http://viewchange.org Videos from ViewChange.org (Filtered by topics: Foreign Assistance) en-us Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:28:00 +0000 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-unleashing-innovation What is social innovation? Solving some of the world's most pressing problems -- including global poverty and development -- requires innovative thinking, unusual partnerships, and entrepreneurialism. And it's already working. Find out how in Unleashing Innovation. Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:28:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/viewchange-unleashing-innovation Social innovation, Technology, Social entrepreneurship, Environment, Water & Sanitation, Change Makers, Foreign Assistance, David Kilcullen, Tanzania, Dar es Salaam >> TITLE: Soccer is the world's most popular sport >> BILL CLINTON: An idea for clean energy that I think it's fair to say hardly anybody else on the planet had ever thought of. >> TITLE: One out of five people live without electricity >> BILL CLINTON: It's quite extraordinary really -- kick a ball, turn on a light. >> TITLE: Thirty minutes of play generates three hours of light >> BILL CLINTON: It's an off-grid solution that gives us a way to bring power and improve quality of life, working capacity, learning capacity. >> TITLE: Soccket: innovate, play, empower >> VOICEOVER: Soccket, and other social innovations, in this ViewChange special. >> VOICEOVER: ViewChange is about people making real progress in tackling the world's toughest issues. Can a story change the world? See for yourself in ViewChange: Unleashing Innovation. >> VOICEOVER: That was Soccket. It's gotten a lot of attention recently, and not just from Bill Clinton. Which isn't surprising: it has all the trappings of a game-changer. Soccket is clever; it's creative; it's relatively cheap; and most of all, it takes on one of the biggest challenges in the developing world -- access to electricity. Soccket is unique, but it's one of a growing number of projects with a similar goal: tackling the world's toughest problems from surprising and inventive new angles. Problems like hunger, disease, clean water, security -- problems that are crying out for a fresh approach. Lynn Taliento from McKinsey & Company's Social Sector Office, and Tom Freston, chairman of the ONE Campaign, are two leaders in this field, which goes by the term "social innovation." It's a field that sits at the nexus of industry, entrepreneurial thinking, and philanthropy. As they explain, understanding social innovation takes some nuance. >> TOM FRESTON [Chairman of the Board, ONE]: Social innovation's sort of a category that wasn't even around ten years ago and has been booming ever since -- and it's really about identifying new ideas, new organizations, new strategies to attack social problems. >> LYNN TALIENTO [Partner, McKinsey & Company]: For me, social innovation is about looking at a social challenge and coming up with different ways to address it. A lot of people think it means coming up with a new technology or a new solution, sort of a point solution. But we see it way broader than that. If you think about it you can come up with a new solution but then you can come up also with a new way to deliver that solution. It might be an old solution that you deliver in a new way. >> TOM FRESTON: It's clearly an area that is growing. We see the White House has a Social Innovation Fund. We see in various countries all kinds of government support. There are all kinds of exciting people doing things. >> LYNN TALIENTO: So, some of the groups that are social innovators are pretty well known to us. Think about (PRODUCT)RED, products you can buy in the stores like the Red Apple iPod. Or think about TOMS Shoes, which many of us wear. Kiva.org, where you can actually make a loan to a micro entrepreneur in another country and get paid back and then reinvest. Or think about Ushahidi, which is revolutionizing crisis communications. >> TOM FRESTON: Ten years ago, if you got out of a good school, there's a good chance you were probably headed to Wall Street. Thirty years ago, if you got out of a good school, there was a good chance you'd want to be an investigative journalist. I think a lot of the bloom is off the rose on the Wall Street, money-making culture, not all of it certainly, but a lot of people are attracted to this realm because it combines their innate desire to do something good along with a possibility to tie it into something innovative in terms of technology, or approach, or so forth. >> LYNN TALIENTO: There's a whole spectrum of social innovation, and it really can be found anywhere. That's really what's so exciting about it. It can be found in labs that are developing new vaccines. It can be found very commonly on the ground in a nonprofit, say a midwifery clinic working with moms to figure out how to deliver their babies more safely. But increasingly it's happening in corporations. Companies are engaging more and more in social issues and figuring out how to use their supply chains, their people, their skills to address a social issue in a location where they're operating. >> VOICEOVER: So where does this "spectrum of innovation" begin and end? From the smallest villages to the world's top tech labs, these innovators are changing the face of their industries. Here are four short films, entered in McKinsey's Social Innovation Video Contest, pushing the boundaries of the expected around the world. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> WOMAN: As I watch my child sleep, I feel a sense of inner peace. I will do everything to protect him, and I want to always be there to give him unconditional love. But the day my child was born, the only thing I wanted was to help him live. >> TITLE: Twenty million low-birth weight and premature babies are born every year around the world, 450 every hour >> VOICEOVER: One of the biggest problems these babies face is staying warm, but traditional incubators cost thousands of dollars. The Embrace infant warmer is a simple solution to this problem. Embrace consists of three parts: a sleeping bag, a heater, and a pouch of phase-change material. Once heated, the phase-change material is placed into a compartment in the sleeping bag. The product stays warm without electricity, and allows for close mother-to-child interaction. Embrace's mission is to give every infant a chance for a healthy life. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: You may already know the story. Uganda, plagued by a twenty-five year long war. Two million people displaced, left homeless, jobless, and desperate. But when we actually went to Uganda, our perspective changed. We met women with names and stories. Women who are ready to step forward and get a fresh start. The identity of 31 Bits was born, combining creativity with recycled paper to make incredible jewelry. We realized that we had a market, and they had a skill. Together, we made a business. We believe true economic sustainability is a result of holistic care, enabling a person financially, spiritually, mentally, and physically. After four years in our program, a woman has an education, a career, confidence, and a voice. She is empowered to rise above poverty. >> TITLE: Buy a necklace. Share their story. Give hope. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> MIKE LIN [Founder & CEO, Fenix International Inc.] With over 1.6 billion people without access to power, we need scalable solutions. The name Fenix comes from the mythical bird, and it's about rebirth and renewal. And we're focusing on renewable energy for frontier markets. The Fenix ReadySet system is a renewable power center that can charge from virtually anything. It can charge from solar, it can charge from a bicycle generator that we've developed, and it can even charge off the grid. We aim to reach massive scale, installing megawatts, gigawatts of power, in areas that never had access to energy. An entrepreneur can use the ReadySet system to power a small business, they can charge cell phones and they can power lights at night so they can keep their stores open longer and generate new, meaningful income. We're hoping to actually innovate a new business model where we're thinking about people, prosperity, and the planet. We're hoping to address not just the environmental issues but also improve the quality of life for billions of people around the world. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Meet Kamala. Kamala and her mother spend hours every day collecting water for their family. This leaves little time for school, for play, or for work. One billion people on the planet lack reliable access to safe water. This means they must travel at least half a mile to reach a safe water source. Transporting water is time consuming. Average time spent = 25 percent of a woman's day. Water is heavy. Five gallons = 42 pounds, or one piece of checked luggage. People need at least five gallons of water per day to stay healthy and hydrated. Kamala and her mother struggle to meet their family's daily water needs. Would you rather be the woman on the right, or a woman on the left? Wello is a social venture with a bold mission: to deliver clean water to a thirsty world. Now that they have a Wello WaterWheel, Kamala and her mother spend their time in more productive ways. This gives Kamala and her family a chance at a better future. In a single trip, one WaterWheel delivers enough water for an entire family. By re-imagining the water crisis as an opportunity, Wello has reinvented the wheel. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: Those are only four of many stories happening around the world. Meanwhile, governments and aid groups have been targeting challenges like water and electricity access, and children's health, for almost a century. Lots of progress has been made, but there's plenty of room for more. Problems this deeply entrenched require more than just another look. They need a whole new outlook. >> LYNN TALIENTO: If we're going to solve some of these increasingly complex social issues we definitely need fresh thinking. We need unusual suspects if you will. We need people who haven't spent their lives necessarily thinking about social issues but who have talents and capabilities in areas like gaming, or design thinking, or financial engineering to put their talents to work to solve these issues. The essence of social innovation is finding new solutions to old problems. >> VOICEOVER: Consider the case of Mozambique, the site of a severe landmine problem. Leftover from a 16-year civil war, the mines are a national menace. Untold thousands remain hidden. Bart Weetjens, a Belgian engineer, studied traditional demining methods and found them dangerous, expensive, and slow. And that's when he tried enlisting the help of an indigenous ally. This ViewChange film has the story. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: Bomb Squad Rats >> VOICEOVER: Here in Mozambique, the Cricetomys gambianus, or, as it's better known, the African giant pouched rat, is no longer feared or reviled. >> ALBERT ZACHARIA: Mostly in our African culture, rats are considered as a useless animal. So, at first when I heard that rats are being used for demining, I didn't believe it. >> VOICEOVER: Here at this rat training camp in Chokwe, near the Limpopo River, these furry heroes are going through their final training. When the rats detect some explosive, they indicate by scratching the ground. The trainers then make a clicking noise to let them know they can return for a reward. >> ANDREW SULLY [Program Manager, Apopo]: What we are trying to do is here the rats are an African solution to an African problem. >> VOICEOVER: Andrew Sully works for Apopo, the Belgian NGO that runs the rat program. He says the inspiration came from scientific work dating back decades. >> ANDREW SULLY: Well, rats have actually been used for the detection of explosives for many, many years. I mean, there were experiments using laboratory rats back in the 1950s if not before that. >> VOICEOVER: Putting that research into practice hasn't been easy, and each rat takes two years to train. But they have some distinct advantages over their canine counterparts. Unlike sniffer dogs, they're loyal to food, rather than one particular trainer. And they can also be more effective on windy days, like today. Demining teams have spent more than a decade trying to clear Mozambique of land mines. Millions of them were laid during the ten-year fight for independence and the two decades of civil war that followed. Today, the rat team is on its way to the former garrison village of Hate-Hate. >> ANDREW SULLY: From the initial surveys that have been done I think there have been at least five or six mine accidents in this sort of horseshoe shape which was the mined area around the barracks. >> VOICEOVER: Alfredo Adamo gave up his job as a schoolteacher to work with the rats, and he's proud of his new career. >> ALFREDO ADAMO: Because I know every time we find a mine and we destroy it, I know if it continued there something bad should happen, either to a person or to an animal, actual cattle or whatever. >> VOICEOVER: The area the de-miners are working in today lies either side of a track leading down to a borehole, the area's main water source. >> VENDELINE SHIRIMA: So they put mines in this area in order to protect those local people inside here. >> VOICEOVER: By the end of today's shift, they've already found two live land mines. The final job of the day is to safely detonate the rat's haul. >> CERVEZA: It's TNT, almost all of it. There's 150 grams. This is the detonator. >> VOICEOVER: It's slow and painstaking work, but bit by bit, Mozambique is being cleared of land mines, and it's all thanks to the work of man's new best friend. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: So far, the organization has cleared more than 2,700 explosives in Mozambique's Gaza province. And it plans to make the area completely mine-free this year. Apopo is one of three demining groups in Mozambique today, and they've branched out to Thailand and Tanzania too. This new approach was met with skepticism at first, but the rats have proven themselves worthy allies. The United Nations, many governments, and foundations support the program. And the rats themselves? Like any specialist, they're subject to regular testing. >> VOICEOVER: So who are the social innovators of today? It turns out; they come from some pretty unlikely fields. Professionals in areas like engineering, design, and finance are realizing that they too can make headway on social causes. That's a powerful discovery. Enter design thinking -- usually something that pertains to things like art and architecture. But as Dave Kilcullen and his team at Caerus Associates know, it's a way of engaging social problems, too. Kilcullen has been an advisor to the Bush and Obama administrations, aid groups, and governments around the world, but he is best known for his work in postwar reconstruction. In his bestselling books, Kilcullen shows how social challenges require the same kind of engineering. And the most important part of design thinking for social problems? Understanding the local environment, and the local issues. >> DR. DAVID KILCULLEN [CEO, Caerus Associates]: I founded Caerus with a bunch of like-minded people, with the objective of identifying ways to solve complex problems, things like poverty, urban overstretch, energy shortage, and particularly conflict, understanding how those problems overlap and figuring out simple design-based solutions to resolving them. Design thinking is a way of thinking about problems, and it's a way of bringing in the environment where something's going to be used. And the people that are going to use it, and the system within which it's embedded, and wrapping all of that up into the production of a particular type of thing, an object or a product, or a service. I'll give you an example. Things that are happening in the rural areas around cities lead people to move into urban environments. And the urban environment can't handle the people that are now putting pressure on its infrastructure. And you end up with what we call peri-urban areas, so slums and shantytowns and a variety of different unplanned development happening around the outside of preexisting cities. So you can intervene to make things better by looking at the cluster of urban problems that result from that movement. And what we try to do is look at it as a whole system, and think where we can intervene in concert with local populations together. People talk about making things population-centric, but often we just pay lip service to that. We treat the population like she's a silent movie heroine tied to a railway track, and the bad guys are driving the train down the track. And she's like, "Help me!" You know, and we say, you know, "hang on, we'll rescue you." Our experience is it doesn't really work like that. You actually have to, no kidding, treat the population like they're the principal actor. They are the clients, and you have to work with them as an architect would work with a client to design a solution that really meets their needs. >> VOICEOVER: So what happens when smart design is applied to a tough problem? Look no further than the latrines of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The city is saddled with an overtaxed sewage system and thousands of overflowing pit latrines. But some engineers in Colorado have designed a solution that mitigates the need for central sewers, while also reducing disease. It's a clean answer to a messy question. This ViewChange film explains. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> TITLE: The Gulper, Rockhopper TV, Tanzania >> VOICEOVER: Only ten percent of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's biggest city, is connected to the central sewage system. Eighty percent of the city's population lives in settlements that have sprung up without planning permission. They rely on a huge number of smelly, dirty and unsafe latrines. But a solution is at hand. Meet "The Gulper." These motor tricycles, and the equipment they carry, are transforming the way pit latrines are emptied here. In the past, sewage often ended up contaminating water supplies, particularly during the rainy season. >> ERNEST MAMUYA [Environment Health Officer]: You wouldn't get surprised if you were finding fecal matter rolling with the storm water. It was common. In those areas, we had a problem of widespread cholera and other infections related to the disposal of waste. >> VOICEOVER: The Gulper is designed to reach customers who live down even the narrowest streets. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: We have gloves, masks, helmets, and gum boots. Then, when we arrive, we assess the toilet for any risks. >> VOICEOVER: Many of the latrines are unsafe because of the old way of emptying them. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: We used to completely demolish the toilet to drain it. The owners would get upset because it was completely broken. >> VOICEOVER: Julius used to earn his living this way, and saw how dangerous it could be. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: There was one time when our colleague died because the toilet collapsed in on him and covered him completely. >> VOICEOVER: It's The Gulper's pump that has made life safer and cleaner for Julius. It's not motorized, so it's easy to maintain. It's cheap and, above all, it's effective -- he can clean up to six latrines a day. All the sewage is removed, and very little spills on the ground. >> JULIUS CHISSENGO: We have a container that can hold fifty liters. We usually drain into this, and when it is full, we put it on a motorbike. Then we take it to a place specially designated to pour it all away, and that is that. >> VOICEOVER: There's another way the Gulper has made life sweeter for Julius: he's paid better. Yet customers pay less for the Gulper's services. And it's this affordability that's key to improving health for everyone living in the unplanned settlements. The more sewage that gets dumped centrally, the less risk there is to local people. Cholera is not the only disease in decline. >> ERNEST MAMUYA: The Gulper is getting rid of intestinal diseases: strongoloids, hookworms, tapeworms. There's a reduction of typhoid, amoebic dysentery. If the coverage increases, we are sure of reducing these infections quite a lot. >> TITLE: ViewChange >> VOICEOVER: Mobile sewers, super rats, and electric soccer balls. It's an almost unbelievable spectrum of ingenuity. But all these projects are very real. They're the result of business savvy; of irreverence toward the expected; and of design meeting need. Projects like these are turning aid work on its head, and turning heads in the business world too. That's the promise of social innovation. It's redefining the power of creativity in social causes, and it's blurring of the lines between what's good business, and what's just good. >> VOICEOVER: Want to learn more about innovation, design, or anything else you saw here? Head over to ViewChange.org/TV, where you could watch, read, and get involved in projects that are making a real difference. Watch the films you just saw, and over 400 more from around the world, at ViewChange.org/TV. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-small-act Chris Mburu grew up poor in Kenya, at the top of his class but unable to pay his school fees. He was on the verge of dropping out when a Swedish woman sponsored him, allowing Mburu to continue his studies and fulfill his potential. Now a human rights lawyer for the United Nations and a Harvard grad, Mburu has started a scholarship program of his own to give the next generation the opportunity he received. Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:58:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-small-act Kenya, Education, A Small Act, Human rights, United Nations, Child, Secondary school, Foreign Assistance, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: A Small Act >> CHRIS MBURU [Human Rights Lawyer, United Nations]: I come from this village in central Kenya. I was the top student in the district, but if you did not have money you got kicked out of school. I used to be sent home for long periods of time. Even though I was the top student in the district, I still needed to pay. There happened to be a foundation that was helping bright children from poor families. This program assigned benefactors out in Sweden with beneficiaries here in Kenya. A woman named Hilde Back walked into my life and changed it. Hilde Back started supporting me through primary school and part of secondary school, and I became more confident and I was beginning to think that maybe I had a future. I wanted to start a foundation that would support bright children from poor families, a sort of a replica of the Swedish foundation, only that I wanted this to be a Kenyan foundation helping Kenyan children. So I decided to called the foundation the Hilde Back Education Fund. I'm based in Geneva and I am working for the United Nations, and I'm working for the Anti-Discrimination Unit. I work all over the world. When I was in Congo, I was a human rights officer investigating genocide and crimes against humanity. When I was in Sierra Leone, I was with a peacekeeping operation. In the Rwandan genocide, we had mobs of youths descending upon their neighbors and hacking them to death. You have so many people that are jobless, that are uneducated, and who can be paid an insignificant amount of money to carry out heinous crimes. For me, education is a life or death issue. Sometimes the roots causes of these conflicts are just sitting there, gazing at us, but we don't identify them, we don't put a finger on them. >> TITLE: Each year, the Hilde Back Foundation picks the top students from each school to receive a scholarship for secondary school. >> CHRIS MBURU: Let's begin. How are all of you? >> STUDENTS: Fine. >> CHRIS MBURU: Now, I want to read the names of the children we selected. The next one is Moses Waweru Njeri. He went to Giathieko School. >> WOMAN: Well done Moses. >> CHRIS MBURU: Next is Peris Nyambura. >> CHRIS MBURU: Part of the reason why I would like these kids to be educated is because when you have a society that is very, very ignorant, it becomes the breeding ground for violence, it becomes the breeding ground for misinformation, it becomes the breeding ground for intolerance. >> CHRIS MBURU: Next is Patrick Kimani Nyambura. >> CHRIS MBURU: You have to say, "I know that I cannot provide support, relief, and help to all the suffering that is around me." So sometimes it is just as good to help one child. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-divine-mission Deacon Patrick Moynihan is a missionary in Haiti who runs the Louverture Cleary School, offering a free secondary education to youth in this Port-au-Prince suburb. He believes that the way to rebuild Haiti is through providing education everywhere, no matter how bad the conditions may be. Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:37:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-divine-mission Haiti, Education, Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, Port-au-Prince, Foreign Assistance, Non-governmental organization, Teacher, LinkTV Picks >> DEACON PATRICK MOYNIHAN [Director, Louverture Cleary School]: Education really works this way: a teacher, a blackboard to write on, and somewhere for kids to sit. And if all the community can provide at this point is a shady tree, get teaching under a shady tree. We don't need any expert ideas in Haiti. We need work - hard, basic work - and a lot of funding. My name is Deacon Patrick Moynihan and I am the president of The Haitian Project as well as the head of Louverture Cleary School just outside of Port-au-Prince in Santo. They opened the school in 1987 and I came in 1996, and since then we took the school from being 175 students to 350. I decided to leave trading in 1995; I was working for Louis Dreyfus as a commodities and options trader. My faith is at the base of everything I do, and theology and how the church looks at social teachings and the gospels underline everything that we do here and everything that I do. And so from day one, I've always called myself a missionary. It literally changed my life. From trading and working for my own success and making sure my family was successful to changing to working for other people's success and giving my life back. What you receive for free you must give for free. I received a lot of education in my life and so it just made sense to be part of giving education to people who had no chance for it. >> JEAN EMMANUEL ZAMY [LCS Alumni]: To have a good education in Haiti you have to pay a lot, at Louverture Cleary it's totally free. We try to take people who cannot pay for school, people who need the school. I have a good education with nothing. You don't pay for it. >> DEACON PATRICK MOYNIHAN: This school is all about the country of Haiti and rebuilding the country. And this was before the earthquake, of course. Before the earthquake we said, "Nous pret a rebatir Haiti," which means, "We are ready to rebuild Haiti." We come in and work at the level, and move from the level up. We don't come in and say the level is so deplorable you can't work at it. And that sets you apart from the NGO and the other strategies; the missionary is a very specific strategy and it works very well in Haiti. >> TITLE: Video by Paul Franz, Lara Petusky Coger. Produced in association with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting as part of Project:Report, a YouTube/Pulitzer Center contest. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-radio-links-haitian-families-to-life-saving-aid A cacophony of songs and radio reports drift from the tented camp; thousands of radios are providing entertainment and, more importantly, information. A UNICEF Public Service Announcement on nutrition blares out of several radios tuned into Port-au-Prince's Radio One. The station is one of many that work with Internews, an organization that is distributing information to earthquake victims. Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:04:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-radio-links-haitian-families-to-life-saving-aid Haiti, Earthquake, Internews, Technology, Media, Foreign Assistance, Port-au-Prince, Radio broadcasting, UNICEF >> VOICEOVER: You're watching UNICEF Television. Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, lies hidden under a cloud of dust. A massive relief effort is underway, but without information, the aid is useless to many of those most in need. But UNICEF and other aid organizations have been working with Internews to distribute valuable information to the country's devastated population.>> JACOBO QUINTANILLA [Humanitarian Coordinator, Internews Emergency Response]: In any emergency, the first priority is the delivery of critical aid. But communities need more than that: they also need information. It's critical for them to know where they can get water, where they can get certain facilities, how to access those medical centers. Is it safe to go home? Where is my family? How can I get in touch with the people I love? That's why information is critical and why information can save lives. >> VOICEOVER: Working with local journalists, the organization produces daily radio programs relevant to the disaster-affected communities. Johnny is one of these journalists. Each day he takes to the streets and in this case, the camps of displaced, to find out what the challenges are and whether people are getting the help they need.>> JOHNNY CESAR [Journalist, Internews]: Today I went to one of the biggest camps in Port-au-Prince. We're trying to find out how these people are living, are they able to get food, and are they able to get water. That was the story here for today. >> VOICEOVER: Internews works with 23 radio stations in Port-au-Prince that together cover the entire country. The daily radio show is packaged alongside public service announcements from UNICEF and other organizations. >> ELIZABETH AUGUSTIN [UNICEF Communications for Development, Haiti]: This is an opportunity for us to gather information on health, mostly for hygiene, also HIV/AIDS, to remind people about HIV/AIDS prevention and what they can do to get their medication and also nutrition, especially for breastfeeding. So we've been sharing our messages that we prepared with the Ministry of Health, and they broadcast them for us freely.>> VOICEOVER: CDs are printed and the programs delivered by hand to radio stations and hit the airwaves within minutes. To ensure the information is received, Internews is distributing thousands of handheld radios to the same radio stations that broadcast their show. The stations in turn sign an agreement to distribute the radios to those most in need; women-headed households and people displaced by the quake. The radios are wind up, solar powered, can be tuned in to multiple frequencies, and double as a torch, which means those living in the camps, those that have lost everything, will always be able to tune in. >> JOHNNY CESAR: We see that in many camps, around the tents, people are using the small radio now to get the show.>> VOICEOVER: As clearing and reconstruction efforts begin, it is vital that those who have survived the quake get the information and thus the help they need to survive the next step. This is Guy Hubbard reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/one-in-six One billion people in the world face hunger and malnourishment on a daily basis. The international community has long sought to tackle this problem. But what if everything we thought we knew about how to erase hunger was wrong? Concern Worldwide and Valid International brought their innovative ideas and faced off against entrenched interests to change people's perceptions of this problem. The result was a sea change in how the world looks at hunger. Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:52:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/one-in-six Malnutrition, Agriculture & Food, Concern Worldwide, Africa, Water & Sanitation, Foreign Assistance, Non-governmental organization, Tom Arnold (economist), Community Therapeutic Care, Food security >> VOICEOVER: Every night, almost one billion people go to bed hungry. Global economic chaos and ongoing climate change is pushing that figure even higher. But in the last decade, thanks to the efforts of a group of courageous and determined people, the lives of those worst affected by starvation have been transformed. Hundreds and thousands of lives have been saved. Of all the continents, Africa carries the heaviest burden of hunger, and of all the people, African women bear by far the heaviest load. To most of us this is wrong. But to some, it is simply unacceptable.>> TOM ARNOLD [CEO, Concern Worldwide]: I think for most of us, who actually have never really been hungry for a sustained period of time, it can be hard to convey how awful this is as a daily reality. But it is a daily reality for maybe close to a billion people in the world. Everybody, as a basic human right, has a right to food. It's almost as basic as life itself.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS [Director, Valid International]: All I know is that starvation is an obscene fact in the modern world. People should realize that people are starving unnecessarily. There's enough food in the world. We can put probes on Mars, you know, we can definitely treat hunger with basic food, you know, it's not rocket science.>> TITLE: One In Six>> VOICEOVER: Over the past 20 years, Steve Collins, a medical doctor who specializes in nutrition, has worked in every major famine emergency in Africa. Nowadays he works from a small farm on the southwest coast of the last European country to have experienced famine: Ireland. >> VOICEOVER: In 1998, Steve was awarded an MBE for his work in adult malnutrition. But it was when he teamed up with Concern Worldwide in 2000 that the way the world viewed and treated malnutrition was challenged and changed for good. They sought a new way to treat an old problem, and they found it in the form of Community-based Therapeutic Care, CTC. It is a remarkably simple, yet revolutionary, idea that restored the treatment of malnutrition to African mothers.>> WOMAN 1 [Mother]: I become anxious when there's no food in the house. I don't have enough money, I wander here and there and then I give up and I can't do housework. I have no energy.>> WOMAN 2 [Mother]: I feel bad when my child is ill and refusing food. I don't eat either because I feel sad.>> WOMAN 3: It's miserable when you're hungry and there's nothing to eat. Your vision is blurred and even your heartbeat changes.>> VOICEOVER: Until recently, these mothers and their babies would have been treated in centralized feeding centers. Traditionally, these centers were set up to administer famine relief to starving people, and were considered the gold standard in treating malnutrition. To overturn this system, Steve Collins and Concern would have to take on the medical and aid establishment and prove that their approach was more effective. In 1996, Steve Collins went to Liberia to set up a traditional feeding center. What followed was an outbreak of cholera, which was to herald the end of these centers for good.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Liberia was a difficult situation. We were trying to set up nutritional treatment centers across two front lines. There were so many factions in Liberia -- it was 1996 -- so we arrived to lots of death, lots of destitution, and we started setting up a center. At the beginning I asked, you know, "Is there cholera?" and people said, "No, there's no cholera." And I actually asked the wrong question. I'd asked a sort of close-ended question. I asked, "Is there cholera?" and they said no because there wasn't cholera that week. But actually cholera's endemic there. Had I asked, you know, "What do people usually die of?" They would have said, "Oh, cholera." But I hadn't asked the right question. And that one mistake meant that I didn't-- because can't do everything at once, you prioritize different things-- so I prioritized the feeding-- because I'd seen people dying of malnutrition-- over putting more effort into the water and sanitation. So, when people arrived for the treatment, it meant that you had a lot of people who didn't know the village, they didn't know where people normally drank, so they started to drink downstream of the village, of course getting all the polluted water. And so, the day it started we had two cases; the next day, I think we had ten. And then we were treating about thirty cases the next day. And the war started up, and we could actually hear the shooting in the background, and we had to leave. And we couldn't go back for two days. And when we came back, I think there were twenty dead people. And that made me realize there are so many dangers involved in having centers that I started to try and look for a different way of doing it.>> VOICEOVER: Around the same time, Anne O'Mahony, who has worked in emergency situations with Concern since the 1980s, was struggling with the shortcomings of feeding centers in Sudan.>> ANNE O'MAHONY [Concern Worldwide]: Our dilemma was that if we set up centers to cater for these malnourished, we would be open to aerial bombardment. We were also worried about ground attacks, and we felt that by setting up a center it would be an attraction in itself to insecurity. And I suppose more and more, it became clear that center-based care wasn?t the solution. Up to then, I suppose, the big constraint to having community care or enabling women to feed their babies in their homes, malnourished children, was the fact that there wasn't suitable food that could be used in this circumstance. Anything we were giving out had to be mixed with water.>> VOICEOVER: In 1996, a French nutritionist, Andre Briend, invented a product called Plumpy'nut, a peanut butter-like supplement rich in vitamins and minerals. This was a major breakthrough in the fight to prove the value of the community-based approach.>> DR. ANDRÉ BRIEND [Nutritionist]: My hope when I was developing this product was to start a revolution in the management in acute malnutrition, because the solution before that was quite unsatisfactory. So this is what we wanted, to have something that could be used at home. Developing the food was not enough. It?s a little bit like inventing the computer without adapted software. We needed some program adapted to that, and Steve Collins was very much involved in program management, and he was a key person to change the approach.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: I think the invention of Plumpy'nut was a key breakthrough. It's an oil-based product, there's no water in it, and so bacteria can?t breed in it, and so having this perfect nutritional product that could be used safely at home really facilitated CTC.>> VOICEOVER: But in order to develop a more community-based approach, Steve Collins knew he needed to have a thorough understanding of the people, and in particular the women, he wanted to help. If the mistakes of Liberia had taught him anything, it was to ask the right questions.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: So is the pump broken? How long has the pump that is in the village been broken? One of the key things that struck me when we were developing CTC and looking at life in Ethiopia was the incredible workload that women have. We did lots of studies looking at how women spend their days, because obviously that's vital, you have to know what women are doing. If you're going to say you?ve got to come for a day to a center, you have to know what they're going to miss. >> HEKUAT KAHSAY FANTA: I wake up at about 5 AM and I clean my house. I grind grain until 8 AM. Then I work in the field. Carrying stones, plowing the soil and preparing the land. When it gets dark, I work by lamplight.>> VOICEOVER: Hekuat Kahsay Fanta lives with her family in a remote part of Tigray in northern Ethiopia. She is a mother of six and, like other African women, is busy from before dawn until after dusk working in the fields and looking after her house and family.>> HEKUAT KAHSAY FANTA: My daughter is 14 months old. She started coughing and getting sick last year. Maybe it's because I didn't feed her properly. I worry that this could be the cause of her illness. I think about this all day long.>> VOICEOVER: When one of her children is sick, Hekuat struggles to get them the care they need. The isolation of her home and the fact that she has no form of transport means that any journey she undertakes is long, arduous, and on foot. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: I realized from very early on that the main limiting factor wasn?t the medical care; it was how people could get into the program. And so to do that you have to talk to people, you?ve got to find out, "where do you live? Are there rivers in the way?" Or, "how many children have you got, what happens if you leave your children behind, who?s going to take care of them?" Obviously if it?s harvest time, people don?t want to have to walk for two days and miss their harvest because someone might steal it, or birds might come in. So all these questions about what are their lives like? What is their reality?>> ANNE O'MAHONY: Well, very often, when we go to visit the villages, we do find that Mother X?s child died last week. You ask her why she hasn?t brought in her child, and she would say there was nobody to look after the children. And we got that, story after story. And that?s quite common. And taking a mother out of their home scene leaves a huge gap. So who's going to feed the other kids? Who's going to provide the care and nutrition and nourishment that the rest of the family needs in the absence of the mother? And very often it doesn't happen. It?s a question of mothers making these decisions that are so difficult, that no mother should be asked to make. >> WOMAN 4 [Mother]: I feel very bad when I see my baby sick, I feel depressed.>> WOMAN 5 [Doctor]: If you go to the hospital with this child, what will happen in your home if you're not there?>> WOMAN 4 [Mother]: My children are very small and there is nobody that can prepare food for them. If I leave my other children at home, I close the door on them. To save one life, I can lose the rest of my children.>> WOMAN 5 [Doctor]: Do you want to ask your husband what to do?>> WOMAN 4 [Mother]: He doesn't care.>> VOICEOVER: With a better understanding of the difficulties confronting these women, it became obvious to Steve why so many mothers did not make it to feeding centers. Plumpy'nut made it possible to develop a program that would allow malnourished children to be treated in their own communities. By using a simple band to measure the width of a child?s upper arm, Steve argued that anyone could tell if a child was malnourished. The child could then be admitted into a CTC program to receive ready-to-use food and drugs. Instead of having to leave their family and livelihood for up to six weeks to stay in a traditional feeding center, mothers could return home and make weekly visits to the health center for monitoring and therapeutic food. Children who had lost their appetite completely could still be admitted to a hospital for care until they too could be sent home with the necessary supplements. This system made it possible to reach and support far more women and children. But many people had put a lot of time, energy and investment into the traditional feeding center model, and were far from convinced by this new approach.>> ANNE O'MAHONY: When children are sick, especially large numbers of children who are sick with malnutrition, there?s a tendency to keep them all together, to give them food, to give them medicine, to bring them back under our care so that they can then be released back into home. And the idea of CTC was, sending these children home with the correct food and the care that went with it so that the mothers could actually take care of them themselves. This was a mind-blowing idea in some ways.>> VOICEOVER: Many of the more clinically minded professionals had ethical problems with the radical nature of what Steve was proposing, people like Professor Michael Golden, a world-renowned nutritionist who lives on the northwest coast of Ireland.>> PROFESSOR MICHAEL GOLDEN [Nutritionist]: To me there is an ethical problem about taking risks. If you know there?s a risk, you do it step by step, and you do it extremely carefully, and you do it with a few children that you know, and then you build on that. You don?t suddenly tear down everything and go out and create a whole structure, involving thousands of children, which may or may not work. I don't think that we have the right to take risks with other people. We take risks with ourselves, but I mean why should we take the responsibility ourselves of taking a risk with someone else's life?>> VOICEOVER: Despite Steve Collins' conviction that his new community-based approach to treating malnutrition, CTC, could save hundreds of thousands of lives, he needed proof. He happened to be working in the Walta region in Ethiopia in 2000, when in the middle of yet another desperate famine he saw an opportunity to try CTC out. The government had banned the setting up of traditional feeding centers, as they believe them to be ineffective. Concern was working in a neighboring district, and when Steve suggested that they try CTC and study the results, they agreed. >> TOM ARNOLD: In a way, when the CTC idea come along, it came along at the right time, because a sufficient number of people were asking questions about the effectiveness of the traditional model of dealing with malnutrition. So then the challenge was that over a period of time, could you actually demonstrate, with evidence, that this was indeed a better way of dealing with it? And that?s what we set out to do.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: And so, we worked together to design another CTC program in the district where Concern was working. And in this one, we put in some extra monitoring, so that we could actually start to produce concrete data. That program ran, I think, for eight or nine months, and was a success. The mortality rates were 4.5 percent, whereas the standard you aim for in emergencies is 10 percent, and the norm in a developing country hospital is 20 to 30 percent mortality rate-- that?s twenty to thirty percent of every child that?s admitted dies-- whereas our mortality rates were only four percent. So it was obvious it was working, and the numbers were quite high. She's feeding him three times a day. And what will she feed them at lunchtime? Will people here still be eating teff? Is there still enough to eat? After 2000, after the two trials we had in Ethiopia, I realized that CTC would work, and that it would be the future. And in a way I became a bit obsessed by it, I think. So I actually went round to all the agencies I could think of-- I went obviously back to MSF [Médicins Sans Frontières], I went to Oxfam, I went to Save the Children, Action Contour la Famme-- all these different agencies saying this is the future, this is what we should be developing. Unfortunately, I think it was too threatening at that stage; it was too much of a change, and probably, to be fair, at that stage there probably wasn?t enough evidence.>> VOICEOVER: But one person who did agree with Steve that there had to be a better way was Concern's director of policy and evaluation, Howard Dalzell.>> HOWARD DALZELL [Concern Worldwide]: I suppose when Steve first put it to us, I don't think he realized the full potential of it. And I don't think he realized what would be involved in actually getting it accepted internationally. And he wanted to do quite a small trial, and I actually said to him, "Steve, I think you're missing the point. I think you're being too conservative. If you really want to make it work, we've got to have loads of evidence in loads of different places, and therefore we need to do big trials, not small trials.">> DR. STEVE COLLINS: He was the first person who really realized the potential for this change. He realized it needed to be a coherent research program. In the month before I'd gone to DIFID, the UK government donor, with a project proposal for a hundred thousand. And they had refused, and it was Howard that saw that actually you need a program, you need a research program.>> VOICEOVER: What Howard understood was that in order to make real progress, they would need more than just nutritionists in the research team. They would need food economists, sociologists, anthropologists, and social workers who could mobilize a community. But Howard believed in Steve's ideas, and agreed to support him in his search for the necessary funding. >> TOM ARNOLD: Well, Howard came to me with this idea about CTC, and he explained it and the principles underpinning it. He was very convinced that this was a potentially important way to deal with hunger, and particularly severe acute malnutrition. And he then had the idea that in order to get further support, we would try and get support from Irish Aid, and he went and spoke to Irish Aid, and said critically we?re prepared to put some of Concern?s money in this, and would you, Irish Aid, put your money in it, and we would work together. And obviously crucially the core idea that was from Steve Collins.>> BRENDAN ROGERS [Director General, Irish Aid]: So when Howard came to me and said, "Look, we have an innovative project here, we think that through CTC we can change the architecture of emergency response," my eyes lit up, of course. In the early part of this century, thousands and thousands of people were coming together because of the results of conflict, or the results of natural disasters, and the UN system and NGOs had put in place a system that was very well-run logistically, providing food, shelter, water and sanitation to thousands and thousands. Yet, there were great dangers in that. People were coming long distances, particularly women and children could have lost their lives in those journeys, and there was the possibility of cross-infection, of communicable diseases, the issues of HIV and AIDS and of sexual exploitation with large amounts of food being distributed in situations of great famine. So we wanted to challenge that, we wanted to determine, "Could we address those issues closer to people's homes, closer to their communities?" But this essentially was a real challenge to the accepted wisdom. We took that risk.>> TOM ARNOLD: Equally important at this time was the support of USAID and the Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance. They had come to the same conclusions as Irish Aid about the potential impact of CTC, and their support at this time allowed the expansion of the program into Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Malawi. So it was the combined effect of the Irish and US funding that really catalyzed the expansion of CTC, and led to the increased acceptance and legitimacy of this program in the wider international community. >> CAROLINE ABLA [Public Health Advisor, USAID]: Once we had enough evidence that this new approach really does work, it was time to bring it up to scale if we could. And we'd been working with Concern on the pilot phase, and having had Concern basically write the manual of how to do CTC, they were the best partners that we had to go ahead and scale it up.>> VOICEOVER: In 1999, Steve Collins had set up Valid International to research and evaluate the effectiveness of aid programs. With the success of the trials in Ethiopia, and with funds from the Irish government and Concern, Valid assembled a team of research specialists who, together with Concern, were finally able to take CTC to Malawi in southern Africa. