

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Organized by

ECHO as participating organisation in AidEx's Aid Donor Advice Clinic, a meeting point between donors and the implementing partners.

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Delegates

In Partnership with

For more information contact: T: (+632) 403-8668 | E: olga@assistasia.org

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C O U N T R Y F E AT U R E from page 1

CSOs revive hopes for Afghan development Islamic branches. Yet it also faces challenges because of the inadequate security development in the country; not to mention the chaotic electoral process threatening the very right the civil society ought to practise.

Barriers along the Way As the US and NATO troops plan to leave, terrorism initiatives already bloom in some parts of Afghanistan. This risks the security gains in the country. Nevertheless, this could make the NGOs’ efforts in directing civilian goals in the country easier. Together with NATO and US security forces, NGOs are usually targeted by attacks from the Taliban groups. Taliban groups may have viewed the situation that local NGO workers coordinating with security forces are similar to the threats from the West. This means that a clear division between the work of the NGOs and the work of security forces is needed.

With many security forces leaving, Afghanistan will be left more vulnerable to war and conflict which threatens international NGO efforts.

The situation requires community development programmes which include peace efforts through the coordination of the government with the local communities. Local leaders can serve as mediators and talk to the Taliban group.

BBC News Asia also reported that as the US forces leave many children are still deprived of basic social services such as education, health centres and potable water. The masses demand infrastructure development which includes establishing dams and houses. There is also a high need to curb drug production which has been prevalent in all parts of Afghanistan.

Protection of human rights is also a prospect for community development in the country.

The first transition election happened in June, which turned out to cast higher number of voters than the first runoff last April (about 7 million voters). Independent Election Commission chief Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani said, “The estimated number of voters in today’s elections is of more than seven million, of which women were 38 percent, and men 62 percent.” The election however, did not turn out as successful as it seems to be as one of the two presidential candidates, Abdullah Abdullah dropped out from the electoral process claiming that the election organisers and president were fraud. The incident may fire up potential ethnic conflicts, United Nations (UN) anticipates.

Despite growing challenges and hostilities Afghanistan has to face, the civil society organisations continue because of its society’s strong bond—from basic groups such as families to complex community networks.

It is evident that Afghanistan has achieved significant success in improving women’s status in the country. It is now mandated in the country’s constitution to have equal rights between men and women. There is also increased number of girls who have access to education and women who participate in the National Assembly. However, women still face threats to their gained social improvement in which local and international NGOs can act Today, NGO activities focus on a wide range on to. of areas. According to ADB, some engage Another sector that has gained vast in humanitarian assistance and emergency improvement and has high potential to further relief. Some focus on health and nutrition. develop is education. Alexander Kupfer, Most NGOs are involved in a combination of the following areas: water and sanitation, director of the German Academic Exchange Service's (DAAD) higher education programme education and vocational training, income for Afghanistan asserted, “In 2001, there generation, community development and were some 4,000 students enrolled in Afghan civil society support, governance support, universities, none of them women. Over the rural development, urban reconstruction, past decade, that number has jumped to more reintegration for returnees and natural than 80,000 at 26 public universities.” resource management. Some support a specific sector of the society such as persons Agriculture can be a potential driver for with disabilities, children and women.

Afghanistan’s economy, the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) Among the most active local NGOs is claims. ACCI sees high opportunity for the the Afghan Development Association country’s rich agricultural industry as it attracts (ADA). ADA promotes local involvement through community-based programmes and foreign markets to engage in local investment and trade. It is also the main source of income focuses on capacity-building, education, of the Afghan people. agriculture and livestock. It addresses local conflict through establishing development As lives of the Afghan masses continue to projects that tackle the usual causes of such improve with the aid of local NGOs—through conflict, and also gives importance to the reinforced security, enhanced health, education marginalised sector, especially women, and job services—Afghanistan will become persons with disabilities and the youth. more intact and stable.

Sanayee Development Organisation Outside Support is also one of the leading local NGOs “It will take many years of hard work on in Afghanistan where it aims to serve our part as Afghans, as well as continued impoverished Afghans especially those empowering support from our international deprived of education, peace building, partners before Afghanistan can achieve community health, and community prosperity and self-reliance,” Afghan President development.

Hamid Karzai said. Afghanistan has been The Humantarian Assistance for the Women highly dependent on international aid.

Many international organisations supported and Children of Afghanistan (HAWCA) Afghanistan in the past decades. Though helps women and youth in the country, majority of the NGOs are local ones, the largest including efforts to combat gender-based programmes are implemented by international violence, and providing health services and and multi national organisations. The Asia education on peace building to youths.

Foundation and CARE have been active in supporting Afghanistan, among others.

These are few of many active local NGOs in the country that possess a vital part in The Asia Foundation, directs ethnic and Afghanistan’s crucial steps to development. religious conflict mitigation efforts in Sectors such as women, education and the country. It collaborates with religious agriculture that have acquired momentous achievement in the past years can be NGOs’ institutions and leaders to encourage nonmain area of concern since these sectors have violent actions to resolve political and religious differences. the highest potential to continually grow.

National Strength from Local CSOs Different civil society organisations guide Afghanistan towards its restoration, through directing various activities. Local NGOs have been active in promoting programmes and activities devised for development which include projects on security, food and shelter development to attend to people who have been victims of war.

Peace Dividend Trust (PDT) is an NGO that advocates for international organisations and aid agencies to do their procurement locally instead of shipping everything from Dubai--from bottled water to foodstuff and school supplies. This way, hopefully, they save money and contribute to the local economy. (Image: Munir Squires/ Flickr)

CARE also serves Afghanistan to encourage basic human rights, good governance and social, economic and gender equality. It also represents marginalised sectors of the Afghan population in taking part in international policy making that creates policies that serve Afghans’ best interest. CARE also responds to emergencies, including floods and other natural catastrophes.

Multi national companies engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in areas of education, health, humanitarian, environment and many others. MTN Group is a multi national telecommunications group in Africa, Middle East and Asia. In Afghanistan, it runs a mobile clinic that treats poor Afghans free of charge. Education and community support programmes are also being implemented where scholarships, school and facilities renovations are provided to students.

Etisalat, another multi national company in Afghanistan gives back to Afghans through reconstructing masjids and mosques; and supports schools through building up internet cafes and computer classes. It also conducts food distribution activities.

With international and multi national support, blended with vibrant civil society organisations, there are high hopes for Afghanistan’s continuous development. ■

Changing the political and cultural landscape of Afghanistan Last year’s Ramon Magsaysay Awards bestowed an honour on Afghanistan’s first and only female Habiba Sarabi governor, Habiba Sarabi, who is governor of Bamyan province.

Sarabi was lauded for her work in building a functional provincial government despite political adversities and pervasive cultural discrimination; grounded in her abiding commitment to peace and development in Afghanistan. AsianNGO sat with her about life and her work in Bamyan, securing the position of governor, and the situation of women in her province.

remote and was isolated throughout history.

We had difficulties with human and natural resources, the latter which we have but could not access due to lack of [human resources] and capital. In Afghanistan everything is centralised, which is why the local government did not have the authority to take action. Also, there was no suitable infrastructure and people were very poor. Rule of law and the justice system were very weak. I always thought that the main issue, in this kind of society, is that both men and women suffer.

That is why if we can do something positive, and the people see the local government is going the right way, we can change the mindset. I started by making a good plan: First I assessed the needs and made a list of the priorities. We have a lot of potential for tourism – we have heritage sites and beautiful natural landscapes – so I wanted to introduce this to the world. But we didn’t have good roads, so I also focused a lot on road construction.

Your province has about half a million residents. Tell us something about your daily work and addressing the needs of your constituents. Is there some kind of response to Are there any NGOs active in your province, a woman in power? local or international?

Bamyan, which is in the highlands, is very

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In total, almost 20 NGOs are working in

Bamyan alone. Some small, local ones and at least three INGOs are very active. Naturally it is easier for local NGOs to be more involved, but the problem is their capacity. Most of them do not have the capacity to work very well. Although their sense of initiative is very important, not having enough resources tends to limit them.

Tell us something about the women in your province and their socio-economic situation?

We have a good number of female students in Bamyan. Of our 135,000 students 45% are girls, which is a very good percentage relative to the rest of the country. For women in Afghanistan it is usually difficult to have a shop of their own, for example at the local market, but in Bamyan I allocated some shops especially for women entrepreneurs.

When I ran for governor in 2005 we had only one policewoman; now we have 21. The same surge goes for girls in higher education. In 2005, only 7 girls went for higher education but now we have 418. I encourage them to apply for higher education by creating more facilities for them, such as adding girl dormitories.

I think we first have to gain the trust of the people and then we can change their mentality. For women’s rights, changing the mentality of men and the family in general is very important, especially since Afghanistan still has a very traditional society.

As first and only female governor in a Muslim country, how does it work in a mostly male dominated environment?

It is not easy to get this kind of position in Afghanistan. When I was Minister for Women’s Affairs, I worked on an education programme for women during the Taliban regime. I wanted to do something different and prove that women can do something. So I proposed to the government and the president [of Afghanistan] that I run Bamyan. At first he was surprised and asked me if I could do it. I told him, “Why not, let’s try.” I’m thankful he trusted me to do it. I believe he did so because I am close to the community. I love the people, I want to be with them very closely, work with them and help them. The result was very good and people at the governmental level were very happy. ■

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C O U N T R Y F E AT U R E from page 1

Rising from the rubble, and NGOs laying the bricks again The rise of organisations like Care, Oxfam, ActionAid and World Vision, among others, along with major ODA donors’ aid agencies and multi-lateral organisations, has also given a spark of hope. But while NGOs are fast becoming influential actors in complex emergency situations by managing and responding to conflict, one may ask two important questions: are local NGOs fully equipped to handle all the dimensions of complex emergencies, including violent conflict? How can societies fresh from a conflict veer full-blast into recovery efforts?

conflict in Nepal in 2007, Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), the Dalit Welfare Organisation (DWO) and the Centre for Victims of Torture (CVICT), local children's rights NGOs, braved the lack of statistics to push for a rehabilitative approach for the communities worst affected, those with high rates of killing, forced disappearances, displacement and torture (IRIN, 2007).

Sukmaya Sunwar, one of the counsellors trained

by CVICT to run psycho-social programmes for children, said most of her trauma cases benefited from treatment to a great extent but she felt she Breaking through a tricky cycle wanted to do more. Tilak Manandhar, another Conflicts arise from a cycle of poverty resulting trainer, admitted in an IRIN report: “There was from lack of opportunities for communities to thrive in; and the political struggles within a state a lot we could do to heal the children but there was also dire shortage of trained counsellors and mostly from an imbalanced clamour for power.

NGOs and the international community overall resources were limited.” should focus on the capacities to build the bridge NGOs offer various skills and methods outside of between crisis management and humanitarian state-level intervention, including humanitarian relief into long-term goals of sustainable aid, preventive measures, conflict resolution, development. development assistance, relief missions and institutional capacity-building. While we cannot First, there needs to be vigilant and clear-cut expect them to solve all crises, the evolving and monitoring and reporting mechanisms of the enabling environment in which they operate situation; and solid metrics of transparency points to four vital functions they can play and accountability (see related stories on Page (Pamela Aall, 2006): an early warning system, 3 and 6) in the pursuit of structuring legal and human rights monitoring, conflict resolution and governance frameworks back to normal. This allows the overall civil society to be guided in its rehabilitation. Yet all these point to the need in functions to engage communities within all legal addressing communities’ primary needs before conflict resolution becomes yet another [need]; bounds and means—whether from the state, and the former is both a responsibility of the state local NGOs or international partners. and the civil society.

