We hope you had a restful and joyous  New Year! Our project is going well and we’re excited – and to that end, here are some recent stories of Afghanistan, human rights, and markets in the news. Let us know of any interesting or relevant articles or pieces you see in your reading travels!

• Shopkeepers and businesspeople affected by the fire at Kabul’s Mandawi (main commercial district) are exempt from tax for the next 4 years – Wadsam Afghan News Business Portal
• What’s at stake for Afghan women – Gayle Tzemach Lemmon for CNN
• Another Afghan Buddhist archeological site is threatened because it sits on top of a copper mine – NYT
• Afghan government raising tariffs on imported fruit juices in a move to protect local production – Wadsam Afghan News Business Portal
• A beautiful set of photos of Afghan landscapes – Warkadang on Tumblr
• Bleak humanitarian outlook for 2013 in Afghanistan – IRIN
• Afghan refugees living in Kabul battle deadly cold as winter sets in – NYT
• Great photos from a press conference of the Afghanistan Forum for Electoral Reforms – Thru Afghan Eyes
• Insight: Once a symbol of new Afghanistan, can policewomen survive? – Reuters
• Energy Drinks Take Afghanistan By Storm – Radio Free Europe
• Top Human Rights stories on Twitter in 2012 – HRW
• Long road ahead for Afghan women – Heather Barr for HRW

(Photo credit to Frédéric Lagrange: “The grasslands that surround Lake Chaqmaqtin, Afghanistna, sustain herds of goat, sheep, and yak.”)

funkademic:

Africa for Norway. Amazing.

The video is humorous, but there is a serious message. The point is that images of helpless Africans are just as inaccurate as the idea of helpless freezing Norwegians. A lot of Africans cannot relate to the patronizing videos and development initiatives.

The organization says it has certain goals with the video. Among them, that fundraising “should not be based on exploiting stereotypes” and that media should have more respect in portraying suffering children.

“We want to see more nuances,” it writes on its website. “We want to know about positive developments in Africa and developing countries, not only about crises, poverty and AIDS. We need more attention on how western countries have a negative impact on developing countries.”

A+ satire.

(Source: NPR)

dynamicafrica:

AJE The Stream presents - #African aid: helpful or hazardous?

Does foreign aid to Africa do more harm than good?

Here’s some more TMS Ruge for you - great questions and thoughts on on The Stream.

Given the discussions in the video, what do you guys think?

professorbutterscotch:

This is an incredibly brave TEDx talk by David Damberger from Engineers Without Borders Canada about the nature of aid and the importance of recognizing, publicizing, and learning from aid failure. Dave now works for Ethical Ocean, but here he discusses his experience overseas and EWB’s current work in Malawi to illustrate some of the idiotic failures happening in international development and how they can be avoided.

This is important.

(Source: ted.com)

putnams-landing:

“We have to stop infantilizing Haiti,” Ms. Jean said in an interview from Ottawa. “Aid is good in a crisis situation. But once the crisis is over, you have to build on what’s sustainable.”

 

Trade-not-aid has become a new mantra in post-earthquake Haiti as President Michel Martelly struggles to rebuild an economically shattered nation. Although Haiti has long been heavily reliant on foreign assistance, funnelled through thousands of NGOs, Ms. Jean says it’s time for a “profound change in the paradigm.”

“People want to get out of their total dependence on international aid,” she said. Jobs are crucial in a nation where more than half the population is under age 25. “You can’t think about development on the basis of charity. The Haitian people love to work.”

Preach. We agree: providing jobs and growing the Haitian economy is important to long-term growth and security.

@cynan_sez in his latest post  (via tumblingfromthecave)

Excellent post.

(Source: lavidaidloca.wordpress.com, via tumblingfromthecave)

cubiculo:

We’ve got a problem at PDT. We’re very good at some things, like helping to create jobs, championing local entrepreneurs, and foosball.

We can do this…

But we’re very bad at other things, like telling our story, the stories of the people we help, and karaoke.

…but not this.

And that’s where you come in. We are looking for a journalism fellow. To be as accurate and objective as possible and to distinguish it from other, lesser fellowships, we’re calling this one the:

“Best. Fellowship. Ever.”

[Cue jazz hands]

Eligible Applicants: You. Especially if you are currently attending j-school.

Application Procedure: Do not send us an earnest cover letter. Do not send us your padded CV.  And please please please do not get your Mom to call us. Instead, upload a 60 second YouTube video explaining why you’re going to be a great foreign correspondent.  Add the tag “PDT’s Best Fellowship Ever” to your video, and you’re done. The successful applicant will have the charisma of Anderson Cooper, the story-telling prowess of Hans Christian Anderson, and the production skills of Wes Anderson:

Fellowship Description: The successful candidate will be provided with a stipend and will be asked to perform the following tasks:

• Plan and prepare for a 2-week foreign assignment covering PDT’s work abroad. Working part-time and remotely with PDT staff, this phase will be wrapped up by late December.
• Travel to PDT’s country offices in Port au Prince, Monrovia, and Kabul. There our team will look after your logistics and accommodation, and help you arrange interviews with the local entrepreneurs we’ve helped, and the people they employ. Ideally, this will be undertaken between December 26^th and January 9^th. (You’ll be spending New Years Eve in Kabul, sure, but on the upside you’ll still get to be home for Christmas.)
• Blog about your travels, the entrepreneurs you meet, and the things you see.
• Edit and produce short video spots (30-90 second) based on these interviews, and…
• Write a dozen 200-500 word pieces telling their stories. (To be completed, along with the videos, by February 1^st, 2012.)

Application Deadline: Post your slick video by December 14th, and 2 weeks later you’ll find yourself ordering a whiskey and singing karaoke at the legendary Gandamack Lodge in Kabul. It’s that simple.

Do it. Do it up.

(via professorbutterscotch)

invest2innovate:

Great video by PDT Global on aid ineffectiveness.

Look, it’s us! Thanks for sharing, K :)

Areas of food shortages and famine in East Africa

Just bringing this back.

10.7 MILLION people are still in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

(via climateadaptation)