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: We started implementing in Malawi. There we had another key person who got involved, Theresa Banda, who was the Ministry of Health nutritionist. She has worked in malnutrition for many, many years, and she'd seen the problems with centers, and she was willing to stake her reputation and take a chance on giving us a district where we could do a pilot.>> THERESA BANDA: We were in the process of reviewing national guidelines. When Dr. Steve Collins came in, we had a meeting with him in the office, and he brought in some evidence from Ethiopia. So that really got us interested. At that time we were looking for innovative ways to improve nutritional status, innovative ways to deal with the influx of malnutrition due to the food crisis. We decided as a ministry that we should use one district to implement this and learn from it.>> VOICEOVER: With the go-ahead from the Malawian government, Concern and Valid had for the first time a real opportunity to gather hard evidence. They were assigned the Dowa district in Malawi, where they treated almost two thousand children within the first year.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Has she seen it used before?>> WOMAN 6 [Interpreter]: She has not seen anybody use this.>> VOICEOVER: But it was the work of sociologists and anthropologists that uncovered the most significant and far-reaching obstacles to treating malnutrition.>> EMMANUEL MANDALAZ [Anthropologist]: One main issue was the cultural issues surrounding malnutrition with, for example, people believe that malnutrition is caused by parental sexual behavior. If a father goes out and sleeps with some other woman, that brings a spell on the child. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: When the child had the problem with the stomach before, she took the child to a traditional healer who burnt the child. What did the traditional doctor say to her? What did the traditional doctor tell her to do about this illness? >> WOMAN 7 [Interpreter]: He said it was abdominal parasites.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Abdominal parasites. I think that the fact that she's waited for a month now... >> EMMANUEL MANDALAZ: Usually, mothers, even if there's treatment at the health center, they wouldn?t bring the child immediately, they would wait. First of all, they would try to consult a traditional healer until they have failed. That?s when they will come back to the program. So, later on, we try to engage with these traditional healers. Say if a mother sees a child maybe in the nearby vicinity, whose child is malnourished, they would encourage them. And that's one of the secrets with CTC: there's mother-to-mother transmission of information about treatment, where to go get it, and all those things, and how best they can take care of their children.>> GRACE NIKHOMA: The child was sick. He was refusing to eat and had diarrhea. He was looking malnourished and my friends helped me to get CTC. There was a great change when he started receiving peanut butter. The loss of appetite and diarrhea stopped, even his malnourished appearance improved. It took the child one month to change.>> VOICEOVER: In the two years following the program in Malawi, the team developed a database of over 23 thousand cases. They had run 21 programs in four different countries. Their mortality rates remained under five percent, but more importantly they reached over 70 percent of those in need, a massive improvement on the old system, which never reached more than 10 percent. They were ready to present their findings to the international community, and push for change in international policy.>> HOWARD DALZELL: We felt we had enough evidence, enough strong evidence to go public. And we obviously needed to convince the rest of the international nutrition community that these results were solid. So we organized a conference in October 2003, to present the results, and to have a discussion with the rest of the nutrition community.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: The Dublin conference was really the turning point, I think. We really wanted to get the data on CTC to the agencies in a more formal manner, and give them a chance to respond and feedback.>> HOWARD DALZELL: That turned out to be a tension-laden conference. I would have to say it generated more heat than light. There were people who'd worked for two or three decades on refining and improving therapeutic feeding centers, and then there was the new fringe doing the community therapeutic care approach.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Treating starving children is a very emotive subject, and here were we, saying that we could actually do so much better, and there's an implied criticism of what was going on before.>> PROFESSOR MICHAEL GOLDEN: I think that there was a resistance by some NGOs for everyone to jump into bed and do the same thing and abandon what they were doing. They wanted to see how the risks that were being taken would pan out before they did the same thing. So there was a reticence for everyone to copy and say, "We're going to abandon everything that we've done in the past, and we're all going to do exactly the same as Concern.">> DR. STEVE COLLINS: A lot of opposition came from large agencies based around volunteers, and I think they probably felt a little bit threatened that we were saying that the volunteer model, as well, didn?t really fit with CTC, where you actually only need one professional, and it?s much better if they're a local person who knows the environment, rather than a lot of enthusiastic volunteers. >> TOM ARNOLD: There were still people on both sides of the argument at that stage. But what was beginning to emerge was that the evidence was beginning to accumulate. And with that, of course, the argument began to tilt towards the CTC.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: After the Dublin meeting, when they had seen the strength of our data, I think people realized that they could no longer use just ideological objections, and I think they realized in a way that the CTC train was leaving the station, and they were either on board or they were left at the station.>> HOWARD DALZELL: Well, after that conference we continued to do trials, and we also extended the work to other agencies, so it wasn't just Concern doing it: MSF was doing it, Tearfund was doing it, Save the Children was doing it, so other agencies following that conference decided that they were going to give it a real try, and see could it work for them, and it did.>> VOICEOVER: It isn't just children, however, who benefit from CTC. It has also transformed the lives of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS. In 2005, Ortiz Primetime visited Malawi and met Akim, who was then close to death. He had been abandoned by his family and had even been moved to a hut close to the graveyard. >> AKIM BONZO: I go searching on my own for food, my relatives are not interested in me.>> VOICEOVER: Less than three years later, Akim has a new life, thanks to the potent combination of Community-based Therapeutic Care and antiretroviral drugs.>> AKIM BONZO: At first, when I started receiving therapeutic food, I used to have abdominal pains and diarrhea. After taking the food, I picked up and I could feel energized. The difference between then and now is that I can work on my garden and at home.>> MUONERETU BANDA [Akim's Wife]: The happiest time is when we chat together. If there's food, we cook and eat together and spend time in the garden. >> AKIM BONZO: The most important thing is to have love. Loving your partner the way you love yourself. I think that attitude keeps us together as a family.>> VOICEOVER: But the real success of CTC could only be measured when and if the United Nations and the World Health Organization endorsed it. This was the next crucial and defining step. In 2005, a meeting was held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva that would decide whether or to replace the traditional feeding center model. Although some trenchant resistance remained, the majority of those present supported the more community-based approach, but there was still one main stumbling block: the way child malnutrition is measured. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: The evidence has always been extremely strong that Middle Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) is a great predictor of mortality in young children. But there is a large group of people who thought, "No, no, we need to do mathematics, we need to do weight and height, basically because that's what we've always done," I think.>> DR. ELIZABETH MASON [World Health Organization]: The factor that you could consider is perfect being the enemy of the good. So if we consider weight for height, and you get Z scores, standard deviation, you've got the the perfect gold standard. But on the other hand, you have a simple upper arm circumference that, yes, it's not perfect, but it is a good measure to use for a community screening. And when we're looking at public health and when we're looking at options for the community, then we will choose the good over the perfect.>> VOICEOVER: In 2006, only six years after the initial trails were carried out by Concern and Valid in Malawi, CTC received the ultimate endorsement from the United Nations. This achievement was the culmination of years of work by the staff of Concern and Valid, and of many other agencies, such as Medecins Sans Frontieres, Save the Children, and the Tearfund. The pressure was now on African governments to adopt the new approach. Malawi was the first to take up the challenge. But Concern and Valid realized that local manufacture of ready-to-use food was critical. To achieve this, Concern supported the setting up of Valid Nutrition, a new kind of charity based on ethical business practices. With no shareholders, all profits are reinvested into local production and economies. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: We want to produce a whole range of ready-to-use food, both for treating severe starvation, but also for treating moderate starvation and preventing malnutrition, from this factory, made locally in Malawi, by local Malawi people, using ingredients grown by local Malawian farmers. Effectively, you've got a local system to address malnutrition rather than having to depend on external interventions. >> DR. MARY SHAWA [Department of Nutrition, Malawi]: The advice I can say to everybody who is interested in this is traditionalize the CTC program, have the highest political commitment, and make sure that the private sector is also given room to take part in the production of the product. We have 201 facilities running the CTC program. Our target is to cover the whole country. And we believe if we can do that, we'll reduce the problem to zero. And that's our target: we want zero malnutrition in Malawi.>> VOICEOVER: Community-based Therapeutic Care, the radical new approach pioneered by Dr. Steve Collins and championed by Concern Worldwide, has transformed the treatment of severe acute malnutrition throughout the world. Although this required conviction, courage, and dedication, and has saved hundreds of thousands of lives, it is only part of the picture. Severely acute malnourished people make up only 10 percent of the world's hungry. The other 90 percent, the chronically malnourished, are far less visible. These are the hidden hungry, people who may not be in immediate danger of dying, but who are nonetheless suffering the effects malnutrition. Apart from the daily torment of going without food and all that entails, these people are also burdened with the life sentence of stunting, the affects of which only become apparent later in life.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: When a child is born, its nervous tissue grows fastest. And if you don't have the right nutrients in the first couple of years of life when the brain is being wired, then the brain never reaches its full potential. So a child that was born to be an Einstein ends up not being able to cope with primary school. And once you miss that two years, and you miss that brain development, it's gone forever. You can't get it back by good nutrition.>> DR. ELIZABETH MASON: In the Western countries, we're now used to opening a jar or putting a whisker in the food and actually having energy-rich complementary feeds. So the first feeds the child gets are very energy-rich. Whereas the first feeds that the baby gets in many African countries is diluted porridge.>> PROFESSOR MICHAEL GOLDEN: There are 40 important essential nutrients, at least 40 essential nutrients. You need every one of them, all 40 of them, to be healthy. All you do is miss one of those 40 out, and you will not be able to resist disease, you will become sick, you will lose your appetite. You just sit there like a zombie. One of the worst things about malnutrition is that the child doesn't cry. How do you know if your child is hungry? He cries. How do you know if he's thirsty? He cries. If your child doesn't cry, and you think, "Oh, I'm a wonderful mommy, I love my child but my child doesn't need for anything, I can go about my other work, I can go and collect the wood, I can prepare the food," and the child just sits there. So the mother doesn't stimulate the child. So you have these two things. You have the stimulation, and you have then the nutrients that have to make those connections in the brain. But the connections won't be made if it's not stimulated, so you need both. You need good food, and you need stimulation.>> TOM ARNOLD: Stunting is something that I don't think enough is known about. Stunting means you're cutting off somebody's life prospects. You're reducing the economic future of many of these countries. And countries themselves need to know that, unless they've worked to prevent stunting, they're actually putting a burden on their own potential for decades to come. >> WOMAN: I ask God to give my children and me a healthy life and for the means to feed my family, to give me grace, health and to help me lead a decent life.>> TOM ARNOLD: Preventing hunger is actually a good investment for individuals and for countries. Now what to be done, where should the policy focus be? It should definitely be on better nutrition for pregnant women and children under two, massive intervention programs to deal with that problem.>> VOICEOVER: CTC provided a window into the world of the severely malnourished, and in doing so revealed the shocking reality of the daily lives of many African women. Most importantly, it highlighted how their unequal status is contributing to their own and their families' vulnerability to hunger. Not only are they fully responsible for the care of their children and home, they also do 80 percent of the agricultural work. They have few rights and even less choice. They are usually the last to eat at meal times, and the first to go without food when it is scarce. They are often anemic during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and their babies are frequently born underweight, perpetuating the vicious circle of malnutrition.>> ALICE GANDIWA [Concern Worldwide]: Most mothers, they work very hard in the fields, and they grown enough food, probably in the end that food may be sold and the children may not be fed enough. They suffer inwardly. They wish they could have done better for their children, but probably they don't have the means or they don't have the knowledge to do it. At times it's the feeding practices. At times it's the cultural practices. But inwardly, the mother would want a healthy child. Every mother would want a healthy child.>> BRENDAN ROGERS: There's no doubt about it, African women are very much second-class citizens. That's the fact. And while at the UN we pay lip service to equality and gender equality and gender empowerment, it's not happening underground. And there is that gap, and it's being increasingly recognized at every level of society. But if we want to improve the lives of women, if we want to improve the lives of children, if Africa wants to produce enough food to sustain itself, there has to be a refocus on agriculture and rural livelihoods. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: Most of the hungry people are actually living on small farms. So one key way to get around it is not that the state comes and brings food to them, it's that they are enabled to produce the food themselves. And that requires big changes in the importance of agricultural policy, in government giving more support to farmers and to the rural areas so that farmers can produce and can trade. >> HOWARD DALZELL: The development of CTC has been unusual in that a private sector research organization (Valid International), an NGO (Concern), and a public sector body, such as the Irish government, work together to make it happen, and none of us could have done it by ourselves, but the public-private partnership worked.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: In the world today, there are 300 million children with chronic malnutrition. We know that that can be prevented with just 40 grams of a high-quality food complement each day, given over a period of 18 months. So this is a problem that is treatable.>> HOWARD DALZELL: And we are convinced that the sort of principles of food signs that are in our ready-to-use foods can be used to make not just therapeutic foods, but supplementary and complementary foods that can go into the marketplace and that parents can buy for their children. It'll keep them growing, it will keep them healthy, and it will prevent malnutrition. >> DR. STEVE COLLINS: I think to date, large companies haven't really targeted the so-called bottom of the pyramid, the poorest of the poor, because I think they felt that these people just haven't got enough money to buy the kind of products they want to sell. But when you get to a really simple, low-cost nutritional supplement, the market is so big (300 million people) that if they each spend 10 dollars a year only on a quality nutritional product, that's a market of three billion dollars a year. Now that's a substantial market. If multinationals start to create properly designed nutritional products, and they price them at an affordable level, you're going to have a whole generation growing up who are capable of using their brains better, and capable of helping themselves more. So, as a foundation for development, the changes that are now happening are profound, and can have real implications in the alleviation of poverty.>> HOWARD DALZELL: It surprises companies when they hear that an NGO and a not-for-profit humanitarian company are actually following business principles. They don't expect us to want to manage costs very clearly, to want to show a surplus that then gets reinvested. They see charity and business as very different, and this whole concept of a not-for-profit company, Valid Nutrition, with a humanitarian mission following best business practices, is just unusual.>> TOM ARNOLD: We are clearly moving into a more difficult economic situation, where people have many legitimate fears about their future, about their future livelihoods. But at least so far, people in this part of the world are not at least fearful of going hungry, and long may that continue. But that is not the reality for a sixth of the world's population. And I think those of us who have escaped that fear of going hungry do need to think about that sixth of the world's population who still have that fear and that daily reality.>> VOICEOVER: The Irish government taskforce report, published in the autumn of 2008, stated clearly that there had been a collective failure at international and national levels to prioritize ending global hunger. Community-based Therapeutic Care demonstrated that when there is a genuine desire for change, solutions can and will be found. And yet, every night, one in six go to bed hungry.>> DR. STEVE COLLINS: This idea that we're doing it because we're compassionate-- that's not-- people have a right to health, a right to good nutrition, they have a right to education, they have a right to security. It's not doing good to ensure those rights are maintained and upheld. It's their rights! So it's a work, you know, you have to do it. I don't want people to do it because they're such nice people; I want people to do it because they can create change and because that's what they should do.>> HOWARD DALZELL: Child death through serious malnutrition is probably the greatest blasphemy in the world today. It simply shouldn't be allowed to happen. It's morally unacceptable. And I think what will actually stop it happening is moral indignation. Slavery was seriously tackled 180 years ago. It wasn't tackled because women in America had dishwashers, and Hoovers, and fridges, and microwaves, so that they didn't need slaves in their kitchen. It was blown out the water because people said this is wrong, our fellow human beings shouldn't be treated like this. It was a moral victory, not a technical victory. We have the technical answers to malnutrition. But to get rid of that blasphemy requires conviction and advocacy, and acceptance of everybody's right to food. It's as simple as that.>> TITLE: Tonight, almost a billion people will go to bed hungry. Most of them are women and children. We have the power to change this. Visit www.concernusa.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/un-agency-facilitates-id-papers-to-vulnerable-colombians In 2004, an invasion by paramilitary groups caused thousands of Colombians to be internally displaced. Many lost their identity papers during the upheaval and remain undocumented. The United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has funded a project that will process documents quickly by sending a mobile truck equipped with self-contained technology to residents in remote areas. Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:08:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/un-agency-facilitates-id-papers-to-vulnerable-colombians Colombia, Indigenous peoples, South America, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Bogota, Foreign Assistance, United Nations, Technology >> VOICEOVER: Driving down the back roads of Colombia, South America, a convoy of trucks brings aid to those in need. This time there's a new truck hitting the road. And it's doing something that's never been done before. It's a fully loaded government ID unit on wheels. Its goal: to bring fast-track identity documentation to thousands of indigenous people and to hundreds of thousands of war victims displaced by four decades of civil war. Without proof of their identity, these groups have no rights of citizenship. They have no access to schools, health clinics, even the opportunity to open a business. Without an ID, they're under constant suspicion for illegal activity when crossing numerous checkpoints set up by the many different armed factions fighting for control of Colombia. Aldo Morales is from the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR. >> ALDO MORALES: When the population travels and encounters checkpoints, they can face tremendous security risks.>> VOICEOVER: And in a crisis, they can't obtain government-issued emergency food, money, and shelter. But now, UNHCR and Colombia's Registry Office launched a campaign to get out, and get the documents to the people, even in the most remote and dangerous areas. Here in the village of El Paraiso, hundreds of miles from the nearest city, the mobile unit arrives, fully loaded. Hundreds line up. Villagers are fingerprinted and personal data, even blood type, is collected. Pictures are taken inside the truck. Everything is then transmitted on the spot by satellite communication to the National Registry Office in the capitol, Bogotá. Here, the information is given priority status as it's downloaded, processed, and archived. The National Office simply does not have the resources to reach those so far away, says Colombia's National Director of Identification, Rodrigo Perez Monroy.>> RODRIGO PEREZ MONROY: UNHCR has become a fundamentally important partner. This is because they can get to places that our staff can't.>> VOICEOVER: Within two months the IDs are rushed back to their eager owners, most of who now hold proof of their citizenship for the first time in their lives. Mariel Uriana is a teacher in El Paraiso.>> MARIEL URIANA: The reason for all this interest is that the document is being requested for healthcare and access to education.>> VOICEOVER: Over 180,000 Colombians have received identification cards. Thousands more wait for the ID truck to reach them. Chaim Litewski prepared this report for the United Nations. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/access-to-survival Malaria kills a million people in Africa every single year. But it is a preventable disease, and now a unique public-private partnership is helping to spread awareness and increase the use of the best defense there is against it: treated mosquito nets. Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:53:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/access-to-survival Mosquito net, Malaria, NetMark, AED, Malaria prophylaxis, Nigeria, Global Fund, Kampala, Uganda, USAID >> VOICEOVER: Gabriel Kisakye is four years old. A few days ago, he was just like this child: a normal, healthy young boy. Then, he was bitten by an anopheles mosquito. Now, he is desperately ill with malaria. The disease has taken hold. The next few hours will tell whether Gabriel lives or dies. Malaria kills almost 3,000 people in Africa every day. Every single day. One million lives a year. One million individual, preventable tragedies. But an innovative program with a logical solution has begun to help Africa prevent its malaria catastrophe. That program is called NetMark. >> TITLE: Access to Survival>> TITLE: Public-Private Partnership for Sustainable Malaria Prevention>> VOICEOVER: Kampala, Uganda. The children's ward at the Mulago hospital. Gabriel Kisakye has been convulsing. It's a grave sign. The malaria parasite has reached his brain. Now, he's in a coma. >> DR. PROSCOVIA MUGABA [Pediatrician, Uganda]: So, this particular child has an almost ... close to three-day history and is already very sick. He is deeply comatose.>> VOICEOVER: Nearly every child in this ward is suffering from malaria. It is a tragedy being played out in hospitals, clinics, and homes all across sub-Saharan Africa. Half of all children born in Africa will contract malaria. One child in every 20 will die of the disease before reaching the age of five. >> DR. PROSCOVIA MUGABA: So, he just had another convulsion. >> VOICEOVER: Three hours since Gabriel was admitted, he's showing no improvement. >> DR. PROSCOVIA MUGABA: I would put his case at 48 hours. The worst-case scenario is that he's likely to succumb, and he might die. And, with each convulsion, you have increasing damage to the brain. >> VOICEOVER: Morning breaks over Kampala. In the children's ward at Mulago Hospital, there is an empty bed. Gabriel Kisakye has died. >> DR. PROSCOVIA MUGABA: Because he began to have difficulty in breathing, which we think is most likely due to damage to the respiratory center, and he passed away at about 4am this morning.>> VOICEOVER: Gabriel's parents grieve, and all across Africa parents like them suffer a similar tragedy. A child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. The true tragedy is that Gabriel's death was preventable. A week ago, he was a young boy about to start school, but a single bite from a mosquito as he lay sleeping has brought his future to an end. >> DR. PROSCOVIA MUGABA: You can never get used to a child dying, because, first of all, when you think about it, they are dying from conditions that are totally preventable. >> VOICEOVER: In the children's ward, another child is deathly ill. Malaria's grim cycle begins again. NetMark was established by the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, as part of a global effort to reduce the terrible burden of malaria in Africa. Implemented by AED, a non-profit human and social development organization, NetMark focused on a simple and proven method of preventing malaria: insecticide-treated mosquito nets known as ITNs. Starting in 1999, NetMark has worked in eight sub-Saharan African countries: Mali, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Zambia. In each of these countries, it was the accepted rule of public health authorities and development agencies to somehow get ITNs to those at risk of malaria. Most often, it was through free net distribution. >> AISHA ISYAKU KIRU [Health Commissioner, Kano State, Nigeria]: There's a time when the free will stop, and when it stops, what next? So, it's very important to know that the issue of sustainability is the key.>> VOICEOVER: NetMark developed a sustainable strategy it called Full Market Impact, which had three steps: to educate African consumers about the life-saving properties of insecticide-treated nets; to make nets commercially available throughout African retail markets, so they will be available forever, with or without donor support; and, finally, to make subsidized and free ITNs available to those who cannot afford to pay fully commercial prices. By sharing the burden of net distribution between the public and the private sectors, NetMark planned to use the best of both worlds to break malaria's grip on Africa.>> JOSEPH ADDO-YOBO [NetMark West African Regional Manager]: We believe that the private sector has its expertise, and in the same way the public sector has unique expertise that the private sector can never have. >> VOICEOVER: But first, NetMark had to convince international net and insecticide manufacturers, like Bayer, Vestergaard Frandsen, SiamDutch-Tana, A to Z Textiles, BASF, Syngenta, Sunflag, and Sumitomo that there was a potential retail market for ITNs. Not an easy task, given that the awareness and usage of insecticide-treated nets in Africa at the time was almost non-existent. >> JENKINS BAKER [Vestergaard Frandsen Distributor, Ghana]: When we started here in the early 2000s, the culture of using nets was not anything that anybody took very seriously. >> VOICEOVER: Before NetMark came along, major international net manufacturers like Vestergaard sold ITNs mainly to institutions like aid agencies and governments, but not the consumer retail market. >> JOSEPH ADDO-YOBO: So, we were actually able to convince them that going into the retail market would not mean killing your institution or business. It would actually be expanding your market size and bringing in more resources.>> JENKINS BAKER: And there would be a lot of incentives, such as free advertising and education to the population on how to use the net, and they will be responsible for that, and we should be responsible for the marketing and distribution, so we felt that this was a very good marriage, and therefore we decided to go on and get involved in it.>> VOICEOVER: Having multinational ITN manufacturers like Vestergaard onboard meant hundreds of thousands of nets could be quickly made available through the retail market, but NetMark also wanted African entrepreneurs involved in the ITN business. >> FIONA MIGADDE [CEO, Coopers Uganda]: Well, we were doing about 300 to 500 nets a month before we teamed up with NetMark.>> VOICEOVER: Fiona Migadde, CEO of the Coopers company in Kampala, Uganda, wanted to expand her ITN manufacturing and distribution business from producing hundreds to producing thousands. Fiona was motivated not only by the potential profits to be made from a commercial ITN market, but also a humanitarian interest in helping tackle Uganda's most critical public health problem. >> FIONA MIGADDE: The net business is very good because you get to give something, and it's immediate. >> PROSSIE NAKATO [Coopers net stitcher]: You see a lot of people who die of malaria because they have not slept under mosquito nets. I lost my sister to malaria. >> VOICEOVER: By working at Coopers, net stitcher Prossie Nakato is both earning a living and helping her local community become aware of how ITNs can help save their lives. >> PROSSIE NAKATO: This job has enabled me to look after my brothers and sisters, to pay for school fees and pay the rent for where we live. It has also enabled me to know more about nets and spread the word to other people. >> VOICEOVER: NetMark partners big and small have invested over USD$77 million in their own ITN businesses. That's about USD$1.43 for every USAID dollar invested. The idea is joint risk, joint investment -- using commercial funds to increase the total resources available and helping ensure sustainability when donor funds dry up. NetMark also helps its partners with marketing and distribution support, and state-of-the-art business skills. >> ALLAN WERE [NetMark Country Manager, Uganda]: We trained the salespeople at Coopers. We trained them in things like bookkeeping and business management, in things like selling skills, marketing skills, and so on.>> VOICEOVER: NetMark's consumer research showed that, if Africans were going to buy ITNs, they wanted a choice of different shapes, sizes, and different colors. >> FIONA MIGADDE: We can be able to have the correct nets. You can have nets for schools, which have triple-decker beds, meaning they're much longer.>> VOICEOVER: A choice in nets was a critical step in turning ITNs from a health item into a necessary household accessory, which, in turn, increased the market. >> FIONA MIGADDE: We started pretty small, but now we've seen the business, is it called, "catching on like a bushfire"? It's just been spreading rapidly. The demand is overwhelming. We cannot believe. It's beyond our wildest dreams. >> VOICEOVER: It may look like a small-scale operation but, from producing a few hundred nets a month, Coopers is now making and distributing 5,000 ITNs a month. >> ALLAN WERE: Coopers is one of the companies you can look at and actually see that there is a commercial sector in countries like Uganda, and, if you did the right things, you can tap into it and actually achieve a public health impact.>> VOICEOVER: In Kano, Nigeria, Happy Family Ventures, owned by Alhaji Abbati shows how a little help can go a long way. NetMark gave this small, net-stitching company a heat-sealing machine and insecticide treatment kits. These simple contributions allowed Alhaji Abbati to enter the ITN market in a big way. >> ALHAJI ABBATI [Owner, Happy Family Ventures, Nigeria]: Over the past four years, with NetMark's assistance, we have produced and sold over 40,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets. >> VOICEOVER: NetMark helped Mr. Abbati be competitive in the market. His business took off because his ITNs were better quality than the untreated nets on the market. >> ALHAJI SHERIFF [Shopkeeper, Nigeria]: Alhaji Abbati's nets are much better than the cheaper Chinese product, because the Chinese nets keep in the heat. >> AISHA ISYAKU KIRU: Once a company starts producing nets, others will see that it is flourishing, because I know it will flourish. Others will see, and they will also want to do the same. >> GARBA MUHAMMAD ABDUL [USAID Nigeria]: If NetMark were not there, in 2000, 2002, and upwards, nobody would have initiated, stimulated, production, marketing of nets, branding of nets, which was a major deviation from the previous practice. Nobody would have done that, because, so far, nobody is doing it. >> VOICEOVER: NetMark worked with African advertising and marketing companies, launching public awareness campaigns tailored to each country. >> NetMark TV ad: The night-biting mosquito is the only carrier of malaria. Malaria kills over two million people in Africa every year. >> VOICEOVER: Their aim was to make everyone, regardless of income or educational level, aware that malaria could be prevented by using an insecticide-treated net. >> NetMark TV ad: Get your new insecticide-treated net with the green NetMark seal of quality. Mosquitoes kill. Kill mosquitoes. >> VOICEOVER: At this NetMark-sponsored education session in rural Senegal, Mrs. Ndao, a young mother of two, learns that aerosols or mosquito coils would cost her about USD$35 a year, while an ITN only costs her USD$6 and is far more effective in preventing malaria. >> SEYNABOU NDAO [Mother]: I learned a lot from the education sessions about how to protect ourselves from malaria, the best solution to fight mosquitoes. Before, I used to buy the mosquito coils without knowing about the treated bed nets. Now, I know the net not only protects us against malaria, but saves us money. >> FANA SYLLA SAKHO [NetMark Country Manager, Senegal]: NetMark has had a very important role in increasing the demand for ITNs through education and price reduction and by making the nets accessible to those who are most vulnerable to malaria. >> VOICEOVER: Another major element in every public awareness campaign is what's called a road show. Local singers entertain the audience, while actors demonstrate the proper use of ITNs and run competitions with nets as prizes. This road show in urban Lagos is being run by Harvest Fields, a commercial partner in Nigeria. >> MARTINS AWOFISAYO [CEO, Harvest Fields, Nigeria]: As you have seen today, anytime we go on a road show like that, we attract a crowd. >> VOICEOVER: CEO of Harvest Fields, Martins Awofisayo, has seen a dramatic turnaround in public awareness of malaria and the effectiveness of ITNs. >> MARTINS AWOFISAYO: The awareness that NetMark has done, on radio, on television, has made people know there is a net that can prevent malaria, and that is what we are having here. >> VOICEOVER: In less than five years, Harvest Fields has gone from a small distribution company to the largest distributor of ITNs in Nigeria. >> MARTINS AWOFISAYO: Nigerians are not all that poor. People can afford to buy them, as you have seen today. What nets we have brought here, we've sold out, so the market has tremendously increased, and, without NetMark, I don't think I would be talking to you today. >> VOICEOVER: NetMark partners also carried out public awareness campaigns in boarding schools, the most common form of education in many African countries. >> JOSEPHINE KAKULIREMU [School nurse, Uganda]: We used to have 1,000 cases of malaria per term, but nowadays, because of the use of Cooper nets, now we have 68, 50. It is really coming down, the numbers. >> VOICEOVER: Here, at the Mugwanya School in Kampala, the infirmary, which used to be filled with boys suffering from malaria, is empty, and the classrooms are full. >> VOICEOVER: NetMark believes in getting ITNs to those who need them by the best means possible, whether it be by developing the commercial market for nets or better targeting the distribution of free nets. >> OLUWOLE ADEUSI [NetMark Country Manager, Nigeria]: In my language, there's a saying, [inaudible], which, in translation, means there is more than one entrance or exit to a market. We've been able to evolve. We tackle it from all angles. We make nets commercially available to all people who can afford them. We work also to ensure that people who are slightly at a disadvantage financially can afford and acquire those nets at a subsidized price, and then we make nets available free for those who are the poorest of the poor, for whom even basic feeding on a daily basis is a challenge.>> VOICEOVER: When a retail market for ITNs exists, public health authorities and donors can more accurately and efficiently target those who cannot afford to pay commercial prices. USAID has sponsored this free ITN distribution in rural Nigeria. >> OLUWOLE ADEUSI: We intend to distribute no less than 30,000 to 40,000 nets. The frenzy here is that so much awareness has been created about ITNs, net use, and the benefits. Sometimes, it's a bit difficult to get to the hinterland, to get to the poorest of the poor in society that really need this intervention. But that's where NetMark is different: we go where others do not.>> VOICEOVER: Bridging the gulf between free and fully commercial ITNs is NetMark's discount voucher program. >> OLUWOLE ADEUSI: We work with donors and corporate social organizations by providing funding, you know, to engage in targeted subsidy voucher schemes, for instance, in which pregnant women and children under five can actually avail themselves of a net at a subsidized price.>> VOICEOVER: The subsidies have been funded by USAID, UNICEF, Exxon Mobile, the Global Fund, and national ministries of health. The subsidy voucher program allows low-income consumers to buy the net of their choice and preserves the dignity of those who cannot normally afford to buy their ITN. >> JENKINS BAKER: For the people who cannot afford to pay outright for these nets, we have seen that it has brought a lot of progress in terms of sales and in terms of distribution of the nets, so, I would say that this was a brilliant idea.>> VOICEOVER: Palunet was a tiny net distributor in Senegal before it became a NetMark partner. From distributing 2,500 nets a year in 2003, Palunet now distributes tens of thousands through the voucher system. >> OUMAR BOYE [CEO, Palunet, Senegal]: If I made an addition of all the nets we've sold since 2003, we are around 500,000 nets sold in the voucher program, in the retail market, in nets sold to NGOs and something like this.>> VOICEOVER: It's not only pregnant women, children, and commercial partners like Palunet who benefit from this voucher system. In Ghana, it has given rise to a type of micro-entrepreneur: the umbrella lady. >> MAVIS NYARKO [Student and umbrella lady]: Because the vouchers help them to buy more. Since the voucher takes off 60 percent of the price, so it helps them to buy more.>> VOICEOVER: Working outside the health clinics where the discount vouchers are given out, the umbrella ladies sell ITNs and make a small profit. >> MAVIS NYARKO: Personally, it has helped me to generate income for my education. I am a student, yes. And, at the same time, people ... we are educating people about the use of the net. So, whenever they buy it, whenever they see me in town, "Oh, thank you. Because of you, now we are not having malaria," and then I feel happy.>> VOICEOVER: Whether an umbrella lady or a larger African business partner, this targeted voucher program means almost all the donor funds go into the subsidies rather than the management of the program. If a voucher is not used, it's just a piece of paper, not an unused ITN.>> GARBA MUHAMMAD ABDUL: So, I would say NetMark is a step ahead of most of our programs, and, in terms of sustainability, NetMark is far ahead of all of them I'd say, all of them put together.>> VOICEOVER: In Senegal, the targeted voucher program works hand-in-hand with the country's unique, community-based healthcare infrastructure, called Health Committees, which operate in the most remote areas of the country. Mrs. Fatoumata Ka purchased an ITN at her local health community clinic with a voucher that covered 60 percent of the total cost. She and her young child are now safe from malaria infection, and donor funding has been precisely targeted to help those most at need. The voucher program has had a dramatic effect on malaria infection rates in this area and all across Senegal. >> BOUBACAR SOW [Head nurse, Tassette Health Center, Senegal]: This year, we haven't had one single death, not one case of death of a child. So, really, the program is very important for the population, and it's a program that must continue.>> VOICEOVER: Across Africa, across cultures, NetMark is still at work, whether it be in Senegal or Uganda. Since 2002, NetMark's full-market impact strategy has been developing successful and sustainable partnerships between public and private sectors, helping create retail markets for ITNs, in turn, helping African governments fight malaria. >> DR. CONSTANCE BART-PLANGE [Director, National Malaria Control Program, Ghana]: And if Africa really wants to control malaria and get rid of malaria, there's no way public sector can go alone. You need the private sector. You need all the stakeholders on board, and, therefore, you need to tap other organizations that have the comparative strength and advantage to be able to rope in this private sector, and NetMark has that comparative advantage.>> GARBA MUHAMMAD ABDUL: If NetMark was not there, there would have to be NetMark in another form and shape to do it, and that would have delayed getting to where we are today, and you know what that translates to? In Nigeria alone, that would have translated to more than two million deaths of children under five alone.>> VOICEOVER: Since 2002, the commercial sector has sold over 46 million ITNs in NetMark countries. Since 2006, most sales have been of the new, long-lasting ITNs. NetMark has also educated more than 200 million people about the dangers of malaria and how insecticide treated nets can prevent it. >> ALLAN WERE: Every Ugandan here who earns a salary, who is in formal employment, is able to afford an ITN. Every Ugandan in an urban town in Uganda, knows where they can find an ITN. >> VOICEOVER: A vibrant market for ITNs now exists across Africa. More brands, more competition, means drastically lower prices, higher quality, reliable supply, and consumer choice. >> DR. CONSTANCE BART-PLANGE: I remember at the beginning, a certain man came from outside the country to ask me a question: "Constance, when do you see that ITNs implementation has been successful in the country?" And I told him, "The day that, when you walk into any shop in Ghana, you can get a net, that will be the day that I can say that we have been successful." We are almost there.>> VOICEOVER: NetMark and all its partners have one goal: that affordable, life-saving ITNs will be commercially available to most Africans long after NetMark leaves.>> FIONA MIGADDE: So, they wanted us to know that they won't be here forever and that we have to know how to sell the nets even when NetMark is not here.>> VOICEOVER: What used to be called charity is now truly an investment in the future of Africa. But it didn't happen overnight, and it is still a work in progress. Whatever it takes to save a child, a human life, whose death could be prevented, whose future could be protected, surely that is where we should be at our most creative. That was NetMark's challenge and its inspiration.>> TITLE: 46.5 million ITNs and 8.9 million insecticide treatment kits sold by NetMark's commercial partners between 2002 and 2008. >> TITLE: 1.6 million ITNs purchased by pregnant women and mothers of young children using discount vouchers at retail outlets. >> TITLE: Over 2 million free ITNs distributed by NetMark and its commercial partners. >> TITLE: ITNs are now between 30 percent to 70 percent cheaper than the cost of untreated nets before NetMark began. >> TITLE: USD$77 million invested by NetMark's African and international commercial partners, with a cost to the U.S. taxpayer of USD$1.02 per ITN delivered. >> TITLE: Over 200 million Africans educated on the importance and use of ITNs, particularly by pregnant women and children under five. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/tumaini-letu-our-hope In the villages of western Kenya, AIDS has robbed hundreds of thousands of children of their parents. This film follows the lives, struggles, and indomitable spirit of three women left to care for these orphans, as they fight to give the children a chance of a better future. Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:40:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/tumaini-letu-our-hope Kenya, AIDS, HIV, AED, Siaya, World Health Day, International Women's Day, Orphan, Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa >> TITLE: We know that AIDS has taken a devastating toll on sub-Saharan Africa. Millions have died, and the lives of millions more hang in the balance. What we don't often focus on is the impact the disease has on the survivors. AIDS isn't only about the dying. It's also about those left behind, their struggles and their spirit.>> TITLE: Rural communities in western Kenya have been hit hard by HIV/AIDS.>> TITLE: Hundreds of thousands of children have been robbed of their parents.>> TITLE: Those left to raise these orphans struggle to survive. >> TITLE: But their lives are not without hope. >> TITLE: Tumaini Letu: Our Hope>> LIVINGSTONE AMOTH [Village Chief, Siaya, Kenya]: That's left very many of us. It's left very many widows. So, there's a very big challenge over the HIV, but the most one is orphans, and bringing these children up becomes very difficult. Most of them cannot even go to school. Most of them cannot even go to health centers, because they don't have the cash for treatment. So most of them die. >> TITLE: Vihiga, Kenya>> RASOA KIVAIRU: My name is Rasoa Kivairu. I am taking care of 10 grandchildren whose parents have died. Rachel is four years old. Diana is also four. Anthony is about 12. The parents of these children got sick, and I took them to the hospital. They diagnosed TB and found out they had AIDS. I was deeply sad: my children dying of AIDS and leaving me with their children. >> TITLE: Three of Rasoa's six children have died of AIDS. >> RASOA KIVAIRU: I am an old person, around 65 years old. I was the only relative who could take care of them. I decided to raise them instead of letting them roam the streets. When I was stronger, I'd do farm work for less than a dollar a day. Then I would buy maize meal to make porridge. I don't have any other means to get food. It's luck if I find food. If not, they stay hungry and drink water. When I was depressed, I would kneel down and cry to God, "You feed the birds. How about me?" >> TITLE: In 2001, a program began bringing Kenyan villagers together to help one another. "Speak for the Child" trains local women to mentor caregivers in raising healthy children.>> COMMUNITY MENTOR 1: To my caregivers, I normally give them love and encouragement. >> COMMUNITY MENTOR 2: I give them hope, and I encourage them to look after the orphans >> RASOA KIVAIRU: The mentors teach us a lot. They also visit to see how you're doing. If they find you depressed, they encourage you. They encouraged me to plant vegetables. So, when I prepare a meal, I also cook vegetables from the garden. And I feed them to the children to make them strong. >> CHILDREN: Amen.>> RASOA KIVAIRU: They also had frequent malaria attacks, and I would treat them without success. >> TITLE: Children in the program receive malaria treatment and free basic medical care. >> TITLE: Nurses dispense deworming pills. >> RASOA KIVAIRU: I gave each of them the medicine, and the worms came out. I was very thankful. Now I am at peace. They gave me blankets, insecticide-treated nets, and medical record books for the children, and I felt good. That is why I am a bit stronger. >> TITLE: Kakamega, Kenya>> TITLE: Even for younger women, caring for these children is overwhelming.>> ANNA KHAUTU [Mother of five]: When I wake up, I thank God for taking care of me during the night. My greatest worry is how I will feed my children or clothe them. When my husband was alive, I had no problems. He provided food for the children. I stayed home, took care of the children, and cooked the food he brought home. We were married for 14 years. >> TITLE: In 2000, Anna's husband became very sick. No one knew what was wrong with him.