Along with the obvious direction to re-construct, Local needs call for local action public and social services—health, education, transportation—have to be carefully addressed to Which brings us back to the core issue: whose allow for proper delivery of aid. In the experience interests really are at stake? The changing nature of conflict and humanitarian relief has sparked of the Philippines after Supertyphoon Haiyan re-visiting of the roles play in preventing and (locally codenamed Yolanda), as of this writing, survivors of the November 2013 calamity are still resolving conflict. International humanitarian reeling from undelivered aid from the outside— relief NGOs may often be the first to arrive in a disaster scene, but—as the post-Haiyan case in and thus, the sluggish re-normalisation of their the Philippines showed—are often trapped in life. these conflicts in an attempt to carry out their operations; especially when local capacities are Survivors’ psychological needs are not to be weakened. taken for granted, too. After the decade-long

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Accordingly, NGOs also have to broaden their traditional role to include ensuring political stability and fulfilling basic public services in conflict areas.

“The role of NGOs in doing straight humanitarian work is gradually going to phase down, shifting to more focus on early recovery but ultimately with (re-) development,” Neil Buhne, UN Sri Lanka Resident Coordinator, told IRIN noting the country’s long tradition of community-based NGOs. After the conflict with the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka, NGOs prepared for that inevitable shift.

Another new dimension is the evolution of channels for communication that provides individuals, organisations and communities a much different interface in the wake of disasters.

Real-time mobile technologies, new applications and online social sites have eased the delivery of relief missions, response systems and monitoring.

And the rise of new organisations that actively pursue good governance, along with accountability mechanisms in project implementation such as those in the ADB, have put an added but positive layer of pressure to keep integrity in NGOs’ on-ground works.

International NGOs working on the ground should take this as cue to re-strategise their works. Advocates for good governance and social development abound in the region, but the politics of bringing aid to the ground can, in itself, be a trigger for conflict. With close involvement in local life and relatively wider understanding of on-ground realities, NGOs are in a better position to serve an early warning function, alerting the international community to potential breakdowns in a distressed country’s government or in relations among the country’s major domestic groups.

Relying on grassroots and mid-level approaches that sustain peace-building processes using local knowledge, rather than traditional top-down

policy of providing aid, ensures that conflicts accompanying complex emergencies do not recur.

In a state of post-conflict vulnerability, it boils down to the obvious truth that local needs call for local understanding and capacities to re-build their communities. Then properly assessed help from the outside may be brought in. ■

Following November’s Typhoon Haiyan, ShelterBox deployed all its aid pre-positioned at the former US air base at Clark; and gethered response teams from and goods stock held in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur, Melbourne and at its Cornwall headquarters. (Image: Simon Clarke/ShelterBox)

Children wait for a health worker from Care Development Organization to conduct a nutrition education seminar in Bandarkharka, Nepal. CDO is a Nepali NGO that runs various education and health seminars every month or two in poor, rural areas of Nepal. Seminars focused on recognising signs of malnutrition and learning how to prepare foods hygienically. (Image: Laura Elizabeth Pohl/ Bread for the World)

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GUEST WRITER

PPPs, technology and postconflict development Recovering after war is one of the most challenging problems in development; where conflict deals crippling blows to national systems—from public health and education to infrastructure and Andrew Mack telecommunications. In amack@amglobal.com post-war conditions, it can be difficult for governments to re-establish services and a sense of legitimacy, which is key to preventing future violence: destroyed roads, damaged hospitals, schools and markets are out of operation. Sending supplies and payment becomes a unique logistical challenge when both infrastructure and security are in shaky condition. By its very nature, the public sector can often be ill-equipped to deal with these problems.

Worse, countries that have suffered war continue to be vulnerable to fall back into conflict unless real reforms are institutionalised. A study recently cited that of all the countries that experienced some form of civil war between 1945-2009, 57 percent suffered at least one other conflict afterwards.

In the wake of a disaster, governments can be good at providing security or insurance, or setting health standards, for instance.

But when it comes to critical elements of post-conflict development such as logistics, communications, or technology, it is typically the private sector that has the skills and agility to get moving fast. This is where partnerships with business can play a transformative role in post-conflict development.

Like governments, private firms have major interest in maintaining peace and stability: they simply can’t do good business without it. But unlike governments, businesses are generally designed to move quickly, adapting more easily to changing on-ground situations because they need to. And— critically in post-conflict settings—they specialise in meeting people’s needs in real-time figuring out the best ways to deliver goods and services.

This is particularly true on technology. Post-conflict, citizens need basic services urgently and the longer the government takes to provide them, the more legitimacy it loses in the public eye. While rebuilding physical infrastructure is

difficult and slow, technology can provide immediate results.

Applications like mobile payment services, developed and operated by the private sector, can allow governments to make regular payments to employees, contractors, and others who are working to help citizens return to normal.

Mobile phone revolutions can also help rally friends and family from outside the conflict zone to, for example, provide a fund-raising platform and send their assistance. Mobile payment programmes give donors everywhere from Manila to Mumbai—and the remotest areas in between—a chance to send money directly to people affected by conflict and to contribute to re-building works.

Sharing information is also critical in post-conflict zones, and a variety of mobile applications now address this. For instance, Refugees United, the world’s largest global family tracing platform, works closely with Ericsson and other mobile network providers to help families locate loved ones in the wake of disasters. In China, Guangdong Mobile (a subsidiary of China Mobile) coordinates with provincial governments to provide storm warning messages to millions of users—a function that could be easily adapted to spread the word about militant activity, for example, in a post-war zone.

Possibilities are practically limitless, and much of the technology is already out there with new apps being developed practically every day. Mobile ‘applis’ can advise people where to find aid stations, roads to avoid, how to apply for government assistance, among many other functions. This way, governments get “back in the game” by connecting immediately with its citizens and staying active—and legitimate—in their eyes.

But rebuilding isn’t the entire story; in the case of an epidemic, both prevention and cure are an issue. The private sector can play an important role as an “early warning system” to prevent future conflicts; through their CSR programmes and PPPs with public agencies, international organisations and local NGOs. In these private firms’ aim to advance their products and services, they depend on secure transportation, sophisticated (and frequent) communications, and real-time feedback from consumers. It is a major incentive to pick up on any developments that could literally disrupt their operations—and because they need it, they often have the data, too. Businesses have a unique window into daily life that allows them to

Bullet holes in a classroom wall at Udaiyarkaddu School in Northern Sri Lanka. The school was badly destroyed during the war. The Australian government’s DFAT funded the schools’ reconstruction in partnership with UNICEF after the conflict with the Tamil Tigers in the latter half of the last decade. (Image: Conor Ashleigh/AusAID/Flickr)

quickly detect disruptive factors that could signal a return to violence.

Since both government and the private sector rely on stability to operate, both share a common interest in preventing conflict in the first place. Success depends in many cases on the ability to move with the strength of the state and the speed of businesses. Particular to technology, the private sector offers governments an incredible toolbox to re-establish services to a devastated population—building back health, education, economic activity, and confidence in the country, its government and the civil society overall.

With many countries around the world facing a revolving door of conflict, PPPs can be the key to re-building better, faster and more efficiently. When combined with a continuous dialogue between governments and businesses and with the advocacy work of and collaboration with the civil society through the non-profit sector, they can help keep the peace far into the future. ■ Andrew Mack is the founder and principal of AMGlobal Consulting, a firm that specialises in building business and social value in emerging markets through corporate social responsibility, project partnerships and market entry strategies. A former World Bank Task Team Leader and finance professional, Andrew has worked in over 70 countries and has nearly 30 years of experience in international business and development.

Challenges of monitoring, factfinding in armed conflict Responding effectively to human rights violations and humanitarian crises resulting from armed conflict requires accurate and credible factual information and analysis.

Thorough and impartial Donatella Rovera monitoring, reporting, and fact-finding (MRF) is drovera@phap.org essential to achieving this.

Inherent challenges to investigations of [alleged] violations of international law in non-conflict situations multiply in war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other violations of humanitarian and human rights in the context of armed conflicts.

Some challenges are situation-specific, while others recur in different conflict situations. Access to relevant areas in the conduct of hostilities may be restricted or outright impossible, and often extremely dangerous when possible. Evidence may be rapidly removed, destroyed, or contaminated; and “bad” evidence can be worse than nothing as it can lead to wrong assumptions or conclusions.

In Syria, for example, I found unexploded cluster submunitions in places where no cluster bomb strikes were known to have been carried out. Though moving unexploded cluster sub-munitions is very dangerous, as even a light touch can cause them to explode, Syrian fighters frequently gather them from the sites of government strikes and transport them to other locations to harvest explosives and other material for re-use. At the time of the first cluster bomb strikes two years ago, this had led to wrong assumptions about locations of such strikes.

In initial stages of armed conflicts, civilians confront with unfamiliar realities: armed clashes, artillery strikes, aerial bombings and other military activities they never experienced before—making it difficult to accurately describe specific incidents. In Gaza, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and other places I have interviewed civilians who described what they thought were artillery or bomb strikes launched by far away government forces and striking near their homes; but in reality the loud bangs and tremors were caused by mortars or rockets launched by opposition fighters from nearby positions. For the untrained ear it is virtually impossible to distinguish between incoming 6

and outgoing fire; more so for those who find themselves close to the frontlines. This difference means little to panicked civilians often forced out of their homes by fear, but is vastly important to investigators.

Conflict situations create highly politicised and polarised environments that can affect individuals and even organisations with a proven track record of credible and objective work.

Players and interested parties go to great lengths to manipulate “evidence” for both internal and external consumption.

A recent (but not the sole) example is the Syrian conflict and what is often referred to as the “YouTube war,” with techniques employed to manipulate video footage of incidents occurring at other times in other places – including in other countries – and present them as “proof ” of the atrocities happening there.

The same video clips could have been distributed by partisans of opposing factions, each ascribing the atrocities to their opponents.

Even if they disregard it, investigators must be alert to the fact that disinformation and misinformation can contribute to shaping the perception of events, the narrative surrounding the events, and the behaviour of people who take it in good faith and internalise it—including victims, witnesses, and other potential sources.

Early on in the Libya conflict, misinformation spread about vast numbers of African mercenaries committing atrocities on behalf of government forces and mass rape of women as weapon of war. The allegations, initially believed and relayed by some investigators, have never been substantiated by subsequent investigations, but during the conflict they deeply affected the perception of events in parts of the country. Black African migrant workers, asylum-seekers and black Libyans (notably from Tawergha and the south of the country) were killed, arbitrarily detained, tortured, and forcibly displaced.

Fear can also cause victims and witnesses to withhold evidence or give erroneous accounts. In Gaza, I received partial or inaccurate information by relatives of civilians killed in accidental explosions or by rockets launched by Palestinian armed groups towards Israel that malfunctioned; and of civilians killed by Israeli strikes on nearby Palestinian armed groups’ positions. When confronted with other evidence obtained separately, some said they feared reprisals by the

Liberian journalists Moses Garzeawu and Jerry Beypu interview Cecilia Torh at Grand Gedeh County, on communities opening their doors to Ivorian refugees. (Image: ICRC/Flickr)

armed groups. In Syria, families of children shot dead by government forces in or near peaceful demonstrations told me they had been forced to sign statements that the [children] were killed by “terrorists.”

