I work in a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand province, Afghanistan – part of the international mission to support the Government of Afghanistan and help Afghans govern their country for themselves. My job title is Economic Adviser. I work with …
It’s just 7.15 am and it is already hot. Not from the morning sun (even though it's out and shining), but from the high overnight temperature that has not receded (talk about climate change!). It was a hot night and …
Who has the main say - donors or recipient countries? Isn't it obvious? Don't donors have all the resources and so control the show? No, it isn’t always like that, and in the last few years there has been a shift towards a more …
A current hot topic in development circles is whether at the upcoming UN general assembly meeting in New York, the advice of a topic level panel will be heeded to create a UN ‘super-agency’ for women. Currently a number of different …
In my last blog post, on coordination of work in the health sector in Mozambique, I mentioned evidence emerging from a recent survey (the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey) that shows some of the significant improvements that Mozambique has achieved over …
I've been away on holiday in Europe for a few weeks in July, it was incredible to see the change to Kano when I got back. Same old crumbling cement blocks, pot-holed streets and blazing sun. But after regular rainstorms for a …
Working for an organisation that funds development work (in my case DFID) means that I frequently receive requests from worthy causes for financial support. I recently got a call from a Western volunteer living in Nigeria with a difference; a brand …
As I flew in to the north west of the country today, the plane banked sharply and circled as it came in to land. On the ground, on the bumpy, dusty bit of cleared bush that acts as a runway, …
One of the important side meetings of the International Health Partnership meeting in Geneva last week was between Michel Kazatchkine, the executive director of the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria (GFATM) and Mozambique's Minister of Health, Paulo …
Bangui in the Central African Republic has not got much in common with Hollywood, except the imposing sign on the hill above the city. City? Well, not really. 10 minutes of driving takes you from one edge to the other; …
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