>> ANNA KHAUTU: He eventually passed away. After we buried him, I went for an HIV test and counseling. I found out I was HIV positive. Then I knew he died of this disease. >> TITLE: Margaret. Anna's mentor>> ANNA KHAUTU: When people know you are HIV positive, they do not want to get close. They avoid close contact for fear of getting infected. Before Margaret started visiting, I was struggling on my own, planting and selling vegetables. The children's existence was pathetic. They were naked. They had no clothes. They had no blankets. Now that the project is here, my children are eating well. Margaret taught me to keep my compound clean. I dug a compost pit to dispose of the trash. I used to place my dishes on the ground, but I've learned to use a dish rack. My children no longer have diarrhea, because they are using clean dishes. AIDS brings a lot of suffering. Healthy and strong people become emaciated. When you get sick, you should seek medical attention. It will help you take care of your children longer. >> TITLE: Siaya, Kenya >> TITLE: When orphans stay in their villages with family, the loss of a parent is easier to bear.>> TITLE: Anna Aredo and her four nephews>> TITLE: Each boy has lost one or both parents to AIDS>> TITLE: And the youngest, Moses, might be HIV positive. >> JANET [Anna's mentor]: How are the children?>> ANNA AREDO: They are well.>> JANET: It is important to feed the children a balanced diet. There are three food groups. There is protein for building the body. There are vitamins, and there is food that gives us energy. >> ANNA AREDO: Protein is difficult. I have only beans and small fish. The children want meat, but I cannot afford meat. >> JANET: If you cannot afford beef, then buy small fish. >> TITLE: Anna cooks the small fish. >> ANNA AREDO: The way I cook it, not the way other people cook it: I wash it with warm water, then I put a lot of oil, so I try to fry it a bit. Then I add milk, because I want it to be a little bit more nutritious. We are trying to give a balanced diet to Moses. A little improvement is there, because he is not a healthy person.>> SOPHIA OWUOR [Mentor]: They need a lot, as orphans. Most of these women, they don't have jobs. It's only the farms which take care of them. We have support groups where they talk about their problems. >> WOMAN: I'll buy seeds so we can grow vegetables. >> ANNA AREDO: The caregiver support group, when we go to the meeting there, we are talking together. We give our ideas. We see where somebody goes wrong, and we correct it. Let us love and help each other, especially those in great need. That spirit will be a real source of support for us all. >> ANNA KHAUTU: My hope is for my children to go to school, complete primary, secondary, pass the exams, and find jobs, so they can build a decent house. >> TITLE: Eclay, Anna's daughter>> EVERLYNE MUSAVA [Preschool teacher]: Before the program paid her preschool fees, Eclay was sent home a lot. She is doing well. I'm sure she'll be promoted to first grade.>> PIUS OMONDI [Second grade teacher]: The most important thing, when a child loses her father or mother, is to give him or her support in life. We want to educate these children so they can get a better future when they grow up. Because they are actually orphans, and, when we leave them just that way, where will they land? So, we have to get them an education so we prepare them for their future. >> ANNA AREDO: You see them laughing, the way the laugh. The children, when they are satisfied, see the way they play and the way they laugh. You know they are okay. >> TITLE: "Speak for the Child" began supporting 500 orphans. Five years later, there are more than 9,000 orphans in the program. >> TITLE: "Speak for the Child" is a program of the Academy for Educational Development. www.aed.org>> TITLE: This film would not have been possible without Rasoa Kivairu, Anna Khautu, and Anna Aredo sharing their personal stories with us. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-art-of-activism-avery-hale <p>Can anyone make the world a better place? Californian schoolgirl Avery Hale certainly thinks so. She started the Step by Step organization when she was just 13 years old, to distribute unwanted shoes to people who need them in developing countries.</p> Thu, 04 Nov 2010 07:25:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-art-of-activism-avery-hale Redford Center, Foreign Assistance, Poverty, Change Makers, Charitable organization, Peru, Avery Hale, Step by Step, Latin America, Shoes >> TITLE: Redford Center: The Art of Activism. Let's listen, let's talk, let's act>> AVERY HALE [Founder, Step by Step]: We were driving up this really steep hill to the village of Chumpe y Pokes. I remember seeing all of these kids up on a ridge and they saw the car coming and they all just ran down towards the school, and we got there and we unloaded all the duffle bags that we had. I think that everybody has to have something that inspires them, some moment that they realize that they can really make a difference, or figure out what they want to pursue. My parents traveled to Peru and they brought back a bunch of pictures of the kids that they visited. And some of them had no shoes and some of them were wearing tire-tread sandals. They had infected feet and they were cut up and bruised. And some people might see that and not want to do anything or not really think about it. But I knew I had to do something. From there I kind of gradually got into the whole process of collecting shoes. And then I talked to my friends about it, and they helped me get started. And eventually I went to Peru and donated them.>> AVERY HALE: I was I think 12 years old. We got there and we kind of laid out the shoes in a classroom. We let them come in by grade and choose watch shoes they wanted or what we thought would fit them. There were so many shoes, there were over 200 pairs. It just inspired me even more to continue with what I was doing because I saw like how ecstatic they were with that one pair of shoes. My mission with Step by Step is to reach as many people as possible, both kids and adults, and provide them with a pair of durable, comfortable shoes that they can wear for hopefully a really long time.>> AVERY HALE: Keen footwear and the North Face donated so many shoes, probably over a thousand pairs of shoes. The main thing that I've learned from this whole experience, I guess, is that you can be just a normal person and you can make such a huge difference. I mean, there are people, some of my close friends, who don't really even know that much about what I do. And when I'm at school, it's about like sports and friends and schoolwork and everything, and then when I come home that's like my time to work on the organization. There are small things that you can do; you can do something on your own. When people put their effort into one thing they can really get so much accomplished. I'm really looking to make a difference, not only in other countries with other villages and with giving them shoes, but also within my own community and having people kind of recognize that one person really can change another person's life.>> TITLE: A journey of a thousand miles ... begins with a single shoe >> TITLE: [end credits]>> TITLE: www.RedfordCenter.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/waterhealth-international-improving-access-to-safe-drinking-water Installing public water purification systems in India can create unforeseen benefits, such as reducing the amount of money poor families have to spend each month on expensive medications. Wed, 03 Nov 2010 09:45:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/waterhealth-international-improving-access-to-safe-drinking-water Water purification, India, Drinking water, WaterHealth International, Acumen Fund, Andhra Pradesh, Water & Sanitation, Health, Water, Foreign Assistance >> TITLE: People seek dignity, not dependence. Choice, not charity. Which is why we invest in entrepreneurs who are building transformative businesses to serve the poor. >> TITLE: Acumen Fund. Health, Housing, Water, Energy, Agriculture>> TITLE: Nehru Nagar Colony. Andhra Pradesh, India.>> PRABHAVATHI DASARI [Customer, WaterHealth International]: Earlier, my family had regular vomiting and diarrhea, but now it's under control.>> TITLE: 140 million people in India lack access to safe drinking water. >> TITLE: Families, especially women and girls, spend long hours collecting water from local water sources, and end up with water that is not safe for consumption. >> TITLE: WaterHealth International, an Acumen Fund investee, is changing this. >> ALLURU BUJANGARAO [Plant Operator, WaterHealth International]: Earlier, there was no water purification system. The community would drink either pond or well water and would have a lot of difficulty. This water is not clean. It's dirty. It has fish. It has fungus. It has algae and also micro-organisms. This water, after being processed, is happily taken by the community. >> SIGN: WaterHealth India>> PRABHAVATHI DASARI: I have faced a lot of challenges in getting my children to this point. I worked as an agricultural laborer and stitched clothes to provide an education to my children. Now, I stitch clothes. Earlier, I started with pipe water, then we would get it from the pond or well. And then later, we would get water from the Panchayat [local government] tap. The water quality is bad, so we would boil it before drinking. But now, we are getting WHI water and are healthy. Earlier, when we would fall sick, we would spend USD$11 to USD$33 for medicine each month. Now, we're spending a lot less. Everybody should be healthy; that's why we require safe drinking water. >> TITLE: Acumen Fund first invested in WaterHealth International (WHI) in 2004. >> TITLE: By the end of 2009, WHI had built more than 280 community water systems in India, providing more than 300,000 people access to safe drinking water every day. >> TITLE: Tell a friend. acumenfund.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/husk-power-systems-bringing-sustainable-electricity-to-rural-india An innovative new type of generator that runs on discarded rice husks is bringing power to parts of rural India that were previously thought "economically impossible to reach" with electricity. Mon, 01 Nov 2010 08:45:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/husk-power-systems-bringing-sustainable-electricity-to-rural-india India, Energy development, Electricity, Energy poverty, Bihar, Electrical generator, Technology, Acumen Fund, Rice hulls, Foreign Assistance >> TITLE: Acumen Fund. Health, Housing, Water, Energy, Agriculture>> TITLE: KB Drip Irrigation Systems>> PRAHLAD LAXMAN GOREY [Farmer]: Look at these chili plants. They don't have any fruit on them. My neighbor's plants have started growing chilies, but my plants haven't even flowered yet. This is probably because of better irrigation on his farm. You can see the difference between these two crops even though they were planted right next to each other. Drip irrigation seems to increase flowering and improve yield. >> MACHINDRA BHOJE [Farmer]: To see how drip has helped, you can look at these two chili crops planted side by side. Some of his plants have flowered, some have not; my plants, on the other hand, have ripe chilies on them. His plants don't have any on them. That's the benefit of drip. >> INTERVIEWER: Did you get help installing it?>> MACHINDRA BHOJE: I didn't ask anyone. I went to him. He had a piece of drip tape and showed me how to install it. I came home and, well, he said that if I paid him Rs 200 for labor, he would send someone to do the installation for me. >> INTERVIEWER: You did it yourself?>> MACHINDRA BHOJE: I said I can just do it myself. This year, I planted early and used drip. This year with bad rains, it's unlikely that anyone would have had a similarly good harvest without drip irrigation. It's thanks to drip that I have such a good harvest this year. >> TITLE: Tell a friend: acumenfund.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-better-harvest-through-drip-irrigation Modern agricultural techniques tend to focus on helping farmers with large fields (and more money to spend), but an innovative, inexpensive drip irrigation system, developed with investment from the Acumen Fund, is helping smallholder farmers in India dramatically increase their crop yields. Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:45:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-better-harvest-through-drip-irrigation Drip irrigation, India, Agriculture, Irrigation, Acumen Fund, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture & Food, Chili pepper, Foreign Assistance >> TITLE: Acumen Fund. Health, Housing, Water, Energy, Agriculture>> TITLE: KB Drip Irrigation Systems>> PRAHLAD LAXMAN GOREY [Farmer]: Look at these chili plants. They don't have any fruit on them. My neighbor's plants have started growing chilies, but my plants haven't even flowered yet. This is probably because of better irrigation on his farm. You can see the difference between these two crops even though they were planted right next to each other. Drip irrigation seems to increase flowering and improve yield. >> MACHINDRA BHOJE [Farmer]: To see how drip has helped, you can look at these two chili crops planted side by side. Some of his plants have flowered, some have not; my plants, on the other hand, have ripe chilies on them. His plants don't have any on them. That's the benefit of drip. >> INTERVIEWER: Did you get help installing it?>> MACHINDRA BHOJE: I didn't ask anyone. I went to him. He had a piece of drip tape and showed me how to install it. I came home and, well, he said that if I paid him Rs 200 for labor, he would send someone to do the installation for me. >> INTERVIEWER: You did it yourself?>> MACHINDRA BHOJE: I said I can just do it myself. This year, I planted early and used drip. This year with bad rains, it's unlikely that anyone would have had a similarly good harvest without drip irrigation. It's thanks to drip that I have such a good harvest this year. >> TITLE: Tell a friend: acumenfund.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-on-aid-versus-trade Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former finance minister of Nigeria, sums up four days of intense discussion on aid versus trade on the closing day of TEDGlobal 2007, and shares a personal story explaining her own commitment to this cause. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 08:39:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-ngozi-okonjo-iweala-on-aid-versus-trade Africa, Nigeria, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Private sector, Infrastructure, World Bank, TED, Mo Ibrahim, Millennium Development Goals, Biafra >> TITLE: Remarkable people, unmissable talks, now free to the world>> TITLE: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: It's very, very difficult to wrap up -- to speak at the end of a conference like this. Because everyone has spoken, everything has been said. >> TITLE: June, 2007. Arusha, Tanzani>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: So I thought that what may be useful is to remind us of some of the things that have gone on here, and then maybe offer some ideas which we can take away and take forward and work on. That's what I'd like to try and do. We came here saying we want to talk about "Africa: the Next Chapter." But we are talking about "Africa: the Next Chapter" because we are looking at the old and the present chapter -- that we're looking at -- and saying it's not such a good thing. The picture I showed you before, and this picture, of drought, death, and disease, is what we usually see. What we want to look at is "Africa: the Next Chapter." And that's this: a healthy, smiling, beautiful African. And I think it's worth remembering what we've heard through the conference right from the first day, where I heard that all the important statistics have been given -- about where we are now, about how the continent is doing much better. And the importance of that is that we have a platform to build on.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: So I'm not going to spend too much time -- just to show you, refresh your memories -- that we are here for "Africa: the Next Chapter" because for the first time, there really is a platform to build on. We really do have it going right, that the continent is growing at rates that people had thought would not happen. After decades of 2 percent, we are now at 5 percent, and it's going to, projected, 6 and 7 percent even. And inflation has come down. External debt, something that I can tell you a long story about because I personally worked on one of the biggest debts on the continent, has come down dramatically. You know, as you can see, for almost ... from almost USD$50 billion down to about USD$12 or USD$13 billion. Now this is a huge achievement.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: You know, we've built up reserves. Why is that important? It's because it shows off our economies, shows off our currencies, and gives a platform on which people can plan and build, including businesses. We've also seen some evidence that all this is making a difference because private investment flows have increased. I want to remind you again -- I know you saw these statistics before -- from almost USD$6 billion we are now at about USD$18 billion in 2005. Remittances: I just took one country, Nigeria ... you know, skyrocketing ... skyrocketing is too dramatic, but increasing dramatically. And in many other countries this is happening. Why is this important? Because it shows confidence. That people are now confident to bring ... if your people in the diaspora bring their money back, it shows other people that, look, there is emerging confidence in your country. And instead of an outflow, you are now getting a net inflow.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: Now, why is all this important? To have to go really fast? It's important that we build this platform, that we have the president, Kikwete, and others of our leaders who are saying, "Look, we must do something different." Because we are confronted with a challenge: 62 percent of our population is below the age of 24. What does this mean? This means that we have to focus on how our youth are going to be engaged in productive endeavor in their lives. You have to focus on how to create jobs, make sure they don't fall into disease, that they get an education, but, most of all, that they are productively engaged in life, and that they are creating the kind of productive environment in our countries that will make things happen. And you know, to support this, I just recently ... one of the things I've done since leaving government is to start an opinion research organization in Nigeria. >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: Most of our countries don't even have any opinion research. People don't have voice. There is no way you can know what people want. One of the things we asked them recently was what's their top issue. Like in every other country where this has been done, jobs is the top issue. I want to leave this up here and come back to it. But before I get to this slide, I just wanted to run you through this. And to say that for me, the next stage of building this platform that now enables us to move forward -- and we mustn't make light of it. It's only five, six, seven years ago [that] we couldn't even talk about the next chapter because we were in the old chapter. We were going nowhere. The economies were not growing. We were having negative per capita growth. The macroeconomic framework and foundation for moving forward was not even there. So let's not forget that it's taken a lot to build this, including all those things that we tried to do in Nigeria that Dele referred to. Creating our own program to solve problems, like fighting corruption, building institutions, stabilizing the macro economy.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: So now we have this platform we can build on. And it brings us to the debate that has been going on here: aid versus private sector, aid versus trade, etcetera. And someone stood up to say: one of the frustrating things is that it's been a simplistic debate. And that's not what the debate should be about. We are ... that's engaging in the wrong debate. The issue here is how do we get a partnership that involves government donors, the private sector, and ordinary African people taking charge of their own lives? How do we combine all this? To move our continent forward, to do the things that need doing, that I talked about: getting young people employed, getting the creative juices flowing on this continent, much of what you have seen here. So I'm afraid we've been engaging a little bit in the wrong debate, and we need to bring you back to say, what is the combination of all these factors that is going to yield what we want? >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: And I want to tell you something. For me, the issue about aid -- I don't think that Africans need to now go all the way over to the other side and feel bad about aid. Africa has been giving the other countries aid. Mo Ibrahim said at a debate we're at that he dreams one day when Africa will be giving aid. And I said, "Mo, you're right. We have ... no, but we've already been doing it! The UK and the U.S. could not have been built today without Africa's aid." It is all the resources that were taken from Africa, including human, that built these countries today. So when they try to give back, we shouldn't be on the defensive. The issue is not that. The issue is how are we using what has been given, what is being given back. How are we using it? Is it being directed effectively? >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: I want to tell you a little story. Why I don't mind if we get aid, but we use it well. From 1967 to '70, Nigeria fought a war: the Nigeria-Biafra war. And in the middle of that war, I was 14 years old. We spent much of our time with my mother, cooking for the army. My father joined the army as a brigadier, the Biafran army. We were on the Biafran side. And we were down to eating one meal a day, running from place to place, but wherever we could help we did. At a certain point in time, in 1969, things were really bad. We were down to almost nothing in terms of a meal a day. People, children were dying of kwashiorkor. I'm sure some of you who are not so young will remember those pictures. Well, I was in the middle of it. In the midst of all this, my mother fell ill with a stomach ailment for two or three days. We thought she was going to die. My father was not there. He was in the army. So I was the oldest person in the house. My sister fell very ill with malaria. She was three years old and I was 15. And she had such a high fever. We tried everything. It didn't look like it was going to work. >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: Until we heard that 10 kilometers away there was a doctor, who was able ... who was giving ... looking at people and giving them meds. Now I put my sister on my back, burning, and I walked 10 kilometers with her strapped on my back. It was really hot. I was very hungry. I was scared because I knew her life depended on my getting to this woman. We heard there was a woman doctor who was treating people. I walked 10 kilometers, putting one foot in front of the other. I got there and I saw huge crowds. Almost a thousand people were there, trying to break down the door. She was doing this in a church. How was I going to get in? I had to crawl in between the legs of these people with [inaudible] my sister strapped on my back, find a way to a window. And while they were trying to break down the door, I climbed in through the window, and jumped in. This woman told me it was in the nick of time. By the time we jumped into that hall, she was barely moving. She gave a shot of her chloroquine, what I learned was the chloroquine, then gave her some ... it must have been a re-hydration, and some other therapies, and put us in a corner. In about two to three hours, she started to move. And then, they toweled her down because she started sweating, which was a good sign. And then my sister woke up. And about five or six hours later, she said we could go home. I strapped her on my back. I walked the 10 kilometers back and it was the shortest walk I ever had. I was so happy that my sister was alive. Today, she's 41 years old, a mother of three, and she's a physician saving other lives.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: Why am I telling that? I'm telling you that because when it is you or your person involved, you don't care whether it's aid. You don't care what it is! You just want the person to be alive. And now let me become less sentimental, and say that saving lives -- which some of the aid we get does on this continent -- when you save the life of anyone, a farmer, a teacher, a mother, they are contributing productively into the economy. And, as an economist, we can also look at that side of the story. These are people who are productive agents in the economy. So if we save people from HIV/AIDS, if we save them from malaria, it means they can form the base of production for our economy. And by the same token, as someone said yesterday, if we don't, and they die, their children will become a burden on the economy. So even from an economic standpoint, if we leave the social and humanitarian, we need to save lives now. So that's one of the reasons, from a personal experience, that I say, look, let's channel these resources we get into something productive. However, I will also tell you that I'm one of those who don't believe that this is the sole answer. That's why I said the debate has to get more sophisticated. You know, we have to use it well.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: What has happened in Europe? Do you all know that Spain, part of the EU, got USD$10 billion in aid from the rest of the EU? Resources that were transferred to them. And were the Spanish ashamed of this? No. The EU transferred 10 billion. Where did they use it? Have you been to southern Spain lately? There are roads everywhere. Infrastructure everywhere. It is on the back of this that the whole of southern Spain has developed into a services economy. Did you know that Ireland got USD$3 billion in aid? Ireland is one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union today. For which many people, even from other parts of the world, are going there to find jobs. What did they do with the USD$3 billion in aid? They used it to build an information superhighway, gain infrastructure that enabled them to participate, or enables them to participate, in the information technology revolution. And to do ... create jobs in their economy. They didn't say, "No, you know, we're not going to take this." Today, the European Union is busy transferring aid. My frustration is if they can build infrastructure in Spain -- which is roads, highways, other things that they can build -- I say then, why do they refuse to use the same aid to build the same infrastructure in our countries? >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: When we ask them and tell them what we need. One of my worries today is that we have many foundations now. Now we talk about the World Bank, IMF, and accountability, and all that. And the EU. We also have private citizens now who have a lot of money. Some of them in this audience, with private foundations. And, one day, these foundations have so much money, they will overtake the official aid that is being given. But I fear -- and I'm very grateful to all of them for what they are trying to do on the continent -- but I'm also worried. I wake up with a gnawing in my belly. Because I see a new set of aid entrepreneurs on the continent. And they're also going from country to country, and many times trying to find what to do. But I'm not really sure that their assistance is also being channeled in the right way. And many of them are not really familiar with the continent. They are just discovering. And many times I don't see Africans working with them. They are just going alone. >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: And many times I get the impression they are not really even interested in hearing from Africans who might know. They want to visit us, see what's happening on the ground, and make a decision. And now I'm maybe being harsh. But I worry because this money is so important. Now, who are they accountable to? Are we on their boards when they make decisions about where to channel money? Are we there? Will we make the same mistake that we made before? Have our presidents and our leaders -- everyone is talking about -- have they ever called these people together and said, "Look, your foundation and your foundation, you have so much money, we are grateful. Let's sit down and really tell you where the money should be channeled and where this aid should go." Have we done that? The answer is no. And each one is making their own individual effort. And then, 10 years from now, billions will again have gone into Africa, and we would still have the same problems.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: This is what gives us the hopeless image. Our inability to take charge and say to all these people bringing their money: "Sit down." And we don't do it because there are so many of us. We don't coordinate. We've not called the Bill Gates and the Soros and everybody else who is helping and say, "Sit down. Let's have a conference with you. As a continent, here are our priorities. Here is where we want you to channel this money." Each one should not be an entrepreneur, going and finding what is best. We're not trying to stop them, at all, but to help them help us better. And what is disappointing me is that we are not doing this. Ten years from now, we will have the same story, and we will be repeating the same things. >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: So our problem right now is, how can we leverage all this good will that is coming towards our way? How can we get government to combine properly with these private foundations, with the international organizations, and with our private sector. I firmly believe in that private sector thing, too. But it cannot do it alone. So there might be a few ideas we could think of that could work. They said this is about proliferating and sharing ideas. So why don't we think of using some of this aid? Well, why don't we first say to those helping us out: don't be shy about infrastructure. That health that you're working on cannot be sustainable without infrastructure. That education will work better if we've got electricity and railroads and so on. That agriculture will work better if there are railroads to get the goods to market. Don't be shy of it. Invest some of your resources in that, too. And then we can see that this is one combination of private, international, multilateral money, private sector, and the African that we can put together as a partnership, so that aid can be a facilitator. That is all aid can be. Aid cannot solve our problems, I'm firmly convinced about that. But it can be catalytic. And if we fail to use it as catalytic, we would have failed.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: One of the reasons why China is a bit popular with Africans now -- one of the reasons -- is not only just that, you know, these people are stupid and China is coming to take resources. It's because there's a little more leverage in terms of the Chinese. If you tell them, "We need a road here," they will help you build it. Don't shy away from infrastructure. In fact, the Chinese minister of finance said to me, when I asked him what are we doing wrong in Nigeria. He said there are two things you need only: "Infrastructure, infrastructure, infrastructure. And discipline. You are undisciplined." And I repeat it for the continent. It's the same: we need infrastructure and discipline. So we can make aid catalytic to help us provide some of that. Now I realize ... I'm not saying, health and education: no. You can also provide that as well. But I'm saying it's not either or. Let's see how aid can be a facilitator, in partnership: one idea. Second thing, for the private sector: people are afraid to take risks on the continent. Why can't some of this aid be used as a kind of guarantee mechanisms, to enable people to take risk? >> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: And finally, because they are both standing at my ... I guess I'm out ... I'm out of time. Am I out of time? Okay, so let me not forget my punchline. One of the things I want everybody to collaborate on is to support women, to create jobs. A lot has been said here about women, I don't need to repeat it. But there are people, women, creating jobs. And we know, studies have shown that when you put resources in the hand of the woman, in fact, there's an econometric study, the World Bank Review done in 2000, showing that transfers into the hands of women result in healthier children, more for the household, more for the economy and all that. So I'm saying that one of the takeaways from here ... I'm not saying the men are not important. Obviously, if you leave the husbands out, what will they do? They'll come back home and get disgruntled, and it will result in difficulties we don't want. We don't want men beating their wives because they don't have a job, and so on.>> NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA: But at the margin, we also -- I want to push this -- because the reason is, the men automatically, they get ... not automatically, but they tend to get more support. But I want you to realize that resources in the hands of African women is a powerful tool. There are people creating jobs. Beatrice Gakuba has created 200 jobs from her flower business in Rwanda. We have Ibukun Awosika in Nigeria, with the furniture, the chair company. She wants to expand. She needs another 20 million. She will create another 100 to 200 more jobs. So take away from here is how are you going to put together the resources to put money in the hands of women in the middle who are ready: business people who want to expand and create more jobs. And, lastly, what are you going to do to be part of this partnership of aid, government, private sector, and the African as an individual? Thank you. >> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-jacqueline-novogratz-a-third-way-to-think-about-aid The debate over foreign aid often pits those who mistrust "charity" against those who mistrust reliance on the markets. Jacqueline Novogratz proposes a middle way she calls patient capital, with promising examples of entrepreneurial innovation driving social change. Fri, 22 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-jacqueline-novogratz-a-third-way-to-think-about-aid Patient capital, Jacqueline Novogratz, Pakistan, Drip irrigation, TED, Acumen Fund, Foreign Assistance, Economics, South Asia, IDE India >> TITLE: TED Partner Series presents TED@Slate>> TITLE: Remarkable people, unmissable talks, now free to the world>> TITLE: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading>> TITLE: TED@Slate: New Ideas for a Better World>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Clearly we're living in a moment of crisis. Arguably the financial markets have failed us and the aid system is failing us. And yet I stand firmly with the optimists who believe that there has probably never been a more exciting moment to be alive. >> TITLE: June, 2009. Washington DC>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Because of some of technologies we've been talking about. Because of the resources, the skills, and certainly the surge of talent we're seeing all around the world, with the mindset to create change. >> TITLE: Recorded at U.S. State Department>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: And we've got a president who sees himself as a global citizen, who recognizes that no longer is there a single superpower, but that we've got to engage in a different way with the world. And by definition, every one of you who is in this room must consider yourself a global soul, a global citizen. You work on the front lines. And you've seen the best and the worst that human beings can do for one another and to one another. And no matter what country you live or work in, you've also seen the extraordinary things that individuals are capable of, even in their most ordinariness.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Today there is a raging debate as to how best we lift people out of poverty, how best we release their energies. On the one hand, we have people that say the aid system is so broken we need to throw it out. And on the other we have people who say the problem is that we need more aid. And what I want to talk about is something that complements both systems. We call it patient capital.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: The critics point to the USD$500 billion spent in Africa since 1970 and say, "And what do we have but environmental degradation and incredible levels of poverty, rampant corruption?" They use Mobutu as metaphor. And their policy prescription is to make government more accountable, focus on the capital markets, invest, don't give anything away. On the other side, as I said, there are those who say the problem is that we need more money. That when it comes to the rich, we'll bail out and we'll hand a lot of aid. But when it comes to our poor brethren, we want little to do with it. They point to the successes of aid: the eradication of smallpox, and the distribution of tens of millions of malaria bed nets and antiretrovirals. Both sides are right. And the problem is that neither side is listening to the other. Even more problematic, they're not listening to poor people themselves.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: After 25 years of working on issues of poverty and innovation, it's true that there are probably no more market-oriented individuals on the planet than low-income people. They must navigate markets daily, making micro-decisions, dozens and dozens, to move their way through society. And yet if a single catastrophic health problem impacts their family, they could be put back into poverty, sometimes for generations. And so we need both the market and we need aid.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Patient capital works between, and tries to take the best of both. It's money that's invested in entrepreneurs who know their communities and are building solutions to healthcare, water, housing, alternative energy, thinking of low income people not as passive recipients of charity, but as individual customers, consumers, clients, people who want to make decisions in their own lives. Patient capital requires that we have incredible tolerance for risk, a long time horizon in terms of allowing those entrepreneurs time to experiment, to use the market as the best listening device that we have, and the expectation of below-market returns, but outsized social impact. It recognizes that the market has its limitation. And so patient capital also works with smart subsidy to extend the benefits of a global economy, to include all people.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Now entrepreneurs need patient capital for three reasons. First, they tend to work in markets where people make one, two, three dollars a day and they're making all of their decisions within that income level. Second, the geographies in which they work have terrible infrastructure. No roads to speak of, sporadic electricity, and high levels of corruption. And third, they are often creating markets. Even if you're bringing clean water for the first time into rural villages, it is something new. And so many low-income people have seen so many failed promises broken, and seen so many quacks and sporadic medicines offered to them, that building trust takes a lot of time, takes a lot of patience. It also requires being connected to a lot of management assistance. Not only to build the systems, the business models that allow us to reach low income people in a sustainable way, but to connect those business to other markets, to governments, to corporations -- real partnerships if we want to get to scale.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: I want to share one story about an innovation called drip irrigation. In 2002 I met this incredible entrepreneur named Amitabha Sadangi from India, who'd been working for 20 years with some of the poorest farmers on the planet. And he was expressing his frustration that the aid market had bypassed low-income farmers altogether, despite the fact that 200 million farmers alone in India make under a dollar a day. They were creating subsidies either for large farms, or they were giving inputs to the farmers that they thought they should use, rather than that the farmers wanted to use. At the same time Amitabha was obsessed with this drip-irrigation technology that had been invented in Israel. It was a way of bringing small amounts of water directly to the stalk of the plant. And it could transform swaths of desert land into fields of emerald green. >> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: But the market also had bypassed low-income farmers. Because these systems were both too expensive, and they were constructed for fields that were too large. The average small village farmer works on two acres or less. And so Amitabha decided that he would take that innovation and he would redesign it from the perspective of the poor farmers themselves. Because he spent so many years listening to what they needed not what he though that they should have. And he used three fundamental principles. The first one was miniaturization. The drip-irrigation system had to be small enough that a farmer only had to risk a quarter acre, even if he had two, because it was too frightening, given all that he had at stake. Second, it had to be extremely affordable. In other words, that risk on the quarter acre needed to be repaid in a single harvest, or else they wouldn't take the risk. And third, it had to be what Amitabha calls infinitely expandable. What I mean is with the profits from the first quarter acre, the farmers could buy a second, and a third, and a fourth.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: As of today, IDE India, Amitabha's organization has sold over 300,000 farmers these systems and has seen their yields and incomes double or triple, on average. But this didn't happen overnight. In fact, when you go back to the beginning, there were no private investors who would be willing to take a risk on building a new technology for a market class that made under a dollar a day, that were known to be some of the most risk-averse people on the planet, and that were working in one of the riskiest sectors, agriculture. And so we needed grants. And he used significant grants to research, to experiment, to fail, to innovate and try again. And when he had a prototype and had a better understanding of how to market to farmers, that's when patient capital could come in. And we helped him build a company, for profit, that would build on IDE's knowledge, and start looking at sales and exports, and be able to tap into other kinds of capital.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Secondarily, we wanted to see if we could export this drip irrigation and bring it into other countries. And so we met Dr. Sono Khangharani in Pakistan. And while, again, you needed patience to move a technology for the poor in India, into Pakistan, just to get the permits, over time we were able to start a company with Dr. Sono who runs a large community development organization in the Thar Desert, which is one of the remote and poorest areas of the country. And, though that company has just started, our assumption is that there too we'll see the impact on millions.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: But drip irrigation isn't the only innovation. We're starting to see these happening all around the world. In Arusha, Tanzania, A to Z Textile Manufacturing has worked in partnership with us, with UNICEF, with the Global Fund, to create a factory that now employs 7,000 people, mostly women. And they produce 20 million lifesaving bed nets for Africans around the world. LifeSpring Hospital is a joint venture between Acumen and the government of India to bring quality, affordable maternal health care to low-income women. And it's been so successful that it's currently building a new hospital every 35 days. And 1298 Ambulances decided that it was going to reinvent a completely broken industry, building an ambulance service in Bombay that would use the technology of Google Earth, a sliding-scale pricing system so that all people could have access, and a severe and public decision not to engage in any form of corruption. So that in the terrorist attacks of November they were the first responder, and are now beginning to scale, because of partnership. They've just won four government contracts to build up their 100 ambulances, and are one of the largest and most effective ambulance companies in India.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: This idea of scale is critical. Because we're starting to see these enterprises reach hundreds of thousands of people. All of the ones I discussed have reached at least a quarter million people. But that's obviously not enough. And it's where the idea of partnership becomes so important. Whether it's by finding those innovations that can access the capital markets, government itself, or partner with major corporations, there is unbelievable opportunity for innovation.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: President Obama understands that. He recently authorized the creation of a Social Innovation Fund to focus on what works in this country, and look at how we can scale it. And I would submit that it's time to consider a global innovation fund that would find these entrepreneurs around the world who really have innovations, not only for their country, but ones that we can use in the developed world as well. Invest financial assistance, but also management assistance. And then measure the returns, both from a financial perspective, and from a social impact perspective.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: When we think about new approaches to aid, it's impossible not to talk about Pakistan. We've had a rocky relationship with that country and, in all fairness, the United States has not always been a very reliable partner. But again I would say that this is our moment for extraordinary things to happen. And if we take that notion of a global innovation fund, we could use this time to invest not directly in government, though we would have government's blessing, nor in international experts, but in the many existing entrepreneurs and civil society leaders who already are building wonderful innovations that are reaching people all across the country.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: People like Rashani Zafar. Who created one of the largest microfinance banks in the country, and is a real role model for women inside and outside the country. And Tasneem Siddiqui who developed a way called incremental housing, where he's moved 40,000 slum dwellers into safe, affordable community housing. Educational initiatives like DIL and The Citizen Foundation that are building schools across the country. It's not hyperbole to say that these civil society institutions and these social entrepreneurs are building real alternatives to the Taliban. I've invested in Pakistan for over seven years now and those of you who've also worked there can attest that Pakistanis are an incredibly hard-working population. And there is a fierce upward mobility in their very nature.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: President Kennedy said that those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable. I would say that the converse is true. That these social leaders who really are looking at innovation and extending opportunity to the 70 percent of Pakistanis who make less than two dollars a day, provide real pathways to hope. And as we think about how we construct aid for Pakistan, while we need to strengthen the judiciary, build greater stability, we also need to think about lifting those leaders who can be role models for the rest of the world.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: On one of my last visits to Pakistan I asked Dr. Sono if he would take me to see some of the drip irrigation in the Thar Desert. And we left Karachi one morning before dawn. It was about 115 degrees. And we drove for eight hours along this moonscape-like landscape with very little color, lots of heat, very little discussion, because we were exhausted. And finally at the end of the journey I could see this thin little yellow line across the horizon. And as we got closer its significance became apparent. That there in the desert was a field of sunflowers growing seven feet tall. Because one of the poorest farmers on Earth had gotten access to a technology that had allowed him to change his own life. His name was Raja. And he had kind, twinkly hazel eyes, and warm expressive hands that reminded me of my father. And he said it was the first dry season in his entire life that he hadn't taken his 12 children and 50 grandchildren on a two-day journey across the desert to work as day laborers at a commercial farm for about 50 cents a day. Because he was building these crops. And with the money he earned he could stay this year. And for the first time ever in three generations, his children would go to school. We asked him if he would send his daughters as well as his sons. And he said, "Of course I will. Because I don't want them discriminated against anymore." >> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: When we think about solutions to poverty we cannot deny individuals their fundamental dignity. Because at the end of the day dignity is more important to the human spirit than wealth. And what's exciting is to see so many entrepreneurs across sectors who are building innovations that recognize that what people want is freedom and choice and opportunity. Because that is where dignity really starts. Martin Luther King said that love without power is anemic and sentimental. And that power without love is reckless and abusive. Our generation has seen both approaches tried, and often fail. But I think our generation also might be the first to have the courage to embrace both love and power. For that is what we'll need as we move forward to dream and imagine what it will really take to build a global economy that includes all of us. And to finally extend that fundamental proposition that all men are created equal, to every human being on the planet.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: The time for us to begin innovating and looking for new solutions, a cross sector is now. I can only talk from my own experience. But in eight years of running Acumen fund, I've seen the power of patient capital, not only to inspire innovation and risk taking, but to truly build systems that have created more than 25,000 jobs and delivered tens of millions of services and products to some of the poorest people on the planet. I know it works. But I know that many other kinds of innovation also work.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: And so I urge you, in whatever sector you work, in whatever job you do, to start thinking about how we might build solutions that start from the perspective of those we're trying to help. Rather than what we think that they might need. It will take embracing the world with both arms. And it will take living with the spirit of generosity and accountability, with a sense of integrity and perseverance. And yet these are the very qualities for which men and women have been honored throughout the generations. And there is so much good that we can do. Just think of all those sunflowers in the desert. Thank you. >> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/rising-voices-moving-forward After decades of conflict, the people of southern Sudan are rediscovering what it means to live in a time of peace. One of the most immediate benefits is wider access to education, but with limited resources and high demand, young people aren't always finding it easy to catch up on the years of school they missed. Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:42:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/rising-voices-moving-forward UNICEF, Sudan, Child-friendly school, Education, Africa, Southern Sudan, Foreign Assistance, Gender, Student, Politics of Southern Sudan >> TITLE: Rising Voices>> TITLE: Moving Forward>> VOICEOVER: Slowly, from the chaos of civil war, southern Sudan is emerging. This is Juba, the region's largest city, where hundreds of thousands of people are building new lives, safe to move around in their daily routines, to work, play, pray, and build a better life for themselves, their families, and their community. After a brutal conflict that pitted two regions in Sudan -- the north and south -- against each other, Juba is home to Christians, Muslims, and local religious beliefs. >> TITLE: Juba, Sudan>> VOICEOVER: The city is a magnet that attracts tens of thousands of people from southern Sudan to their homeland after years in exile. Children, the first generation to know peace for decades, are once again going to school.>> MARK MALUIL GARANG [Former child soldier]: School is really important. If you study, you can help your country. Not many people in our country are educated. You are lucky if you have boreholes in your area. This is why we need our people to be educated, so they can help our country, and so that my people do not suffer. The rest of the world is ahead. We have been left behind. With an education, we can help our country develop. >> BIAR BIAR [Student]: In the war, I don't like anything in the war. Because in war we don't have the development, we don't have the opportunity to do anything in war. Now, you can see, every child goes to school. In a time of war, no child goes to school. Now, we are bright. There are all children going to school. >> VOICEOVER: Five years into a regional peace accord, school enrollment in southern Sudan has increased rapidly from a wartime low of a few hundred thousand students to more than one and a half million, according to the latest estimates, helped by a go-to-school drive co-organized by the government of southern Sudan, UNICEF, and other development partners>> EDWARD KOKOLE [Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Government of Southern Sudan]: Those are huge challenges to overcome. They take a few years, as you can see by now. But we thank our partners UNICEF for some of the things we've realized. In terms of our enrollment rate, it's been raised, because an awareness campaign was launched all across Southern Sudan. Now, enrollment is picking up. That is one area we can see some success. The enrollment rate was so low. In 2005, the enrollment was about 22 percent, the least in the whole world. Illiteracy rate, the highest in the whole world: 85 percent for male, over 90 percent for female. >> VOICEOVER: Today, classes in southern Sudan's schools are crowded with children who want to learn, often 100 students to a class. The government's priorities are to train teachers and build schools. UNICEF is involved at the very start, helping lay the foundations for the region's recovery.>> CHARLES NABONGO [Acting Chief of Education, Southern Sudan Area Program]:UNICEF is addressing the entire ... setting up, supporting the entire education sector from primary to tertiary, establishing systems, not only looking at institutions for teacher training, for example, at the schools themselves, but also the policies. Over the next two years, there should be tremendous improvement. Get some children into school, and I think this is a tremendous achievement. A major issue is the girls. You don't find very many girls in schools. In some schools, you only find, especially in upper classes, just one girl out of 15. In some places, you don't even see any girls. >> VOICEOVER: UNICEF's goal for southern Sudan is a system of schools that are child-friendly. A child-friendly school provides an environment that is safe, healthy, and protective, has trained teachers, adequate resources, and appropriate physical, emotional, and social conditions for learning. A place, in short, where children's rights are guaranteed and their voices are heard. To that end, UNICEF is working with the government of southern Sudan.>> EDWARD KOKOLE: Southern Sudan has been at war for many years. We don't say 20 years; we can go back to independence. For more than 50 years, there was no peace, people never had any rest. So all that half a century is so enormous that the education system was completely destroyed. To rebuild that, I don't think four years are enough for us to do something on that system. Many teachers were killed. Schools were demolished and destroyed. But we are thankful to the international community that they also join hands with us, and were able to double our efforts. At least something has been done, but the challenges are enormous>> VOICEOVER: Mark Maluil Garang is 19 years old. When he was 11, he was separated from his family and hasn't seen them for eight years. Like thousands of other displaced boys in Sudan, he became a child soldier. >> MARK MALUIL GARANG: At that time, my parents were at home. We were herding goats to a waterhole. Then, fighting broke out. Everyone ran away in different directions. I ran away, and I never went back. I met with others fleeing the fighting, and we teamed up. >> VOICEOVER: While on the run, Mark was helped by members of his tribe, the Dinka.>> MARK MALUIL GARANG: In my country, when you find older people, they teach and discipline the young. In times of war, we all know that children are displaced, and a child may be fed and clothed by strangers. This is a war situation. I met somebody in El-Obeid. He sent me to school along with his own children. He fed and housed me, but I had to earn my keep. I had to work to earn money, so I shined shoes. When school fees were due, I saved my money for this, so I could pay all the fees by myself. I studied primary year six in 2007, but I left that school without completing the year. Then I came to Juba in 2007 and resumed primary year six. In 2008, I started primary year seven. I had nobody to help me with funds. >> VOICEOVER: He left the army after three years and says he came to Juba by trading cans of stolen diesel to a boat operator for his passage. He wanted to complete his education. Mark lives on his own in a house he built himself from corrugated iron. >> MARK MALUIL GARANG: I didn't want to be in the army. Some of the other child soldiers had relatives who were senior people in the army, and so they managed to be released to go to school. I didn't have that, and so I could see my situation was hopeless.>> VOICEOVER: Mark attends Buluk A Basic School. UNICEF supports the school. In another country, Mark might be at university or working. Here, he is at primary level, one of more than a million students who missed out on education in the war, when schools were closed. Now, they're making up for lost time. Some of his schoolmates are in their twenties. All are learning English, a new government policy to stretch children beyond their local Arabic dialect and introduce English as the official language.>> MARK MALUIL GARANG: If I complete all my schooling, then, depending on the subjects I will have chosen, I could become anything, perhaps a doctor, but we are at elementary level, so we haven't chosen yet. >> BIAR BIAR: In Southern Sudan, I want to change the suffering of our people during war. I don't need our people to be suffering again and being killed in the war, and I need also to develop our country to look like other countries like America. That is what I need to want to develop. I'd like to get enough education. Our children here, I need them to get enough education and make everything here in Juba, like roads, houses, classes, and hospitals. We need to build a lot of services and what everything here in Juba.>> VOICEOVER: Buluk A Basic School is state-run. It is supposed to be free to all students, but the government is overwhelmed by demands for public services and payroll bureaucracy. It hasn't yet managed to make good on a peacetime promise to end fees. Mark works in a small shop to pay his way.>> MARK MALUIL GARANG: I was able to speak to my father on the phone. He said to me, "That is how life is." He sent me his picture. He has become older in nine years, but he has not aged too much.>> VOICEOVER: Mark's school is not yet a child-friendly school, but UNICEF is working with the government of southern Sudan to make it so. Compared with another school on the same grounds, there are small, but noticeable improvements. Already, it has better classrooms. A security fence has been built. Separate toilets for boys and girls, though looters are a persistent problem, and a system is needed to keep the toilets and grounds clean. The school lacks running water, has no garbage pick-up service, so students pitch in. Students at Mark's school have exercise books. Many other schools, though, still rely on rote learning to teach large numbers of children, few of whom have paper or pencils. Edward Kokole has seen a full-fledged, UNICEF-sponsored, child-friendly school in Malakal, also in southern Sudan. He believes the model is what southern Sudan's children need and deserve: a giant step up, in some cases, from what they are getting. >> EDWARD KOKOLE: It's a very nice concept of child-friendly schools. Some of the schools have no latrines, no water. Children, you can see them squatting outside, in the open. The area is so smelly, it's very filthy. But when we went to a school supported by UNICEF, fenced nicely, with water, taps, tanks put up, nice kitchen, and a store for the food and breakfast for the children, you can see latrines for the girls and boys, with water put around those toilets, with soaps. You see the environment, the love between the children and the teachers. It was so wonderful. We are coping, but of course, by diluting the system and the quality of this education, because learning facilities are so limited, like the schools. But, at this time, children are crying for teachers to come and teach them, but teachers are not there to come and teach them. This is the challenge going on for our modern children. >> VOICEOVER: That's partly because some teachers have not been paid for months. Morale and motivation are often low, and made worse by the inability of many to teach in English. Good teachers, though, want the best for children. In Juba, their wish lists sound remarkably like some of UNICEF's own descriptions of a child-friendly school. This science and social studies teacher, Taban Zecheriah, is 22. He started teaching after his parents died, and he had no money to continue his university studies. He has no formal training.>> TABAN ZECHERIAH [Teacher]: I need all the teachers and we who are teaching there the students, at least let's try to train our children and to wake them up with a good spirit, with a way of understanding, not by way of misunderstanding them, by not even beating them. We may just write a letter that we send to the parents of the child, either we suspend the child for five days or maybe one week. Then, from there, he will be applied back to school by the parents, and things will be solved. >> VOICEOVER: Ester Ladu reports to work unpaid because, she asks, "Who will teach the children if I don't?" She hasn't heard of the phrase "child-friendly school," but when a UNICEF member of staff explains the concept to her, she likes it very much.>> ESTER SIAMA LADU [Teacher]: In my opinion, this is good. Such schools would work very well. For example, if they drill boreholes in schools, then the pupils will have access to free water, because at present, we need to buy water from a truck. When the food is ready, pupils cannot wash their hands. With a borehole, we will have fewer infections and diseases. I always tell the children to wash their hands before food. They listen to me, but there is no water to use. What are they supposed to wash with? The way I see it, these kids are not learning enough. There are many reasons why their studies are suffering. A crowded classroom means very few of them learn, and only the teachers have textbooks, so we write notes on the blackboard for the pupils to copy. The pupils should all have textbooks, so even if they copy notes, they can still read the book. Sometimes, pupils do not attend, but if they had a textbook, they could still learn at home. >> EDWARD KOKOLE: Now, when peace came people were expecting now education to be provided to them free of charge, to be their peace dividend. They wanted to get everything from the government, exercise books, stationeries, even a uniform, they wanted the government to provide. So it took us time to sensitize them to understand that, to have quality education you need a contribution from the community.>> VOICEOVER: It's hard to involve community in a school where so many students have lost one or both parents to war and other hardships. In spite of the many challenges they face, students themselves are optimistic. This young man has recurring attacks of malaria and often is too sick to come to school. >> BIAR BIAR: I talk about the war to our classmates; I said we can struggle to come to school every day. If we struggle and get enough education, we can share ourselves and help our community to develop our country.>> VOICEOVER: One unexpected benefit to emerge from war: girls are realizing how important it is to study, now more than ever. Some long-held attitudes are starting to change. Girls' enrollment in southern Sudan's schools today is 37 percent of the 1.5 million students registered. For these girls, education is a clear peace dividend.>> REGINA YENO [Student]: Girls these days, when they reach 15 or more, they see no benefit in further education. They see themselves as grown up and think only of being a wife. School is important because, if I study, in the future, if I am educated and become somebody, then I shall be able to support my younger siblings. >> JOY MATIA [Student]: I want to be educated, to become somebody in the future, because with no education, you get no support from anyone. And if you are educated, it helps you build a future. So many girls end up married. They have no one to support them, so they marry. I shall wait until I am 37 years old before I marry. >> MARY ASUNTA [Student]: I am hoping, when I finish school, to get work. I want to work as a pilot.>> VOICEOVER: Every year in Sudan, some 26,000 women die during childbirth. The hope is that education of girls will help reduce this figure.>> TAZAINWAN AIYA [Student]: My parents are urging me to stay in school. They say that, in the future, I can help them just as if I were a boy. There's no difference. >> VOICEOVER: In a region where everyone of school age and older knows the trauma of sustained conflict, schools in southern Sudan are where children of different ethnic backgrounds and beliefs are learning to live alongside one another -- one of the best guarantees that students at Buluk A Basic School can think of for long-term peace and recovery.>> MARK MALUIL GARANG: If I were president, I would help the needy. For example, here in the Konyo-Konyo market area, there are many street kids who are the country's future. I want to house and educate them, to develop Sudan, and help those without parents and other needy people. An education would help them to develop the country. As president, I would not discriminate against anyone. I would help in these ways if I became somebody big. >> VOICEOVER: In southern Sudan, education is the key to moving the next generation forward.>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mali-small-loans-big-impact For people living in the remote Malian town of Yebe, the village bank cooperative has opened up new opportunities. With a microfinance loan of only 30 euros, Mama Coulibaly was able to buy a sack of corn and turn a profit. Now, she runs a small shop and is the only person in her village with a television. Will microfinance prove to be the anchor that keeps young Africans at home, with a bright future? Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:15:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mali-small-loans-big-impact Microfinance, Mali, Microcredit, Loan, Africa, West Africa, Small business, Bank, Djenné, Bamako >> VOICEOVER: Sun, sand and relaxation. The Canary Islands are a popular travel destination for wealthy holidaymakers from Europe. Just a short distance away from Africa, and yet worlds apart. Every year thousands of people try to reach this paradise in the sun. Every day young men from the heart of Africa embark on a murderous journey to Europe. Dozens crowd together in tiny boats that are hardly seaworthy. Without food or water, they risk their lives setting out into an unpredictable Atlantic Ocean. It is their hope for a better future that makes them tempt their fate in this way. >> TITLE: Mama Coulibaly >> TITLE: Small loans, big impact >> VOICEOVER: Many young men come from West Africa, from villages like this one. We are in Yebe, a small village in Mali, south of the Sahara. The old clay mosques are the only reminder of the former kingdom. This is where the Bambara tribe live, the people who once ruled West Africa. The people here are farmers. When there is enough rain they grow corn, rice and millet. The whole village is dependent on the harvest, just like Mama Coulibaly, a local trader. She sells the wheat from Yebe in the surrounding cities and brings back some revenue to her impoverished village. >> MAMA COULIBALY [Trader]: During the drought two years ago there was no rice. We had to survive with very little corn. We couldn't even afford soap. Even this year we still have to buy extra rice for our village, but the prices are rising. Everything is in short supply. That's why many of our boys and men go to Europe. In times like these we must look out that we don't starve. >> VOICEOVER: And yet Mama Coulibaly and the people in Yebe are relatively well off in comparison to other villages. There is only one reason for this: eight years ago development workers came to visit their remote village, which had no electricity or water. These aid workers helped the villagers to build up their own special savings and lending bank. Financial expert Kunibar Darré regularly comes to Yebe to advise people about savings and loans. He keeps to the old rituals, first visiting the village elder before inviting everyone to a general meeting. >> GRIJO: Friends from a white TV station have come and would like to talk to you. That's why we have called for a village meeting today. Everybody is to come to the assembly square after the lunchtime prayer. The council of the elders and all men and women should come to talk about their experiences with our village bank. >> VOICEOVER: Today Mama Coulibaly is also invited. This is unusual, because according to the tradition of the Bamara, only the eldest men have the power to make decisions. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: Good day, inhabitants of Yebe. Our friends form Europe want to know what we have achieved with European help. How have you used this help and what have you been able to do with it. To show our friends that we need their support, we will talk about whether our new bank has helped you to live better lives. Men and women, please tell them freely what you would like to say, tell them your concerns. >> DAR: The white people came to us and suggested that we build a village bank. They didn't give us any money, but they explained to us how to build up a cooperative and that everybody must pay in some money and everyone gets a savings account. That's how it started. We saved a lot and gave out many credits. The neighboring villages then also joined us. It works well, we are happy with it. That's why we hope that this kind of support will continue. Now this woman may speak. >> MAMA COULIBALY: With the loan I received from the bank I worked very hard and I made a good profit. I was able to pay back the money very soon and I got another loan. My business improved a lot this way. It was a big success for me, it was a really good deal. We always paid our loans back on time. I always managed to pay it back. I am very grateful that we have this bank. >> VOICEOVER: Over 80,000 families in the whole of Mali have received small loans. More than half of these loans went to women, because most of the men have long left the villages in the desert. The women here have always traditionally loaned each other money. Although the oldest men in the village have all the power, it is mostly women who work in agriculture and are involved in trading. They are used to making a lot happen, with very little money. >> VOICEOVER: Mama Coulibaly received the equivalent of only 30 euros for her first loan. She used the money to buy a sack of corn and a sack of millet. She took the grain to the market of the provincial capital Djenne and this is how she earned her first 25 euros. Today with her small shop Mama Coulibaly supplies the people in her village with the foodstuffs that they cannot grow themselves. The profit she has made has enabled her to be the first person in her village to buy a television set. Everyone who wants to watch her television has to pay a little, so that she can buy fuel for the generator that powers it. Here too, Mama Coulibaly, a businesswoman through and through, makes a little profit. Mama Coulibaly is about 40 years old. She is the mother of seven children aged 13-24. After her first husband died, she was married to his younger brother in keeping with tradition. But he is not very present in her life. She earns her own living and her children help her with the housework. Mama cannot read or write, but she makes sure that her daughters attend school. >> MAMA COULIBALY: Come on, come on. Hurry up, you must get to school on time. >> VOICEOVER: Only about half the residents of Yebe send their children to the French-speaking school. Books and school supplies have to be paid for by the parents and for many families it is more important that their children work, especially the girls. Mama Coulibaly's daughter is the only girl in the afternoon classes. After finishing school she can even go on to study; her mother will do everything to give her the opportunities she never had. >> MAMA COULIBALY: I believe that only women should receive small loans. Here in Yebe it is basically only the women who work. They can do something with the money. And if you help the women, then you help everyone, especially the children. We don't really have anything here. We need money to trade food and we need loans to help ourselves. >> VOICEOVER: Friday is savings day in Yebe. It's the only day the village bank is open. Experts from Germany taught the cashiers of the village bank basic accounting. It was a big problem to find the right people, as hardly anyone here can read or write. Surprisingly the Europeans never brought cash here but they brought their know-how and advice. Today the administration of the village bank works well in Yebe. The chairmen of the bank are the village elders, a sign of respect to African tradition. >> VOICEOVER: Yakuba is the head of the bank. He checks who has paid back their credit on time and decides whether there are enough savings to warrant new loans. The bank regularly counts the money and works out how much it can afford to loan to people. This month Yakuba has noticed that it is far less than they expected. Savings have shrunk a lot recently. Loans are being repaid very slowly these days. It is not that people are lazy or don't want to pay back their loans, it is the continuing drought which is ruining their business. The harvest was meager and people need their money to buy extra food. The interest rates are relatively high at over 20 percent. But they are necessary for the bank to continue to operate. Nobody in Yebe has any securities to offer and everyone needs their loans immediately. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: Microfinance in Mali means self-governed village banks. They give out small loans. This is something the banks in the cities don't do because it is hardly worth it for them and the people in the countryside have no securities to offer. The idea behind microfinancing is to give those people small loans who would never stand a chance of getting one from a normal bank. >> VOICEOVER: To receive a loan from the village bank applicants don't need a big house or property or even cash as a guarantee. But they do have to join the cooperative, like Mama Coulibaly did. >> MAMA COULIBALY: Good morning, did you sleep well and your family? I am here because of the loan I asked for. I would like to know if you will loan me the money? >> SPARKASSE [Bank Worker]: Mama, I'm afraid that as far as I can see right now, we do not have enough money for your loan. Not enough people have paid money in, we are short of cash. But Yakuba can tell you exactly what the situation is, he is the head of the committee. >> YAKUBA [Committee Chief]: Mama, as you see we are all sitting here because we don't have enough money. Many people have come here to get a loan, but nobody has received one. I have checked the books and as much as I would like to do it, it is impossible to loan money right now. >> BANK WORKER: I know, Mama, you are one of the best members of our cooperative. You always pay your debts on time. That alone makes you eligible for a loan from us, but only when we have enough money. It is hard for us to not be able to help you, we are sorry. Have a little patience. >> MAMA COULIBALY: Thank you for your frank words. But God will help us, I wish you all a good day. I hope that things will improve soon and that we will soon be able to get loans again. >> YAKUBA: This bank has opened up opportunities for us which were unthinkable eight years ago. At the moment we can't give out any new loans but when the harvest is poor then people can at least buy food because they have some money left. >> VOICEOVER: Kunibar Darré, the microfinance expert from the German-Malian Development cooperation still controls and consults the village banks regularly. To gather all the heads of the village banks once a year he uses the radio – also a former development aid project. >> MAN: We interrupt our music program for an important message from the villlage bank. Kunibar Darré is with us. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: This is Kunibar Darré with an important message for the heads of the village banks. On Sunday at 8 o´clock there is a general assembly in Djenne in the office of the microfinance cooperative for all the heads of the village banks. I would like you all to personally attend the meeting and in particular it is important that Jakuba Traoré, head of the village bank in Yebe should attend Sunday's meeting. >> VOICEOVER: Sunday in Djenne. Many people have gathered in front of the mosque. The state president has announced his visit to the cultural capital on the Niger Delta. All the tribes in the region will play their music and perform their dances. Most of the heads of the village banks are also the oldest in the village or well-respected hunters. The respect for African traditions plays an important role in the success of the village banks. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: Welcome to our meeting. I am happy to see you all. We want to talk about the future of our banks today and about our experiences with microfinancing, especially in this year where the harvest was so bad. >> MAN: Yes, it really isn't easy at the moment. But now that the banks have been set up and they work, we must continue. We need your support and it is good that we can have this exchange of ideas. >> VOICEOVER: It's not just village elders who run the banks. Some younger men have also reached these desirable positions. In return they had to promise to keep living in their villages. Kunibar wants more villages to start up banks. As always he must first ask the council of elders for their permission to present his ideas and his suggestions. Only then can he start to promote his ideas. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: Hello, good day, have you ever heard anything about the banking cooperatives and the microcredits? >> WOMAN: Yes. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: Do you really know the advantages they have and how they work? >> WOMAN: No, we don't really know much about them. But we do know that Mama Coulibaly has done very well with them. >> KUNIBAR DARRE: I can explain to you how these banks work, but for such a bank to be successful many of you have to become members. I should come back to this village another time and then we should all meet up in the village center. Hello, I am from Djenne and my name is Kunibar. >> MAN: And what is your surname? >> KUNIBAR DARRE: Darre. >> MAN: Hey, that means lion hunter, doesn't it? Don't try to hunt wild animals here. >> VOICEOVER: Until recently many people in the village worked as seasonal workers in the cocoa plantations of the neighboring country, Ivory Coast. It brought much needed income to this region. But the war in Ivory Coast has forced many people to return home -- people like Lamine Traore. >> LAMINE TRAORE: When the war started I stayed at home, because the military ordered us not to go out. But when things calmed down we fled and we tried to return to Mali via Ghana. We managed to get through in the end and that's how we came back here to our village. >> VOICEOVER: Lamine was only able to bring part of his family with him. His wife and his youngest children still live in Ivory Coast. He wants to build up a new life for them here. >> LAMINE TRAORE: I don't want to go to Europe like so many others. I just want to stay here to live my life in peace. I will try to build up a new existence. I would most like to stay here on the land, because this is where I am at home. >> VOICEOVER: This is difficult, as there is hardly any work for men here. Even in Yebe many people are still dependent on the money that their relatives send back from Europe. The head of the village bank, Yakuba Traore, the father of 15 children and husband of three wives, has not taken out a loan from his bank. Instead he is counting on the generosity of his two eldest sons who have both gone to Europe to find work. >> YAKUBA: We don't regret that they live and work there because they regularly send us money to support us. There is no real work for young men here anyway. If I were rich my sons would not have to emigrate to Europe. Then we could perhaps build up something here. But it's simply a question of money. I may have three wives but other than that I am a poor man. >> VOICEOVER: Mama Coulibaly won't let her children move to Europe. Her sons and daughters live in the countryside and the youngest are all doing some kind of vocational training. >> MAMA COULIBALY: Hey Mussa, let us help you. Those sacks are really heavy. But if you insist then carry them alone. >> VOICEOVER: Monday is Mama's hardest working day. That's when she drives to the provincial capital Djenne, to sell grain from her village at the market. She gets up at six o´clock. She travels for three hours by ox-drawn cart. >> MAMA COULIBALY: There are days where I am totally worn out, because I think of my mother who suffered more from poverty than I ever have. Now I try to help her. One sees this very clearly with the whites, when they are doing well they are very happy, but one must have patience. Many young people have left to find work somewhere else. That's not good. If God made you to make something of your life here, then nobody should change that. But it would be better if more women like me received help. It really is my wish that many more women manage to do the same as me and that we are successful. Hello Yakuba, what are you doing here already. >> VOICEOVER: Mama has not had a market stall for a long time. She sells her wheat directly to traders in Bamako, the capital of Mali. >> MAMA COULIBALY: Give me all the money. I won't confuse who gets how much. >> VOICEOVER: 56,000 CFA is how much Mama gets for her grain. Now Mama is buying goods and produce for her shop. Goods that are not available in Yebe. >> MAMA COULIBALY: Do you have canned tomatoes? How much do you want for them? What? 2,000 CFA? That's too expensive. How much is this garlic? 100 CFA? I'll take it. >> VOICEOVER: This is how Mama Coulibaly plays her part in Africa's domestic trading. She supplies the people in Yebe and Bamako. The village eldest, Yakuba, is in Djenne today. But he is not doing business, he is at the bank trying to get the money from his two sons who live illegally in Spain. He is totally dependent on their generosity. But this does not affect his status or his reputation as a man. He does not have to work for his money and can still support his family. With the youngest of his wives he is expecting his sixteenth child. Like these young men Yakuba's sons have made their way to Europe. All the way through the Sahara desert, via the nomadic cities like Gao via Algeria or Morocco. Often people travel for weeks in pick-ups until they get to the Algerian coast. Like this man. >> MAN: We come from Segu in Mali and are trying to get to Morocco. We leave our country because it is simply too poor. There is no work and no future. The journey is hard, we have to earn money first in Algeria to get into Morocco. Everyone knows that the border between Morocco and Algeria is closed and still we take on the risk of trying to get across the fence. The number of people who die each year is much higher than those who make it across to Europe. I know because I have tried it once and was caught. And still I will try again. It is my last chance. >> VOICEOVER: Is Europe really the only chance for Africa's young men? As Mama Coulibaly's success story shows, microfinancing offers young Africans the biggest chance in a long time to build a future for themselves at home. Small loans, initiative and hard work could spare many people the murderous path through the Sahara desert and across the ocean to Europe. >> TITLE: [End credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/new-zealand-pacific-guest-workers <p>While most industrialized nations are trying to prevent economic migrants from crossing their borders, New Zealand has quietly opened its door to thousands of seasonal guest workers from five Pacific Island nations. Not only are Kiwi businesses happy to have the extra labor, but also worker remittances go directly to where they're needed most: poor villages on islands such as Vanuatu and Tonga.</p> Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/new-zealand-pacific-guest-workers Vanuatu, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Guest workers, Farmworker, Foreign worker, Migrant worker, Australia, Emigration, Fruit picking >> TITLE: Pacific Guest Workers >> VOICEOVER: The Pacific Dawn slides into Vanuatu's Port Vila harbor. Onboard are 2,000 mainly Australian passengers. Local traders frantically prepare for the onslaught. The visitors will spend AUD$400,000 dollars in just eight hours in port. But there's one hard economic reality: despite this weekly splash of cash by the cruise ships, Vanuatu cannot survive on tourism alone. A couple of years ago, an international survey declared Vanuatu to be the happiest place on earth -- and while it may be so, when you move away from the cruise ships and all the tourist trinkets here, you find a very different country. By western standards, Vanuatu and many other South Pacific island states are nations in poverty. Here, only one in five people have access to electricity. If you want basic healthcare or any form of education, you have to pay for it. And, like many other countries in this region, people living in the outer islands and villages are being drawn to the city in search of work to pay for these services. The only problem is there are no jobs to be had. Twenty-seven-year-old Rene Nimisa is acutely aware that he lives in a world of haves and have-nots. Like thousands of others, Rene can't find steady work. Up in the hills in the shanty settlements behind town, he takes us to his family compound. >> INTERVIEWER: How many people live here? >> RENE NIMISA: I think 20. >> VOICEOVER: A decade ago his parents sent him here from his home island of Tanna, investing the family savings so he could finish high school, get a job, and support his clan. His wife Gloria works six days a week serving tourists in a cafe. >> GLORIA NIMISA: It's too hard ... it's too expensive to live here. >> VOICEOVER: They can't even afford to keep the family together. One of their two daughters lives with grandparents back on Tanna. Rene wants more than this for his family, but there's never enough money. >> RENE NIMISA: This is my house. >> VOICEOVER: But now there's hope. For first time in his life, the chance of a real job. Rene has been offered seasonal work picking fruit as part of a new guest worker scheme in New Zealand. He doesn't understand the details, but hopes for the best. >> RENE NIMISA: I won't feel good. I'll feel sad. But I have to go -- it's work. We need the money, and when the children grow up they'll need clothing, education, and food. The money will help. >> SIGN: Maximillions >> VOICEOVER: At the local club and casino, the guest workers anxiously await a briefing. >> DICK EADE [Labor Contractor]: Okay, well welcome everybody. Nice to see you all here. We'll have a roll call ... >> VOICEOVER: Kiwi expatriate Dick Eade is a contractor, hiring teams for New Zealand's bold experiment in labor mobility. >> DICK EADE: So I'm going to speak to you in English today, because when you get down there, everybody will speak English. The tax on NZD$750 ... >> VOICEOVER: Taxation, rent, fund transfers, even New Zealand's cold weather -- there's a bewildering amount of information to absorb. The men also learn that they're making history. Facing chronic labor shortages, last year New Zealand took 400 Pacific islanders in a trial scheme called the Recognized Seasonal Employer program, or RSE. It's been such a huge success that this year, 5,000 workers from here, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga, the Solomons, and Samoa are all headed to the "Slice of Heaven". They can stay for seven months a year and will be paid the award rate of NZD$12 an hour -- the same as a New Zealand casual laborer. For these men, it's a fortune. >> DICK EADE: NZD$12 an hour in New Zealand is 900 vatu [VUV] here. Now 900 vatu is one day's pay here, minimum. So they're earning in one hour what they would earn in one day here. >> VOICEOVER: The beauty of this scheme is that remittances go directly to the villagers, bypassing the region's notoriously corrupt and incompetent governments. Lionel Kaluat is Vanuatu's Labor Commissioner. Without a guest worker scheme, he sees a bleak future. He's watched the civil unrest in neighboring Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, and worries that expectations of the younger generation will not be met. Already, 10,000 high school students graduate every year, with high hopes but little chance of employment. Eight hundred Ni-Vanuatu are now working in New Zealand, but he wants to send 5,000 abroad. >> INTERVIEWER: Is this, in one sense, a substitute for foreign aid? >> LIONEL KALUAT [Labor Commissioner, Vanuatu]: Definitely. It's going to become the second biggest income earner for foreign income for Vanuatu. If we grow this seasonal worker [program] to an extent where we get up to 5,000 workers, you're looking at probably leading the table in the foreign income exchange, apart from the tourism. >> SIGN: Short flight to the bright lights: fly to Brisbane and beyond with Pacific Blue >> VOICEOVER: Soon, workers may also be heading for the bright lights of Australia. For decades, the idea of Pacific guest workers has been taboo in Canberra due to fears of illegal overstayers and the creation of a permanent underclass. But now the new Australian Government is closely examining the New Zealand model. While Rene and the other laborers ultimately dream of working in Australia, they're wary of the past. This is a culture with a rich oral tradition, and everyone knows the story of when the white man first came from Australia. Arriving not as tourists, but as kidnappers -- the so-called "blackbirders". From the 1860s, more than 60,000 islanders were taken to cut sugarcane in Queensland. The elders remind Rene that some went willingly, but others were forced to leave at gunpoint. >> ELDER: When the elders went out fishing at night with a torch, they came ashore in a small boat and grabbed them. They were yelling out, but they were already taken to the ship. >> RENE NIMISA: Can we trust the white man now, that they won't do what they did before? >> ELDER: I hope the white man will pay you well and look after you, and then you come back here with money and you help your home and island. >> VOICEOVER: The big day has arrived: it's time for Dick Eade's team to leave for New Zealand. >> DICK EADE: There's a lot of joking business going on. I get called a blackbirder, which I deny and say I'm not, I'm a white birder. >> VOICEOVER: For Rene, the excitement is tinged with sadness. He'll be away for seven months before returning to carve out his little slice of heaven for his family. Pacific Islanders and Asians have been working in small ad hoc programs in New Zealand for 30 years, many illegally. What's changed drastically is the scale and organization of this scheme. >> SIGN: Welcome to NZ our Vanuatu orchard staff >> CLIVE EXELBY [Fruit Packing Manager]: How are you? Welcome to New Zealand. We welcome you even though you wear an Aussie shirt! >> VOICEOVER: Now in New Zealand there's a big emphasis on what's called "pastoral care." And that's the job of Clive Exelby, manager of Aongatete Coolstores, a company specializing in picking and packing kiwi fruit. >> CLIVE EXELBY: From the moment that they land in New Zealand we have to make sure -- we don't have to necessarily pay for, or provide for everything -- but we have to make sure that every need is taken care of. >> VOICEOVER: There's a quick introduction to New Zealand's culinary delights, then a drive to the small township of Katikati, on the North Island's "Bay of Plenty". Home for the next seven months will be this caravan park. The workers get their first hard lesson in the user-pays economy. >> CLIVE EXELBY: This is a shower with a NZD$2 slot for the water that you'll get. Nice warm water. Alternative? Just over here there's a cold stream. You can swim in the cold stream if you want to. Not for me, but you might like it. >> VOICEOVER: And there will be other costs: the men will have to repay half of their airfare, and fork out for power, food, and lodgings. >> CLIVE EXELBY: There are six vans that you will occupy and you know which three are going in this van, three in the next one. You only have one key, one chance ... >> VOICEOVER: The vans are small, and will be extremely cold in the New Zealand winter, but there are no complaints from Rene. >> RENE NIMISA: Are there devil spirits here? No devil here? >> MAN: No devil here. >> INTERVIEWER: What do you think? >> RENE NIMISA: Very good, very good. >> CLIVE EXELBY: We are audited on accommodation. New Zealand immigration people will come to make sure that we've complied, we're providing suitable accommodation for these people. It also means that we have to provide transport to and from the workplace, and ability to get to cultural activities: taking them to church on Sundays, all those types of things. >> VOICEOVER: Clive Exelby takes his pastoral duties seriously. It turns out he's a former pastor of this evangelical church. But his team also has a few surprises. Of the 16 men, three are also Christian pastors. They've discreetly signed on as laborers to check out the scheme before recommending it to their congregations back home. While most of the team get in the spirit of things, Rene's not so sure. Monday morning, and it's down to business: the gentle art of picking kiwi fruit. New Zealand horticulture depends on 40,000 seasonal workers each year. Finding staff was a near-impossible task: extremely low unemployment, unreliable backpacker labor, and a steady exodus of New Zealanders to Australia. The Pacific RSE scheme, says Clive Exelby, was born out of necessity. >> CLIVE EXELBY: The alternatives aren't worth bearing or even thinking about. If you can't pack the fruit, what are you going to do? You can't get the work done. I mean, the grower's losing, we as a company are going to lose, and New Zealand as a country would lose a tremendous amount of money. >> VOICEOVER: Across the Tasman in Australia, labor shortages are costing fruit and vegetable producers AUD$700 million a year in lost productivity. >> WOMAN: So, in here, you could probably pick two fruit at once, like that. >> VOICEOVER: But here, the horticultural industry now has ambitious plans to nearly double production over the next five years, all on the back of the RSE scheme. >> CLIVE EXELBY: There is 25,000 people in the Pacific alone who could come onto the workplace, both men and women, at any time, and so our 5,000 are just really scraping the surface, you know? >> VOICEOVER: One of the strongest arguments against guest worker schemes around the world is the contentious issue of illegal overstayers. New Zealand's solution? Laborers are the employer's responsibility, the logic being that a happy, well-paid guest worker is more likely to play by the rules and go home at the end of the contract. >> CLIVE EXELBY: So after their seven-month period here, we have to guarantee that they hop on the plane and go home. Otherwise we will have to pay New Zealand immigration up to $3,000 per person for them to find them in New Zealand and to put them out of the country. >> VOICEOVER: Still, there have been problems. On the streets of Auckland we join Melino Maka of the Tongan Advisory Council. He says most of the 50,000 Tongans in New Zealand live around here in the southern suburbs of Auckland. There are now also several hundred Tongan RSE guest workers in the country. Tonight, he's looking for one who's quit his job and is now wanted by the authorities. >> MELINO MAKA [New Zealand Tongan Advisory Council]: I said think about your family and what is best for you. Organize yourself to go back home before they deport you. Once they pick you up, you know, you're gone. >> VOICEOVER: We find Saia 'Aholelei living in the garage of a suburban home. He claims he was hired under false pretences by another kiwi fruit company, brought in at the end of the picking season and only paid for the few days worked each week. >> MELINO MAKA: By the time they take all their expenses sometimes it's less than a hundred, sometimes you get two hundred. Plus their living conditions were smaller than this for five of them, and they pay $1,000 a fortnight. >> REPORTER: A thousand a fortnight? >> MELINO MAKA: Yes, for a room about same or smaller than this, for five of them living in it. >> VOICEOVER: Saia 'Aholelei refuses to leave, but if immigration find him, he risks being deported and never being allowed back into the country. Another team of disillusioned Tongan workers has already quit and gone home. It's a fine line between opportunity and exploitation. Even the Tongans admit that Vanuatu has done a much better job at hiring workers. Back in Vanuatu, recruiter Dick Eade is on his way to check up on one of his successes. >> DICK EADE: Hey Johnny! Welcome back, good to see you. >> VOICEOVER: Johnny Taleo is just back from four months of strawberry picking near Auckland. He's returned with NZD$6,000, the equivalent of three years' wages in Vanuatu. That's if he could ever find a job. >> JOHNNY TALEO [RSE Worker]: This I built with the money from New Zealand when I came back, yes. And, let's see, material, I just got it again for extension of my house. >> DICK EADE: On the other end, >> JOHNNY TALEO: The other end, yes. I got the cement, I got the timber here, already got some iron roofs, here. >> DICK EADE: So this is the house that strawberries built? >> JOHNNY TALEO: Yeah, that's the house that strawberries build. Yeah, all my house strawberries. >> VOICEOVER: Here it's difficult to see any losers with this scheme. The results for these villagers are tangible. >> DICK EADE: It's like the ripples in the pond. It's that one guy that I'm sending, but he's influencing or having an effect on a whole ring of people like the ripples in a pond. Maybe one person is having an effect on 10 or 20 people back here, and it's good to see. >> VOICEOVER: Over the decades, Australian and New Zealand officials have poured billions of aid dollars into the troubled Pacific region, often with questionable results. Perhaps this simple labor program may finally provide a true course to that elusive "Pacific solution." >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ethiopia-insuring-against-famine <p>Can risk management techniques from global financial markets help people in the developing world avoid the worst effects of famine? The World Food Programme's new director of business planning thinks this approach could revolutionize the aid industry.