These are only some of the many challenges of MRF in conflict situations. Much has changed in the way MRF is conducted in the 100 years since what is considered one of the first formal MRF initiatives. The tools available today are infinitely greater: international law defining violations, expert interpretations, trained investigators, mapping and data-management software, and much more. While investigation systems, methodologies, and mechanisms for MRF continue to evolve and improve, some things remain unchanged – in particular the need for rigour and impartiality. ■ Donatella Rovera has been leading Amnesty International's field investigations into violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by state and non-state actors in many situations of internal and international armed conflicts for the past 20 years. In the past year alone, she has worked in the situations in Syria, Somalia and Sudan-South Sudan; and had previously worked in the situations in Libya, Israel-Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ivory Coast, Israel-Lebanon, Algeria. She has also produced research and advocacy reports and other materials on these and other issues.

This piece also appears on the news and features page of the website of the Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection (PHAP), at www.phap.org. www.asianngo.org

CSR

Responsible business for sustainable impact from page 1

CSR Asia summit celebrates a decade of rallying private sector

as well as supply chains, community investment economist at the Asian Development Bank; Matt Friedman, chief technical advisor of The and global environmental challenges.

Mekong Club; and Pietro Bertazzi, senior This year’s CSR Asia Summit will host full-day manager for policy and government affairs of workshops prior to the event itself, highlighting the Global Reporting Initiative. best practices, case studies and expert advice Delegates can expect to meet over 500 of peers from trainers in Asia; providing guidance on from across Asia and the globe. It gives the the most important CSR topics in the region perfect opportunity to extend networks, create today. The two-day Summit will give visitors partnerships and explore opportunities for the choice of five different session themes so collaborative working. that they can personalise their own agenda programme.

The Summit includes an exhibit space for organisations to showcase their CSR initiatives Experts in their fields will lead the sessions and share their CSR solutions; and a cocktail sharing their knowledge, practical advice and reception and dinner for speakers, sponsors, using real life case studies. Over 60 speakers include Donald Kanak, chairman of Prudential and delegates. For more information visit: www. csr-asia.com/summit2014 or email summit@ Corporation Asia; Lisa Borders, chair of the Coca Cola Foundation; Armin Bauer, principal csr-asia.com ■

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from page 1

Safe steps for disaster resiliency in Asia The video content is also available in eight local languages: Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, Filipino, Khmer, Mandarin, Thai and Vietnamese; and the campaign has so far reached viewers in over 24 million households across the region. The programme initially focusses on survival steps for the most common disaster situations in Asia, such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods and fire; and tips to prepare a life-saving emergency kit. All survival tips advised on the SAFE STEPS videos and website have been approved by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

“Asia-Pacific is the most prone to and affected by natural disasters worldwide. In the past four decades, 75% of the world’s natural disasters took place in the region, resulting to a loss of up to two million lives. This is a challenge because of the diversity in cultures and geographic expanse of the area,” says Marc Fancy, executive director of the Prudence Foundation.

To maximise the reach of the programme, local TV stations on free-to-air networks can broadcast the educational videos. In the Philippines, a major television network will have the rights to air the public service announcements (PSAs). The government, through the Office of Civil Defense and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), also adopts the SAFE STEPS programme, while the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has endorsed the showing of the PSAs in cinemas nationwide.

SAFE STEPS was developed by Prudence Foundation, the charitable arm of Prudential Corporation Asia, in partnership with National Geographic Channel. The Foundation also collaborates with non-government organisations to distribute the SAFE STEPS collaterals through existing Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes across the region.

Disaster preparedness and recovery among Prudence Foundation’s key focus areas along with children and education, the Programme Ambassador for SAFE STEPS is international boxing champion and humanitarian advocate Manny Pacquiao, who as Filipino has first-hand understanding of the impact of natural disasters and the importance of disaster preparedness.

In the videos produced by National Geographic, campaign ambassador Pacquiao advises viewers on key survival steps that individuals and households should take when natural disasters strike.

Ongoing disaster-preparedness initiatives of the Foundation include the Safe Schools programme, which improves disaster preparedness in schools across the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, in partnership with Save the Children and Plan International.

The educational videos of SAFE STEPS are also featured on its website at www.safesteps. com. Visitors to the website can access expanded versions of the survival tips and other educational collateral such as downloadable infographic hand-out cards and posters. ■

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CSR

ASIAN CSR

Bringing NGOs and private firms to create sustainable solutions Finding breakthrough solutions to development challenges can be challenging and costly. Research and development takes time, is complex and unpredictable. It requires costly technical involvement, pilot testing and local market analysis. Faced with numerous conflicting resource-committing priorities, NGOs very often resign from implementing innovative solutions in their humanitarian or development assistance programming.

One way for NGOs to tackle this problem is through business partnerships on innovations, wherein the resources required for design and implementation of innovative solutions are shared between partners based on their strengths and roles. Private firms take on themselves project marketing role, while non-profits provide the technical knowledge required for high-standard product development.

Such pioneering approach has been offered by Aidpol Ltd. As a private sector entity, Aidpol provides products and solutions to the public sector and non-profits involved in global aid programmes. Its business model involves co-design of effective humanitarian solutions with partner NGOs, as well as active participation in further stages of the product launch: project proposal development, submission to donors and securing funds for project implementation.

NGOs partnering with Aidpol receive innovative products tailored specifically to their programme needs. They are also supported in project “selling” phase through assistance in project proposal development, and guidance and facilitation on fundraising activities.

Aidpol also offers a range from manufactured emergency relief goods: food and non-food-items, emergency shelter, water bladders and containers, renewable energy solutions (mobile solar

generators, solar panels, solar lamps), cooking fuel (chemical heaters and briquette) and search and rescue specialised equipment (inflatable boats, protective gear). It collaborates with research institutes and experts in respective fields in the development of its products.

Products pre-selected by the NGOs based on their programme needs are verified by Aidpol technical experts for applicability in the specific context. Solutions proposed are tailored according to localised requirements and, if need be, undergo field-testing; handled and evaluated directly by the NGO. Based on the outcome of the consultations a detailed project proposal is developed under the guidance of a dedicated Aidpol humanitarian advisor. Both NGO and Aidpol are then involved in submission of the project proposal for funding to the cooperating donors.

Aidpol is constantly on the lookout for NGOs interested in partnerships on innovations. Its NGO-business partnership model creates solutions for organisations interested in development assistance innovations, where each partner involved in the process brings over certain value into the process. Localised needs and environmental requirements are best recognised by the local NGOs, while the latest technology and know-how are provided by the company specialised in humanitarian and development assistance solutions production.

Based in Poland, Aidpol is currently working on developing solar powered mobile briquetting devices that transform local biomass into cooking fuel pellets. This can be used in both emergency settings (i.e., refugee camps) and as income-generating tool in a longer-term livelihood based programming. If you are interested in co-developing similar solutions, or for more detailed information of their works, visit www.aidpol.com. ■

Philips promotes healthy living to Asian children Every child embodies the future, thus, promoting healthy living to children is society’s chief concern. Being vulnerable to various diseases, different programmes are directed to children to effectively prevent or treat these diseases. In line with this, Philips has launched the SimplyHealthy@School programme in Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines.

SimplyHealthy aspires for healthier lifestyle among underprivileged children. Philips believes that issues on current health care systems can be addressed through educating people from an early age. Lessons about the effect of their lifestyle on their health are aimed to nurture attitudes and habits that are hoped to remain until they are adults. In this initiative, focus was given to the effects of air, light, water, oral hygiene, maintaining healthy physical activities and the environment to their health.

Improving on these factors, the company believes, results in children’s better physical and mental performance.

In Thailand, students were taught to improve their health, involving their parents and members of the community to be the key drivers to influence families to adopt healthy habits.

They are also taught how to prepare healthy food. The lighting system in participating schools like the Klongbangping School, Samutprakarn Province was also improved to address health problems, the working conditions of teachers and the learning processes for students.

Distribution of the SimplyHealthy@Schools Healthy Heroes toolkit to children aged 8-12 was also conducted in Vietnam.

The toolkit illustrated steps in achieving healthy growth and development; focussed on eye care so students can study better.

Lessons, games, exercises and an outdoor fair were incorporated in the programme where children and parents were taught to care for their eyes. Free eye check up was also provided to participants.

“Along with our employees and eye doctors from Ho Chi Minh Hospitals, we have educated three schools in Trang Bom District, Dong Nai Province and provided free lighting upgrades for schools we visited,” Mr. Ngo Van Huy, County manager of Philips Vietnam said.

Finally, the Simply Healthy programme was held in the Philippines for 50 families in Quezon City and in Davao City in collaboration with Department of Health through the breast cancer awareness group, I Can Serve and the WWF last year.

“The programme educates low-income communities on health and wellness by giving them access to discussions on healthy eating, breastfeeding, cancer detection, energy efficiency, recycling, composting, urban farming and climate change,” said Cynthia Arciga, Philips Philippines Corporate Communications Manager. ■

India NGO, CSR works give dropouts jobs Failure—the first thing that came to mind when S Dhanushya saw she did not make it in her English test. She looked at the display board closely, which showed the class 12 results, and saw she scored poorly in the other subjects too. The 18-year old girl from Coimbatore felt her future was bleak; but her family badly needed her to earn money.

With the shame of being unsuccessful in school, she had to work. "My carpenter father was the only earning member and most of what he made went to paying for my younger sister's education. My family was always struggling to make ends meet," she said. So she worked at a gold covering unit that paid her INR1,500 (USD25) every month, four hours’ work daily. The supplementary exam she took in June last year did no good to her confidence, either.

But things looked brighter when Dhanushya’s mother saw an announcement of an NGO on the newspaper: Unnati, an NGO that gives jobs to school dropouts and the unemployed. It aims to support people who are living below poverty line, train them, and get them job placements in corporate companies.

"The girl was unfocused and low on confidence. So we first helped her speak English with confidence and then focused on her fluency,” said Padmapriya Muthusamy, relationship manager at Unnati, which gives people like Dhanushya a crash course in English, computer operation, type-writing and other subjects, for 70 days. As a rule, the students speak no other language except English when they are inside Unnati centres.

Since its launch in Coimbatore a year ago, Unnati has helped 40 students.

Dhanushya went through the 70-day programme and found a better job soon after: she now works at Taj Vivanta's laundry department and earns Rs7,500 a month—five times than in her last job. "It was like being given another chance at life," she says.

"I was not interested in academics, but now I want to pursue a correspondence course to move further up in my job."

There are other organisations that offer training programmes like Unnati’s. Tech Mahindra, based in Chennai, gives cost-free training courses for undergraduates and school dropouts.

"We realised that a large sector of the automobile, electrical appliance, hospitality, food and hospital industry is in desperate need of manpower in the blue collar sections who are literate, communicative and have some basic skills," a spokesperson for Tech Mahindra's SMART programme said. "We try to bridge the gap between what our education system offers and what the industry actually needs by getting them job-ready," he added.

In other cities, companies like the Chennai Corporation and Pune Municipal Corporation give similar opportunities to people within their area. Both have launched vocational training programmes. "We have programmes that train students in baking, computers, fashion designing and electronics—all for free. We also have a 100% placement rate," said J Venkatesh, former education commissioner, now with the Chennai Corporation. ■

NGOs speed up bid to end poverty in Malaysia Malaysia’s efforts to eradicate poverty through the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) have gained support from firms like Petronas, General Electric, AirAsia and Astro; while its Government sought the cooperation of NGOs and other private partners to increase reach and effectiveness of the initiative Raising Living Standards of Low Income Households (LIH).

Last year, Astro built a school hostel in Ranau equipped with a multi-purpose hall and a warden room for students from 10 villages in the area. It now houses over 120 students. The initiative has been recognised in this year’s ASEAN Corporate Sustainability Summit in Manila.

Petronas, in cooperation with its NGO partner MyKasih Foundation, initiated a programme to help 13,500 poor families in Malaysia by providing them “prepaid cards” that they could use in supermarkets to buy essential food items for a period of two years.

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Yayasan Sejah­tera, another group with a similar mission has been supporting the development of three villages in Pitas, Sabah; having so far implemented initiatives such as subsistence farming programme, a water access programme and a youth empowerment programmes.

“Collaborations are to leverage on each other’s strengths, whether in terms of funding or expertise. The support and generosity of these parties accelerated the delivery of aid to key groups targeted in the GTP, accelerating our goal to reach all communities in need of aid,” said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in a GTP report.

The GTP report also noted that the achievement in poverty reduction has come “much earlier” than expected as the NKRA team had set 2015 as its deadline to drop poverty rates to below 2 per cent. (The Star)

EPIK: culture-centered educational programme Aetas, a Philippines indigenous group, have faced stereotypes and discrimination as ‘primitive and needy’; and characterised for their dark complexion and plump lips. They are teased and belittled by some, which is why they restrain from going to school. Because many Aetas are considered illiterate, they are deprived of basic services as they cannot voice their concerns to the government.

To address this, the People’s Development Institute (PDI) in partnership with SKF Phils. Inc. has launched Non Formal Education Program for the Aetas of Zambales and Mindanao through the Department of Education’s Alternative Learning System (ALS). EPIK (Edukasyong Pantao para sa Ikauunlad ng Katutubo, or Holistic Education for the Development of Indigenous Peoples) is one of the ALS projects, where Aetas are taught using their mother tongue—Zambal. Aeta values, culture, history and lifestyle are part of their learning modules.

Reinforcing Aetas’ rich culture To conceptualise the lessons, students are given examples in the context of their culture and environment, conducted by 15 EPIK parateachers. Of these, nine have gone on to college while 11 graduated from high school.

Unlike teachers in formal education centres, educational attainment is not prioritised in hiring EPIK parateachers; instead, their love and commitment to their work are their main advantage. Most parateachers are also Aetas, because PDI and SKF see the importance of dissolving cultural barriers that may emerge when teachers come from another community. As a result, this reduces the need for cultural adjustment for both the students and teachers.

Development through education “As more Aetas become educated, the better their lives and livelihood flourish,” reports Al Carillo, PDI programme coordinator. The programme empowered the Aeta communities to fight for their rights and gain knowledge on issues that concern them.

Last year, most of the students in Zambales were women, who were usually discouraged to go to school because of poverty.

Instead of sending them to school, they are sent to farmlands or stay at home to do the household chores. But even elders can now be admitted into the programme.

The programme has helped them improve their lives and access to services. With basic arithmetic and communication skills, Aetas now know how to price the products from their backyard produce appropriately and communicate well with consumers and middlemen. They also can practise civic rights such as voting and participating in local government discussions. Now they can understand documents and will no longer be victimised by falsified papers. Yet most importantly, the programme has improved Aetas’ self esteem. Maricel dela Cruz, an EPIK graduate says she “became smart and active and now able to mingle and talk with other people.”

In support of Aetas Local NGOs, international NGOs, multi-national corporations and government agencies have come together to provide Aetas with improved education. PDI, for instance, provided Aetas with a relocation site so their can start again after losing their land due to Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991.

Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst, a German Protestant development organisation, initially funded EPIK in 2003. In 2006, local unit of Svenska Kullagerfabriken, a Swedish ball bearings company, funded the project as part of their CSR works. Meanwhile, the Philippine government’s Department of Education aided in the trainings of the parateachers. EPIK’s education initiative thus shows it is possible for indigenous peoples to absorb and gain knowledge without the threat of losing their cultural identity. ■

Amway, India NGOs campaign against child malnutrition Amway International, through Amway Opportunity Foundation, has launched a campaign in Dimapur, India to help people live better lives and achieve their potential.

Themed Raise your hand, fight global child malnutrition, the initiative was launched by India Amway with its employees and distributors smearing their hands in colours and providing handprint to support Amway’s mission to fight child malnutrition.

Amway distributors and employees, together with their NGO partners at 105 locations came to provide colourful handprints to a global mural. For every colourful handprint, Amway donates USD1 summing up to a total of USD400,000 to CARE International to support underprivileged children.

“In this move, AOF attempts to break the 30,000 handprint Guiness World Record,” a statement from Amway says. AOF is a registered non-profit organisation set up with the objective of making a ‘meaningful difference’ to millions of underprivileged children around the world.

Collaborating with and benefitting from the initiative is Ebenezer Orphanage Home, an NGO-run shelter working for underprivileged children in Dimapur. Akum Amri, Ebenezer Orphanage director, stamped his coloured handprint on ecofriendly paper to pledge his support to eradicate childhood malnutrition from India. ■

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ASIAN CSR O U R PARTNERS AND DONORS

Asia Foundation aids Mongolia, Nepal exchange visits on human trafficking For so long Mongolia and Nepal have shared a common struggle—human trafficking. Both countries are one of Asia’s source, transit, and destination for trafficked persons.

According to last year’s “Trafficking in Persons” report by the US Department of State, over 27 million people, including children, are trafficked worldwide. The same report cited Mongolia and Nepal as not fully compliant with the minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking.

In response, The Asia Foundation this year arranged an exchange visit for both countries in May to speak about their journeys in fighting against human trafficking. On its first week, five Nepali government officials visited Mongolia, representatives from the Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare (MWCSW); Ministry of Law Justice, Constituent Assembly, and Parliamentary Affairs; Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Department of Foreign Employment of the Ministry Labour and Employment.

Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation

At the Nepali delegation’s meeting with Mongolia State Secretary for Justice Jigmiddash Bbayartsetseg, the latter shared that despite differences in population and magnitude of the issue, “both countries face the same struggle since [both] are landlocked and surrounded by powerful nations that are either attractive destinations or convenient transit points.”

350,000-400,000 workers migrated to foreign nations every year.

Nepal has a population of 28 million while Mongolia has 2.9 million; but both their borders are located in remote and hard to reach areas difficult (for them) to monitor. Both countries also face the increasing trend of labour trafficking involving workers lured with promises of having well-paying jobs abroad but eventually end up exploited. In Nepal, an estimated

Both countries have rehabilitation shelters. In Mongolia, these shelters for victims of trafficking as well as other services are provided by the Ministry of Population, Development, and Social Protection (MPDSP) in cooperation with the NGOs; while eight of such rehabilitation shelters exist in Nepal, operated by NGOs with the government support. (TAF)

On separate occasions, Mongolia and Nepal both have also passed anti-trafficking laws, creating a national coordination system consisting of government agencies and civil society organisations.

IBM, IdeaSpace help innovative startups Techno-wizz entrepreneurs now have more opportunities with the growing hubs in the Philippines. IBM has launched its Global Entrepreneur Program (GEP) in the country, designed to support local entrepreneurs start their business venture; and foster a developed business environment in the world. The GEP at the IBM Innovation Center, UP Ayala Techno Hub in Quezon City has drawn a mix of participants: from tech enthusiasts to start-up business owners.

IBM offers support to participants by giving them access to its technological resources—cloud, start-up programmes and applications. It also conducts regular workshops and capacity Switzerland’s international cooperation agency is known for its building activities. Meanwhile, the Philippine’s largest privately works in fostering economic self-reliance and state autonomy, funded “incubator”, IdeaSpace Foundation, also recognises the contributing to the improvement of production conditions, finding solution to environmental problems, and providing better country’s best start-up ideas that have market potential. access to education and health care. Although focussing on the overall coordination of development activities and cooperation in The foundation is currently expanding its programme to other in Sountheast Asia as well. Through its annual Eastern Europe, it also reaches out beyond the region especially to countries National Startup Competition, IdeaSpace inspects submissions those within their scope of goals.

of start-up ideas and selects those that are innovative and marketcompetitive.

“We encourage anyone with a fresh tech idea and the willingness to take the entrepreneurial risk to join our programme. It’s a great opportunity especially now that there’s a lot of growth and interest in the emerging market start-ups space in the region,” said IdeaSpace president Earl Martin Valencia.

In this year’s competition, IdeaSpace selected 20 submissions.

Twenty groups compete for the semi-final round and undergo intensive mentoring to hone their tech start-ups. As they progress into the competition, groups receive funding to further develop their product.

Start-up ideas from the 20 groups range from solar-powered paddy grain dryer, GPS-based mobile solutions for commuting, Filipino-themed mobile games. (Yahoo!)

SDC continues to give its all-out support to reducing poverty outside Europe, with the belief that fragility, conflicts, violence and human rights violations can be traced back to poverty.

Because of Switzerland’s increased support for fragile and conflictaffected regions in between 2003 and 2016, SDC has continually increased aid for these areas by 15-20% to strengthen civil society and increase respect for human rights. Asian nations that have largely benefited from SDC support are Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Nepal—areas that are or had been in conflict.

Project “Cash for Hosting” was launched to provide 500 host families in Lebanon that have taken in refugees from Syria with cash transfers to pay for the latter’s’ accommodation for six months since mid-2012.

Another project set by SDC in 2008-2011 was the “Reintroduction of community forests and forestry in Nepal,” a Nepali-Swiss community forest project that has contributed to the recovery of forests in four of the country’s poorest districts; and to the incomes of citizens living in these communities.

In 2003, SDC launched “Governance in Afghanistan: law and order prerequisites for security” to thwart corruption, funding the establishment and installation of an electronic payroll system for the Afghan National Police to ensure that officers are paid right and on time. The programme also promotes gender quality in the forces as a way to fight domestic violence.

In May this year, SDC tapped the Philippine governmenthosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) to manage the ASEAN Social Forestry Network (ASFN) funds for projects that will focus on food security, poverty, and climate change. (SDC)

Hivos International As Hivos International takes up its banner of democratic change, it paves the way to achieving sustainable development for many countries in the world. It highlights on the importance of humanist values: when man has dignity, he can explore his capacity and fulfil his role in society. The team behind the organisation believes that society has to imbibe a healthy democracy before it can take another step to holistic progress; that governments must uphold political accountability and allow citizens to exercise their rights.

With transitional justice as one of its focal areas, Hivos is involved in projects in Southeast Asia: supporting the anti-corruption campaign in Indonesia and it is working with the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. It builds partnerships with civil society organisations in developing countries to secure the practice of human rights, which significantly includes free and fair elections and due process of law.

Since 2009 it has been working closely with the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an NGO that seeks to improve the electoral and political systems in India. The partnership includes mandatory disclosure of candidates’ profile before the elections, which has been ruled as a law by India’s Supreme Court.

Information about the candidates—such as financial assets and income tax return—is made available through SMS, toll-free help lines, and websites.

In the same year it started collaborating with Scholars at Risk network and the Dutch Foundation for Refugee Students. They aid non-violent human rights activists through opportunities for better education and employment in safer countries. Activists are thus given the chance to fight for their beliefs peacefully, without violent threats.

Hivos also works with India’s Alternative Law Forum, an organisation providing alternative dispute resolution through critical research.

Hivos’ works in bringing democratic change have directly reached 1.7 million people in 19 countries. ■

www.asianngo.org

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CSR

N RT SURE CG OO U NPTARRYT N FEA

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Myanmar) Ko Tate Niang, Ko Bo Kyi, and Zaw Tun, were all once political prisoners—a heavy price for seeking freedom, and for taking part of a non-violent struggle in establishing democracy in Myanmar. But threats of imprisonment did not stop them from fighting for their cause.