</p> Tue, 28 Sep 2010 21:59:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ethiopia-insuring-against-famine Ethiopia, Weather insurance, World Food Programme, Drought, Richard Wilcox, Famine, Meteorology, Emergency management, Insurance, Risk management >> TITLE: Insuring Against Famine >> VOICEOVER: It's something we're used to: pictures of Africans made destitute and desperate by drought, displayed on our TV screens to raise money. Weeks later, the funds are forthcoming; months later, the aid arrives and people receive what they need to survive. The United Nations has tried to address this over the years but UN agencies like the World Food Programme have been operating in the same way for decades. But change is in the air. Richard Wilcox is out to shake it up. He was a member of Bill Clinton's administration, and was invited into WFP with the aim of blowing a fresh wind of commercialism and financial discipline into the business. >> RICHARD WILCOX [Director of Business Planning, WFP]: The big idea behind this project is financing, humanitarian financing. Until we really started this project in its first incarnations about two years ago, the entire aid industry worked on one business model which is, you wait for a crisis to happen, you try to forecast and anticipate as best as you can. But then, when a crisis happens, you go out and assess the damage, you go out and ask for funds, and only when those funds become confirmed to you -- essentially the donors give it to you, they either sign a contract or they move the cash into your bank accounts -- then you start moving. And, in so doing, we found that it's a very inefficient way of responding to disasters, because people need the assistance right then when disaster strikes. So, the solution to that is financing. >> VOICEOVER: It's a USD$2 billion business. Yet, he says, WFP financing is nothing but bookkeeping. He's gathered a team of economists around him to change that. All under 40, all with commercial financial experience, they're something quite new for WFP. >> ULRICH HESS [Chief of Business Risk Planning, WFP]: My name is Ulrich Hess, I am Chief of Business Risk Planning at WFP. Previously I was with the World Bank with a commodity risk management group as senior economist. >> YOSHIKO MAKINO [Contract Lawyer, WFP]: My name is Yoshiko Makino. I am a lawyer qualified in the UK and New York. My area of specialty is finance law, particularly in the field of project finance, asset finance, and securitization. >> JOANNA SYROKA [Quantitative Strategist, WFP]: I'm Joanna Syroka. I'm a quantitative strategist specializing in weather risk management. >> RICHARD WILCOX: Julie, the evaluation team is coming at two. >> VOICEOVER: Introducing radical new financial processes means Richard driving through new methods of working across WFP, and shaking up the whole way people think about the jobs they do. >> RICHARD WILCOX: Planning, thinking through contingencies, trying to anticipate how much funding would come in, really thinking through your business plan over the course of an operation: that placed a whole new burden on our managers, and it's been difficult, but we're finding we're attracting new people because it's an exciting new approach to it. And a lot of the old people actually do have the skills, just never challenged to really use them in this way. >> VOICEOVER: As you'd imagine, it's being looked on with suspicion in some areas of the organization, and by some of the donor governments who provide the funding for WFP. >> NEIL GALLAGHER [Director of Communications, WFP]: In any bureaucracy, you're going to have a certain amount of resistance to new ideas. I think WFP actually is fairly receptive, because 85 percent of our work is emergency based and we have to be flexible. In the end we may find out that WFP is quite receptive, but the donors are a little bit skittish about it. It's too early to say at this point. >> VOICEOVER: The team is into blue-skies thinking, and they're experimenting with various financial techniques. Their latest radical idea is to insure Ethiopia's poor subsistence farmers on the international financial market. They want to take out a weather insurance policy on behalf of people in villages like Waja Washboula. >> RICHARD WILCOX: When our executive director took over in 2003, he challenged us to think through what sort of private sector analogies are relevant for WFP. What is this organization? Yes, we know it's an international organization, it's an aid organization: what does that mean? Are we a global logistics organization? Well, right, like UPS for the poor, right, or FedEx. Are we a project manager like Bechtel, or are we an insurance company? And, from a financial perspective, we really are an insurance company. We need to have funds ready in order to be effective when disaster strikes. >> VOICEOVER: In Ethiopia every eight or ten years there's a calamitous drought that destroys millions of farmers' livelihoods and brings them and their families to the point of starvation They can be left destitute for years. Richard has these people's livelihoods in his sights. At a hotel in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, local government and donor bigwigs have come to hear Richard explain how he hopes weather insurance will work. It starts from a very simple premise. >> RICHARD WILCOX: This line of reasoning essentially is, we need to have funds available when they're needed, when they're needed by the beneficiaries and not when they're mobilized. And, essentially, in the past, all we were able to do, really, in any large-scale form, was to make funds available whenever we were able to mobilize them, which is obviously not the same time that beneficiaries will need the support. >> VOICEOVER: Ulrich Hess explains that the team plan to pilot the weather insurance project for 70 million farmers. He says that that despite the UN presence on the ground, these farmers are still carrying the risk of disaster on their own shoulders. >> ULRICH HESS: We should be managing risks instead of managing crisis. I think this really sums it up, this is where we are trying to help increase up front, a priori, again, smallholder productivity and resilience against drought. >> VOICEOVER: Yoshiko Makino, the corporate lawyer, explains the weather derivative market. It's not well known as it's only been operating for eight years and is still at the cutting edge of financial trading. It's a bit like high-stakes gambling. >> YOSHIKO MAKINO: It's a futures contract. It's because you are forming a contract today about something that might or that might not happen in the future. A farmer may want to take an insurance against lack of rain. On the other hand, for example if you're a construction company and there's a lot of rain, you can't work, you make a loss, so then a construction company may want to insure your risk against too much rain. So what's interesting is, there are lots of people out there with opposing risks that will balance the risk out. >> VOICEOVER: But the farmers in Ethiopia face more than a fall in productivity or profit: bad weather can mean mortal danger here. Some members of the audience are skeptical, but so far they're willing to look for the positive >> MAN: Transferring the risk to the other body, so, in terms of money, we are valuing the climate information in terms of money, and this is ... for me this is an advancement. >> VOICEOVER: Farmers in villages like Waja Washboula are going to be in the pilot project. Hammou Waticha has 15 children. Like all farmers around here, he's regarded as relatively well off. He has two hectares of land, and with reasonable rainfall his family can support itself. >> HAMMOU WATICHA [Farmer]: With good rains I can get six to seven hundred kilograms of grain each year. If there's less rain, then I get less grain. >> VOICEOVER: Hammou knows he faces risks. He, like heads of families across the world, tries to insure himself and his family against them. He diversifies, spreading his assets, not just relying on his land. He keeps as many animals as he can. Farmers here don't have access to banks, so he buys livestock as a form of savings. He puts any extra income into his animals, which he can sell when times get hard. It is a form of insurance against crop failure. To further diversify in case of agricultural failure, he has a tiny shop that his wife runs to earn extra cash. But even this forward planning is not enough when the rains fail completely as they did in 1984 and 2002. >> HAMMOU WATICHA: In the 2002 drought, the cows died and the cattle died and the family went hungry We got less than 200 kilograms from the land that year. When I realized the rains had failed, I sold my cattle and even my oxen, but the price was very low. I got less than 500 for my ox. But then the donors came, gave us food to eat. >> VOICEOVER: These are the droughts that Richard is speaking of. Everyone in the area is affected, along with Hammou and his neighbor, Dalou Waya. The value of livestock plummets as everyone tries to sell at the same time. If you don't sell, the animals die. But selling the oxen they'll need to plough the land once the rains return could leave these farmers completely destitute. >> DALOU WAYA [Farmer]: Before the drought, I had ten different cattle. Because of the drought, some died, and I sold the rest. Even up till now, I've only been able to get back three dairy cows and one ox. And one ox is not enough to plow; you need two oxen to plow. >> VOICEOVER: It is exactly this downward spiral of continuing destitution that weather insurance should prevent. Hammou and his family would receive money immediately the rains fail, before they started suffering, as the insurance company would be contractually compelled to pay up >> RICHARD WILCOX: Charity is a good thing, but it ultimately relies on us advertising other people's misery at their worst moments in order to motivate people to help them. If we can advertise them as productive human beings who have a future but who need help in dealing with shocks that have not yet occurred, but will occur at some point in the future, then it's a much more dignified approach than using their misery to pass around the begging bowl later. >> VOICEOVER: So the question is, can a developing country like Ethiopia enter the weather insurance market? >> VOICEOVER: The World Food Programme is planning to insure vulnerable Ethiopian farmers against drought so that cash for food is available at the time it's needed. But it's not just the farmers who will benefit. It is also better for aid organizations to have access to resources as early as possible. Rushing mountains of food to starving people to keep them alive is expensive. The earlier the money arrives, the cheaper it is to deliver what's needed, and you won't end up providing for destitute families indefinitely. >> RICHARD WILCOX: The 2002-2003 response was as good, as a traditional response, as it gets in Ethiopia, and very few people died as a result of what was the second-worst rainfall year in recent history. But, at the same time, somewhere between one and two million more people fell into destitution, and those people now have become wards of the government and of the international community, which is, leaving aside issues of dignity we just touched upon, is just a terribly expensive proposition. >> VOICEOVER: But first you have to get a company to take on the risk and guarantee the payout. Dr. Jo Syroka has the job of creating a contract, which will quantify the farmer's risk in a way that can be used and trusted by financiers in high-rise offices on the other side of the world. >> JOANNA SYROKA: Everyone around the world knows what a millimeter of rainfall is. So one millimeter of rainfall here in Addis means exactly the same as one millimeter of rainfall in New York or in London. So when we're beginning to transfer ... talking about transferring risk, if we can index it to something like rainfall that both parties understand, we're on a common field and we can begin to really talk about how we can move risk from vulnerable populations to the financial markets. >> VOICEOVER: There are obvious links between a weather risk, its human consequences, and the humanitarian aid needed when the event happens. But, according to Jo Syroka, the emergency aid community is better at managing crisis than managing risk. She's the World Food Programme's link to the international weather risk market, and she's been dispatched to find out if reliable rainfall data can be collected in the rural areas they want to insure. This will form the basis of the contract. International finance is wary of developing countries like Ethiopia because it requires high-quality data, and a lot of it. But rainfall data is internationally recognized, and Jo is sure that Ethiopia has the capacity to fulfill international demands. She's here in Zewai to meet the local meteorologist. >> JOANNA SYROKA: There are many other risks that a farmer faces -- pests, fertilizers, bad seed -- but drought is the biggest one. And there are many ways we can correlate rainfall that happens in the station to the production a farmer expects to get on his field. >> VOICEOVER: Zewai weather station is one of 26 the team chose to provide data for their initial pilot scheme. It's one of the better ones in Ethiopia and the meteorologist does provide reliable rainfall data. The contract stipulates data has to be collected every day at exactly 9am. Then that data has to get to the insurance company within a set number of hours. That's quite a big deal in a country like this where communications are poor. First it's radioed to the Meteorological Headquarters in Addis Ababa. Here, data from all 26 stations will be collated and sent on daily to the insurance company. Ethiopia's history of weather risks means they're well experienced in collecting weather data. At the meteorological agency's archive there's more crucial information. The records go back 50 years, and just like any car insurer checking your previous claims, this detailed archive is used to assess the probability of an extreme weather event and help them calculate the premium. >> MAN [Meteorologist]: We have about 1.8 million charts. We have also about three billion station observations which have been collected since half a century ago. >> JOANNA SYROKA: Although we don't ask these vulnerable beneficiaries to pay a premium like we do in normal insurance -- for example, for your house insurance you pay a premium, for car insurance you pay a premium - there is an inherent obligation in our work to turn up and help these people when they need our assistance, be that food, be it for other agencies shelter, be it some kind of healthcare. And our mandate, if anything, is stronger than an insurance company's, because the timeliness of our aid means people are in mortal peril. >> VOICEOVER: Commercial farmers in Ethiopia, like this large-scale cattle farmer, can afford to take out insurance premiums on an individual basis. But the majority of farmers can't. For them, WFP food handouts have always been like a last-resort insurance. But is it acceptable to rely on this last-minute begging bowl culture? >> JOANNA SYROKA: Insurance is there to help you deal with risks that don't happen often, but when they happen, are really important and dangerous to you. In this case, this is essentially the role WFP has, that the beneficiaries don't pay the premium but we still have that mandate, and we should ensure that we fulfill that mandate as well as possible. We've made promises to essentially assist these people, and we should really make good on that promise. And I think one way of doing that is making sure we manage our risk appropriately for us to do that. >> VOICEOVER: Back in Europe, the contract is ready and the team have presented it to the international insurance companies. Nothing like this has ever been done before, so they were unsure of the outcome. >> JOANNA SYROKA: I think what they were very surprised by is actually we were at such a stage to be ready to transact, and they were incredibly supportive, I think. I don't have to sell this idea to these people. They know that, in the context of risk management, weather risk management, they know this is something that people in America and Europe use to manage their risk. And why shouldn't we? Why shouldn't people here in Africa use the same tool? I mean, that's the whole objective of our work, is to take things that people in America or in Europe take for granted and can benefit, you know, can capitalize on, and bring them here, because here they probably have more impact than back home. >> VOICEOVER: In fact, six international finance houses offered to take the risk. In the end AXA won the contract >> YOSHIKO MAKINO: What was wonderful was on the night I closed the transaction with AXA, and really the absolute enthusiasm coming from them of, really this is the beginning of perhaps a new phase of financing, you know, something to come. So I think there's a huge amount of enthusiasm I've seen from the private sector. And also, I have to confess, in this process I was a little bit worried that maybe I'm not going to get the terms that are essential, and I have to tell you that when we opened the envelope, really it was a very, very good premium, a market standard type of premium, that I was really extremely happy. >> VOICEOVER: So is this the start of a new form of humanitarian funding? >> YOSHIKO MAKINO: From the, I think, the positive response that we've got so far, and the details of the response to the terms in the tender that we have, yes, I think so, I think I can be very optimistic that it is something that's possible. Definitely. >> VOICEOVER: For Richard Wilcox, it's been an achievement to prove that the international financial market will take on the risk of some of the world's most vulnerable people. But this is only one of many tools he plans to use to bring even greater efficiency into the humanitarian aid world. >> RICHARD WILCOX: It's a tool one uses for a humanitarian end. It's a modern tool, and we're actually quite proud that we've been able to tap into quite such a modern tool, something that wasn't around even eight years ago. And it's our responsibility in trying to make the most out of the funds that the donor community is able and willing to make available for our beneficiaries, to essentially have a relentless search for innovation of what can we do to make this work better. And for that, we should be tapping into the most advanced services and tools we can find. >> VOICEOVER: Richard's team are looking to the future. They've started the ball rolling on behalf of the world's poorest. Now they hope that the ideas they're piloting will bring an end to the begging bowl and ad hoc nature of aid provision for vulnerable peoples worldwide. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/coffee-awakens-a-national-economy <p>Coffee has become a powerful economic driver for Rwanda, but how have the country's farmers managed to transform their crop into a premium product that can command top prices? The answer lies in washing stations and bicycles.</p> Fri, 24 Sep 2010 19:26:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/coffee-awakens-a-national-economy Coffee, Agriculture, Rwanda, USAID, Kigali, East Africa, Butare, Coffee bean, SPREAD, ViewChange Online Film Contest >> TITLE: Green Living Project presents "Coffee Awakens a National Economy" SPREAD >> TITLE: East Africa, Rwanda, Kigali, Butare >> SIGN: SPREAD National University of Rwanda >> TIM SCHILLING [Executive Director, SPREAD]: I'm Tim Schilling, and I'm the director of the USAID SPREAD project. This is a project with the single objective of raising the incomes of rural Rwandans, and to do that, we have targeted the specialty coffee sector, because we know that, with 500,000 coffee farmers in Rwanda, and an average family size of seven, that anything that we could do to increase the price of coffee would actually affect the livelihoods of one half of the population of Rwanda. >> TIM SCHILLING: Five hundred thousand farmers were processing coffee in 500,000 different ways. The common denominator there is always going to be poor quality. The challenge was, well, gee, with so many different farmers, how are we going to organize it to produce a quality product? So, the answer to that was the centralized coffee washing station. We are able to sort, select, and purchase only high-quality cherries. The downside of that is the fact that once you have just one center, that means all these farmers now have to travel in to that center with their cherries rather than just taking them home. Five to 12 kilometers with a 30-kilo load of coffee cherries on top of your head can take five, six, even up to eight hours to make it to the coffee washing station. During that time, the coffee in the cherry starts degrading, the quality degrades. There's a fermentation process that starts taking [place] inside the cherry imparting off flavors to the coffee bean that's inside, and that degrades the quality. Degrading the quality obvious degrades the price, so you lose value like that. >> JOSH [Volunteer, University of California]: It all started when Tom Ritchey, one of the creators of the mountain bike, came here in 2006, I believe, and he saw these wooden bikes that a lot of people use to carry coffee here -- it's basically like a scooter -- and he saw that and thought, "Jeez, if they had a decent bike to carry this coffee, they could make a huge difference." So he went back to the States. He's been building bike frames for 30 years, and came up with this design, talked to Schwinn and Dahon, and got them to let us use both their factories in China. >> TIM SCHILLING: But as the farmers pay for those bikes on a three-year microcredit loan, that money goes into another separate account, which is set up to buy more bikes, or things like maybe a school, or something like that, so it goes back to the cooperative. >> MAN [Coffee farmer]: To bring the cherries to the washing station is very easy. You don't need to pay someone to help you to bring the cherries to the washing station. If there's no rain, you can take 100 kilograms without a problem. >> PASCAL KALISA GAKWAYA [Coffee Regional Coordinator, SPREAD]: Because here we are in the cupping lab, they roast the samples from the coffee washing station, and after roasting, they ground, because they want to test each load from the washing station and score it. You push it around the mouth, and you have to do it because if the coffee is around the mouth, you can feel the body and the chocolate around the tongue. >> TIM SCHILLING: The coffee quality itself is just so high, it's so unique in its character, that it has become sought after. So as soon as we expose it or unveil the true quality of the coffee, the coffee industry, the specialty coffee industry picked it up immediately and started to source high-quality coffees out of Rwanda, and, of course, they're paying top dollar for it, and that top dollar makes it back to the farmer, which is what it's all about. >> TITLE: Green Living Project www.greenlivingproject.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ticad-towards-a-vibrant-africa <p>The Tokyo International Conference on African Development is more than just a conference. It has become a major global framework for Asia, Africa, and the UNDP to collaborate in promoting Africa's development. Here are five projects working to improve people's everyday lives throughout the continent. Produced by <a title="UNDP" href="http://www.undp.org/" target="_blank">UNDP</a>.</p> Fri, 17 Sep 2010 23:50:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ticad-towards-a-vibrant-africa Africa, United Nations Development Programme, Tokyo International Conference on African Development, United Nations, Development aid, Social equality, Education, Empowerment, Community development, Gender equality >> TITLE: Towards a Vibrant Africa: A Continent of Hope & Opportunity >> TITLE: Tanzania Bed Net Factory (Japanese/Tanzanian joint venture) >> TITLE: More than 1 million people die of malaria each year >> TITLE: Mosquito nets are an effective and economical method of preventing the disease >> ELIREHEMA MANGA [resident of Manyata village]: I often suffered from malaria before we got the nets. I couldn't cultivate my land because I was often sick. The difference is huge because now I feel healthy and strong. I'm feeling so much better that I'm able to work, make a little money, and go to the market. Everyone's earnings have improved because we can all work hard to cultivate crops. >> TITLE: Mosquito Net Factory [Arusha, Tanzania] >> BINESH HARIA [Chief Operating Officer, A to Z Textile Mills]: What we want to do here is save lives, by manufacturing these products in Africa, and also reduce poverty. We've already created 3,200 direct employment. >> LUCY THOMAS [Employee, A to Z Textile Mills]: Before, I was living with my parents. But now I can afford to live alone and pay for my brother's school fees. I'm truly proud of the work I do, because it's helping prevent malaria. >> BINESH HARIA: What we are producing is a product which is going to be sold in Africa, and that is why I say Africa for Africa. What we want is: Africa should be able to sustain itself. >> ELIREHEMA MANGA: Since receiving the nets, all our lives have improved. My fellow villagers and I are very grateful. >> TITLE: Sierra Leone Schools & Community Centres ("Arms for Development" project Japan/UNDP) >> TITLE: After 11 years of devastating civil war, Sierra Leone is now recovering from conflict >> TITLE: Now former combatants are encouraged to surrender their arms in exchange for community development projects >> SOLDIER: The entire region is now arms free. >> TITLE: Community centres and schools are at the heart of the recovery effort >> MARYLEEN BANGURA [Resident of Binkolo Village]: I was seven years old when the rebels came in Binkolo. They attacked us here, and my mother was carrying me on her back, holding my sister on her hand. We had to run to the bushes where she damaged ... her lip had a cut. >> ANGELA BANGURA [resident of Binkolo Village]: I was bleeding profusely and I was feeling dizzy. I fell for the first time, second time, and then the third time she suggested that I should put her down. She always watched my movements. When I crawled, she also crawled. When I got up and tried to run, she followed my footsteps. That's the way we traveled the worst of the night, until we arrived in the next village the next morning. It's a night I pray that I will never repeat in my lifetime. >> MARYLEEN BANGURA: I don't like to hear about this past war, because it caused many damages in our country. Arms and feet of people were cut off. Houses were burnt. Some were killed. Some, when they killed, gave it to another human being to eat raw flesh. So I don't want to hear about it. I always like to think about my future than listen to the past. >> TITLE: School supported by Arms for Development Programme >> MARYLEEN BANGURA: The best part of my life now is that I'm going to school. All of the school lessons are free for everybody, so they have the opportunity to attend. I'm really concentrating on my education because I want to be somebody in the future, like I want to be a lawyer. That's my dream, and I know my dream is going to come true. >> TITLE: Community centre supported by Arms for Development Programme >> ABBAS A. BANGURA [Chairman, Masamanke Development Association]: Life is changing rapidly here. When this community center wasn't around life was really difficult here. But now we can see so many kids every day are meeting here. >> MARYLEEN BANGURA: For my future, I'm seeing that it's going to be successful for me. Because I'm now attending school. I'm with my parents, they encourage me to learn. And for the country, I know my country is going to develop. >> TITLE: Burkina Faso Multifunctional Platform (The UN Trust Fund for Human Security) >> TITLE: Over 95 percent of rural households in Africa lack electrical power >> TITLE: A unique electric generator helps villagers with their daily lives >> IDANI ABIBA (resident of Komboari Village): Before the multifunctional electric generator, my life was very difficult. I had to wake early to pound millet, fetch water, and cook. Now I have more time to spend on other activities. >> OUOBA B. BENOIT [Tin Tua Association]: In our country, the difficulty of getting drinkable water and pounding the millet take up the women's entire day. With the introduction of the multiplatform generator, this changed. >> TITLE: Multifunctional platform (electric generator) >> OUOBA B. BENOIT: Now woman have more time. >> IDANI ABIBA: We now have time to learn to read and write. This opens our minds and makes us happy. With the generator, we also have many services. We used to have to go far to repair broken equipment. But now we can do welding in town. Because of the electric generator, everyone has free time to spend on other activities. Thanks to the generator our lives have changed for the better. >> TITLE: Uganda Millennium Village (The UN Trust Fund for Human Security) >> TITLE: More than 40 percent of the population of Africa lives on less than USD$1 a day >> TITLE: The Millennium Villages project empowers communities to break the cycle of poverty >> FRIDAH TUMUHIMBISE [resident of Ruhiira Millennium Village]: My family never used to have enough food to eat. But ever since the Millennium Village project, my family is able to cultivate enough food. We used to spend a lot of time preparing food for the children. But since they now eat at school, we have time to do other things. There's also a clinic where people are treated, and in case of complications an ambulance takes us to another hospital. It [the project] has helped by starting a village bank where women can borrow for our businesses. I bought sheep and goats, sold two of their offspring, and bought iron sheets to build a kitchen. >> DAVID SIRIRI [Millennium Village Coordinator]: The thing about this project is empowerment of communities. It's about involving communities in taking leadership, in ensuring that they have a say in their destiny. It's not just coming and dropping something on the ground; you have to get the villagers involved. This project has given a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging, a sense of leadership. The communities can stand up and say, "Yes, this is our project." They are seeing the impact of the interventions. People are now flocking [to] the health centers. Before you only used to have one or two people, now you have 150 people coming to the health units. Water was a major problem. Now the water is clean. Now we have students attending school right from P1 up to P7 without dropping out. All these things have brought new hope and it's a new way of rural devolvement that had never happened here. >> FRIDAH TUMUHIMBISE: If the project continues another 10 years, we can better our situation, we can educate our children and really improve our lives. >>TITLE: Nigeria Woman Empowerment Project (UNDP/Japan WID Fund) >> TITLE: In Nigeria, woman are traditionally disadvantaged, lacking access to resources and skills >> TITLE: Encouraging female enterprises is key to development and social equality >> NFON (GRACE) ETETE ITUEN [resident of Onna Village]: When my husband died, my children were very young, so I had to struggle a long way for them to go to school. And to eat was very difficult. But I thank God now that it's getting improved. Now under community partnership I can do these buns, chin chin [cookies], egg rolls, which people come in and buy. I have a little money every day. >> SIGN: Onna Woman Development Centre >> MRS. NSE UDOH [Director, Community Partners for Development]: The project has really affected the lives of the women in Onna local government area. They've been empowered to the extent that they can actually assist the family in basic feeding and clothing. After the training they've been able to replicate what was taught. They now make the products by themselves. They go and sell them in the town, and are able to market their product. We are hoping that, eventually, when the mill starts in full swing, they will be able to do large quantities, and send it out to many other local government states. The women now meet on their own, monthly, so the excitement they have, coming out to share issues with each other ... Women, as you know, especially in our own society, have been relegated to the background for years. And it's only now that they are now given the opportunity to comment, to air their views. >> NFON (GRACE) ETETE ITUEN: Everyone around me is improving because all of us are now busy in doing what we're supposed to do. As the community progresses, I'm sure it will be better. >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: UNDP Produced by the Office of Communications for TICAD http://www.viewchange.org/videos/saving-futures-saving-lives-the-story-of-project-peanut-butter <p>Children with malnutrition are being given a radical new treatment that is cheap and incredibly effective: fortified peanut butter. Best of all, mothers can administer the ready-to-use food at home, eliminating the need for hospital stays, and empowering families to treat themselves.</p> Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:40:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/saving-futures-saving-lives-the-story-of-project-peanut-butter Malnutrition, Project Peanut Butter, Malawi, Peanut butter, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Foreign Assistance, Change Makers, Child mortality, Health, LinkTV Picks >> VOICEOVER: Malnutrition. Every year, malnutrition kills twice as many children as AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. Yet there is hope. An inexpensive, revolutionary therapy is saving children's lives right now. >> TITLE: Project Peanut Butter >> VOICEOVER: Since 2004, Project Peanut Butter has been treating children in Malawi, a country with one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world. As a faculty member at Washington University Medical School, Dr. Manary founded Project Peanut Butter to bring the most effective malnutrition therapy to the children who need it most. >> TITLE: Alefa. Age: 7 months, 4.4 pounds underweight. Day 1 of treatment. >> VOICEOVER: Alefa is seven months old. She is just entering the critical six-month- to two-year-old window where children are most vulnerable to the impact of malnutrition. >> JASON REINKING [Medical student and volunteer]: Alefa is severely malnourished and marasmic, as you can see from the extremely small arms. >> VOICEOVER: Severely malnourished children at this age are at great risk. Untreated, more than half will die. >> TITLE: Pilirani. Age: 2 years. Severe edema. Day 1 of treatment. >> VOICEOVER: Pilirani is two years old. Severely malnourished kids often swell up with edema, a painful buildup of fluid under the skin. Pilirani's swelling is so severe he can barely walk. Until recently, the best treatment available for Pilirani and Alefa was one to two months of hospitalization. But, even in the best rural hospitals, only 25 to 40 percent of children fully recover. Project Peanut Butter gets much better results by distributing a special, ready-to-use, therapeutic food to the mothers, who will take it with them and treat their own children at home. Ready-to-use, therapeutic food is powerful medicine. This peanut-based formula is effective, easy to use, and empowers mothers, and most kids love it. It's more than just peanut butter. Over years of careful experiments and testing, Dr. Manary and his colleagues developed a new formula. It's a precise blend ideal for bringing children back from the edge of starvation. >> TITLE: Milk powder. Roasted peanuts. Vegetable oil. Sugar. Vitamins. Minerals. >> VOICEOVER: The results are dramatic. Six weeks after their first visit, Alefa and Pilirani return for one of their checkups. >> JASON REINKING: What we've seen over the course of the last six weeks has been really good progress, so we're hopeful that she'll come completely up to a healthy weight for this child. >> ALEFA'S MOTHER: I want the peanut butter program to keep going. Without it, my children would probably be dead by now. >> VOICEOVER: After six weeks of treatment, Pilirani is on a promising path. He is now likely to remain healthy and avoid lingering consequences. >> DR. MARK MANARY [Founder and Director, Project Peanut Butter]: Ninety-five percent of these children are recovering. Ninety-five percent. That is really something powerful. >> VOICEOVER: And this success rate comes at a fraction of the old therapy's cost. Today, saving one child costs the project a total of about USD$25. Project Peanut Butter has an ambitious vision: to save over 2,000,000 children from severe malnutrition by 2015. >> ROSEMARY GODWA [Lead Nurse, Project Peanut Butter]: I wish Project Peanut Butter to grow like a baobab tree, which starts small, and grows big, big, big, bigger, and biggest, so it can reach every needy child. >> VOICEOVER: You can make a difference. Please, go to projectpeanutbutter.org. Learn more about this urgent, life-saving work. Remember, there is hope. >> TITLE: www.projectpeanutbutter.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/srey-neth-victim-to-survivor Srey Neth was forced into prostitution in Cambodia at the age of just 14. After suffering horrific brutality at the hands of her pimp and customers, she was rescued and given a second chance at life by an organization that works with victims of sex trafficking. Her story is shocking, but also inspiring, as she talks about how she hopes to help other girls make the same journey from victim to survivor. Wed, 15 Sep 2010 07:44:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/srey-neth-victim-to-survivor Human trafficking, Cambodia, Non-governmental organization, Violence against women, Sexual violence, Prostitution, Child prostitution, International Women's Day, Sexual assault, HIV >> SREY NETH: My name is Srey Neth. I am Cambodian. I am a victim of sex trafficking. I do not know my father. My brother, he gambled and left home. We were poor, and so my mother sold me to a neighbor, a pimp. I was 14. I lived in a place called "the building," where I served drinks for the first week. I didn't know; I thought I had a job to help my family, but the other girls told me things. Later, the pimp sold my virginity for USD$300. I lost my choice. I lost my voice. I lost myself. >> SREY NETH: I was worth nothing to them but money. Some nights, I was sent out with one or two customers. Some nights, he kept me in, where I saw 10, 20 customers. When I didn't want to have sex, they beat me. Sometimes, they electrocuted me. I could have run, but I was afraid, and my mother had made a contract. I am a good daughter. I do not want to hurt my mother. >> SREY NETH: Then, there was a man, a foreigner. He took me in his car to the forest. He was drunk, and he did things to me that hurt badly. Then one night, I was taken to a hotel to see another customer, but it was the police and a non-government organization. I was very afraid. I thought they would make me work more, but instead they took me to a shelter. I was safe. I could not leave, but no one could hurt me there. >> SREY NETH: And then I found out I have HIV. One of the men, he gave it to me. For many, especially in Cambodia, HIV means death. But for me, I am lucky. At the center, I have a second father and a second mother. James, he made sure I have healthcare and antiretroviral drugs. He gave me a chance at life. Siya held my hand and showed me how to live again. She took me to the pagoda and told me the stories of Buddha. She told me the stories of the time of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, when she worked the rice fields for 18 hours every day, and many died. She showed me how to forgive and how to love, first myself, and then others. >> SREY NETH: I live with other girls who have stories just like me. I know the other girls are afraid. They are angry. I know they feel that there is only one thing left for them, and I know, late at night, they hurt just like I did. But like TCI [Transitions Global] gave to me, so will I give back to them. I want to help the others, to protect them from the pimps and the brothels. I am Srey Neth. I am a survivor. It has been five years, but I have found my home. I have found my voice, and I am finding myself. >> TITLE: www.timmatsui.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/making-it-easy <p>In Cambodia, almost 11,000 people die of diarrhea every year. An enormous number of these deaths are due to the lack of latrines in rural regions. International Development Enterprises has begun a program to solve this problem by making latrines both affordable and desirable.</p> Thu, 09 Sep 2010 23:20:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/making-it-easy Cambodia, Water & Sanitation, Svay Rieng, Kandal Province, Sanitation, Infectious disease, Latrine, Asia, IDE, Education >> TITLE: In Cambodia, almost 11,000 people die of diarrhea every year; most of those deaths are children. >> TITLE: Less than 20 percent of rural Cambodians have a latrine. >> TITLE: Despite numerous NGO and government projects, latrine take-up has been minimal. >> TITLE: Until now. >> VOICEOVER: In 2005, IDE began a sanitation program in the Cambodian provinces of Svay Rieng and Kandal. The aim was to design a suite of latrines and an unsubsidized supply chain that would allow local people, however poor, access to toilets. Key to the initial research was talking to villagers to find out why they were unable or unwilling to purchase latrines. >> MAN 1: We’ve always just used the bushes. No one told us about sanitation. >> WOMAN 1: There are so many places to go, I don’t need a latrine >> MAN 2: I don’t have access to a latrine, so I just use the bushes >> VOICEOVER: Once the program had established the most common reasons, the next step was to find ways of changing attitudes and behavior. >> OU SAVOEUN [Provincial Field Supervisor, Svay Rieng, IDE Cambodia]: With the villagers, we start by asking them to drop sand on the map where they shit. This shows them very powerfully where they are all defecating. Then we talk about how bad sanitation encourages the spread of disease through hands, insects, water, and food. >> VOICEOVER: Changing behavior and creating demand is vital but pointless if people can’t afford the latrines. So IDE set out to design a latrine that was effective, inexpensive, and attractive to users and retailers: the Easy Latrine. >> CORDELL JACKS [WATSAN Program Manager, IDE Cambodia]: In the past, if a Cambodian family wanted a latrine, it was a really difficult and complex process. Now, with the sanitation marketing program we have, it’s become a very easy process. In the same day, a household can make the decision, purchase a latrine, they can then contact a latrine producer in their local area, the latrine producer will drop off all of the supplies to their home, and they can install the latrine themselves. One day, one decision. Quick and easy >> VOICEOVER: Ninety-five percent of non-owners said the main reason they didn’t have a latrine was expense. To create an affordable but upgradable system, there needed to be a transformation in the role of the concrete suppliers. >> DUONG SETHA [Concrete Producer, Svay Rieng]: It’s easy to sell because it doesn’t fill up quickly, simple to build, and very cheap. When I used to produce standard latrines, I hardly sold any. Now, it’s different. The Easy Latrine is so much cheaper, and even a widow can build it by herself. >> VOICEOVER: The Chey family recently bought and built their own latrine. >> MEAS SAVY [Chambock Tleng, Svay Rieng]: Before we had a latrine, my family used to get ill all the time. Since we’ve had one, they’re much healthier. >> YUOS CHEY [Chambock Tleng, Svay Rieng]: We couldn’t afford a toilet, so we just used to go in the fields. >> MEAS SAVY: We were so happy when we got a latrine. It means good sanitation and a healthier family. >> YUOS CHEY: Our relatives are happier when they visit us because we have good sanitation. Owning a latrine is like having our own doctor. >> VOICEOVER: Since the program began, the two Svay Rieng districts that have featured have seen an unprecedented 5 percent increase in latrine coverage. IDE are currently looking to take the project nationwide, creating an opportunity for the whole of Cambodia to benefit from the Easy Latrine. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/realizing-rights-with-street-vendors-in-liberia <p>Street vendors in Liberia are organizing themselves to gain rights and improve their working conditions. Helped by groups such as Realizing Rights, these informal workers are fighting hard for greater security and prosperity.</p> Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:15:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/realizing-rights-with-street-vendors-in-liberia Realizing Rights, Microfinance, Microcredit, Mary Robinson, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia, Africa, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Monrovia, Business >> TITLE: Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative. Realizing Rights with Street Vendors. Trade and Decent Work in Monrovia, Liberia. >> WOMAN 1 [Street vendor]: I've been on the street selling for seven years to be able to send my children to school, to feed myself, and to take care of my family. >> VOICEOVER: Realizing Rights has been active in Liberia since 2007 and, responding to their needs, started supporting workers in the informal economy. In November, 2009, Realizing Rights' staff visited Liberia's capital city of Monrovia to hear first-hand the concerns of street vendors and to give voice to those concerns at the highest levels of government. A decade of civil war sharply increased the number of Liberian households headed by women. Without skills and education, their best option is selling on the street surplus goods from their farms, local produce, or whatever they can round up. Men who are ex-combatants need a legal livelihood or risk a return to violence. Realizing Rights' staff interviewed informal traders about their progress in getting organized and improving their situation. >> HEZEKIAH [Bookseller]: The market is very small, especially for Liberians who like to read. So, when you get one customer, everybody wants to sell. So you got to be a real tough businessman. >> TITLE: A tough business >> THERESA [Shoe seller]: In the future, I want to get a store. I want to leave this sidewalk now because I ought not be on the sidewalk, police running behind me every day. >> INTERVIEWER: Every day? >> THERESA: Every day: police running, mirror broken, kicking our slippers. I'm tired. >> TITLE: I'm tired >> SAYON [Group Chairman]: So we work with Monrovia City Corporation to attempt to resolve the crisis between the government and us, to lessen the tension a little bit, because there has been tension since '94 when street vendors started. Street vendors have been formed as an organization before, but this is the first time where the government has contributed support to help us form. Yet there is still tension between us and the government, but, gradually, we will find a solution to that. >> TITLE: Organizing to find solutions >> COMFORT [Lace material vendor]: We don't want to be on the streets forever. We want relocation of site. And we want loans, to help our people, to improve their businesses so they can move from this level, the grassroots level, to another level. The police were really on our backs. They gave us chase and chase. There was no way for us to rest. We would run 24 hours around the clock. But now, we are not running. We are not running because of the association that has come along, and Realizing Rights, who are working really hard. So we all decided to form this organization to see how we can best move ourselves forward. >> TITLE: Organizing to move each other forward >> VOICEOVER: In addition to the on-street interviews, president of Realizing Rights, Mary Robinson, visited the leaders of the Petit Traders Union. These pioneering women provided a deeper insight into the pressing needs of their organization's members and what challenges remained on their path to greater security and prosperity. >> MARY ROBINSON [President, Realizing Rights]: And about how many members are there of the national petit traders association? >> HELEN WALKER [Treasurer, Petit Traders Union]: The National Petit Traders Union has several thousand members. >> MARY ROBINSON: So what are you hoping for now? >> HELEN WALKER: We are currently asking RR to help the organization [NEPETUL] with loans [credit] and to speak with the government to help us find an area for us to relocate to. >> MARY ROBINSON: This morning, I went with my colleagues to speak to two of the women who are involved in this Petit Traders Union of Liberia. In one way or another, they were both indicating that it's very hard to compete. >> ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF [President, Republic of Liberia]: I think one of the missing links in the whole thing is the access to credit. >> MARY ROBINSON: Yes. >> ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: By the Petit Traders. >> MARY JOHNSON: That's what they said. The first thing that they kept coming back to was exactly what you've said: access to credit that lets them build, and also a space for the market. >> ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: That is something where we can help them with, and we can certainly work with them through the Minister of Gender, through the Minister of Commerce, so I'll try to get more on that and see how we can be helpful. >> VOICEOVER: Since this visit took place, Monrovia City Corporation has allocated to the street vendors a legal place to vend. Although more space is needed, this is an important first step. In addition, Realizing Rights has provided seed money to the Petit Traders Union for them to rent office space close to Monrovia City Corporation so that they can maintain a regular dialogue with the mayor's office. A partnership with the global network WICO [Women's International Coalition] and others will continue to provide more skills and decent work opportunities for this community. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-promise-to-sow-seeds-for-the-future <p>Farmers in Kenya are reaping better harvests with the help of fertilizer, made available through a loan system. The farmers now believe they will become economically independent and able to properly care for their children.</p> Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-promise-to-sow-seeds-for-the-future Millennium Villages Project, Kenya, Millennium Promise, Agriculture, ViewChange Online Film Contest, Aid, Foreign Assistance, Extreme poverty, Microcredit, Microfinance >> TITLE: Millennium Promise: Extreme Poverty Ends Here >> TITLE: A Promise to Sow Seeds for the Future. Sauri, Kenya. April, 2010 >> HANNINGTON OWITI NYANDO [Millennium Villages Agricultural Facilitator]: A hungry country cannot be a peaceful country, cannot be a healthy country. Without food, even our lives cannot be in order. Currently, the soil is quite bare. It does not have plant food. So, automatically, after having planted with fertilizer, a farmer will have to get a bumper harvest. >> EVELYN AKINYI OMONDI [Farmer, Gongo Sub-Location]: I started using fertilizer in 2007, when Millennium Villages Project brought it. Millennium Villages taught us how to plant, how to space our seeds, how to apply fertilizer, and to cover the soil. This method gives me much higher yields than I used to get before. Without fertilizer, you get nothing. If I plant here without fertilizer, my yield is only one sack. With fertilizer, I get over 15 sacks. People really want to use fertilizer now. Millennium Villages Project introduced a loan system for fertilizer. I have benefited from this loan system. I will pay back the loan. By next year, I hope to be self-sufficient. I hope to build on what I've borrowed so that next year I don't need any assistance. If I work hard, I can sell my maize to enable me to buy my own fertilizer. Millennium Villages Project has helped us. When Millennium Villages Project first came, I had no plans at all. But recently I built a house. If I work hard on the farm and in business, the way the Millennium Villages taught me, I can plan a better education for my children. >> TITLE: Each Millennium Village was a hunger hotspot, and the introduction of subsidized fertilizer was a crucial priority. >> TITLE: As a result, crop yields have dramatically increased, helping to reduce hunger and enabling farmers to sell surplus crops for profit. >> TITLE: Many farmers have transitioned entirely from being dependent on food aid to being entirely self-sufficient. >> TITLE: It costs as little as: USD$15 to provide a 25 kilogram bag of fertilizer; USD$20 to provide high-yield and disease-resistant seeds to farmers. >> TITLE: Help us ensure that mothers like Evelyn have the opportunity to feed their families, educate their children, and ensure healthy and independent livelihoods. >> TITLE: Millennium Promise: Extreme poverty ends here. Join us today at www.millenniumpromise.org http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mdg-4-reduce-child-mortality <p>With Australian support, more birth attendants are being trained in rural and remote parts of Papua New Guinea, helping to reduce infant deaths.</p> Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:42:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/mdg-4-reduce-child-mortality Child, Millennium Development Goals, Health, Rural area, Mortality rate, AusAID, Papua New Guinea, Kokoda Track, Healthcare, Clinic >> TITLE: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) >> TITLE: 4. Reduce Child Mortality. The death rate of children under five has declined steadily from 12.6 million in 1990 to 9 million in 2007. But the rate is still too high -- one death every 3 seconds, mostly from preventable causes. >> TITLE: Target. Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. >> TITLE: Papua New Guinea. >> VOICEOVER: Often one of the challenges in reducing child deaths is reaching the large populations that live in remote areas. So health teams like this one in Papua New Guinea trudge for hours on muddy tracks through mountainous countryside to set up health clinics in villages like this one in Kanga, not far from the Kokoda Track. >> LEON SIME [Health Action Officer]: My work in here, being a health action officer, we were trained especially to work in the rural areas, like a doctor that does clinical duties in the hospital, we do the same in rural areas. That includes the family health and immunization patrols, doing family planning, antenatal care, I coordinate that within the health center. >> VOICEOVER: Village volunteers are also trained to provide basic medical assistance and advice. >> LEON SIME: They have also been trained to identify and refer those cases to the health centers and hospital for treatment, and also they've been trained to do antenatal care for mothers who are pregnant and they can estimate the date of birth and refer them in, encourage mothers to come in for deliveries in here. >> VOICEOVER: Better access to healthcare, immunization, and education are keys to keeping children healthy. >> MICHAEL LUCAS [Kanga Village Chief]: When health program is an educational program like this, trying to educate people, I think that will help us, will change our living and also people will change from when they're young, too. >> TITLE: What is Australia doing? Training more skilled birth attendants in rural and remote PNG to help reduce infant deaths. Increasing births supervised by skilled staff is an important focus of the PNG-Australia Partnership for Development. Working with governments and other donors to improve the supply of vaccines and immunization globally. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-euvin-naidu-on-investing-in-africa South African investment banker Euvin Naidoo explains why investing in Africa can make great business sense. Tue, 24 Aug 2010 02:06:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-euvin-naidu-on-investing-in-africa Euvin Naidoo, Africa, Investment, Nigeria, SACCA, BRIC, Inflation, South Africa, KKR, Bain Capital >> TITLE: Remarkable people ... unmissable talks ... now free to the world. TED: Ideas worth spreading.>> TITLE: Euvin Naidoo>> EUVIN NAIDOO: Welcome to Africa. Or rather, I should say, welcome home. Because this is where it all really began, isn't it? >> TITLE: June, 2007. Arusha, Tanzania.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: Looking at fossils dating back several millions of years, it all points to evidence that life for the human species as we know it began right here. We are on an amazing journey the next four days. You're going to hear stories of Africa: The Next Chapter. Fantastic tales, anecdotes from speakers. But I want to turn that upside down for a moment, and get something out on the table and clear the air, so to say. What's the worst thing you've ever heard about Africa? And this is not a rhetorical question. I actually want answers from you. Go for it! The worst. Famine. Corruption. More. Genocide. AIDS. Slavery. That's enough. We've all heard these things. But this is about Africa, the story we have not heard, the stories that we want to know, and the stories that do exist about positive tales. A part of my talk is going to be about investment opportunities that exist on this continent. To separate the rhetoric from the reality, the fact from the fiction. To go to the actual data and statistics that exist about the actual things that are happening on the ground that make Africa a realistic investment opportunity and option for you. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: So let's get going because Africa, to some degree, is on a turnaround. A turnaround in terms of how it manages its image, and how it takes control of its own destiny. And turnarounds are part and parcel of what I have focused on for most of my professional career. And it all started about ... almost a decade ago, as a young consultant at McKinsey & Company at their first African office in Johannesburg. And there we worked with leading CEOs on African issues, and African companies, on turnarounds -- making their companies not just the best in Africa, but the best globally. But I really formalized this focus on turnarounds when I was completing my MBA in the United States. It all began with a fantastic phone call. It was from Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Harvard Business School guru and a professor of mine. And she said, "I want to write a case, Euvin: a case on a public-sector leader that has lessons for the corporate world." >> EUVIN NAIDOO: And the leader that came to mind was Nelson Mandela. Because Nelson Mandela, as he took over power as the first democratically elected president of South Africa, faced a situation of a country that could have slid into the abyss of chaos. But he started the country on a path of a positive cycle. Now the case, "Nelson Mandela: Change Leader," became part of the research base for a chapter in Rosabeth's new book, called "Confidence." And "Confidence" became a New York Times bestseller and topped Business Week's hardcover bestseller list. And why I tell you this story is because later, when I was interviewed on SABC Africa, on a pan-African broadcast, they asked, "What is your key lesson, or the key thing you enjoy the most?" -- because it was a huge privilege to be part of such a project. The lesson from that was that it was Africa, an African story, that was used to share news with the rest of the world of what the benchmark can be for corporate turnarounds. Africa was being used as a success story.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: So I want to share with you a personal story about a turnaround or a transformation. And that has to do with me. Because in 1994, I packed a few things into a backpack and headed off for a year of travel in the middle of my university career. You should have seen my parents' reaction. But very soon, I found myself from the southern part of Africa -- in South Africa -- at the very north, in Egypt. And I sought out the most remote places. I went to the Siwa Oasis, that was one of my stops. And the Siwa Oasis is famous for several things, but the key thing is that it was the place that Alexander the Great went to when he wanted to find out what his destiny had in store for him. And legend has it that Alexander trekked through this desert. Half his battalion was wiped out in the sandstorm. And myth says that he had an audience with the oracle, and it foretold his destiny of greatness. This was 300 BC. So Africa had long been seen as a place to go to for answers. Now, the thing I remember about Siwa was the magical view of the sky at night. With no natural light source, Siwa is one of these amazing places that when you look up you see a perfect tapestry. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: Fast-forward to 2002. I'm sitting in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Healthcare Development Conference. And I see the same picture, but from the opposite side. A satellite picture looking down at the Earth. And it was that picture that made such a profound impact on me, because I'll never forget it, I remember the very moment. And I wanted to share that image with you of what I saw at that point. The first thing that I saw was North America at night. Glowing, in all its glory. A warm feeling. Light.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: And then I saw it: Africa. Quite literally the "Dark Continent." And while Africa may be dark, the thing that brought the message home to me was that this is the challenge we are facing, but it's also the opportunity. Because whilst Africa may be dark, other than the few specks that exist north and in the south and other areas, it's aglow with the light in the hearts of the millions of people that are there: entrepreneurs, dynamic people, people with hope. It was George Kimble, the geographer, who said that, "The only thing dark about Africa is our ignorance of it." So let's start shedding light on this amazing, eclectic continent that has so much to offer. Let's start unpacking it. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: Africa is the second-largest continent, by landmass, second from Asia. It also is the second most populated continent, with 900 million people. In fact -- coming back to the landmass -- Africa is so big that you could fit in the continental United States, China, and the entire Europe into Africa, and still have space. Africa is home to over 1,000 languages -- 2,000 is another estimate that's out there -- with over 2,000 languages and dialects. But you could say, "Invest in Africa in over 1,000 languages, and it wouldn't make a difference." What does the data say? As an investment banker, I'm in the crossflow of information and the changes that are taking place in capital markets. So I want to share with you some of these bellwether signals, or signs, and winds of change that are sweeping this continent.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: So let's start on that. And let's start at the high level, on the macro factors. Inflation, in general, is coming down across Africa, that's the first sign, in many countries reaching double-digit figures. So let's start looking at some of those. I call it my ZEN cluster. Zambia: from 2004 to 2006, moves from the 18 percent in inflation to the nine percent. Egypt: from the 16 percent to about 8.4 percent. Nigeria, similar situation: from the 16 percent to the eight percent. Single digits. More fascinating, you have other countries -- South Africa, Mauritius, Namibia -- all in single digits. But that's just part of the story. You have a similar trend with currencies, currencies going through an extreme time of stability. But that's looking at the big picture. And the first myth to dispel is that Africa is not a country. It's made up of 53 different countries. So the very definition -- to say, "invest in Africa" -- is a no-go. It's meaningless. Each country has a unique value proposition. You can make money, you can lose money in Africa. But opportunities, boy oh boy, they exist. And this is what today is about -- it's about discussing those very opportunities. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: So let's start getting into the countries and into the specific material and data. I was recently elected, as Emeka mentioned, as the President of the South African Chamber of Commerce in America. And I'm very proud and happy to be in that role because it is a fascinating position to be in. To hear this dialogue that's just increasing in tenor and velocity, of decisions about trade and companies wanting to come. So the first port of call: let's talk a little bit about South Africa, but not the South Africa we always talk about -- the gold, the minerals, the First World infrastructure -- a bit about the other side of it.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: Example: South Africa was recently voted as the top destination for the top 1,000 UK companies for offshore call-centers. Same language, timeline, etc. Makes sense. Other headlines that have recently reached South Africa was Bain Capital and KKR, the big boys of private equity. Headline in South Africa: "They have landed." Quite ominous. But what were they there for? To acquire assets. Bain Capital's acquisition of Edcon, a large retailer, is testimony to the confidence they are starting to place in the economy. Because it is actually a long-term play. Being a retailer, it is a play on the belief that this middle class that's growing will continue to grow, that the boom and the confidence in consumer spending will continue. But the story of Africa, and my focus, is beyond South Africa because there's so much happening. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: Undoubtedly, Nigeria is clearly a hot spot. Challenges -- and we will hear a lot about Nigeria in these four days. But, looking at Goldman Sachs' work, we had the famous BRIC Report. The new report, "The Next Eleven," highlights that by 2020 Nigeria is going to be amongst the top 10 economies in the world. It's an investment opportunity. Think about that. Has anyone -- our banks, our investors -- seriously thinking about going to Nigeria? If you haven't, why not? What's going on in Nigeria? A couple of things. I want to talk about it from the perspective of capital markets, bellwether signs again. Guarantee Trust Bank recently issued the first Eurobond out of Africa, and this excludes South Africa. But the first Eurobond, the raising of international capital offshore, off its own balance sheet, without any sovereign backing. That is an indication of the confidence that is taking place in that economy. Without any sovereign backing, a Nigerian company raising capital offshore. It's just a sign of things to come.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: Looking at the oil industry, Africa provides 18 percent of the U.S.'s oil supply, with the Middle East just 16 percent. It's an important strategic partner. Let's put Nigeria in perspective: 2.2 to 2.4 million barrels of oil a day. The same league as Kuwait. The same league as Venezuela. But, with Africa, let's start being careful about this. Emeka and I have had these discussions. We have to move away from what's called "the curse of the commodities." Because it's not about oil, it's not about commodities. For Africa to truly be sustainable, we have to move beyond, to other industries.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: So let's unpack those very quickly, and I'm going to move through these very, very, very fast, because I can see that clock counting down. What else is going on there? Egypt. Egypt is launching a first large industrial zone -- USD$2.8 billion investment. The announcement just came out the last few weeks. Close to the Mediterranean, near Alexandria. Textiles, petrochemicals. It's being managed by a Singaporean-based management company. So they want to emerge as an industrial powerhouse across the industries, away from oil. Let's look at agriculture. Let's look at forestry. What's going on there? In Tanzania last week, we had the launch of the East African Organic Produce Standard. Again, gathering together farmers, gathering together stakeholders in East Africa to get standards for organic produce. Better prices. It ties in with small-scale farmers in terms of no pesticides, no fertilizers. Again, opportunity to tackle markets to get that higher price. Uganda: the New Forest Company, replanting and redeveloping their forests. Why is that important? As the energy needs are met and electricity is needed [people will need] poles for rolling out electricity. But here is the sweetener in the deal. They're going to be tapping into carbon credits. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: Let's go back to Nigeria. The banking sector has undergone tremendous transformation, from over 80 banks to 25 banks. Strengthening of the system. But what's going on there? Only 10 percent of the country is banked. The largest population in Africa is in Nigeria: 135 million-plus people. Think about that. There are only 700 ATMs in the country. Opportunity. The same for telecoms across the country. Now let's look at the continent as a whole. People look at the roads, for example, and they'd say, "Angola: 90 percent of roads are untarred. Ah, problem." It's more expensive to transport goods. Prices of goods go up, inflation is affected. Nigeria: 70 percent of roads are untarred. Zambia: 80 percent. In general, more than 50 percent of roads are untarred. This is an opportunity. Energy needs: it's an opportunity. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: So what are the signs that things are fundamentally changing? Let's look at the stock markets in Africa. If I had to ask you, "In 2005 what was the best performing stock market or stock exchange in the world?" would Egypt come to mind? In 2005, the Egyptian stock market -- stock exchange -- returned over 145 percent. What's going on in some of the other countries? Let's look at some 2006 numbers: Kenya, over 60 percent; Nigeria, over 40 percent; South Africa, in the 20 percents, high ones. These are the trends that are taking place. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: But in any investment decision, the key question is, "What is my alternative investment?" Because in Africa today, we are competing globally for capital. And global capital is agnostic, it has no loyalties. There's an overhang of capital in the U.S., and the key is yield pickup. What Africa is providing is a diversification play, and also opportunities for yield pickup for the investor that's aware of what he or she is doing. Now, when looking at Africa vis-a-vis other things, and countries in Africa vis-a-vis other things, comparisons become important. Ten years ago there, were very few countries that received sovereign ratings from the Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitches. Today, 16 African countries and growing have sovereign country ratings. What does this mean? Take Nigeria again: double B-minus, in the league of Ukraine and Turkey. Immediately we have a comparison. The backbone of making investment decisions for global holders of capital. Some other figures: South Africa, triple B-plus; Botswana, A-plus; Burkina Faso, B-minus; and so on. In fact, one of the big agencies is setting up an office in Africa. Why are they doing that? Because they expect investment to follow. >> EUVIN NAIDOO: So one of the big bellwethers, and one of my final points I want to mention, is the interesting thing I read is that CNBC has launched their first African channel. Why is CNBC doing this? It's the 24-hour rolling African news channel. They're doing it because they are expecting things to happen. Me and you, the investments we are going to be making, the investment the world is going to be making, that's the 24-hour news channel dedicated to Africa. So that's the change that's coming down the pipeline.>> EUVIN NAIDOO: So, in conclusion, I want to turn back to that very slide that made such a deep impact on me all those years ago, and this time give you the entire picture that I saw in 2002, and ask you that, when you think about what your role can be in Africa, think about your journey in terms of bringing light to this continent. Because there are amazing opportunities available. And think about the concept of transformation in the back of your mind, because things can be turned around rather quickly. In 1899, Joseph Conrad released the "Heart of Darkness," a tale of grim horror along the Congo River. If one looks carefully, on the Congo River is one of those bright lights. And that's the very Congo River generating light: the old heart of darkness, now generating light with hydroelectric power. That is a transformation and power of ideas. So the next step, over the next four days, is us exploring more of these ideas. And, perchance, if you can always keep this picture in your mind, and that when we convene maybe in the distant future, in 2020, that picture will look very different. Thank you.>> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/africa-bomb-squad-rats <p>After decades of civil war, and years of work clearing up after it, Mozambique is slowly moving towards being declared free of land mines. All thanks to man's unlikely new best friend: the rat.</p> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:44:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/africa-bomb-squad-rats Apopo, Land mine, Giant pouched rat, HeroRAT, Demining, Detection dog, Unexploded ordnance, Mozambique, Mozambican War of Independence, Mozambican Civil War >> TITLE: Bomb Squad Rats >> ABDULLAH MCHOMVU [Rat Trainer, Apopo]: As you see, here is a place where Garvey lives. Maybe I can open the cage so that you can have a look at Garvey. >> VOICEOVER: Here in Mozambique, the Cricetomys gambianus, or, as it's better known, the African giant pouched rat, is no longer feared or reviled. >> ABDULLAH MCHOMVU: Yes, this is Garvey. Come out. >> VOICEOVER: In fact, rats like Garvey are fondly admired by their human colleagues. >> ALBERT ZACHARIA [Rat Trainer, Apopo]: It's a very good rat. Because they're social, and they're hardworking. >> VOICEOVER: Albert and Abdullah are two rat trainers who have helped give the rodents a makeover from vermin to lifesaver. But even they admit to being skeptical in the beginning. >> ALBERT ZACHARIA: Mostly in our African culture, rats are considered as a useless animal. So, at first when I heard that rats are being used for demining, I didn't believe it. >> VOICEOVER: Here at this rat training camp in Chokwe, near the Limpopo River, these furry heroes are going through their final training. Running on lines between their handlers, they are sniffing for the bits of nonlethal TNT that have been laid here. When the rats detect some explosive, they indicate by scratching the ground. The trainers then make a clicking noise to let them know they can return for a reward. >> ANDREW SULLY [Program Manager, Apopo]: What we are trying to do is here the rats are an African solution to an African problem. >> VOICEOVER: Andrew Sully works for Apopo, the Belgian NGO which runs the rat program. He says the inspiration came from scientific work dating back decades. >> ANDREW SULLY: Well rats have actually been used for the detection of explosives for many, many years. I mean, there were experiments using laboratory rats back in the 1950s if not before that. >> VOICEOVER: Putting that research into practice hasn't been easy, and each rat takes two years to train. But they have some distinct advantages over their canine counterparts. Unlike sniffer dogs, they're loyal to food, rather than one particular trainer. And they can also be more effective on windy days, like today. >> ABDULLAH MCHOMVU: He still can manage to get the smell of the TNT. If it would be a dog it would be difficult for them to get because the dog is somewhat higher from the ground, but the rat is very low from the ground. That's why he can manage also to get the smell. >> VOICEOVER: It's early morning and the rat team is getting ready to move out. >> ALBERT ZACHARIA: It's good to travel during ... early because if the temperature gets higher then the rats also start to face some problems of hydration and start to lose energy. >> VOICEOVER: Their mission is to demine a remote rural village, five hours away by road. Sadly, for the rats, it's economy class all the way. >> ALBERT ZACHARIA: Those cages, we just use them for traveling, but if we arrive there we'll remove the rats from the traveling cages and we put them in bigger cages where they can play around and enjoy themselves. >> VOICEOVER: Demining teams have spent more than a decade trying to clear Mozambique of land mines. Millions of them were laid during the 10-year fight for independence and the two decades of civil war that followed. Today, the rat team is on its way to the former garrison village of Hate-Hate. >> ANDREW SULLY: From the initial surveys that have been done I think there have been at least five or six mine accidents in this sort of horseshoe shape which was the mined area around the barracks. >> VOICEOVER: This area is currently bone dry, but soon the rains will come and these roads will be impassable. The deminers know they'll have to move quickly. >> ANDREW SULLY: So we'll probably run 12 rats a day, which will be 1,200 square meters a day. So a task like this we'd expect to take three weeks ... three or four weeks. >> SINGING WOMEN: We are going to tell you about things in our country. >> VOICEOVER: In the village of Hate-Hate there's great excitement at the imminent arrival of the demining team. >> SINGING WOMEN: In our country, in Hate-Hate, we need peace. We need lasting peace. >> VOICEOVER: Only a few hundred people have returned here since the end of the civil war and almost all of them have been affected by land mines. Marta Massingue witnessed the death of one of the villagers. >> MARTA MASSINGUE [Hate-Hate Villager]: The man came from there. He went straight to the tree. A path goes that way. The path goes to Hate-Hate. There was a land mine. When he stepped on it he was killed. >> VOICEOVER: Marta's had to learn to live with land mines, inventing stories to keep first her children and now her grandchildren safe. >> MARTA MASSINGUE: We tell them that if they go that way they will get burnt, that there will be fire and they will get burnt. But if they go along the path they will be fine. >> VOICEOVER: For 10 years, villagers have been waiting for help to clear the mines. Now it's at hand, they're surprised to hear what form the help is taking. >> ALEXANDER SITOE [Hate-Hate Villager]: The rat ... I am so surprised because it's a rat. I don't believe it. I don't believe it because I've never seen it. >> MARTA MASSINGUE: I don't know whether it's true rats will be able to smell them, but we will be so excited if they do because then we can live in peace without the land mines. >> VOICEOVER: Five hours after they set off, the rats have finally made it, but the journey has clearly exacted a toll. Rat team leader, Vendeline Shirima, is worried about his rodents: they all appear to have passed out. >> INTERVIEWER: It is stress or is it heat? >> VENDELINE SHIRIMA [Rat Team Leader, Apopo]: They became a little bit tired because of the journey and also the weather, due to the heat. >> VOICEOVER: Luckily, today is a rest day -- for the rats at least. The demining team is busy clearing the scrub before the rats can be put to work. Already they've spotted two land mines. They almost drove over them. >> ANDREW SULLY: We actually know that there have been eight mine victims around this area. So we've got a high expectancy of finding more mines. >> VOICEOVER: The next day, work begins early. The rats have recovered, but there's no breakfast for them. Instead, they're kept peckish to keep them focused, and only fed when their day is done. The rat handlers suit up before they venture out to the minefield. >> ALFREDO ADAMO [Rat Handler, Apopo]: Actually, it's protective gear, so it's much safer to wear it rather than going without it. >> VOICEOVER: Alfredo Adamo gave up his job as a schoolteacher to work with the rats, and he's proud of his new career. >> ALFREDO ADAMO: Because I know every time we find a mine and we destroy it, I know if it continued there something bad should happen, either to a person or to an animal, actual cattle or whatever. >> VOICEOVER: The area the deminers are working in today lies either side of a track leading down to a borehole, the area's main water source. >> VENDELINE SHIRIMA: So they put mines in this area in order to protect those local people inside here. >> VOICEOVER: The rats are put to work traversing the minefield. They are not heavy enough to set off a land mine, and their scratching when they find one is lighter still. >> REPORTER: So, Alfredo, have any of the rats indicated anything yet? >> ALFREDO ADAMO: Yes, two rats have indicated. >> VOICEOVER: Each carefully pegged out box will be gone over not once, but twice by two different rats. It's a system designed to eliminate error. >> VENDELINE SHIRIMA: Yeah, the rats, they show indications, but we're not yet going to clarify to see what are they indicating. >> VOICEOVER: Villagers have been warned to stay away while the rats get down to work, but this is cattle country, and the main track to the water hole runs right through where the demining teams are working. Rats may not be heavy enough to set off land mines, but the cows most certainly can. And the dogs are an added threat to the rats. For the rat handlers, it's a nervous start to the operation here. >> ALFREDO ADAMO: I was actually worried. I know local people really do know about the existence of land mines, and they believe they know the right path, but I don't need to believe in that because I know cows can just walk wherever they want. >> REPORTER: Then set off a mine while you're working? >>ALFREDO ADAMO: Yes, I was actually not very comfortable. >> VOICEOVER: Cerveza is the leader of the bomb disposal team, and has a close relationship with the rats. >> CERVEZA [Bomb Disposal Team Leader, Apopo]: We understand what rats are like. We've been friends for ... We're with them every day. At night, if they make a noise, we check on them. In the day, we're together in the field. Day after day, we're with the rats. >> VOICEOVER: Cerveza's team needs total confidence in the abilities of their pointy-nosed colleagues. Once the rats have sniffed out the explosives, these men have to walk through the minefield to verify what's been found. >> CERVEZA: I'm confident about the work that rats do. Yes, I trust them completely. >> VOICEOVER: The rats' day finishes early. They're prone to develop skin cancer if they get too much sun. But, by the end of today's shift, they've already found this fragment of a mortar mine. >> CERVEZA: This is what's left of it. It's already exploded. >> VOICEOVER: And two live land mines. The final job of the day is to safely detonate the rat's haul. >> CERVEZA: It's TNT, almost all of it. There's 150 grams. This is the detonator. >> VOICEOVER: It's slow and painstaking work, but bit by bite, Mozambique is being cleared of land mines, and it's all thanks to the work of man's new best friend. >> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-iqbal-quadir-says-mobiles-fight-poverty Iqbal Quadir tells how his experiences as a kid in poor Bangladesh, and later as a banker in New York, led him to start a mobile phone operator connecting 80 million rural Bangladeshi Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:21:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-iqbal-quadir-says-mobiles-fight-poverty Iqbal Quadir, GrameenPhone, Developing country, Mobile phone, Economic development, Bangladesh, Technology, Information technology, International Telecommunication Union, Dean Kamen >> TITLE: Remarkable people ... unmissable talks ... now free to the world. TED: ideas worth spreading. >> IQBAL QUADIR: I'll just take you to Bangladesh for a minute. >> TITLE: Iqbal Quadir, July, 2005, Oxford, England >> VOICE: ... your own private dreams day and night with the near and dear ones. This is where the journey begins, with one small step, a journey that today has reached one million destinations. >> BILL CLINTON: With loans for people to buy cell phones, entire villages are being brought into the information age. I want people throughout the world to know this story. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Before I tell that story, we should ask ourselves the question: Why does poverty exist? I mean, there is plenty of knowledge and scientific breakthroughs, we all live in the same planet. But still there's a great deal of poverty in the world. And I think ... so I want to throw a perspective that I have, so that we can assess this project, or any other project, for that matter, to see whether it's contributing to poverty or trying to alleviate it. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Rich countries have been sending aid to poor countries for last 60 years. And by and large, this has failed. And you can see this book, written by someone who worked in the World Bank for 20 years, and he finds economic growth in this country to be elusive. By and large, it did not work. So the question is, why is that? >> IQBAL QUADIR: In my mind, there is something to learn from the history of Europe. I mean, even here, yesterday I was walking across the street, and they showed [where] three bishops were executed 500 years ago, right across the street from here. So my point is, there's a lot of struggle has gone in Europe, where citizens were empowered by technologies. And they demanded authorities to come down from their high horses. And in the end, there's better bargaining between the authorities and citizens, and democracies, capitalism, everything else flourished. And so you can see, the real process -- and this is backed up by this 500-page book -- that the authorities came down and citizens got up. >> IQBAL QUADIR: But if you look, if you have that perspective, then you can see what happened in the last 60 years. Aid actually did the opposite. It empowered authorities. And, as a result, marginalized citizens. The authorities did not have the reason to make economic growth happen so that they could tax people and make more money to run their business. Because they were getting it from abroad. And, in fact, if you see oil-rich countries, where citizens are not yet empowered, the same thing goes. Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, all sorts of countries. Because the aid and oil or mineral money acts the same way. It empowers authorities, without activating the citizens: their hands, legs, brains, what have you. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And if you agree with that, then I think the best way to improve these countries is to recognize that economic development is of the people, by the people, for the people. And that is the real network effect. If citizens can network and make themselves more organized and productive, so that their voices are heard, so then things would improve. And, to contrast that, you can see the most important institution in the world, the World Bank, is an organization of the government, by the government, for the governments. Just see the contrast. And that is the perspective I have, and then I can start my story. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Of course, how would you empower citizens? There could be all sorts of technologies. And one is cell phones. Recently the Economist recognized this, but I stumbled upon the idea 12 years ago, and that's what I've been working on. So 12 years ago, I was trying to be an investment banker in New York. We had ... quite a few of our colleagues were connected by a computer network. And we got more productive because we didn't have to exchange floppy disks; we could update each other more often. But one time it broke down. And it reminded me of a day in 1971. There was a war going on in my country, and my family moved out of an urban place, where we used to live, to a remote rural area where it was safer. And one time my mother asked me to get some medicine for a younger sibling. And I walked 10 miles or so, all morning, to get there, to the medicine man. And he wasn't there, so I walked all afternoon back. So I had another unproductive day. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So while I was sitting in a tall building in New York, I put those two experiences together side by side, and basically concluded that connectivity is productivity, whether it's in a modern office or an underdeveloped village. So naturally, the implication of that is that the telephone is a weapon against poverty. And if that's the case, then the question is how many telephones did we have at that time? And it turns out, that there was one telephone in Bangladesh for every 500 people. And all those phones were in the few urban places. The vast rural areas, where 100 million people lived, there were no telephones. So just imagine how many man-months or man-years are wasted, just like I wasted a day. If you just multiply by 100 million people, let's say losing one day a month, whatever, and you see a vast amount of resource wasted. And after all, poor countries, like rich countries, one thing we've got equal, is their days are same length: 24 hours. So if you lose that precious resource, where you are somewhat equal to the richer countries, that's a huge waste. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So I started looking for any evidence that, does connectivity really increase productivity? And I couldn't find much, really, but I found this graph produced by the ITU, which is the International Telecommunication Union, based in Geneva. They show an interesting thing. That you see, the horizontal axis is where you place your country. So the United States or the UK would be here, outside. And so the impact of one new telephone, which is on the vertical axis, is very little. But if you come back to a poorer country, where the GNP per capita is, let's say, USD$500, or USD$300, then the impact is huge: USD$6,000, or USD$5,000. The question was, how much did it cost to install a new telephone in Bangladesh? It turns out: USD$2,000. So if you spend USD$2,000, and let's say the telephone lasts 10 years, and it's USD$5,000 every year -- so that's USD$50,000. So obviously this was a gadget to have. And of course, if the cost of installing a telephone is going down, because there's a digital revolution going on, then it would be even more dramatic. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And I knew a little economics by then: it says Adam Smith taught us that specialization leads to productivity. But how would you specialize? Let's say I'm a fisherman and a farmer. And Chris is a fisherman and farmer. Both are generalists. So the point is that we could only, only way we could depend on each other, if we can connect with each other. And if we are neighbors, I could just walk over to his house. But then we are limiting our economic sphere to something very small area. But in order to expand that, you need a river, or you need a highway, or you need telephone lines. But in any event, it's connectivity that leads to dependability. And that leads to specialization. That leads to productivity. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So the question was, I started looking at this issue, and going back and forth between Bangladesh and New York. There were a lot of reasons people told me why we don't have enough telephones. And one of them is the lacking buying power. Poor people apparently don't have the power to buy. But the point is, if it's a production tool, why do we have to worry about that? I mean, in America, people buy cars, and they put very little money down. They get a car, and they go to work. The work pays them a salary, the salary allows them to pay for the car over time. So the car pays for itself. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So if the telephone is a production tool, then we don't quite have to worry about the purchasing power. And of course, even if that's true, then what about initial buying power? So then the question is, why can't we have some kind of shared access? In the United States, we have -- everybody needs a banking service, but very few of us are trying to buy a bank. So a bank tends to serve a whole community. So we could do that for telephones. And also people told me that we have a lot of important primary needs to meet: food, clothing, shelter, whatever. But again, it's very paternalistic. You should be raising income and let people decide what they want to do with their money. >> IQBAL QUADIR: But the real problem is the lack of other infrastructures. See, you need some kind of infrastructure to bring a new thing. For instance, the Internet was booming in the U.S. because there where people had computers, they had modems, they had telephone lines, so it's very easy to bring in a new idea, like the Internet. But that's what's lacking in a poor country. So for example, we didn't have ways to have credit checks, few banks to collect bills, etcetera. But that's why I noticed Grameen Bank, which is a bank for poor people, and had 1,100 branches, 12,000 employees, 2.3 million borrowers. And they had these branches, I thought I could put cell towers and create a network. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And anyway, to cut the time short, so I started ... I first went to them and said, "You know, perhaps I could connect all your branches and make you more efficient." But you know, they have, after all, evolved in a country without telephones, so they are decentralized. I mean, of course there might be other good reasons, but this was one of the reasons -- they had to be. And so they were not that interested to connect all their branches, and then to be ... and rock the boat. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So I started focusing. What is it that they really do? So what happens is that somebody borrows money from the bank. She typically buys a cow. The cow gives milk. And she sells the milk to the villagers, and pays off the loan. And this is a business for her, but it's milk for everybody else. And suddenly I realized that a cell phone could be a cow. Because somebody she could borrow USD$200 from the bank, get a phone, and have the phone for everybody. And it's a business for her. >> IQBAL QUADIR: So I wrote to the bank, and they thought for a while, and they said, "It's a little crazy, but logical. If you think it can be done, come and make it happen." So I quit my job; I went back to Bangladesh. I created a company in America called Gonofone, which in Bengali means "people's phone." And angel investors in America put in money into that. I flew around the world. After about a million ... I mean, I got rejected from lots of places, because I was not only trying to go to a poor country, I was trying to go to the poor of the poor country. After about a million miles, and a meaningful ... a substantial loss of hair, I eventually put together a consortium, which involved the Norwegian telephone company, which provided the know-how, and the Grameen Bank provided the infrastructure to spread the service. >> IQBAL QUADIR: To make the story short, here is the coverage of the country. You can see it's pretty much covered. Even in Bangladesh, there are some empty places. But we're also investing around another USD$300 million this year to extend that coverage. >> IQBAL QUADIR: Now, about that cow model I talked about. There are about 115,000 people who are retailing telephone services in their neighborhoods. And it's serving 52,000 villages, which represent about 80 million people. And these phones are generating about USD$100 million for the company. And USD$2 profit per entrepreneur per day, which is like USD$700 per year. And of course, it's very beneficial in lot of ways. It increases income, improves welfare, etcetera. And the result is, right now, this company is the largest telephone company, with 3.5 million subscribers; 115,000 of these phones I talked about, that produces about a third of the traffic in the network. And 2004, the net profit, after taxes -- very serious taxes -- was USD$120 million. And the company contributed about USD$190 million dollars to the government coffers. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And again, here are some of the lessons: "The government needs to provide economically viable services." Actually, this is an instance where private companies can provide that. "Governments need to subsidize private companies." This is what some people think. And actually, private companies help governments with taxes. "Poor people are recipients." Poor people are a resource. "Services cost too much for the poor." Their involvement reduces the cost. "The poor are uneducated and cannot do much." They are very eager learners and very capable survivors. I've been very surprised. Most of them learn how to operate a telephone within a day. "Poor countries need aid." Businesses, this one company has raised the -- if the ideal figures are even 5 percent true -- this one company is raising the GNP of the country much more than the aid the country receives. And as I was trying to show you, as far as I'm concerned, aid does damages because it removes the government from its citizens. >> IQBAL QUADIR: And this is a new project I have with Dean Kamen, the famous inventor in America. He has produced power generators, which we are now doing an experiment in Bangladesh, in two villages where cow manure is producing biogas, which is running these generators. And each of these generators is selling electricity to 20 houses each. It's just an experiment. We don't know how far it will go, but it's going on. Thank you. >> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/no-ordinary-journey-tam-tran <p>The Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development program supports young people who want to live and work in a developing country. This film profiles volunteer Tam Tran, who left Vietnam as a child refugee, and has now returned to the country of his birth to work with disadvantaged kids.</p> Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:29:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/no-ordinary-journey-tam-tran Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development, Blue Dragon Children's Foundation, Child development, Hanoi, Australia, Vietnam, Social work, AusAID, Southeast Asia, Asia >> VOICEOVER: The roles of the volunteers are really varied depending on the backgrounds that they come from. For Tam, who went to Vietnam, it was about reconnecting with where he was born. >> TAM TRAN [Blue Dragon Children's Foundation]: So the circumstances around why we left Vietnam was because we were refugees. We escaped Vietnam on a boat, about 120 people on the boat. It took about six days to get to Malaysia. There, we had the choice of Australia or America, and dad chose Australia. So coming back here, part of it's been able to understand my culture, my heritage, and contribute back to my country. It's a lot easier to live here and to engage people because of my heritage. I'm able to communicate with them a lot better. I can speak Vietnamese but I think the locals will actually know that I'm a foreigner. My Vietnamese is from a southern accent, so living in Hanoi they know you're not actually from the north, you're from the south or you're a foreigner. They're very welcoming though, the locals. >> TAM TRAN: Blue Dragon is important because it helps street kids in Hanoi. Some of these kids have been in gangs. Gangs is a way for them to build companionship and to be part of a group, so what we try to do is that they come to the drop-in center and we try to provide them that safe space where they feel that they can actually belong. There are some very unexpected activities that the kids have felt that they wanted to do, and it really built up their confidence, and they start believing in themselves a lot more. And in turn they actually do well socially, they interact a lot better, they do well at school because they just have this newfound confidence. Education is one of the key ways to breaking that cycle. We provide the children with education, meaning that we pay for their school fees. Social work and psychology are very brand new areas here. The work that we do is very cutting edge. Blue Dragon has a really important part to play in developing social work in Vietnam. I help staff to understand child development, and to understand what the child is going through. Part of that, training the staff, is for me to do home visits, just to see where the children actually live. >> MICHAEL BROSOWSKI [Blue Dragon Children's Foundation]: When an aide comes to us we know that they're going to be gone within about a year. So it's essential that the aides don't just go do all the work themselves, but that they enable the local staff to be able to work. Tam's done that through training, but training is not just telling people what to do. Training is very often, "Come with me, and let's go and work on this case together." And that's what Tam has done. >> TAM TRAN: Part of my role is to train these staff in dealing with complex cases. Tan is this gorgeous kid who's six years old. He's got cerebral palsy and he lives on a fishing boat with his mum. On some days his mum goes to work, so he has to stay at home. And he likes to fish; as you can imagine that's quite dangerous, and he tells us stories about catching fish and it drags him close to the edge of the boat. So he comes in to our drop-in center and the social workers have been helping him to walk. He's had physical therapy treatment, we paid for that. >> TAM TRAN: We like to meet some of the street kids and just see what we can do to help. Part of that work is also, is doing straight outreach. Walking around the streets of Vietnam, talking to street kids, because we want to make sure that we're actually helping the most vulnerable. Cases such as drug addiction, mental health, child trafficking, and there's also abuse cases. Michelle and I have been seeing each other for a year. We had been seeing each other for a month. I knew that I was going away about four months prior before that. We talked about our relationship, you know, as most good things do it just happened. And we're trying to figure out where do we take this? >> MICHELLE LEHMANN [Tam's Partner]: Tam means an awful lot to me. I know that it was something that he's always wanted to do, so we had a discussion about whether or not he would come over. It just seemed the most natural thing to support him in his decision. >> TAM TRAN: Michelle's just been really supportive of me coming over here, and that could have jeopardized our relationship, but we talked about that and we both wanted to make it work. >> MICHELLE LEHMANN: This is my third time over to Hanoi, and he's been back to Melbourne one time. Even though his assignment has been for a year and it's almost coming to an end, we've still managed to see one another quite a lot. >> TAM TRAN: It was fantastic that Michelle could come over to be here for our one-year anniversary. >> MICHELLE LEHMANN: I think we've got through it fairly well. Looking back now, like almost a year ago, it seems to have gone very, very quickly. >> TAM TRAN: It's been hard on our relationship though. It's a distance thing. We speak to each other on the phone every two days. I come up with a lot of emotionally draining experiences here. It's quite confronting, so it's always good to hear such a warm, loving voice, and someone who believes in what I do over here. She's the most amazing person and I love her dearly. >> MICHELLE LEHMANN: He talks very passionately about his work. Every time we speak we talk about the challenges and the successes that they've had with the kids that they're working with. And the few times that I've been into Blue Dragon, you can see this very unique connection that he does have with the children. And they really look up to him. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-seat-s-journey Part documentary and part African tale, this film tells the story of a brand new cinema seat arriving in the Bamako cinema, which has been closed for years like hundreds of other cinemas in Africa. Co-produced by the 'Cinemas for Africa' Association, this poetic and musical film aims to promote the renovation of African cinemas at a time when many countries only have one cinema in operation. Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:14:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/a-seat-s-journey Africa, Abderrahmane Sissako, Bamako, Movie theater, Cinemas for Africa, Film, Movies, Juliette Binoche, Foreign Assistance, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: Cinemas for Africa presents >> TITLE: A Seat's Journey >> TITLE: A film by Marion Stalens >> WOMAN: How much for a ticket? >> TEACHER: Electrons carry a negative charge. So there is an attraction. Electrons on the first layer don't have the same energy level as on ... ? As on the second layer. >> VOICE: Come and see! There is a seat on a car. >> SCHOOLCHILDREN: It's true. Come on! >> HAIRDRESSER 1: Can you love two women the same way? Don't you have only one heart? >> HAIRDRESSER 2: If you know that you can't bear polygamy, just leave him! Because polygamy has a bad smell anyway. >> WOMAN: You become someone's second wife, or third wife. Seize your heart, you stay because of your children! >> VOICE: Have you seen the car? >> MAN 1: A seat on a car! Ali, what is it? >> MAN 2: Haven't you listened to the radio this morning? It's the first seat of the Soudan Ciné. It's going to be renovated. >> ACTOR [on television]: I am the hunter that prevents the bird from flying away. You will pay for this, I guarantee you! I never lose out, you know. I will get you back very soon. I love you. >> ACTRESS: No, it's impossible. It's a sin. How can you say that to me? >> VOICE: The seat! >> MAN: Follow this seat! >> WOMAN: So, how much for a ticket? >> TICKET SELLER: 1,000 CFA francs, my dear. >> WOMAN: Great! >> TICKET SELLER: Here you are. Enjoy your movie! >> WOMAN: Thank you. >> TICKET SELLER: Thank you. >> ABDERRAHMANE SISSAKO: Dear friend, I'm so happy that you came. Thirty years ago, in this theater, I saw my first pictures. It remained closed for 15 years now. It suffered from being closed. You were lucky, because you're brave, you're strong, and beautiful too. When you go to the movies, and sit down, you want to see someone who resembles you. Someone you like because of the strength he has and you don't have. Or someone you like for his weakness, because you're weak too. You like to recognize yourself in this. Cinema simply is life. So opening a theater is multiplying life, everyday, thousands of times. Thank you again for being here. >> WOMAN: Thank you. >> JULIETTE BINOCHE: Hello. I am happy to meet you thanks to the magic of cinema. I hope that soon you won't be sitting alone in this theater. We will unite our forces to bring this place back to life. And to bring other theaters in Africa back to life as well. See you soon. >> TITLE: Today, many African countries don't have operating movie-theaters anymore. To enable more seats to arrive, please send you donations to the association: Cinemas for Africa, 154, rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris - France. www.cinemasforafrica.com >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: www.cinemasforafrica.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-jacqueline-novogratz-invests-in-africa-s-own-solutions Jacqueline Novogratz applauds the world's heightened interest in Africa and poverty, but argues persuasively for a new approach. Wed, 18 Aug 2010 01:27:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-jacqueline-novogratz-invests-in-africa-s-own-solutions Jacqueline Novogratz, Microfinance, Africa, Acumen Fund, Kigali, TED, India, Tanzania, Developing country, Jeffrey Sachs >> TITLE: Remarkable people ... unmissable talks ... now free to the world. TED: Ideas worth spreading.>> TITLE: Jacqueline Novogratz>> TITLE: July 2005, Oxford, England.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: I want to start with a story, a la Seth Godin, from when I was 12 years old. My uncle Ed gave me a beautiful blue sweater -- at least I thought it was beautiful -- and it had fuzzy zebras walking across the stomach, and Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru kind of right across the chest, that were also fuzzy. And I wore it whenever I could, thinking it was the most fabulous thing I owned. Until one day in ninth grade, when I was standing with a number of the football players. And my body had clearly changed, and Matt Mussolina, who was undeniably my nemesis in high school, said in a booming voice that we no longer had to go far away to go on ski trips, but we could all ski on Mount Novogratz. And I was so humiliated and mortified that I immediately ran home to my mother and chastised her for ever letting me wear the hideous sweater. We drove to the Goodwill and we threw the sweater away somewhat ceremoniously, my idea being that I would never have to think about the sweater nor see it ever again.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Fast-forward 11 years later. I'm a 25-year-old kid working in Kigali, Rwanda, jogging through the steep slopes, when I see, 10 feet in front of me, a little boy, 11 years old, running toward me, wearing my sweater. And I'm thinking, no, this is not possible. But, so curious, I run up to the child -- of course scaring the living bejesus out of him -- grab him by the collar, turn it over, and there is my name written on the collar of this sweater.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: I tell that story, because it has served and continues to serve as a metaphor to me about the level of connectedness that we all have on this Earth. We so often don't realize what our action and our inaction does to people we think we will never see and never know. I also tell it because it tells a larger contextual story of what aid is and can be. That this [sweater] traveled into the Goodwill in Virginia, and moved its way into the larger industry, which at that point was giving millions of tons of secondhand clothing to Africa and Asia. Which was a very good thing, providing low-cost clothing. And, at the same time, certainly in Rwanda, it destroyed the local retailing industry. Not to say that it shouldn't have, but that we have to get better at answering the questions that need to be considered when we think about consequences and responses.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: So, I'm going to stick in Rwanda, circa 1985, 1986, where I was doing two things. I had started a bakery with 20 unwed mothers, we called the Bad News Bears, and our notion was we were going to corner the snack food business in Kigali, which was not hard because there were no snacks before us. And because we had a good business model, we actually did it, and I watched these women transform on a micro level. But, at the same time, I started a microfinance bank, and tomorrow Iqbal Quadir is going to talk about Grameen, which is the grandfather of all microfinance banks, which now is a worldwide movement -- you talk about a meme -- but, then it was quite new, especially in an economy that was moving from barter into trade. >> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: We got a lot of things right. We focused on a business model, we insisted on skin in the game. The women made their own decisions at the end of the day as to how they would use this access to credit to build their little businesses, earn more income, so they could take care of their families better.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: What we didn't understand, what was happening all around us, with ... the confluence of fear, ethnic strife, and certainly an aid game, if you will, that was playing into this invisible but certainly palpable movement inside Rwanda, that at that time, 30 percent of the budget was all foreign aid. The genocide happened in 1994, seven years after these women all worked together to build this dream. And the good news was that the institution, the banking institution, lasted. In fact, it became the largest rehabilitation lender in the country. The bakery was completely wiped out, but the lessons for me were that accountability counts: got to build things with people on the ground, using business models where, as Steven Levitt would say, the incentives matter. Understand, however complex we might be, incentives matter.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: So when Chris raised to me how wonderful everything that was happening in the world, that we were seeing a shift in zeitgeist, on the one hand I absolutely agree with him, and I was so thrilled to see what happened with the G8 -- that the world, because of people like Tony Blair and Bono and Bob Geldof -- the world is talking about global poverty, the world is talking about Africa in ways I have never seen in my life. It's thrilling. And at the same time, what keeps me up at night is a fear that we'll look at the victories of the G8 -- USD$50 billion in increased aid to Africa, USD$40 billion in reduced debt -- as the victory, as more than chapter one, as our moral absolution.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: And, in fact, what we need to do is see that as chapter one, celebrate it, close it, and recognize that we need a chapter two that is all about execution, all about the how-to. And if you remember one thing from what I want to talk about today, it's that the only way to end poverty, to make it history, is to build viable systems on the ground that deliver critical and affordable goods and services to the poor, in ways that are financially sustainable and scalable. If we do that, we really can make poverty history.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: And it was that -- that whole philosophy -- that encouraged me to start my current endeavor called Acumen Fund, which is trying to build some mini-blueprints for how we might do that in water, health, and housing in Pakistan, India, Kenya, Tanzania, and Egypt. And I want to talk a little bit about that, and some of the examples so you can see what it is that we're doing. But before I do this -- and this is another one of my pet peeves -- I want to talk a little bit about who the poor are. Because we too often talk about them as these strong, huge masses of people yearning to be free, when in fact, it's quite an amazing story. >> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: On a macro level, four billion people on Earth make less than USD$4 a day. That's who we talk about when we think about the poor. If you aggregate it, it's the third-largest economy on Earth, and yet most of these people go invisible. Where we typically work, there's people making between USD$1 and USD$3 a day. Who are these people? They are farmers and factory workers. They're working in government offices. They're drivers. They are domestics. They typically pay for critical goods and services like water, like healthcare, like housing, and they pay 30 to 40 times what their middleclass counterparts pay -- certainly where we work in Karachi and Nairobi. The poor also are willing to make, and do make, smart decisions, if you give them that opportunity.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: So, two examples. One is in India, where there are 240 million farmers, most of whom make less than USD$2 a day. Where we work in Aurangabad, the land is extraordinarily parched. You see people on average making 60 cents to a dollar. This guy in pink is a social entrepreneur named Ami Tabar. What he did was see what was happening in Israel, larger approaches, and figure out how to do a drip irrigation, which is a way of bringing water directly to the plant stock. But previously it's only been created for large-scale farms, so Ami Tabar took this and modularized it down to an eighth of an acre. A couple of principles: build small, Make it infinitely expandable and affordable to the poor.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: This family, Sarita and her husband, bought a USD$15 unit when they were living in literally a three-walled lean-to with a corrugated iron roof. After one harvest, they had increased their income enough to buy a second system to do their full quarter-acre. A couple of years later, I meet them. They now make USD$4 a day, which is pretty much middle class for India, and they showed me the concrete foundation they'd just laid to build their house. And I swear, you could see the future in that woman's eyes, something I truly believe.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: You can't talk about poverty today without talking about malaria bed nets, and I again give Jeffrey Sachs of Harvard huge kudos for bringing to the world this notion of his rage: for USD$5 you can save a life. Malaria is a disease that kills one to three million people a year; 300 to 500 million cases are reported. It's estimated that Africa loses about USD$13 billion a year to the disease. USD$5 can save a life. We can send people to the Moon, we can see if there's life on Mars -- why can't we get USD$5 nets to 500 million people?>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: The question, though, is not why can't we; the question is how can we help Africans do this for themselves? A lot of hurdles: one, production is too low; two, price is too high; three, this is a good road right near where our factory is located -- distribution is a nightmare, but not impossible. We started by making a USD$350,000 loan to the largest traditional bed net manufacturer in Africa so that they could transfer technology from Japan and build these long-lasting, five-year nets. Here are just some pictures of the factory.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: Today, three years later, the company has employed another thousand women. It contributes about USD$600,000 in wages to the economy of Tanzania. It's the largest company in Tanzania. The throughput rate right now is 1.5 million nets, three million by the end of the year. We hope to have seven million at the end of next year. So the production side is working. On the distribution side though, as a world, we have a lot of work to do. Right now, 95 percent of these nets are being bought by the UN, and then given primarily to people around Africa. >> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: We're looking at building on some of the most precious resources of Africa: people, their women. And so I want you to meet Jacqueline, my namesake, 21 years old. If she were born anywhere else but Tanzania, I'm telling you, she could run Wall Street. She runs two of the lines, and has already saved enough money to put a down payment on her house. She makes about USD$2 a day, is creating an education fund, and told me she is not marrying nor having children until these things are completed. And so, when I told her about our idea -- that maybe we could take a Tupperware model from the United States, and find a way for the women themselves to go out and sell these nets to others -- she quickly started calculating what she herself could make and signed up.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: We took a lesson from IDEO, one of our favorite companies, and quickly did a prototyping on this, and took Jacqueline into the area where she lives. She brought 10 of the women with whom she interacts together to see if she could sell these nets, USD$5 apiece, despite the fact that people say nobody will buy one, and we learned a lot about how you sell things. Not coming in with our own notions, because she didn't even talk about malaria until the very end. First, she talked about comfort, status, beauty. These nets, she said, you put them on the floor, bugs leave your house. Children can sleep through the night, the house looks beautiful, you hang them in the window, and we've started making curtains. And not only is it beautiful, but people can see status -- that you care about your children. Only then did she talk about saving your children's lives. A lot of lessons to be learned in terms of how we sell goods and services to the poor.>> JACQUELINE NOVOGRATZ: I want to end just by saying that there's enormous opportunity to make poverty history. To do it right, we have to build business models that matter, that are scalable and that work with Africans, Indians, people all over the developing world who fit in this category, to do it themselves. Because at the end of the day, it's about engagement. It's about understanding that people really don't want handouts, that they want to make their own decisions, they want to solve their own problems. And that by engaging with them, not only do we create much more dignity for them, but for us as well. And so I urge all of you to think next time as to how to engage with this notion and this opportunity that we all have -- to make poverty history -- by really becoming part of the process and moving away from an us-and-them world, and realizing that it's about all of us, and the kind of world that we, together, want to live in and share. Thank you. >> TITLE: TED: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/peanuts Film technician Jock Brandis is a man with a mission: to design and build a simple, hand-operated peanut sheller that will enable villagers around the world to more easily grow peanuts for food, which in turn will also help them cultivate cotton as a cash crop. Jock is a living example of the difference that one person, with good will and determination, can make in the lives of countless others. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:56:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/peanuts Jock Brandis, Universal Nut Sheller, Africa, Technology, Agriculture, Mali, Mali-Folkecenter, Bamako, Sikasso, Agriculture & Food >> VOICEOVER: Jock Brandis, a movie gaffer and radio engineer in Wilmington, North Carolina, climbs the transmission tower for routine maintenance. This is just a day job but his thoughts are an ocean away. He first went to Africa with Oxfam during the horrific Nigerian Civil War.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We left under a hail of gunfire, basically. And, by the time we were gone, a million people were dead, and there was nothing to show for it. And it kind of scared me away from doing something with that big a possibility of major failure.>> VOICEOVER: Haunted by those memories, Jock did not return to Africa until July 2000. This time, he went to fix a solar-powered water pump in a village in Mali, West Africa. What he saw inspired him. What he did may change the lives of millions, all around the world. >> TITLE: Peanuts. >> JOCK BRANDIS: I really thought I'd never go back. And, for me, it was a very healing experience, because the last time I left Africa, people were shooting at me, and children were dying at the rate of 5,000 a day. So, to come back to this kind of paradise was the most wonderful experience you could imagine.>> VOICEOVER: The village of Woroni was a perfect example of unspoiled Africa: a beautiful waterfall, picturesque red mud huts with pointy, thatched roofs inhabited by healthy, happy people. The Danish government had previously installed a solar-powered water pump which distributed pure water from deep in the earth all around the village. But, after 15 years in the African sun, with no maintenance, the pump no longer worked as it should. Needing technical information to fix the pump, Jock spoke with someone at the Mali-Folkecenter. >> JOCK BRANDIS: And he put me through to this wonderful guy named Ibrahim, who I was told spoke Russian, Danish, English, French, and a variety of African languages. And my first contact with him was simply to help me get the water system going. >> IBRAHIM TOGOLA [Director, Mali-Folkecenter pour les Energies Renouvelables]: What we have been trying to do always at Mali-Folkecenter is to introduce appropriate technologies that can facilitate the life of people in rural areas. In this way also, we have been doing this lighting.>> VOICEOVER: In addition to providing the information he required, the brilliant young founder of Mali-Folkecenter inspired Jock with his plans. >> JOCK BRANDIS: Ibrahim Togola has a vision for Africa and for Mali, where he wants to leapfrog his country into the energy future without dragging it through the failed industrial revolution. >> VOICEOVER: With the pump fixed and time to look around, Jock was able to see more of the villagers' daily lives. From early morning until long after dark, the air in West Africa is full of the sound of women working. Women gather wood, draw the water, do the cooking, the cleaning, and the laundry. They take care of the children and the old people. All day long, the ground vibrates ceaselessly as women till the soil or pound grains for the day's meal with large mortars and pestles, in the ancient, timeless rhythms of Africa. During the planting season, women work in the fields alongside the men 16 hours a day or more. In Africa, women take seriously their role as guardians of the soil, but it is easier in some parts than in others. In southern Mali, they wait for the rain that, in recent years, has been more reliable for them than for their cousins in the Sahel region, where many factors have combined to produce the scourge of desertification. >> DR. PETER VAN STRAATEN [Associate Professor Land Resource Science, University of Guelph]: The consequences of soil fertility decline, or soil degradation in general, is, of course, immense. We are losing our life-support system, the soil, at a rapid rate, and, with it, we have decreasing food production and, again, this creates a major pressure on the family. >> ANN THOMSON [Executive Director, USC Canada]: People are leaving the land and have been leaving the land for the last 20 years at such a rate that, in the Sahel region, there is talk of an exodus. And it really is an exodus of almost biblical proportions. There are villages you go into where all you see are women with children and there are no men. And the reason for that is, primarily, desertification and the fact that productivity has dropped so low that the farms can no longer support the family.>> VOICEOVER: Even so, occasionally a few, fortunate communities, like this Dogon Village, profiting from their proximity to streams or springs, have managed to cultivate lush, hand-irrigated gardens that provide all of their needs. But in northern Mali, such Edens are very rare. In a curious way, planting trees can play the same role in keeping communities together that the tree roots do in holding the soil in place. Here, in Ibrahim Togola's village of Tabakoro, the villagers maintain strong ties with those who move away. As a result, each year all of their far-flung family and friends make the special journey home for a day of planting trees at the beginning of the rainy season. On this day, they rejoin those who have stayed here to plant more than 1,000 trees for reasons spiritual, cultural, and, ultimately, extremely practical.>> ANN THOMSON: Tree planting is a major activity in reversing the effects of desertification. Reforestation isn't an answer in itself. It's part of the answer, a very important answer, but it isn't the only thing we should be doing.>> VOICEOVER: Although southern Mali is not at immediate risk of desertification, Jock was concerned by one crop he saw been grown quite extensively.>> JOCK BRANDIS: When I came down from Bamako, I saw brand-new, enormous cotton warehouses.>> DR. PETER VAN STRAATEN: Cotton is grown in large parts of West Africa, and basically in the semi-arid tropics all over the world. Cotton is requiring quite substantial amounts of nutrients.>> VOICEOVER: Today, Mali is almost the largest producer of cotton in Africa, second only to Egypt. It's a significant cash crop. >> JOCK BRANDIS: The history in the southern United States is that cotton essentially destroyed agriculture here. Because cotton was grown so extensively and without any knowledge of what damage it would do to the soil, that after, perhaps, a generation of growing cotton, the soil was so badly damaged that you could did nothing to retrieve it. You couldn't even grow a good crop of weeds. And it was only when an African scientist, an African-American scientist named George Washington Carver, discovered that if you introduce peanuts as a fallow crop or as a rotated crop, that the peanuts will undo the damage that the cotton does.>> VOICEOVER: While the cotton depletes the soil, robbing it of vital nitrogen, peanuts replenish the lost nutrients, repairing the health of the precious earth. >> ANN THOMSON: Peanuts are a major source of protein throughout a lot of West Africa.>> JOCK BRANDIS: The problem with peanuts is that they sun-dry them; they don't roast them. And a sun-dried peanut is tough to get out of the shell. The shell is kind of leathery. It's ... the kernel is full inside the shell; it hasn't shrunk as in the roasting process. And the problem is, if you persuade them to roast them in order to shell them, the amount of firewood you'd use for that, the amount of deforestation that you'd create with solving one problem, would create an even bigger one elsewhere. And they eat a lot of peanuts which are sun-dried. The real problem, right off the bat, was how to get all these extra peanuts out of the shell, because they knew that they could make more money selling peanuts. They knew the nutritional benefits of peanuts. They actually had a fair idea of the soil conservation advantages of peanuts>> VOICEOVER: Assuming that growing more peanuts could be the answer, the question was: how could it be done simply, without adding to the women's workday? >> ANN THOMSON: Women will do whatever it is they have to do to earn the money: they will find time to get to a market so that they can sell their produce or sell the crafts that they're producing, and they will mobilize themselves. They work together. That's how they do it. So that each women in a village may be able to find an hour or two in her week for what's important to her. And nothing's more important than her family.>> VOICEOVER: In many villages, the women form cooperatives whose purpose is to save time while providing income for their families through the marketing of produce. Frequently, the extra cash they raise is the only way that they can adequately feed and educate their children.>> JOCK BRANDIS: I made just a very casual promise to the leader of the Women's Association that, between the two of us, more peanuts would be grown in this area. She would persuade them to plant more peanuts. And when I came back in the next year, I would bring with me a mechanized peanut-shelling system so these people, having planted all their extra peanuts, would be able to shell them and get them to market. >> ANN THOMSON: A machine that could increase the amount of peanuts that could be shelled in, say, an hour, would make a phenomenal difference in their lives. It would make the difference between growing peanuts simply as something to sustain yourself and your family as an alternative protein source, and being able to grow and sell sufficient peanuts as a cash crop.>> VOICEOVER: Jock's simple plan was to come home and search the Internet for a basic, inexpensive peanut sheller. Expecting to find any number of different kinds of machine, he would buy one and ship it over. An hour of his time and a call with a credit card -- easy. But, as happens all too often, his plan turned out to be not as simple as he expected.>> JOCK BRANDIS: So I started looking around, and I started asking -- of course, this was going to be sun-dried peanuts, which are much harder to deal with -- and I drew a complete blank. There's absolutely nothing available that wasn't absolutely giant that ran off big diesel engines or huge electric motors or were ... Essentially, I could have bought a peanut-shelling factory, but there was no small machine that would shell a sun-dried peanut. I ended up phoning Jimmy Carter, which is what all good Canadians would do in America if you have a problem with peanuts. Who do you associate with peanuts? It's Jimmy Carter. I spoke with his secretary, and he put me in touch with a man named Tim Williams in the University of Georgia. And Tim Williams is the expert in peanuts in developing countries, peanuts in non-industrial situations. And he basically said to me that I was wasting my time, because a machine like this didn't exist, that people had been trying to figure out different ways to do it, but there were rather inefficient systems in the Philippines that pressed these peanuts through slots. It was a very difficult machine that you could make out of wood, and didn't work very well. In the end, he said that I was going to have to figure out some way to explain to these people in the village that I couldn't deliver.>> VOICEOVER: With the unhappy news that there was no machine for him to buy, Jock felt the pressure of knowing that many villagers in Mali were depending on his promises. >> JOCK BRANDIS: I knew at that point people were planting peanuts in vast numbers in anticipation of this machine. So, I was stuck with that idea. When he phoned me back a few days later, saying that he had heard a rumor that somewhere in Bulgaria there was a machine which was kind of a tapered, sort of funnel thing, and you could put peanuts into it and turn the handle, and it would sort of roll the peanuts at sort of a high-speed, and they would kind of get shelled. And he sent me a really, kind of rough drawing of how he imagined this machine to be. And for me that was the breakthrough, because I had never thought of rolling a peanut at a high speed to shell it. And I went over to a friend, a fellow named Wes Parry, and I -- because he has a machine shop -- and explained to him what I wanted to do. And he said, don't make this out of steel. He said, make it out of concrete. He says, you can get concrete everywhere in the world. That way, you can make some molds, and you can take the molds over there, they'll be very light, and you can pour the concrete, and you can make the machine there. I'm a metal worker, I hate messing with concrete. I just automatically assumed that my idea, obviously, was a much better idea than his because it was mine. And, having ridiculed him, and got in my pickup truck, and I drove in the road, and I was about a block and a half away when it dawned on me that he was a genius and I was an idiot.>> VOICEOVER: With no option now but to design and build his own machine, Jock got down to work.>> JOCK BRANDIS: I work in the movie business, and we're used to making stuff up as we go along, so I looked around the house for stuff -- and I was mixing plaster in the sink, and epoxy in the bathtub, and grinding concrete on the front porch. And it's a good thing that I live alone because, otherwise, by the time I got the molds finished, I would have been divorced. And I fortunately have a wonderful friend in Wilmington, Pete Klingenberger, who makes boats, and he makes boats out of fiberglass. So he has all the technology to make these fiberglass molds. And he has infinite patience because I've had a dozen really bad ideas that he's helped me work through in the past. And I came in with idea 13, and he was as patient as he always was. And he made me these fiberglass molds. So this is ...>> PETE KLINGENBERGER: This is the master. >> JOCK BRANDIS: If I leave this with you ... >> PETE KLINGENBERGER: Yes, we can make more of these. >> JOCK BRANDIS: You can just make as many of these as you want. Wow, cool. That first prototype machine, the one that's behind me, works wonderfully well if you drop one peanut in at a time. And I was watching the peanuts go through, you turn the handle and the peanut would go down and down, and it would, it would shell perfectly, and it would come out the bottom. But the problem is, you can't shell one peanut at a time, it doesn't make sense. So, if you started to feed peanuts into this at any speed at all, they would jam up at the bottom. And I was looking down the side of this machine, as the peanuts went through, and I realized that I was looking at cars going down a highway. That's basically what it was. The analogy was cars going down a highway. And I had created a situation of three lanes of traffic merging into two. Because the peanuts entered fast at the top and, because it tapered down, they left slowly at the bottom.>> VOICEOVER: In an attempt to solve the problem by reversing the geometry of the machine, Jock literally turned the mold for the first prototype upside down.>> JOCK BRANDIS: So that's why I had to have the narrower taper at the top and the wider taper at the bottom. So, as the peanuts got into the system, they moved faster and faster, and the space between them got bigger and bigger. And the result was a machine which was virtually impossible to jam up. And that was, really, the only breakthrough that I did. Everything else was someone else's idea. That was prototype number two, and the real problem with it was that it weighed as much as a Volkswagen, because I was not very efficient with concrete.>> VOICEOVER: Emailing back and forth with Ibrahim in Mali, Jock learned that the next goal was to reduce the volume of concrete so that two machines could be made from one 40-kilo bag of cement. He also needed to create a simple rotating bearing that could last 30 years. Once built, these machines would be left behind without any maintenance. He also made the gauge adjustable without tools, for different sizes of peanuts. >> JOCK BRANDIS: So those were the three changes I made. And that's, essentially, the system that went to Africa.>> VOICEOVER: When they got off the plane in Bamako, disaster struck: one shipping case had disappeared. The equipment had been packed so that losing any but one of the cases would only mean that he would make fewer peanut shellers. As luck would have it, the one box that disappeared was the only vital one: the case with the molds in it. Unable to proceed until the case was found, Jock went to visit Ibrahim in his home village of Tabakoro. The villagers paid to build this two-room schoolhouse, and Ibrahim's Folkecenter installed solar lighting adequate to power two light bulbs per classroom. This allows for the possibility of educating women after their long day's work is completed. Clearly, if Jock's machine can save the woman some time too, it will make that possibility even more achievable. This is in keeping with the Malian belief that, if you educate a woman, you educate her entire family. Educated women are better able to understand their agreements with the seed suppliers and verify their loan statements.>> ANN THOMSON: We know that if we provide credit to women, it will benefit the whole family and you will see a return much larger than you would if you provided credit to small businesses or, dare I say it, to men alone.>> VOICEOVER: Educated women are also better able to understand their families' medical prescriptions. This new health center is being equipped with solar power that will allow them to run refrigerators to store medicines and vaccines, and provide a birthing room with lighting. Too many mothers and infants have died in childbirth over the years, in unlit and unhygienic conditions. Ibrahim's plans include solar-powered pumps and a 20-cubic-meter tower to distribute this pure, deep-well water throughout the village, in order to reduce the incidence of typhoid, cholera, and other waterborne diseases. Ibrahim dreams of a future in which all of these children will grow up healthy and strong. Finally, after five agonizing days, came the news that the errant case had been found, sitting in a corner of Bamako airport. To Jock's enormous relief, the project was back on again, and he and his Malian driver prepared to head south to Sikasso to rejoin his traveling companions.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We met Ousmane and he was a real gem. Ousmane was our driver, and he became rapidly our friend. And he's from Timbuktu, originally, from up in the north, and he has that classic, wonderful North African face about him. And he became our translator. He's the guy who, when we wanted to buy chickens to give to the dougoutigi, he took us into the market and made sure that we got a good price on the chickens. And he's a marvelous guy. Ousmane, if you play your cards right, I'll get you a Teamster card, and you'll be working all the big pictures in Hollywood, how's that?>> JOCK BRANDIS: I remember noticing how Ousmane could read my mind. If I couldn't quite explain what I wanted, and where to drive, and what to do, and so forth, he just somehow automatically knew what it was I wanted. The Bambara, you know, can read people's minds, as every white man has discovered.>> VOICEOVER: The journey from Bamako to Sikasso is most of a day's drive. This is the main trade road that connects Mali to its southern neighbor, Côte d'Ivoire, with its ocean ports for all the traffic that cannot go by air or along the mighty Niger River. Among Jock's traveling companions on this trip was Kate, a former Peace Corps worker, who knew the area and had been helping him learn the Bambara language. Seriously behind schedule because of the five days lost waiting for the molds, Jock could not relax for the night until he had a head start on making the first machine.>> JOCK BRANDIS: There they are. Success!>> VOICEOVER: Despite his tiredness from the long day of travel, he and Kate worked late into the evening, as gathering clouds threatened to bring the long-overdue first rains of the season. The first stop before Jock's planned return to Woroni was an hour's drive south from Sikasso. Here in Katele lived a Peace Corps worker named Summer, who told Jock the people would be delighted to have him come and build a machine. The dusty, parched earth confirmed that the village was still awaiting the first rains.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We went into this village and were welcomed with open arms. It really was a fabulous welcome for a bunch of complete strangers. And the dougoutigi seemed to like us, which is very important, and that's where we built our first peanut sheller in Africa.>> VOICEOVER: Small Malian villages have a traditional system of government, which consists of a council of elders, men who make decisions about land use, roads, bridges, and other maintenance issues. Their ceremonial head is the dougoutigi. He's generally a bit of a character, and a bit wealthier than anyone else, simply because any visitor to the village is expected to bring him the traditional gift of kola nuts. In exchange for that, if you are a stranger, he will give you a name. Part of the Malian greeting involves giving them your name, and if you don't have an African name, they don't know who or what you are. There are 28 clans in Mali, and the dougoutigi will give you one of those names. They are shown where chickens are traditionally sacrificed to try and speed up the arrival of the first real rains of the year. >> KATE: So, if they kill chickens here, they think that the rain's gonna come.>> JOCK BRANDIS: We can make a machine for this. C'est possible, c'est possible. I can't keep a smile on my face. This is the worst tasting stuff I've ever put in my mouth.>> VOICEOVER: Katele village life was typical of the region. As the dougoutigi showed Jock, Kate, and Ouseman around, he introduced them to all of the villagers; they tried the food, wandered through people's homes, and spent time chatting with the tailor and with the other people in there.>> JOCK BRANDIS: I love the ceiling, but if we made this in a movie, I'm sure the director would say it looks way too Hollywood.>> VOICEOVER: There was no doubt after a couple of hours that this was an ideal village to introduce the first peanut shelling machine, and the villagers were clearly delighted with their visitors. Later on, they also met that most important of villagers, the blacksmith, or noumou.>> JOCK BRANDIS: The blacksmith in the village is an interesting guy. He has a year-round job. Most of what he does deals with the farm implements, but he's also the local magician, and he is the guy who practices black magic. He's the guy who's probably more in tune with the spirits of the village and that whole kind of dark side of the occult than anyone else. It's amazing how they can do that with hardly any charcoal at all. Stories of groups of blacksmiths getting together for their annual conventions and literally killing each other with their thoughts are quite legendary. The blacksmith -- or the noumou as he's called there -- is not a gentleman whose company you take lightly, or someone who you would casually insult. Besides the usual things that you'd imagine a blacksmith would do, he does the circumcision of the young boys around age 12 or 13, and ... which is, of course, very ceremonial, and is part of the area, I think, of his power and his black magic, because this is the first time that every man in Africa meets face-to-face with the blacksmith and a rather odd relationship.>> VOICEOVER: They watched as the noumou finished making a shovel, a hoe, and a digging ax: a complete new set of farming tools for Djakalaya, the deputy head of the village. Djakalaya then took them off to where his children were working in the dusty cotton fields, breaking up the hard, baked soil. Djakalaya explained that their only use for cotton is as a cash crop. They have no domestic use for their product. Further from the road, alongside the cotton, are fields full of peanuts, a significant food and cash crop. But by now, anticipating that the concrete from last night should be dry, they headed off to the village square to start assembling the first peanut sheller. >> VOICEOVER: The first machine drew a crowd. Before long, it seemed that most of the villagers were there, either watching or helping the assembly process. In true Malian style, the helpers seemed to know ahead of time pretty much what Jock was going to need. Under the scrutiny of the growing crowd, Jock ran a few peanuts through the machine. This revealed uneven processing, indicating the need for a small adjustment of the machine's gauge. Some of the nuts were broken, some are perfect, and some are still intact in their shells. Normally, this adjustment would be easily achieved with the use of a rock, a piece of wood, or anything heavy serving as a hammer. >> JOCK BRANDIS: So, I find myself now in Africa with an imperfect system of making these machines, and the only way I could try and make this work at all was to assemble the machine while the concrete was still a little bit soft and try and make the rotor round by turning the handle rather violently and lying underneath, trying to file off the high spot of the off-round rotor, which I think is kind of amusing to the locals, but they just assumed, I guess, that this is the way that these machines were made.>> VOICEOVER: After a final check to see whether a shelled peanut would fall through, it seemed that the machine was ready for another test. Examining and tasting the shelled nuts, the peanut pundits rendered their judgment: it's close, but not perfect. The machine was not working properly. Jock realized that if he wanted the villagers to accept it and embrace it into their day-to-day culture, he would have to build a new one with the active involvement of the people of Katele from the very beginning.>> JOCK BRANDIS: Could you explain to the chief that we made this machine, basically, in America and that we've demonstrated it to him, and now I'd really like to make one right here in the village for his people, and maybe I can make it a little better just for his kind of peanuts, and we'd like to leave it for him when we go. >> KATE: Sure. Dougoutigi ...>> VOICEOVER: If he makes the next machine with the villagers' assistance throughout, then the chances are greatly improved that they will take some pride of ownership in it and find ways to incorporate it into their daily lives. Appropriate technology is based upon the requirements that the item must be affordable and must fit into the culture of the community. Looking for a little help with some of the finer points of appropriate technology, Jock headed off to meet again with Ibrahim, Mali's leading exponent. His aspirations for the future envisioned Mali leading the world in developing new and sustainable energy sources. >> IBRAHIM TOGOLA: Appropriate technology is technology that fits into a society socio-culturally, socio-professionally, and socio-economically. This means it must fit into the cultural ways of society, and also people must be able to afford it and to repair it. Therefore, I think all this small agricultural processing things work very well, and this peanut machine fits here, and we will be able to disseminate it through blacksmiths throughout the villages. Because they can make a living from it and own something from it.>> VOICEOVER: Ibrahim took Jock to the community of N'Tjila, one of the 23 villages where the Folkecenter has pilot projects running. The single-cylinder diesel engine, operated by the women's co-operative, provides power for grinding and crushing and for charging batteries. But diesel fuel is not readily available in little villages so far from the highway. Ibrahim hit upon the idea of grinding the inedible jathropha nut to provide alternative fuel for the diesel motor. The byproduct of the process is the fiber of the nuts, which is used as a fertilizer. He has also just successfully converted the Mali-Folkecenter truck to run on this same fuel -- another perfect example of appropriate technology at work. >> JOCK BRANDIS: Appropriate technology is something that the local people can learn to do very easily, that doesn't impact their community in some other way by creating deforestation or pollution or community disorientation or some sort of artificial class structure by making some people rich or poor. And if you can do that, then the technology will support itself, then people keep it and maintain it and copy it and spread it, instead of these technologies that are so artificial, which would work perfectly in St Louis, Missouri, but simply will not work in a small village in southern Africa.>> VOICEOVER: The other machine powered by the same diesel motor is used to grind dried shea nuts to produce a paste. The product is processed into butter, and used as a skin cream and medicine. >> IBRAHIM: They're using it for cosmetic, for body.>> VOICEOVER: The next day, back in Katele, it's time to make the new machine. Out of the blue, the noumou appears to help. Gradually, a small crowd gathers. Everybody seems to want to help and, once again, they all seem to already understand what's needed. As the noumou does more and more of the assembly, it appears the villagers are starting to take ownership of this machine, and Jock's hopes for its acceptance and success are raised.>> JOCK BRANDIS: When the noumou started to help us, he sort of emerged from the crowd. He was a very different looking man. He has a very interesting kind of puckish figure and face about him. He has a very kind of high energy and mischievous look, which made him quite different from all the people in the village, and he immediately understood exactly what I was trying to do and how it was about to be. The noumou knew what I was doing and how I wanted to do it and how it should go together and how it should adjust. And he just kind of came in there and became my instant telepathy motivated assistant. >> VOICEOVER: While once again waiting for concrete to dry, and wanting to make a goodwill gesture, Jock and Kate took a trip to the market with Ouseman to buy a more substantial gift for the dougoutigi.>> JOCK BRANDIS: Are these good chickens?>> VOICEOVER: The next day, waiting for the machine components in the molds to finish curing, there was time for a typical Malian roadside lunch: tiga diga na, plain boiled rice with a spicy peanut sauce. Curiously, their locally produced rice, grown by the rivers, is exported as a cash crop. The rice they eat is imported from the Philippines. With the help of the noumou and a couple of other villagers, the machine is popped out of the molds. Jock is anxious, hoping that this time he measured correctly and that the two main parts will be perfectly concentric.>> JOCK BRANDIS: When I did the design on this sheller, I actually came up at one point with some more complicated ideas. I had a design that would automatically sort out the shells and the peanuts and various things which were all pretty complex, and then I stopped dead in my tracks and said, no, this is ... the only reason this will survive is that it can be so simple that nothing can really go wrong with it.>> VOICEOVER: Under the watchful gaze of a group of children, Jock measures very carefully, while the enigmatic and ever-surprising Ouseman observes and then explains to the onlookers exactly what's going on and why. >> JOCK BRANDIS: He's figured out, by watching us yesterday, that it's very critical that the rotor gets to be in the exact center of this machine, because, otherwise, some of the peanuts come through unshelled, some of them come through perfect, and some of them come through broken up. And the better the center we have on that shaft, the better the quality of the peanuts. So, he's got my game figured out here. Professionnel, oui. Ingenu.>> VOICEOVER: Disappointingly, after all the care, even this new machine needed some filing and then some adjustment. But, eventually, it was ready for a proper trial. As always, everything and everybody that are needed seemed to appear, without anyone having to ask. The noumou watched as Jock made a fine adjustment to the gauge, using a wrench is a hammer. Rapidly, the villagers seem to be adopting this new technology, even though they did not yet know what it can do for them.>> JOCK BRANDIS: One of these machines can shell about 40 kilos or 100 pounds of peanuts an hour. If you look at an average Malian village, that means that one machine will support about a village of 2,000 people. And so, if you look at southern Mali where peanuts are grown, we need 500 or 600 peanut shelling machines for the entire country of Mali to provide for all those people.>> VOICEOVER: But first, Jock still has to prove to himself and to these villagers that the machine works properly in the field.>> JOCK BRANDIS: In the film business we're used to jumping out of the airplane and inventing the parachute on the way down, and I think years in the film business served me well, because that's exactly what we had to do. And it kind of worked. Just had to take a chance and hope somehow that this guardian angel that's been riding around on my shoulder on this whole project was going to make it happen. So, we threw the peanuts in there and cranked the handle and cranked and cranked and we got this big basket of shells and peanuts and everything out of the bottom of the machine.>> VOICEOVER: Without a word, the crowd of men parts to allow an expert to come through to do the winnowing.>> JOCK BRANDIS: And then this woman, this African woman, came out of the crowd, and she grabbed the basket from me, and did that kind of shaking and spinning and kind of looked around and give us the sort of dirty look, like, you know, these guys, they've been watching us do this for 5,000 years and they never even noticed how it is that we separate peanuts from the shells. And that kind of perfect sort of layer of clean peanuts emerged from behind the shells. I think, for me, that's the moment that made it all worthwhile. I mean, I would have done it a 10 times longer route than that just to end up at that spot, because that was, that was it, that was the moment.>> VOICEOVER: That sweet moment -- the successful operation of the first peanut shelling machine in an African village -- was the culmination of many months of work. It was also the beginning of a whole new adventure. >> TITLE: Distribution of the Peanut Machine is now underway in Mali and other African countries, as well as India, Pakistan, and Guyana. >> JOCK BRANDIS: It was Ibrahim, who knows more about this than I do, who persuaded me to give up my more socialistic leanings and say that it's free enterprise. It's the ability of someone in a local situation to make a fair profit by distributing this that will get this technology spread around absolutely as fast as possible.>> VOICEOVER: While Ibrahim has convinced him that others should make some money from his peanut sheller to promote its distribution, Jock has invested his own considerable resources to bring it to those who need it. This is his gift to those whose lives it can help, to those for whom an extra hour in their day means a better tomorrow for them and their families; proof that, even today, one person with a heart big enough can still change the world. >> JOCK BRANDIS: But the most important thing I can do for Ibrahim is to sit down and put on my best suit and tie, and figure out some way to get him some money, because the magic that he does with the little bit of money he has is breathtaking.>> TITLE: For more information, contact www.peanutsheller.org>> TITLE: [end credits] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/esther-duflo-social-experiments-to-fight-poverty <p>Alleviating poverty is more guesswork than science, and lack of data on aid's impact raises questions about how to provide it. But Clark Medal-winner Esther Duflo says it's possible to know which development efforts help and which hurt&mdash;by testing solutions with randomized trials.