Having had gone through arbitrary detention themselves, they are now giving aid to other political prisoners.

They founded the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners in March 2000 primarily to aid the political prisoners in Myanmar—while being detained and when they are released. In addition, political prisoners often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.

AAPP has four main projects: mental health assistance program (MHAP), Assistance Program, documentation and research, and advocacy and lobbying. It currently has a partnership with John Hopkins University, which has led to the forming of MHAP. USbased experts give trainings on mental health management to local clinical staff.

Over 180 former political prisoners and their families have availed of the therapy and counselling sessions since 2011. Earlier this year, MHAP increased the number of staff for its three centres: Rangoon and Mandalay in Myanmar, and Mae Sot in Thailand. To prepare prisoners for employment, the organisation offers language courses, driving lessons and vocational trainings, including computer lessons. AAPP believes having decent livelihood highly contributes to a faster recovery from their trauma.

AAPP also gives schooling opportunities to the former prisoners’ children. In 2013, at least 234 children were enrolled in primary and secondary school; and 34 were given higher education scholarships. AAPP also gives food assistance to their families. At a national level, AAPP members—whose reports have become reliable sources of information for the domestic and international media—are now lobbying for a better government, using their documentations on violation of human rights in Myanmar. ■

SHE Rescue Home

“My friend, my friend, she is ten. Two men Since their launching, one of their biggest tonight. Mother, father sell. You come, you help, projects was the building of three homes— please…” the Girls Home which houses 25 girls, the Transition Home for girls whose court cases Those words gave birth to the Cambodia-based have ended and are working towards their NGO She Rescue Home (SRH). A plea of a reintegration back to their families, and the 12-year-old Cambodian girl to a stranger from a Disability Care Home for girls with physical foreign land. A helpless request to save a 10-year- and intellectual disabilities. old girl from being sold into child prostitution.

Aside from providing shelters, SRH also gives It was in 2006 when Australian pastor Leigh the girls free education, vocational training, Ramsey faced such a baffling reality. She knew regular counseling, and family assistance that an initial reaction like running off down programme. back alleys “to confront organised and violent crime syndicates wasn’t going to work” so she Their family assistance programme equips created a local organisation that would address and strengthens the girls’ families, one of the those issues instead. major influences in their lives, by helping them generate their own monthly sustainable income.

“There are complex issues that contribute to This also assists the reintegration process of a a girl being vulnerable to trafficking factors girl returning home to her family. such as poverty, abuse, trickery and deception, unemployment and addiction often leading to Ramsey said: “Once trapped in this world of desperation in the family,” said Ramsey. unspeakable evil, they are held captive against their will, and threatened with violence, [they] Today, SRH continues to provide a safe haven are soon imprisoned in a world of unimaginable for girls aged 5 to 16 who are victims of pain and degradation…as we say repeatedly but trafficking, rape, prostitution or at-risk of any of IT’S NOT OKAY!” ■ these.

Metta Development Foundation Victims of internal strife need more help than ever as they try to move on with their lives.

It is because of this that Metta Development Foundation was formed – to help people in Myanmar rebuild their communities and overcome the horrible effects of civic conflict.

The FFS initiative, meanwhile, provides training to farmers through weekly sessions.

With FFS, farmers are given the opportunity to learn sustainable farming methods, which includes seed selection, water-source management and soil fertility.

Metta was established way back in 1998 and it first started its operations at the war-torn Kachin State. Since then, the organization has grown and has given assistance to other regions in Myanmar.

Farmers are also encouraged to cultivate other plants aside from rice such as coffee, tea, and vegetables. By planting other varieties of crops, cash flow is more ensured.

The primary aim of Metta is to form communities that are peaceful and independent.

It believes in honing people’s abilities to become self-reliant in the provision of their daily necessities. At the same time, people need to cooperate with others so that they can progress together as a community.

Metta means “loving kindness”. This is the very concept that empowers Metta to continue with its work. Regardless of ethnicity, religion, and culture, Metta reaches out to people who are generally in distress. ■

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Cambodia’s rich history has attracted millions of tourists from around the world as tourism is regarded as the country’s second major source of hard currency. But its long history of violence and conflict from the Khmer Rouge regime has contributed to its present state of poverty; which, according to World Bank statistics, 20.5% of the total population in the country still lives below the poverty line. Issues of human rights abuses and trafficking, too, seem to keep up with the current boom of its tourism.

After the 1970s conflict, NGOs were established to rehabilitate the country. One of the first established in Cambodia to protect children from abuse was the Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children’s Right (CCPCR). For almost twenty years now, CCPCR has been focusing on protecting girls under 18 from sexually exploitive situations.

They also advocate for children’s rights, recovery, and rehabilitation from abuse.

“Compared to the year when CCPCR started, children’s welfare now is very different and getting better. But there is still a lot of child labour issues, violence, migration to other countries to force these children to beg on the streets, and work in fishing boats and agricultural lands. If we do not work together

Senhoa Foundation

“Accessorise your conscience”—this is Senhoa Jewelry’s tagline, the California-based jewelry line that is gaining popularity in the global market for the past four years. But what’s fascinating about these elegantly designed jewelry pieces is that they are made by hand by the victims of human trafficking in Cambodia.

Senhoa Jewelry is the brain-child of Senhoa Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to support vulnerable persons and survivors of human trafficking by giving them incomegenerating opportunities, programmes for social reintegration and self-empowerment.

In order to achieve their goals, Senhoa believes that by providing the victims with proper education and job training it will help regain their confidence. But as they are also vulnerable, the strengthening of the skills will also be matched with therapy.

Since 2010, Senhoa has established three projects which focus on women and children’s prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration.

These three projects consist of the Lotus Kids’

Lahpai Seng Raw, co-founder of Metta Foundation, was bestowed with the Ramon Magsaysay Award last year in Manila, for her advocacy in peace, conflict resolution and social development in Myanmar. (Image: Ramon Magsaysay Foundation)

to prevent this, the welfare of the children will worsen,” CCPCR Executive Director Thy Nget told AsianNGO. In the last years, CCPCR has launched programmes like The Village Safety Net Programme, which includes workshops and community awareness meetings on human trafficking to the different sectors of the target communities: KamPong Thom, Kampot, Svay Rieng and Sihanoukville.

They also had two projects under their child labour prevention programme: the Kampot Project and the Kampong Thom Project, both raising community awareness to the working children, their parents, and the employers.

CCPCR also monitors these children by creating a computer database to keep track of them.

“My future programme and project will focus more on prevention and protection of trafficking victims and sexual exploitation of children and youth; and the re-integration those who have been physically and sexually abused,” Nget added.

For more details on CCPCR’s works, visit their website at www.ccpcr.org.kh. ■

Club, the jewelry Life Skills Program, and the Lotus House.

The Lotus Kids’ Club is a preschool and community centre in the Banteay Chas are of Siem Reap. This is a preventative project by Senhoea against human trafficking especially that the families residing in this area usually earn a living by collecting recyclables from local garbage disposals.

To prepare survivors of human trafficking for reintegration but at the same time earn an income, the Jewelry Life Skills Program is established to hone their vocational skills and improve their literacy.

In partnership with Cambodian Center for the Protection of Children’s Right (CCPCR), Senhoa built the Lotus House to serve as a transition house for girls while in the process of reintegration to the society.

In 2011, Canadian supermodel and activist Coco Rocha designed a collection with Senhoa to support its cause. ■

Cambodian Children's House of Peace Santepheap is Khmer for “peace”—a slightly unfamiliar term to the recovering post-conflict country; but fearlessly embraced by a nongovernment organisation that wants children to grow up in a community of peace. CCHP is home to 30 children aged 8-18, with the mission is to provide shelter, food, clothing, health care and education to these children from very poor areas in Siem Reap.

Seven years ago, an American tourist visited a children’s house in Cambodia where kids grew with no proper care and education. This pushed that tourist to form the NGO with the help of the locals. They named it the Cambodia Children’s House of Peace inspired by the term santepheap.

Through these two methods, Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Farmer Field School (FFS), Metta was able to encourage the formation of community-based initiatives.

With PAR, people were able to identify available resources within their community area, which can be utilized to provide for their needs. They start small-scale projects and Metta assists them until they can manage on their own. Over 3, 000 participants from six different states (Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon and Shan) were able to benefit from this project.

Cambodian Centre for the Protection of Children’s Rights

“Since the House of Peace opened in 2008 the staff witnessed the transformation of children from waif to thriving, happy and healthy,” said Sathya Hem, CCHP’s project leader. Projects they have completed include refurbishing their homes, building a mini-library, providing vocational trainings to the kids and supplies like

bikes and traditional dance costumes.

This year, CCHP hopes to raise funds for the children’s uniforms, shoes, and other school supplies. They also aspire to provide either a vocational training or university studies for the children who just recently completed high school. To provide the children with fruits and vegetables, CCHP also eyes on building a garden box system; and expanding the House’s current facilities to comfortably accommodate more children.

“Our long-term goal is to move from a children's home to a professional NGO providing the basic support to children at their community. We think that children should live with their parents in their community. Our future programmes will thus focus primarily on health education, community development or livelihoods for parents and basic support to these families,” Hem added.

For more information, visit www.santepheap.org. ■

www.asianngo.org

E X C L UASCI VR EO SI N S TAESRIVAI E W

Leveraging corporate know-how to protect children understanding that they are victims of oppression. The lives of our most vulnerable risk being shaped by a culture of exploitation.

So we need to be brave enough to stand up against these criminals. Our children depend on us to protect them.

As a follow-up, there must be legal/political implications to the rescue and rehabilitation part of your work. How do you go about this?

As I said before, not being in law enforcement prevents me from bringing the pedophiles and child trafficking syndicates to justice.

Stefan Phang with children in a Sihanoukville, Cambodia shelter for street children; and building bottle walls with But all of us can safely continue to work on children in a school in Mukuru Slum, Nairobi, Kenya. the other Ps and Rs. We can also influence legal enforcement by actively lobbying our Tell our readers briefly about your health of almost 93,000 children. I cannot representatives to support legislation that two-pronged CSO engagement in Asia, in say if that makes a dent in an evil situation reference to child prostitution rescue and that is difficult to measure. Agencies that seek protects children. We can use our voices to bring about awareness of these matters to the employment of small communities through to prevent human trafficking do not even people who represent us in the chambers of recycled hotel goods. agree on definitions of exploitation, slavery, government. forced labour and vulnerability.* So how can I volunteer with the International Child we accurately measure success? But for each Back to your works with hotels, do you Protection Network (ICPN) as a Child of the 93,000 children that are part of our Protection Advocate for Asia, Middle East efforts, I would like to think that we’ve made a think your strategy of engagement with your stakeholders (hotels, resorts, etc.) can be and Africa regions. My work is rooted in the difference. replicated to other companies and the rest 3Ps and 3Rs of child protection: prosecute, prevent, protect; and rescue, recovery and *The Trafficking of Children in the Asia-Pacific, of their own supply chain to do a similar Reintegrate. I cannot do much about the Australian Institute of Criminology, April 2011. approach? prosecute and rescue functions. Law enforcers http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/current%20 Most definitely. I strongly believe that the catch and Prosecute the offenders (pedophiles, series/tandi/401-420/tandi415.html private sector can truly make a difference in child trafficking syndicates), and hopefully rescue the children.

More importantly, describe to us the cycle of the area of child protection. Why? Because the greatest resources of the world reside in poverty, domestic violence, desperation and private sector companies. Some governments After children are rescued, they are ready for overall panic of the situation—and where recovery and reintegration. Too often children should NGOs strategically cut this cycle? This have resources, but most countries where the kids are being sold do not, and neither do the have been traumatised by abuse, have suffered is obviously something that can’t be done by injuries, and may have contracted sexually a single organisation but likewise, it presents NGOs. The resources and wealth are in the private sector. transmitted diseases. Sometimes they are HIV- an opportunity to collaborate. Who are or positive. The recovery process helps return should mostly be involved?

If we manage to unlock a percentage of the them to childhood—waking up in a safe resources that are in the private sector today, environment, going to school. The child also Again, I go to the 3Ps and 3Rs. Law learns that not all adults are abusive, and that enforcement should step up efforts to combat we would have enough to prevent and protect children from being sold, and help those trust is possible. Eventually the child needs to human trafficking for sexual purposes— be reintegrated back into the community. In especially children. Governments should enact rescued recover and reintegrate back into the cases where children have been kidnapped and laws to punish pedophiles who travel to other community. trafficked, they can sometimes be returned to countries to abuse children. I was recently I would be happy to advise companies their families. However, when children have invited to participate in a review of the new and corporations that want to make child been sold by their families, it’s best not to Anti-Human Trafficking legislation before return them to where they can be re-sold. In Parliament this coming November 2014. I these cases, the child is placed in a home or hope it will pass into law as it did in the UK shelter, typically run by an NGO. I am made and US. So governments are beginning to aware of these NGOs through my ICPN take action. Law enforcement should also network. freely share information on the movements of pedophiles across borders. This will aid in Recovery and reintegration require many their efforts to prosecute and rescue. Then, resources—not necessarily financial. The when children are rescued, they have to be need is for simple things that most people sheltered somewhere. That’s where NGOs and take for granted: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, the private sector can get involved to prevent toothpaste, or daily breakfast. I try to and protect, and help with recovery and organise donors to provide NGOs these reintegration. daily necessities that support the recovery/ reintegration work. Fortunately, many of my I also work with several hotel customers in clients are hotels, quick service restaurants (or training hotel frontline staff how to recognise in layman terms, fast food restaurants) who the signs of potential child abuse. Several have easy access to such resources. customers such as the Accor Group (Sofitel, Novotel, Ibis) and Hilton Group have Crushing, hopeless poverty is often at the root comprehensive programmes in place for their of human trafficking. When a woman is in dire staff in hotels that operate in tourist areas poverty, she very often resorts to selling herself that are high-risk for sexual exploitation of to survive. If a family is starving, sometimes children. they sell a child. No child should be sacrificed so that others can live. This is what started What are the risks in your encounters my focus on creating sustainable livelihoods with local enforcement authorities, or the for NGOs and the surrounding communities. criminals themselves; and how do you and For example, with the support of my clients your team deal with them? and local agencies, we have successfully helped villagers recycle used/discarded hotel guest Sadly, not all those in law enforcement care soap and then sell it as a way of generating about children in the sex trade. I know income. These re-processed soap are bought in of some cases where law enforcers are on bulk by corporations who then distribute for the payroll of the trafficking syndicates. free to the entire community, thus providing Informants who know about these situations free healthcare in the form of free soap to all. fear calling local law enforcement for help.

The risk is too great for both the child and the My strategy is to target the two “Ps” and the informant. two “Rs” where I can make a difference. I work with NGOs to establish financially sustainable To get around this, ICPN has worked with livelihoods to help prevent and protect. And some governments to set up dedicated child I ask my clients to provide resources that help protection hotline numbers, widely publicised rescued children recover and reintegrate. in tourist areas. We also engage local people such as hotel staff, taxi drivers or shopkeepers Considering the levels of poverty in Asia, do to be aware of these hotlines to call when they you feel you have made a dent on the efforts witness or suspect child abuse. to cut the number of trafficked children in the region?

We avoid fighting the criminals, often because we think we don’t know enough. Or are not It all depends on what we mean by “make a prepared to respond. Or we think we are dent.” How many is too many? For me, one powerless to do anything. Or we are in denial. child trafficked and sold into sexual slavery is too many. To date, I am running projects But if we don’t fight back, children in 15 countries that support the safety and will continue to suffer in silence, not www.asianngo.org

protection part of their corporate mission.

They can contact me and I will share the steps it takes to help fight child exploitation in the areas where they operate. ■ Stefan Phang is director for sustainability and CSR for Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Turkey for SealedAir, global leader in packaging and food science, Stefan Phang building care, stefan.phang@sealedair.com hygiene, and food safety. Based in Singapore, Stefan has traveled extensively through the regions, simultaneously diving deep into the underserved communities to find ways to help them thrive. His life philosophy is MAD COW—Make a Difference. Change Our World.

Stefan is a believer of driving cultural change, and with this focus he has worked with Sealed Air clients, NGOs and international agencies on over 50 projects in his region. Results include bringing sanitation in the form of free soap to communities that had no previous access; inexpensive and sustainable lighting where no electricity is available; and schools built out of plastic bottles.

Stefan is most passionate about protecting children from human trafficking, and has touched thousands of youngsters with his efforts to help rehabilitate rescued children.

As one of his most supported CSR initiatives for SealedAir and in collaboration with his own clients and friends in the secotr, he also helps villagers and slum-dwellers create sustainable livelihoods—to hopefully deter families from selling their children into the global sex trade.

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C OA UC NRT O RY S SF E AA S TI AU R E from page 1

ASEAN urged: strengthen security ties cross borders, locate missing persons and spy on possible terrorist activities.

File photo of a workshop on Operational Coordination for Effective Response to Border Monitoring for the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria in 2012. (Image: Dean Calma/ IAEA)

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Chiefs of Police (Aseanapol) Conference in Manila in May. Terrorism, illegal drug trade, human trafficking and sex tourism and money laundering are a scourge to transnational security. To combat these threats, it is important for the ASEAN to have a sound communication system. The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the Aseanapol share databases, prompting faster exchange of information; while easy access to police data can expedite the arrest of wanted criminals attempting to

The United Nations will set up a new office in Seoul to further investigate human rights violations in North Korea, announced by Amid crimes and threats, the ASEAN still seeks Geneva-based Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in May; to deal with trans-national matters through adding that “South Korea has a key role to peaceful dialogue. At the May summit in Manila, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang serve as emergency location for victims from human rights abuses, as well as to civil society Yudhohyono said, “the ASEAN political organisations that advocate human rights in the and security community will enhance joint North.” capacities to address security challenges; Establishing the office was proposed by the UN and that the [ASEAN] will then create a Commission of Inquiry into North Korean common stance to maintain peace, response human rights as part of the measures that need security and political challenge in harmony to be taken in light of its findings. In March the with international law without using military UN Human Rights Council made a provision action.” for a field office specifically for the issues in North Korea as part of adapting to its most recent resolutions.

Just recently, the Philippines and Indonesia finally agreed to settle the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundaries in Mindanao, Sulawesi, The Seoul office is hoped to contribute to and the Philippine seas; easing the maritime border tensions between the two countries. It took two decades to finalise the agreement.

"This [EEZ] Boundary Delimitation Agreement is a good example that boundary disputes, including maritime boundaries, can be resolved through peaceful means without the use of military means that may disrupt peace and stability in the region or elsewhere in the world," Yudhoyono added. (Antara/ Inquirer)

Advocate asks NGOs to push for sustainable living Former chair of Johor Health and Environment, Datuk Ayub Rahmat, urged the public to live healthily and asked NGOs to work closely with the Malaysian government.

In a speech written by Ayub Rahmat which was delivered by Department of Environment (DOE) officer Kammaruddin Abd Rahman at the environmental seminar “Sustainable Living in Malaysia,” it emphasized the government’s knowledge that some citizens are apathetic about maintaining a clean and healthy environment.

Ayub Rahmat said a dirty place filled with smoke and dust from factories, construction sites and exhausts pipes is not a healthy environment to live in. He added that everyone must join hands in attaining the government’s goal of achieving a green and clean society by year 2020.

UN Seoul office to probe Pyongyang human rights

With the theme “Living Within the Ecological Limits of One Planet,” this seminar was organized by Environmental Protection Society Malaysia (EPSM) and Johor Green Earth Society (GES). Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) service management director Abdul Ghazali Karim, EPSM president Nithi Nesadurai and GES president P. Sivakumar were in attendance. A total of 150 environment enthusiasts and students participated the said event and were presented with six working papers.

The panel members who discussed a wide range of issues were comprised of Skudai assemblyman Dr. Boo Cheng Hau, Lestari UKM Bangi’s Datin Paduka Halimaton Saadiah Hashim, and Lee Lih Shyan of Petaling Jaya City Council. ■

improving the efficiency of investigations on human rights violations in the North; and attempt to lessen its frequency and intensity.

It will also be symbolic of the international community’s concern for human rights in the North.

Seoul-based lawmaker and former human rights activist Ha Tae-kyung of the Saenuri Party believes the move was inevitable and the South Korean government “must actively cooperate with the UN.” One leading figure in establishing the UN’s commission of enquiry, the International Coalition to Stop Crimes Against Humanity in North, expressed that if before almost only South Korean NGOs act on the human rights activities in the North, the office can now take the lead in responding to various North Korean human rights violation. (The Guardian)

South Asian Development Bank to be tackled Formal talks on the establishment of a South Asian Development Bank that hopes to provide low-cost funding to South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries are expected to be a highlight at the bloc’s 18th conference in November.

on equity contribution. And although the details of the proposed bank are still being studied and planned, India’s great scope of economy and influence as an advantage is expected to be raised as one of the issues by member countries with relatively smaller economies.

The formation of the Bank aims to strengthen people-to-people contact, trade relations, and tap larger shares of infrastructure financing; while global and regional multi-lateral agencies are seen as “dominating in the decision making of other established development banks and yet have different interest groups.”

In preparation of the November conference, SAARC Secretary General Arjun Bahadur Thapa visited several member countries including Pakistan. Recently, Thapa met with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Shariff to brief him on matters that will be tackled on the upcoming summit.

There have been talks in the commerce ministry of India, although the ministry has not approved the proposal as it also requires huge financing.

Other country members are in talks, expecting to raise it on the upcoming SAARC conference in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Thapa said the next summit will focus on energy and hydro-carbon cooperation and connectivity to enhance trade and progress within SAARC.

Officials said the bank would be patterned after the Asian Development Bank or the African Development Bank—often viewed as dominated by Japanese, Chinese, and US interests. As would-be shareholders, SAARC member countries’ exact holdings will depend

Newly elected Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed his vision for SAARC countries, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj noting Modi “is hopeful that [India] will build cordial, friendly and inclusive ties with the countries of South Asia.” SAARC members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. ■

A S I A D EV ELOPMENT S PECIAL

InsideNGO workshop on grants, agreements rules Non-government organisations’ finance, contracts and grants staff, administrative teams, programme development teams, independent auditors and individual consultants who work on USAID projects are invited to a workshop on the agency’s grants and cooperative agreements on 10-12 November in Bangladesh.

The workshop is particularly targeted for those who need to ensure compliance, appreciate the requirements from a field perspective, understand relationships with USAID and negotiate awards, prepare for audits and those who need an update to the latest USAID rules and regulations.

Participants will be given the opportunity to connect with peers, examine the realities of managing USAID awards, gain ideas from each other’s experiences and develop strategies for handling real-life scenarios. Some of the expected learnings from this series of workshop are on applying USAID rules and regulations to ensure compliant and successful programme implementation; navigating these rules and regulations that underlie all USAID and US government awards; and developing strategies to commonly confusing issues like determining allowable costs, procedures for purchasing

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equipment, property disposition, limits on budget revision, cost sharing, documentary requirements and avoiding common audit findings.

Proposal writing, development workshop in Bangkok

Programme and development teams of NGOs, and finance, grants, auditing and administrative staff are invited to attend InsideNGO’s workshop on USAID Proposal Development in Bangkok on 20-21 November. The workshop will equip with knowledge of how the USAID “International organisations that rely on USAID participants decides on grants, contracts and cooperative funding often face challenges in effectively agreements bidding processes; and tools, materials managing their awards, especially with the and tips critical to submitting quality winning complex rules and regulations associated with proposals for USAID project partnerships. award management. They would need staff members who understand how USAID awards The two-day workshop seeks to provide participants with a better understanding of work and can effectively manage to maintain donor compliance. While this workshop focuses the USAID Request for Application/Request for Proposal (RFA/RFP) processes and how to on USAID funding for grants and agreements, read through an RFA/RFP from technical and it also provides a good foundation for perspectives; to appreciate the importance understanding other US government funding,” cost of anticipating solicitations and planning InsideNGO said in a statement. proposals in advance; learn how to manage the proposal process at the field level either as a The workshop will be at the Dhaka Regency direct responsibility or in partnership with the Hotel and Resort, facilitated by Keith Edwards headquarters; and the process of creating effective and Alison Brady, senior practitioners with partnerships for proposal development. decades of experience managing USAID grants It will feature sessions on business development and cooperative agreements. This training is the first of three requirements for InsideNGO's models (capture planning, proposal team, partnering), the proposal process (working USAID Assistance Certificate. For more calendars, work distribution, analysing the RFA/ information and to register for this leg of the RFP, organizing the team and partners), the training series in Dhaka, visit www.insidengo. technical and cost volumes; critical Dos and org/events. ■ Don’ts, management approaches, administering

the support documents, submission; and very important lessons learned, as shared by the facilitators and fellow participants.

In a statement, InsideNGO share that “securing USAID grants is a challenge many organisations face as the proposal process can be time-consuming. But mastering the proposal development process is essential for them; and they need staff members who understand how USAID works as an awarding agency, and who can effectively manage the proposal process at the field level while understanding the challenges and processes at the headquarters level.”

The workshop will also cover how to communicate effectively with the USAID, asking clarification questions when the request for proposal/application is first announced, and responding to either clarification questions after an application is submitted in response to an RFA or to “best and final offer” questions (BAFO) after a proposal is submitted in response to an RFP. Upon completing the workshop, participants are envisioned leave with an action plan on improving their organisations’ USAID business development process.

For more information or to register for this workshop in Bangkok, visit www.insidengo.org/ events. ■

LEARNING A CARNODS SR EASSOI A URCES

‘Learning Series’ translated to Translating Western values in an Asian Vietnamese, Tamil context A S I A D EV ELOPMENT S PECIAL

MDF Asia, a leading training and consultancy firm, regularly runs training courses on leadership and people management.

Participants come from different counties, organisations and backgrounds; but in the courses there is a human connection that bridges these differences. Despite these differences, they can still relate to every unique situation and learn together to become more effective in life and work. This is one of the optimum goals of their Western Leadership Theory module.

Studying this module yields some underlying values that seem more western than Asian, such as a relative equality of power and status between leaders and followers; high tolerance of ambiguity and uncertainty on the part of all concerned; high levels of trust and openness; the desire to share feelings and emotions; the willingness to confront personal conflict

and difference of opinion, and take risks; and strong beliefs in the virtues of team working (Hofstede).

“Almost all prevailing theories of leadership and most of its empirical evidence is North American in character. There is often a stress on market processes, a stress on the individual, and a focus on managers rather than workers.

Cross-cultural psychological, sociological, and anthropological research shows that many cultures do not share these assumptions.

Therefore these Western approaches should not be copied blindly into the context of any country,” clarified Elize Smal, deputy director and trainer at MDF Asia in Hanoi.

To know more about or to register for the Western Leadership Theory Module, visit www. mdf.nl; or directly refer to MDF’s calendar of other events listed below.

M D F CALENDAR OF EVENT S ( w w w. md f. n l ) 4-8 August 2014

Project Cycle Management Islamabad, Pakistan

11-14 August 2014

Monitoring and Evaluation for Learning Colombo, Sri Lanka

11-15 August 2014

Leadership and People Management Bali, Indonesia

25-29 August 2014

Winning Proposals and Reporting Dhaka, Bangladesh

1-3 September 2014

Knowledge Management Bali, Indonesia

8-11 September 2014

Domestic Support and Funding Bangkok, Thailand

8-12 September 2014

Poor Economic Impact Assessment Hanoi, Vietnam

15-17 September 2014 Disaster Risk Reduction Islamabad, Pakistan

15-19 September 2014 Results-based Management Vientiane, Laos

22-26 September 2014 Management Skills Vientiane, Laos

29 September-3 October 2014 Training of Trainers Bali, Indonesia

29 September-3 October 2014 Results-based Management Dhaka, Bangladesh

6-10 October 2014 Management Skills Dhaka, Bangladesh

13-15 October 2014

Advocacy and Policy Influencing Hanoi, Vietnam

20-23 October 2014 Change Management Bali, Indonesia

20-24 October 2014

Leadership and People Management Cambodia

27-31 October 2014

Leadership and People Management Colombo, Sri Lanka

3-6 November 2014

Monitoring and Evaluation for Learning Hanoi, Vietnam

10-12 November 2014

The Learning Series AsianNGO has launched its translated versions with a booklet in Vietnamese; and an upcoming version in Tamil (a regional language in South India), to connect to local NGOs in a more localised and personal approach. For its first release, the booklet 5 Essential Tools for a Better NGO has been uploaded to its portal.

The direct link to the first upload of the Vietnamese version can be found on and downloaded as PDF from the AsianNGO web portal. It features illustrated five basic steps to increase efficiency, troubleshoot problems and find solutions via the SWOT analysis, using the framework of PEST analysis, categories of intervention, and the family-tree model.

AsianNGO’s Learning Series is a sequence of how-to booklets specifically relevant to the needs of non-government organisations, social enterprise start-ups, community-based cooperatives and civil society groups across the region. It hopes to provide various skill sets to NGOs and social enterprises on processes as simple as drafting communication materials and writing project proposals; to as complex as going through bidding protocols with multilateral and international aid donors.

“Apart from providing the most comprehensive but user-friendly navigation tool to track grants and funding opportunities and project partnerships, with the Learning Series AsianNGO would like to be an enabling tool for NGOs that may not necessarily have the resources or the manpower to go through expensive trainings and development programmes. This is part of our mission to keep our friends and partners in the development sector, particularly those operating in rural communities, abreast of the necessary disciplines to help their daily operations,” says AsianNGO Publisher Sreenivas Narayanan.

AsianNGO is the pioneer media platform designed to empower NGOs and development professionals in Asia-Pacific, capacitating them with resources for sustainable growth. Its main channel is a web portal for users to track and apply for available grants, seek out partners for project implementation, and download learning assets for better organisational management; and event updates for their relevant interests.

Sign up now at www.asianngo.org for free. ■

Disaster Risk Reduction Kathmandu, Nepal

10-12 November 2014 Knowledge Management Hanoi, Vietnam

17-21 November 2014

Results-based Management Bali, Indonesia

24-28 November 2014 Management Skills Bali, Indonesia

1-5 December 2014

Winning Proposals and Reporting Yangon, Myanmar

15-17 December 2014

EU Procedures: Procurement Procedures and Contract Management Bangkok, Thailand

from page 15

USAID-SPICE grant for Sri Lanka youth, civil society advocacy

neighbouring provinces still require assistance in restoring community life and social cohesion and interactions; to augment opportunities to engage in development; and to fully reintegrate into regional and national life. By helping these groups integrate into their local social, economic, cultural and governance systems, this grant seeks to empower individuals and communities to contribute to the overall strength and productivity of their regions.”

with recent experience in implementing activities in the regional focus areas of the USAID are encouraged to apply; as well as those with a proven track record of implementing projects as non-partisan CSOs, independent trade unions, professional associations, community-based organisations (CBOs) and cooperatives, with experience and advocacy and civic engagement. Individuals and government entities are not eligible to apply.”

Apart from the aforementioned objectives, the grant also aims to improve relations between diverse communities; support the awareness of rights, legal remedies and citizen protections; support psychosocial and livelihood programmes, and equitable access to services and information; promote principles of cooperative movement; advance women and youth participation and empowerment; build the capacity of local media; raise awareness and adherence to core-labour conventions; advance research and empirical studies and strengthen policies and practices.

Funded by the USAID through Counterpart International, SPICE encourages institutions, programmes and advocacy strategies to promote citizen and community engagement and inclusive and pluralistic values. It is managed

by Management Systems International; and has been running since December 2012 and will conclude in December 2015.

The USAID further clarified: “Organisations www.asianngo.org

Deadline for submission of Concept Notes is 20 October 2014. For the full application guidelines, visit http://www. usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1861/ annualprogramstatement.pdf ■

13

L EOAURNNTI RNYG FAE N DURREES O U R C E S C AT C AL E N DAR O F E VE N TS 23-26-September 2014 Spikes Asia Singapore, Singapore

14 July 2014 Sustainable Business Awards PH Manila, Philippines

9 September 2014 ASEAN Business Awards Philippines Manila, Philippines

14-15 July, 2014 The Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture Manila, Philippines

15-19 September 2014 37th WEDC International Conference: Sustainable Water and Sanitation Services for All in a Fast Changing World Hanoi, Vietnam

14-15 July 2014 Social Business Forum Asia Osaka, Japan 22 July, 2014 Disaster Preparedness Forum Makati, Philippines

28-29 July, 2014 Third International Conference on Climate Change & Social Issues 2014 Colombo, Sri Lanka 29-31 July, 2014 The 2014 Asian Congress on the Millennium Development Goals Hiroshima, Japan 14-15 August, 2014 Asia Business Continuity Conference Singapore, Singapore

23 August, 2014 Women Leadership and Acheivers Awards Mumbai, India 25-27 August 2014 COSH 2014: Conference and Exhibition on Occupational Safety and Health Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 27 August 2014 South-East Asia Summit 2014 Thailand 28-30 August 2014 BoP World Convention and Expo Singapore, Singapore 29-30 August 2014 11th Green Forum Taguig, Philippines 30 August 2014 Project Inspire Singapore, Singapore

2-3 September 2014 The 13th Asian Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility Manila, Philippines 2-5 September 2014 SOCAP 14 San Francisco, USA 3-4 September 2014 B4E Climate Summit London, United Kingdom

3-6 September 2014 Leading Change Summit San Francisco, USA

16-17 September 2014 CSR Asia Summit 2014 Hongkong

23 September 2014 Climate Summit 2014 New York, USA

7-8 October 2014 AIDF Food Security Summit: Asia 2014 Jakarta, Indonesia

25-27 September 2014 Green Philippines 2014 Manila, Philippines

8-9 October 2014 6th International Conference on Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Berlin, Germany 9-10 October 2014 Innovation Awards and Summit 2014 Hong Kong

3 October 2014 Sustainability Forum 2014 Athens, Greece

17-19 September 2014 Electric & Power Vietnam Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

23-26 October 2014 SVN 2014 Fall Conference Connecticut, USA

Public Program Calendar 2014 (Jul - Sep) TRAINING PROGRAMS IT EXCELLENCE (ITX) Blended ITIL Foundation Course ITIL OSA - Operational Support Analysis ITIL CSI - Continual Service Improvement ISMS Practitioner Combined Practitioner (BCM & ISMS) Data Security Practitioner - Payment Card Industry CDCP - Certified Data Center Professional CDCS - Certified Data Center Specialist CITM - Certified IT Manager SQM (Software Quality Management) Professional Agile Scrum Practitioner Combined Lead Auditor (QMS,ISMS,BCM) Cloud Essentials Course (Cloud Council and CompTIA Certified) NEW COBIT 4.1 Foundation Virtualization Essentials Course (Cloud Council Certified) NEW STANDARDS & COMPLIANCE (S&C) Process Audit for Performance Excellence CMR - Certified Management Representative S BUSINESS PROCESS EXCELLENCE (BPX) CQA - Certified Quality Associate ERM - Enterprise Risk Management BCM Practitioner PMP - Project Management Professional Going Beyond PMP Applied Project Management Using MS Project 2007/2010 NEW Better Business Efficiencies Using MS Excel Advanced Features Crisis Communication Planner (ICOR Certified) BCMMA - Business Continuity Maturity Model Assessor(ICOR Certified)NEW Implementing ISO 22301 (ICOR Certified) NEW Six Sigma Yellow Belt Accelerated Six Sigma Green Belt Six Sigma Black Belt CBAP - Certified Business Analysis Professional BEHAVIORAL EXCELLENCE (BEX) Training ROI - Training ROI Investment TNA - Training Needs Analysis Complaints Management - Turning Complaints to Compliments Competency Profiling CODA - Certified OD Analyst CRA - Certified Recruitment Analysts CLDM - Certified Learning & Development Manager HRBP - Human Resource Business Professional (SHRM Certified) NEW HRMP - Human Resource Management Professional (SHRM Certified) NEW CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY & GOVERNANCE (CSG) CSAP - Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner EEE - Energy Efficiency Excellence SRP - Sustainability Reporting Practitioner based on GRI G4 C Carbon Footprint - Offset your Indulgence (PAS 2050, ISO 14064) NEW Reaping Returns - Measure Success of your CSR & Sustainability Initiatives Carbon Neutrality - PAS 2060 Organizing Sustainable Events - The Future of Meeting NEW

DURATION

2 4 3 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 5 2 3 3

DATES JUL

2 1 2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 2 3 1 1 1 1

SEP

5-6 13 - 15

16 - 19

2-3 12 - 13 21 - 22 23 - 25 10 - 12

7 - 12 15 - 16 18 - 20 22 - 23 25 - 26

2 2 3 2 2 4 2 2 2 2 3 5 2 3 10 3

AUG

6-7 16 - 18

8 - 10 24 - 25 22 - 25

30 - 31 5-6 19 - 20 1-5

7-11&21-25

14, 15 & 18 26 - 28

17 - 18 19 - 20 24 - 25 17 - 18

26 - 29 16 - 19 12-13 28 22 9

Partners & Accreditation Agencies

8-10 September 2014 Convergences World Forum Paris, France

For further information and more events, visit www.asianngo.org 14

For more information, training registration or inquiries, please contact us: Address: 5/F A&V Crystal Tower, 105 Esteban St., Legaspi Village, Makati Telephone: (+632) 403 8668

Email:training@eccigroup.com

Website:www.eccigroup.com

www.asianngo.org

LEARNING AND RESOURCES from page 1

Grant for Iraqi health and sciences expert for US research tour relationships and exchange between Iraqi, the United States and international science community.

Admitted health professionals will be sent to the US for two weeks to join science conferences, pre- and post-conference trainings, workshops and exposure visits to US laboratories. Iraqi scientists and researchers will enrich their scientific knowledge, encounter opportunities to establish professional contacts, and develop valuable skills.

safety and security (BS&S) regulations and requirements implementation; along with other aspects of daily research and laboratory operations.

Selection preference will be given to experts in the biological sciences, public health sector and animal health sector who currently work on and have experience in: • Especially dangerous human, animal and zoonotic infectious diseases • Research work focused on pathogens of security concern Visits to the health research facilities in the US • Modern infectious disease diagnostic are customised, facilitated and guided. During techniques these CRDF Global-organised exposure visits, • Epidemiological surveillance and reporting programme participants will receive briefings of especially dangerous infectious diseases of on and observe on-going research, laboratory humans and animals workflows, compliance requirements, bio-

• Application and institutionalisation of internationally accepted principles and best practices of bio-safety, bio-security and bio-ethics • Application and institutionalisation of One Health principles and approaches • Detection, diagnostics and reporting of especially dangerous infectious disease caused by pathogens of security concern Applicants must be Iraqi citizens currently residing and working in the country, who intend to return to Iraq after completion of the programme to share their knowledge and experience with peers. Upon completion of the program, grantees will be requested to report back to program funders, relevant Iraqi Ministries and CRDF Global on how they will apply or have started to apply their new skills

after their return to Iraq.

Although applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 30 September 2014, grants will be awarded on a rolling basis. All travel under this programme must occur between 1 July 2014 and 30 June 2015. Hence, applicants must submit their application at least six months in advance of travel.

For more information or to download the full application packet: http://www.crdfglobal.org/docs/default-source/ funding-opportunities/iraq_professional_ntwrk_ building_program_announcement-application_ final_30may2014_distributed.pdf?sfvrsn=0 ■

USAID-SPICE grant for Sri Lanka youth, civil society advocacy The United States Agency for International Development and the Sri Lanka Support for Professional and Institutional Capacity Enhancement Program (SPICE) call on non-government organisations, cooperatives and professional associations to apply for the SPICE programme in Sri Lanka to build advocacy strategies for national and regional civil society organisations and local institutions to implement activities to improve governance, promote co-existence and inclusion, support the exercise of citizen rights, and increase active and informed citizen participation.

Special consideration will be given to

proposals that address gender-based violence (GBV) and the challenges in gender equity faced by female-headed households in conflict-affected areas; and support youth engagement, leadership and inclusion. Proposed projects are envisioned to be implemented in districts in Northern or Eastern Province; though projects in the districts neighbouring North and East in Wayamba (Puttlam), North-Central (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa) and Uva (Moneragala) will also be considered.

In a statement, the USAID-SPICE said that “some communities and segments of the populations in Northern and Eastern provinces, as well as in conflict-affected border areas of Cont. page 13

Image: IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation

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NG C LOEUANR TNRI Y F EAAN TD U RREE S O U R C E S AVAILABLE GRA N TS Civil Society Facility and Empowerment Programme (Grant) Donor: World Bank Country: Turkey Area(s) of Interest: Civil Society Application Deadline: 14 July 2014

Professional Network Building, Training and Exposure Programme (Grant) Donor: CDRF Global Country: Iraq Area(s) of Interest: NA Application Deadline: 30 September 2014

Construction of Soma Wastewater Treatment Plant (Works and Services) Donor: Europe Aid Country: Turkey Area(s) of Interest: Water Sector Application Deadline: 18 July 2014

Capacity-Building of the Employment Support Services (Consulting Firm) Donor: Europe Aid Country: Georgia Area(s) of Interest: Public Transportation Application Deadline: 30 September 2014

Support to Health and Nutrition of the Urban Poor (Grant) Donor: EuropeAid Country: Bangladesh Area(s) of Interest: Health Application Deadline: 27 July 2014

Improving Careers of Women Research Scientists in Infectious Diseases (Grant) Donor: TDR for Research on Diseases of Poverty Country: Pan-Asia Area(s) of Interest: Technology Application Deadline: 30 September 2014

Capacity Building for Advocacy and Response to the HIV/AIDS Epidemic (Grant) Donor: USAID/US State Department Country: India Area(s) of Interest: Health/HIV-AIDS, Capacity Building Application Deadline: 27 July 2014 Rehabilitation/Maintenance of Roads In Kakheti Region (Works and Services) Donor: World Bank Country: Georgia Area(s) of Interest: Infrastructure Application Deadline: 29 July 2014 Enhancement of Emergency Response Programme (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan Area(s) of Interest: Emergency and Disaster Risk Reduction Application Deadline: 9 September 2014 Legal Approximation of Georgian Civil Aviation (Consulting Firm) Donor: Europe Aid Country: Georgia Area(s) of Interest: NA Application Deadline: 18 September 2014

Emergency Services and Social Resilience Project (Goods Procurement) Donor: World Bank Country: Jordan Area(s) of Interest: Emergency and Disaster Management Application Deadline: 7 October 2014 Integrating Communities Through Regional Grants for Active Citizenship, Social Cohesion and Gender Empowerment (Grant) Donor: USAID Country: Sri Lanka Area(s) of Interest: Community Development, Regional Cooperation and Integration, Gender Application Deadline: 20 October 2014 East Asia and Pacific Summer Institutes for US Graduate Students (Grant) Donor: National Science Foundation Country: China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia Area(s) of Interest: Education/Research Application Deadline: 13 November 2014 Professional Network Building, Training and Exposure Programme (Grant) Donor: CDRF Global Country: Afghanistan Area(s) of Interest: Capacity-Building Application Deadline: 30 November 2014

For further information and more grants, visit www.asianngo.org

Community development in conflict areas requires a formal conflict analysis usually deficient in the studied CBD projects, which can be used to modify the project design in a way that suits the target audience.

Image: 2011 'CLICK' The Philippines has suffered from long history of conflict; many communities became vulnerable to violence, poverty and other social issues. The armed conflict last September between government forces and the Moro National Liberation Front rebels in Zamboanga left hundreds dead and another hundred-thousand displaced. Houses and facilities were devastated.

Community-based development (CBD) outlines programmes that aim to alleviate [communities] from conflict, according to U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), involving them in the decisionmaking and implementation of the project— thus making the whole process inclusive. The Asia Foundation, in line with the onset of CBD programmes in the country, has also conducted a study about CBD progammes implemented in the Philippines.

This means that they regain the lost cohesion, which is needed in building mutual trust and sense of community; and can achieve long-term objectives like peace in areas of conflict. Still, this ability is largely dependent on the “longer term commitment of support to communities.” In the same breadth, some short-term initiatives does not easily gain the trust of the local community, and thus cannot achieve meaningful results.

Achieved community cohesion also may not always be sustainable because organisations usually stop reaching out to the community, when projects are completed. It is then recommended to maintain relationships with the community through continuing facilitation.

Monitoring and evaluation practices, which most CBD programmes fail to do, should also be implemented to see and provide Results showed that to conduct CBD evidence for any impact to the community. programmes, there is a need to understand While the Philippines suffer from various the dynamics of the local community. conflicts, CBD programmes can provide Conflict dynamics is “complex, diverse, assistance to the community and their multi-layered and localized,” according to the study; and that conflict in one part of the survivors. With the findings of the study, it country may have different causes from those has been noted that projects should be made based on particular needs of the communityin another. affected areas—and not merely on the pre-set One criticism of the projects is their focus on objectives of the project implementing the macro-level, discounting the community- partners. (TAF) level factors that lead to disputes. This

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Mitigating conflict through CBD initiatives The Governance and Social Development Resource Centre had reported previously that community-based approaches commonly aim to empower the local communities, helping them realising their potential to develop their own lives. In the Asian Foundation study, CBD helps restore confidence of the community.