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 20:05:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/esther-duflo-social-experiments-to-fight-poverty TED, Poverty, Economics, Esther Duflo, Developing country, Foreign Assistance, Partners In Health, Haiti, Education, Vaccination >> TITLE: Esther Duflo >> TITLE: Feb 2010 Long Beach, California >> ESTHER DUFLO: So here it is: You can check, I am short, I'm French, I have a pretty strong French accent, so that's going to be clear in a moment. Maybe a sobering thought, and something you all know about. And I suspect many of you gave something to the people of Haiti this year. And there is something else that I believe, in the back of your mind, you also know is, everyday, 25,000 children die of entirely preventable causes. That's a Haiti earthquake every eight days. And I suspect that many of you probably gave something towards that problem as well, but somehow it doesn't happen with the same intensity. >> TITLE: Recorded at TED2010 So why is that? Well, here is a thought experiment for you. Imagine you have a few million dollars that you've raised. Maybe you're a politician in a developing country, and you have a budget to spend; you want to spend it on the poor. How do you go about it? Do you believe the people who tell you that all we need to do is to spend money, that we know how to eradicate poverty, we just need to do more? Or do you believe the people who tell you that aid is not going to help, on the contrary it might hurt, it might exacerbate corruption, dependence, etc.? Or maybe you turn to the past. After all, we have spent billions of dollars on aid. Maybe you look at the past and see has it done any good. And, sadly, we don't know. And, worst of all, we will never know. And the reason is that -- take Africa, for example -- Africa suddenly got a lot of aid. These are the blue bars. And the GDP in Africa is not making much progress. Okay, fine. How do you know what would have happened without the aid? Maybe it would have been much worse. Or maybe it would have been much better. We have no idea. We don't know what the counterfactual is. There's only one Africa. So what do you do: to give the aid and hope and pray that something comes out of it, or do you focus on your everyday life and let the earthquake every eight days continue to happen? The thing is, if we don't know whether we are doing any good, we are not any better than the medieval doctors and their leeches. Sometimes the patient gets better, sometimes the patient dies. Is it the leeches? Is it something else? We don't know. So here are some other questions; they're smaller questions, but they are not that small. Immunization, that's the cheapest way to save a child's life. And the world has spent a lot of money on it. The GAVI and the Gates Foundation are each pledging a lot of money towards it. And developing countries themselves have been doing a lot of effort. And yet, every year, at least 25 million children do not get the immunization they should get. So this is what you call a "last mile problem." The technology is there. The infrastructure is there. And yet, it doesn't happen. So you have your million. How do you use your million to solve this last mile problem? And here's another question: malaria. Malaria kills almost 900,000 people every year, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, most of them under five. In fact that is the leading cause of under-five mortality. We already know how to cure malaria, but some people come to you and say, "You have your millions. How about bed nets?" Bed nets are very cheap. For USD$10, you can manufacture and ship an insecticide-treated bed net, and you can teach someone to use them. And, not only do they protect the people who sleep under them, but they have these great contagion benefits. If half of a community sleeps under a net, the other half also benefits because the contagion of the disease spread. And yet, only a quarter of kids at risk sleep under a net. Societies should be willing to go out and subsidize the net, give them for free, or, for that matter, pay people to use them because, of those contagion benefits. "Not so fast," say other people. "If you give the nets for free, people are not going to value them. They're not going to use them, or at least they're not going to use them as bed nets, maybe as fishing nets." So, what do you do? To give the nets for free, to maximize coverage? Or do you make people pay in order to make sure that they really value them? How do you know? And a third question: Education. Maybe that's the solution. Maybe we should send kids to school. But how do you do that? Do you hire teachers? Do you build more schools? Do you provide school lunch? How do you know? So here is the thing. I cannot answer the big question, whether aid did any good or not, but these three questions, I can answer them. It's not the Middle Ages anymore. It's the 21st century. And in the 20th century, randomized, controlled trials have revolutionized medicine by allowing us to distinguish between drugs that work and drugs that don't work. And you can do the same randomized, controlled trial for social policy. You can put social innovation to the same rigorous, scientific tests that we use for drugs. And in this way, you can take the guesswork out of policy-making by knowing what works, what doesn't work, and why. And I'll give you some examples with those three questions. >> ESTHER DUFLO: So I start with immunization. Here's Udaipur district, Rajasthan, beautiful. Well, when I started working there, about 1 percent of children were fully immunized. That's bad, but there are places like that. Now, it's not because the vaccines are not there. They are there and they are free. And it's not because parents do not care about their kids. The same child that is not immunized against measles, if they do get measles, parents will spend thousands of rupees to help them. So you get these empty village sub-centers and crowded hospitals. So what's the problem? Well, part of the problem, surely, is people do not fully understand. After all, in this country as well, all sorts of myths and misconceptions go around immunization. So, if that's the case, that's difficult, because persuasion is really difficult. But maybe there is another problem as well. It's going from intention to action. Imagine you are a mother in Udaipur district, Rajasthan. You have to walk a few kilometers to get your kids immunized. And maybe when you get there, what you find is this: the sub-center is closed, so you have to come back. And you are so busy, and you have so many other things to do, you will always tend to postpone and postpone, and eventually it gets too late. Well, if that's the problem, then that's much easier because, a) we can make it easy, and b) we can maybe give people a reason to act today, rather than wait till tomorrow. So these are simple ideas, but we didn't know. So let's try them. So what we did is, we did a randomized, controlled trial in 134 villages in Udaipur districts. So the blue dots are selected randomly, we made it easy. I'll tell you how in a moment. In the red dots, we made it easy and gave people a reason to act now. The white dots are comparisons, nothing changed. So we make it easy by organizing this monthly camp where people can get their kids immunized. And then you make it easy and give a reason to act now by adding a kilo of lentils for each immunization. Now, a kilo of lentils is tiny. It's never going to convince anybody to do something that they don't want to do. On the other hand, if your problem is you tend to postpone, then it might give you a reason to act today rather than later. So what do we find? Well, beforehand, everything is the same. That's the beauty of randomization. Afterwards, the camp, just having the camp, increases immunization from six percent to 17 percent. That's full immunization. That's not bad. That's a good improvement. Add the lentils and you reach, and you reach to 38 percent. So here is you've got your answer. Make it easy and give a kilo of lentils, you multiply immunization rate by six. Now, you might think, "Well, but it's not sustainable. We cannot keep giving lentils to people." Well, it turns out it's wrong economics because it is cheaper to give lentils than not to give them. Since you have to pay for the nurse anyway, the cost per immunization ends up being cheaper if you give incentives than if you don't. How about bed nets? Should you give them for free, or should you ask people to pay for them? So the answer hinges on the answer to three simple questions. One is: if people must pay for a bed net, are they going to purchase them? The second one is: if I give bed nets for free, are people going to use them? And the third one is: do free bed nets discourage future purchase? The third one is important because, if we think people get used to handouts, it might destroy markets to distribute free bed nets. Now this is a debate that has generated a lot of emotion and angry rhetoric. It's more ideological than practical, but it answers ... theses are easy questions. We can know the answer to these questions. We can just run an experiment. And many experiments have been run, and they all have the same results, so I'm just going to talk to you about one. And this one that was in Kenya, they went around and distributed to people vouchers, discount vouchers. So people could with their voucher could get the bed net in the local pharmacy. And some people get 100 percent discount, and some people get 20 percent discounts, and some people get 50 percent discounts, etc. And now we can see what happens. So, how about the purchasing? Well, what you can see is that when people have to pay for their bed nets, the coverage rate really falls down a lot. So even with partial subsidy -- three dollars is still not the full cost of a bed net -- and now you only have 20 percent of the people with the bed nets, you lose the health motive, that's not great. Second thing is, how about the use? Well, the good news is, people, if they have the bed nets, will use the bed nets regardless how they got it. If they got it for free, they use it. If they have to pay for it, they use it. How about the long term? In the long term, people who got the free bed nets, one year later, were offered the option to purchase a bed net at two dollars. And people who got the free one were actually more likely to purchase the second one than people who didn't get a free one. So people do not get used to handouts; they get used to nets. Maybe we need to give them a little bit more credit. >> ESTHER DUFLO: So, that's for bed nets. So you would think, "Well that's great: you know how to immunize kids, you know how to give bed nets." But what politicians need is a range of options. They need to know: out of all the things I could do, what is the best way to achieve my goals? So suppose your goal is to get kids into school. There's so many things you could do. You could pay for uniforms, you could eliminate fees, you could build latrines, you could give girls sanitary pads, etc, etc. So what's the best? Well, at some level, we think all of these things should work. So, is that sufficient, like, if we think they should work intuitively, should we go for them? Well, in business, that's certainly not the way we would go about it. Consider, for example, transporting goods. Before the canals were invented in Britain, before the Industrial Revolution, goods used to go on horse carts. And then canals were built, and with the same horseman and the same horse, you could carry 10 times as much cargo. So should they have continued to carry the goods on the horse carts, on the ground, that they would eventually get there? Well, if that had been the case, there would have been no Industrial Revolution. So why shouldn't we do the same with social policy? In technology, we spend so much time experimenting, fine-tuning, getting the absolute cheapest way to do something, so why aren't we doing that with social policy? Well, with experiments, what you can do is answer a simple question. Suppose you have USD$100 to spend on various interventions: how many extra years of education do you get for your USD$100? Now I'm going to show you what we get with various education interventions. So the first ones are if you want the usual suspects: hire teachers, school meals, school uniforms, scholarships. And that's not bad. For your USD$100, you get between one and three extra years of education. Things that don't work so well is bribing parents, just because so many kids are already going to school that you end up spending a lot of money. And here are the most surprising results. Tell people the benefits of education. That's very cheap to do. So for every USD$100 you spend doing that, you get 40 extra years of education. And, in places where there are worms, intestinal worms, cure the kids of their worms. And for every USD$100, you get almost 30 extra years of education. So this is not your intuition. This is not what people would have gone for, and yet, these are the programs that work. We need that kind of information. We need more of it. And then we need it to guide policy. So now, I started from the big problem, and I couldn't answer it. And I cut it into smaller questions, and I have the answer to these smaller questions. And they are good, scientific, robust answers. So let's go back to Haiti for a moment. In Haiti, about 200,000 people died. Actually, a bit more by the latest estimate. And the response of the world was great: USD$2 billion got pledged just last month. So that's about USD$10,000 per death. That doesn't sound that much when you think about it. But if we were willing to spend USD$10,000 for every child under five who dies, that would be USD$90 billion per year just for that problem. And yet it doesn't happen. So, why is that? Well, I think one part of the problem is that, in Haiti, although the problem is huge, somehow we understand it, it's localized. You give your money to Doctors Without Borders, you give your money to Partners in Health, and they'll send in the doctors, and they'll send in the lumber, and they'll helicopter things out and in. And the problem of poverty is not like that. So, first, it's mostly invisible. Second, it's huge. And, third, we don't know whether we're doing the right thing. There's no silver bullet. You cannot helicopter people out of poverty. And that's very frustrating. But look what we just did today. I gave you three simple answers to three questions. Give lentils to immunize people, provide free bed nets, deworm children. With immunization or bed nets, you can save a life for USD$300 per life saved. With deworming, you can get an extra year of education for USD$3. So we cannot eradicate poverty just yet, but we can get started. And maybe we'll get started small with things that we know are effective. Here's an example of how this can be powerful: deworming. Worms have a little bit of a problem grabbing the headlines. They are not beautiful and don't kill anybody. And yet, when the young global leader in Davos showed the numbers I gave you, they started Deworm the World. And thanks to Deworm the World, and the effort of many country governments and foundations, 20 million school-aged children got dewormed in 2009. So this evidence is powerful, it can prompt action. So we should get started now. Now, it's not going to be easy. It's a very slow process. You have to keep experimenting, and sometimes ideology has to be trumped by practicality. And sometimes what works somewhere doesn't work elsewhere. So it's a slow process, but there is no other way. This economics I'm proposing, it's like 20th-century medicine. It's a slow, deliberative process of discovery. There is no miracle cure, but modern medicine is saving millions of lives every year, and we can do the same thing. And now, maybe, we can go back to the bigger question that I started with at the beginning. I cannot tell you whether the aid we have spent in the past has made a difference, but can we come back here in 30 years and say, "What we have done, it really prompted a change for the better." I believe we can, and I hope we will. Thank you. >> TITLE: TED. New TEDTalks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/good-fortune-silva <p>What impact are the Millennium Development Goals having on inhabitants of Kibera, a massive shantytown in Kenya? This film about local midwife Silva Adhiambo examines some of the tensions that exist between aid organizations and the people they are trying help.</p> Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:24:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/good-fortune-silva Kenya, Kibera, Millennium Development Goals, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, Africa, United Nations, Shanty town, Foreign Assistance, Good Fortune, LinkTV Picks >> TITLE: Scenes from the feature documentary: Good Fortune >> TITLE: Kibera Nairobi Kenya >> TITLE: Kibera is one of the largest informal settlements in Africa, with an estimated population of up to 1.2 million inhabitants. >> FRANCIS OMONDI: My name is Francis Omondi. I'm secretary of the Settlement Executive Committee, which is in charge of the slum upgrading. UN Habitat has something called Millennium Development Goals. One of the goals of the Millennium Development is that by the year 2020, they should provide better housing for at least 100 million people living in slums like the one we live in. So the plan is to move people being evicted from here into temporary housing. Do you understand? >> SILVA ADHIAMBO [midwife]: This is government land. Every time they threaten to build on it we get worried that we'll lose the only place we can afford to live. >> SARA CANDIRACCI [United Nations Program Manager]: Kenya Slum Upgrading Program is a joint program, it's a partnership with the government of Kenya and the main purpose is to improve the livelihood of people and the situation of people and the infrastructure of slums. >> TITLE: The United Nations is partnering with the Kenyan government to build modern housing in Kiberia. >> SARA CANDIRACCI: So many institutions, small organizations or big organizations go in there and do these small projects but at the end the impact is very low. I mean, you need to go there with a big project working together with the community to have a big impact. Now the challenge is a lot of people need to be relocated. >> TITLE: During the first phase of the project, 20,000 families will be moved to temporary housing >> SARA CANDIRACCI: All the strategy to move people and to bring them back is still not clear so I prefer not to ... you know. I can give you my opinion but maybe it's better if I don't. You know, it's like this: when you work with people it's not easy, never easy. You know, the infrastructure is the soft work. The hard work is dealing with people, it's dealing with the government, it's dealing with the community, it's dealing with all the institutions, all the interests, so it's dealing with people is, like, the hard work. >> SILVA ADHIAMBO: If they demolish these houses and evict us, I won't have a place for these women to give birth. That's the problem with leaving Kibera, it will be like losing my job. If I move from here, then that's it. I won't be able to carry on the work I've been doing in this house here in Kibera. >> FRED ODHIAMBO [Silva's husband]: The problem is that the people who send aid don't know where it's going. In Kenya it's difficult for aid to reach the common man. When foreign aid reaches the grassroots then we shall improve. >> TITLE: www.goodfortunefilm.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/clean-water <p>Throughout the world, access to safe drinking water is the most critical element of sustained good health. Clean Water focuses on the highly successful efforts of one humanitarian organization, East Meets West, to bring safe drinking water to rural communities in Vietnam -- led by staff member Richard Brogdon, a Vietnam war veteran who has special reason to help the local Vietnamese community.</p> Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:21:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/clean-water Drinking water, East Meets West Foundation, Vietnam, Foreign Assistance, Waterborne disease, Developing country, Water security, Rural area, Development aid, Poverty >> TITLE: Danang, Vietnam 5:30 a.m. >> VOICEOVER: Thirty years after the end of armed conflict, to most Americans the word "Vietnam" is still synonymous with the word "war." Meanwhile the Vietnamese, having survived centuries of war and foreign domination, are looking to the future and striving to build a modern nation. Finally at peace, Vietnam today is one of the world's fastest growing economies, but remains one of the poorest countries in the world. Perhaps the greatest challenge to a developing country is improving the health of its people. Sick adults can't work and sick children can't study. Throughout the world, access to safe drinking water is the most critical element that sustains good health. Yet safe drinking water is still lacking for almost half the world's population. >> TITLE: Clean Water >> VOICEOVER: In Vietnam, surface water is plentiful but usually polluted by chemicals from agricultural run-off, bacteria, and water-borne diseases. The health ministry estimates that almost 80 percent of serious childhood illnesses in Vietnam today are water related. Water-borne diseases, especially those that cause dysentery and diarrhea, are a major killer of children. Tackling basic problems of this scale requires collaboration of governments, international agencies, and humanitarian organizations working together to improve the quality of people's lives. >> VOICEOVER: The East Meets West Foundation is one of several humanitarian organizations addressing the critical need for safe drinking water in Vietnam. Country director Mark Conroy directs the East Meets West efforts. >> MARK CONROY [Overseas Director, East Meets West]: We're here to help the Vietnamese develop sustainable projects and programs. Water schemes, some loan programs. Mainly the programs are all developed around children and around education and health, and that encompasses most of what we do. >> VOICEOVER: Based in Da Nang city, East Meets West builds hospitals, libraries, orphanages, schools, bridges, damns, and housing. In all, over 150 building projects each year. The most well known projects, however, are self-sustaining safe drinking water systems for poor, rural communities. >> MARK CONROY: Over the years, of course, we've done a lot of water which you folks I know are interested in. Most of the programs and projects that were developed in the last 10 years were developed with the Vietnamese. They weren't developed outside, let's say for example in America, and brought here and implemented; they were actually developed in conjunction with working with the Vietnamese with their needs and with their input. >> VOICEOVER: In the rural areas outside of Da Nang, even with over 99 inches of rainfall per year, safe drinking water is difficult to find. Many people in Vietnam need to travel great distances, often every day, to find a well with safe drinking water, spending time which could otherwise be used to produce more income for their families. For Vietnamese girls, the exhausting daily job of collecting drinking water leaves the girls less time for studying and homework. >> DINH THI HOA: My name is Hoa. I am 15 years old. I live with my mother and four younger sisters and brothers. I am the oldest girl in the family, so I am the family water collector. My mom is very busy with her work and my younger sister is also too busy, so it's my responsibility every day to collect drinking water for the family. From my house to the well is about half a mile. Carrying the water is very heavy for me and the weight really hurts my legs. This is a problem but I have to do it anyway because, if I don't do this, my family won't have water to drink. >> VOICEOVER: Richard Brogdon is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and a former Peace Corps volunteer who has returned to Vietnam to do humanitarian work. Brogdon is one of thousands of former US soldiers now working to help the people of Vietnam. >> RICHARD BROGDON [Project Coordinator, East Meets West]: I came to Vietnam a little over three years ago. I had been out here during the war. In the Sixties, I was here for 20 months. After that tour, I swore that I would never return to Vietnam. It's hard for me to really describe why so many Vietnam veterans return. I've talked with a number of people and, by and large, they tell me that, you know, they feel an attachment. Many people mention the beauty of the country; it's a very beautiful country. And they talk about that, but mainly they just feel that there's something here, that they left something here and so they come for that. I come here to work and I come here because there are a lot of poor people. I come here to help them get clean water. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Good afternoon. Thank you for coming. We normally have these meetings because sometimes the cost involved or the work that has to be done for a water project is greater than some people want to spend or to be involved in. Our mission is really to help the people of Vietnam to become self-sufficient and to develop a better way of life. East Meets West will dig a well, will build a tank with a filter system, but you will be responsible to dig the trench from the tank, through the community, and run pipe to each of the house. >> VOICEOVER: In some areas, safe drinking water lies only 10 to 50 feet below the surface. But it can still take drilling many test wells before clean water is found. In the coastal, more sandy areas, the groundwater is often salty. >> RICHARD BROGDON: This is a small well that we're building here. The cost of drilling a well like this is less than a hundred dollars, so primarily it's the pipe and a couple of workers working for a day or two at the most: it depends on how deep they must go to get the water, good clean water. And we test the water when it comes out to see whether there's sufficient supply, see whether or not the minerals are clear so they can use it. >> VOICEOVER: Most drinking water comes out of the ground containing sediment and bad-tasting minerals like sulfur. Before it can be used for drinking, cooking, and bathing, the water needs to be aerated and filtered. This water tower, funded by the Rotary Clubs in New Mexico, provides safe, filtered drinking water to over 300 households in the nearby village. Nguyen Quy is the site supervisor for the safe water projects in Quang Nam province. Working with the local people, his message is simple and clear: Clean, filtered water is essential to good health. >> NGUYEN QUY [site supervisor, East Meets West]: We need to make sure the pipe trench is at least 50cm deep to guarantee the quality of the water pipeline. >> VOICEOVER: East Meets West provides the pumps, towers, and pipe, while the local community provides the manpower to bury the pipes down the main streets and to each of the 300 households. East Meets West is the only humanitarian organization in Vietnam that delivers water not just to the local well but all the way to peoples homes. It's a collaborative effort, with each family required to buy a water meter and to install their own plumbing before they're hooked up to the main water lines. This is a financially sustainable model with each community electing a water manager who collects a modest water-use fee, usually about 20 cents per week. This small but steady income maintains the water system and pays for the electricity. >> NGUYEN QUY: The reason we install the water meter is because we need to know how much water the local people consume and to make sure they pay for what they use. The money is used to maintain the water tank system, to pay for electricity, and to pay the workers who maintain the water tower and water system. >> RICHARD BROGDON: After we had established that first water tower, the people across in the island back behind you had no water and they were taking skiffs and rowing across and loading with water and going back. We've learned that the island has 85 families and there's never been any clean drinking water in that area. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: My name is Nguyen Thi Thong. I was born in 1927. I am 77 years old. I have been collecting water all my life, either from the mainland or taking it from the well on the island. But the island water here is terrible, full of sediment. It needs to be filtered before we can drink it. So even though it is hard, we have to travel across the bay to the mainland to collect our water. It takes about three hours to go to the mainland and back. Usually I'll go with three other people, carrying about 40 buckets of water per trip. >> RICHARD BROGDON: So we built the pipe, we extended a pipe from here across to about 800 meters across that inlet, and then brought water around to the 85 families. I've been to the island two or three times, once while they were developing it, and a couple of times since then, but I'd like to go back to see it and to ensure that they have good, clean water still, and the residents are happy with what they have. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: I remember during the war, the Americans bombed the island and then came here to search, house by house, for any Vietcong or revolutionary who was living on this island. The Americans arrived and walked through the village carrying machine guns. They arrested my husband and they took him away by helicopter to Tam Ky. Since that time, I've never met any American soldier who came back here. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Hello madam! >> NGUYEN THI THONG: So he's a war veteran? >> HOANG NGOC TUNG [Project Coordinator, East Meets West]: She say, you are a US veteran? >> RICHARD BROGDON: Yes, yes. I was with the South Vietnamese army. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: So did he actually fight against Vietnamese or was he an advisor? >> HOANG NGOC TUNG [translating]: What did you do? >> RICHARD BROGDON: I advised the South Vietnamese army. But I would like to see your house and the water tap that you have. >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: She say during the war many boat arrive here and the bombs come down. And the bomb come down and destroy ... >> RICHARD BROGDON: Destroy the boats, yes. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: And here is a bomb crater, right in the middle of our village. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Made a bigger hole. And now it's a pond >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: Now it's a lake. >> RICHARD BROGDON: This is your house. Do you keep water ... ? >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: Yeah, she keep the water in there. >> RICHARD BROGDON: In here and here. Yes. >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: And to keep it clean. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: Now we have clean water, so I keep the dirt out >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: You bring the clean water system here and the family had to make the clean water ... >> RICHARD BROGDON: Keep the clean water, yes. >> HOANG NGOC TUNG: And now she has the clean water [inaudible] and she has more time free to spend more time at home. It's worth bringing the clean water back to the village, and she's very grateful to East Meets West and the local government, to help her village. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Course I was sad to hear about the bombs falling in what is now a lake, that's saddening: the number of people killed, the destruction of the boats that wiped out their ability to earn a living during the war. Yeah, I was sad about that. But overall I was very pleased that East Meets West could do what it did in providing water and getting water to a place that has never had water. >> DINH THI HOA: Since we have clean, running water at home I don't have any more problems with stomach aches, and I have a lot more time for studying and for helping my mother. >> NGUYEN THI THONG: Since I have running water in my house, I'm a lot healthier, and I can spend more time on little jobs that make an income for my family. >> VOICEOVER: Through the work of this one humanitarian organization, over 60,000 Vietnamese families now have safe drinking water piped directly to their homes. It is estimated that every dollar spent on safe water saves at least 10 dollars of healthcare costs, treating water-borne illnesses. Safe drinking water helps keep children in school, and society moving forward. Yet there's much more to do. Worldwide, a billion people still have no access to clean drinking water. The impact of this on global health and education is enormous. As great journeys always begin with a single step, East Meets West has proven that it only takes USD$50 to provide a Vietnamese family of five with a lifetime supply of safe drinking water. >> MAN: A few months ago I was excited because someone told me that there was an American organization which would build a water system and a water tower, and then I would have clean drinking water piped right into my house. I haven't heard anything about it since. >> WOMAN: On behalf of all the people of our hamlet, we sincerely thank you for your support. >> RICHARD BROGDON: Thank you! [clapping] >> DINH THI HOA: Thank you, bye. Bye bye. >> TITLE: Produced by Link TV >> TITLE: [end credit] http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kill-or-cure-saving-lives <p>The Advance Market Commitment scheme, formulated by the GAVI Alliance, aims to provide more vaccines to the developing world by fixing their price over a 10-year period. Is it going to deliver, what will be the result, and how did global health institutions and the big pharmaceutical companies manage to agree on such a deal?&nbsp;</p> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:59:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/kill-or-cure-saving-lives GAVI Alliance, Pneumococcal vaccine, Africa, Pharmaceutical industry, Developing country, Vaccination, Vaccine, Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, Orin Levine, Julian Lob-Levyt >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> VOICEOVER: In the summer of 2009, an historic agreement was struck to save millions of children from a deadly disease. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT [CEO, GAVI Alliance]: Each year, pneumonia kills more children than HIV, TB, and malaria put together. >> VOICEOVER: The vast majority of victims are in the developing world, where there's no money to pay pharmaceutical companies for a vaccine. >> BUSAYO OGUNBODE: My baby has pneumonia and the baby died because of the pneumonia. >> VOICEOVER: Now, the international community has agreed to fund a vaccine to prevent such tragedies in the world's poorest nations. >> ANDREW JACK [Pharma Correspondent, The Financial Times]: It's creating a guaranteed market, a form of reassurance to those developing new vaccines, including those specifically for the developing world, that there will be a market at the end of the day. >> VOICEOVER: Five nations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation agreed to pay USD$1.5 billion in the hope of saving up to seven million lives. >> TITLE: Drug Money >> VOICEOVER: Dr. Orin Levine leads a team from the renowned Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the USA, dedicated to providing a vaccine against the world's deadliest threat to children. His job takes him all over the globe in the fight against pneumococcal disease, which kills more children under five than any other illness. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health]: We have safe efficacious vaccines against a terrible disease that just aren't being applied. So, not only is it a huge disease, but it's a problem with a solution >> VOICEOVER: Today Orin is visiting Rwanda, a country just emerging from a tragic recent past. Rwanda is staging a huge party and Orin is guest of honor. >> DR. RICHARD SEZIBERA [Minister of Health, Rwanda]: Pneumonia is a leading cause of death among under fives in our country, accounting [for] over 25 per cent of all infant deaths. >> VOICEOVER: The Rwandan minister of health is presiding over a ceremony to mark the introduction of a vaccine to prevent pneumococcal disease. >> DR. RICHARD SEZIBERA: We as a government are determined to make sure that children attain their fifth birthday, their 10th birthday, their 40th birthday, and -- why not -- their 70th birthday. >> VOICEOVER: The minister inaugurated a program to distribute the vaccine for free. A doctor, he delivered the ceremonial jab himself. The project was launched by the Rwandan Government and GAVI, an alliance of international organizations, countries, and companies dedicated to spreading the benefits of vaccines and immunization. Dr. Levine's team helped GAVI make the case for the deal. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: Today is a historic moment because today with the access to pneumococcal vaccines that's been given Rwandan children, we're going to begin the first program through the GAVI Alliance to prevent this important disease in low-income countries. >> VOICEOVER: In cooperation with GAVI, pharmaceutical company Wyeth donated enough doses of the pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar to immunize all Rwandan infants under the age of one. >> JIM CONNOLLY [Head of Vaccines, Wyeth]: This is our personal opportunity to make a difference in this world and we have an opportunity with Prevenar to dramatically change the course of the disease that is a significant killer of children and adults on a worldwide basis. >> VOICEOVER: Wyeth's gesture is cause for celebration in Rwanda but it's only a first step. The Rwandans have been given a vaccine widely used in rich nations. It protects against seven strains of the disease. Developing nations ideally need a more powerful vaccine. And another 70 of world's poorest nations eligible for GAVI help don't have a pneumococcal vaccine at all. In Nigeria, two-year-old Olajumoke lies seriously ill with pneumonia. Without a vaccination, doctors rely on increasingly ineffective antibiotics to treat the illness. She's watched over by her mother, Blessing, who's desperately anxious. Pneumococcal disease kills 1.6 million people every year, and nearly 1 million are children under five. So what exactly is this threat to the world's infants? Pneumococcal bacteria lurks in the back of the throats of 80 per cent of all people. If it breaches a natural barrier formed by mucus, it can cause pneumonia or meningitis, both potentially lethal. The need for a vaccine is much greater in the developing world where more than 98 per cent of fatal cases occur. But it's up to the pharmaceutical industry to develop vaccines, at substantial cost. The industry, historically, has sold its goods to those countries who can pay the most. >> ANDREW JACK: In order to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars that the drug companies have put into developing these products, they've tended to focus therefore on maximizing the returns, having high prices, concentrating on the large, developed markets of North America, Western Europe, and Australia and Japan. >> VOICEOVER: A free market in vaccines has failed to address the needs of the majority of people in the world. The situation was even worse 10 years ago. >> SHANELLE HALL [Director, Supply Division, UNICEF]: We had global shortages of even the basic vaccines: tetanus, measles, DTP. I remember a year, we were short by 80 million doses and I mean this was for 70 to 80, 90 countries, and we were in the midst of a major departure of many of the big pharma companies from producing vaccines for developing countries. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: There was a market failure for public goods, global public goods, and a vaccine is a classic global public good. >> VOICEOVER: Historically, developing countries have had to wait 15 to 20 years for prices to fall after R&D costs have been recouped before they can afford to provide vaccines for their children. Since 2005, Dr. Orin Levine and the GAVI Alliance have been working on an ambitious program to speed up the provision of vaccines to poorer nations, starting with an injection to protect against pneumococcal disease. Today, he's on a research trip to Nigeria. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: I'm a parent. I've got two daughters. They both got pneumococcal vaccine. Why should children who just happen to be born in an African country be denied access to a life saving vaccine for that reason? One of the most important things that we can do during our visit here in Nigeria is to hear directly from the pediatricians who take care of children with pneumonia and pneumococcal disease, to hear from the parents and families who've been affected. >> VOICEOVER: He's visiting University College Hospital in the city of Ibadan, where Olajumoke lies ill. He's meeting with senior pediatricians at the hospital. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: Do children in Africa deserve access to these life-saving pneumococcal vaccines as much as children in the West? >> PROFESSOR ADEGOKE FALADE [Senior Consultant Pediatrician, UCH]: I feel upset, because I think that vaccine is needed more in developing countries like Nigeria than in Europe and North America where it's not an immediate problem today. >> PROFESSOR KIKELOMO OSINUSI [Head of Pediatrics, UCH]: There are some conditions that make children in this country, in Nigeria, particularly susceptible to pneumococcal disease. We now have a critical mass of children who have some immune depression or whose immunity is not good enough. >> VOICEOVER: On the emergency ward, Orin meets Blessing and her two-year-old daughter Olajomoke. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: What was she like when you brought her here. Why were you worried for her? >> BLESSING: When I came here she was convulsing, so maybe I get scared. She ... she was unconscious. Because I was being transferred from a clinic. So she was unconscious but still convulsing when I get here. >> VOICEOVER: When Orin revisits the following day, Blessing is still there. She's now been at her daughter's bedside for six days and nights. The lengthy stay has cost her 30,000 naira [NGN]. That's a very substantial sum of money. Ninety per cent of Nigerians live on less than 10,000 naira per month. >> BLESSING: It's very difficult for me to get the money to take care of her. Sometimes I'll borrow. I'll do all kinds of things to get the money. >> VOICEOVER: But Blessing is praying that she won't have to pay a much higher price: the life of her daughter. In part two: the new initiative that could spare millions of children like Olajumoke their suffering. >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> VOICEOVER: For the past two years, the GAVI Alliance has been working with donor governments to provide a pneumococcal vaccine for the developing world. They came up with a plan known as the "advance market commitment" or AMC. It's designed to guarantee pharmaceutical companies a market for the vaccine in poorer countries. In the summer of 2009, GAVI chief executive Julian Lob-Levyt announced that funds were finally in place. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: This has been an astonishing international collaboration of political leadership, technical participation at the individual level, financially within the markets, with industry, and with public health community. It really is a very historic moment. >> SHANELLE HALL: Now through the AMC we have an innovative approach to ensure the necessary quantities of pneumococcal vaccines are produced for children in developing countries at an affordable price. >> VOICEOVER: Italy, the UK, Canada, Russia, Norway, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation signed a deal to provide USD$1.5 billion for the vaccine. And GAVI will contribute a further USD$1.3 billion. Unicef, the World Health Organization, The World Bank and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health helped GAVI to construct the initiative, designed to appeal to both profit-driven companies and the recipient nations. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: There've been some extremely smart economists working out of Harvard who've, you know, made almost a lifetime's work in The World Bank and elsewhere to really research the model and see how it works. >> ANDREW JACK: The AMC is essentially designed as a financial incentive to vaccine manufacturers to say: if you develop vaccines that are relevant to those in the developing world, to the world's poorest, there will be a market for those products, so you don't have to worry that you'll spend tens or maybe hundreds of millions of dollars developing something, and then find that none of these poorer countries are willing or able to pay for them. >> VOICEOVER: The architects of the AMC reckon they're tackling the world's most immediately pressing cause. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: The two biggest killers of children at the moment are pneumonia and diarrheal disease and pneumonia is by far the biggest killer, it's a no-brainer quite frankly. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: If we have a serious, common, and preventable disease, shouldn't that be at the top of our to-do list in global health? >> VOICEOVER: Orin's now visiting another mother whose baby son also contracted pneumonia. >> BUSAYO OGUNBODE: The baby is two months old. The baby started with a cough, no, with catarrh and a cold. The cough is very serious. He's two months old. If he's coughing he will be straining all his body like this, all his body was stiff. You know, I'm a woman. So if something is draining my baby, it means the thing is draining me. You understand what I say. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: I do, I'm a parent also. You feel when your children are sick >> BUSAYO OGUNBODE: I feel the pain. When he's coughing, I feel the pains. And I couldn't sleep. He was always crying in the middle of the night, so that's why I took him to hospital >> VOICEOVER: Busayo and her husband spent nearly 50,000 naira on a hospital bill for their baby. >> BUSAYO OGUNBODE: We go through a lot of stress. We borrowed, we sell a lot of things, because we are not OK. We borrowed ... we beg, even beg. We did not think about the money, but we were trying to save the baby's life. The baby died because of the pneumonia. So you go through a lot of stress before the baby die. I would spend a lot of money to save the baby's life, but the baby died. So we lost the baby, sure. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: See, it's unconscionable to me that the technologies that we've helped to develop are reaching only the children who can afford them, who are arguably the children who need them the least, and failing to get to the children who need them the most. >> VOICEOVER: The AMC will come too late for millions like Busayo and her baby. But with funds secured, the process of inviting pharmaceutical companies to bid for contracts under the AMC has begun. Unicef is handling purchase of the product. >> SHANELLE HALL: We're seeing a number of applications, which is fantastic, both from the multinational companies and also from emerging market companies, which is very healthy. >> VOICEOVER: It was crucial to set up competition between the companies. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: You absolutely need competition in this world whether it's drugs or vaccines or soap powder, in order to get the best product and to get it at the best price. >> VOICEOVER: And there's another vital objective which GAVI has set. Current pneumococcal vaccines were developed to guard against varieties of the disease found in rich countries. GAVI is seeking more powerful vaccines to protect against other strains which threaten the poorer nations. The aim is to prevent 80 per cent of infections worldwide. So how has the pharmaceutical industry responded to the challenges and opportunities? The Wyeth corporation, which gave away its seven-strain vaccine to Rwanda, is keen to get involved in the broader plan to sell the improved version to all the poorest countries. >> JIM CONNOLLY: Companies like Wyeth and other pharmaceutical companies have an obligation to make their products available to as wide a population ... With financing mechanisms like the AMC, we think there's a way that's both affordable from a country's perspective and sustainable from a shareholders perspective, and I think we can strike the right chord from a pneumococcal vaccine perspective. >> VOICEOVER: Wyeth and two other pharmaceutical companies, GSK [GlaxoSmithKline] and the Serum Institute in India, are developing pneumococcal vaccines which could be used for the AMC, if they meet standards required by the World Health Organization. In a statement, GSK said that it would review the terms and conditions of the AMC and consider whether to deliver a pneumococcal vaccine to developing countries under the framework. Under the AMC, GAVI will sign 10-year deals, paying USD$7 per shot for the first 20 per cent of vaccinations provided. This will allow the companies to recoup the cost of new factories and manufacturing equipment. After that, the price falls to USD$3.50 for the rest of the contract. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Once those research and development costs have been absorbed, that vaccine is provided to the poorest countries in the world as at near to production costs as is technically feasible. >> VOICEOVER: So is the industry now interested more in doing good and less in making money? >> ANDREW JACK: All of the big companies have started saying that we can and we should morally and economically make medicines available more affordably to the poor. And in the process we can make some money, we can make this sustainable, but above all many more patients can benefit >> VOICEOVER: Orin makes his last visit to Blessing and Olajomoke. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: Have you seen any progress in this child since the last couple of days? >> DOCTOR: Yes, we have. Initially we had to feed her with a tube and we've been able to take that out. She's feeding by cup and spoon now. And she's very much alert and she's doing very well. She's done very well. >> BLESSING: I am very very happy that she has made it and she has responded to the medicines which have been given to her. >> VOICEOVER: Blessing and Olajumoke have gone through a terrible ordeal. But it's so much worse for all the millions of families whose children don't recover. The AMC may offer real hope that a solution is to hand, but much needs to be done before the first child is injected. The pharmaceutical companies need to develop the vaccines to meet the necessary standard, and the recipient countries need to demonstrate the ability to distribute the vaccines. But Dr. Orin Levine believes the challenges can be overcome. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: The AMC could be delivering life-saving pneumococcal vaccines to children in the poorest countries of the world as early as the end of 2009 or early 2010. >> VOICEOVER: The AMC will lead ultimately to the vaccination of one billion children, saving seven million lives by the year 2030. And that's not all. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: If this model works it should be applied to other vaccines for other diseases and perhaps for drugs to treat other diseases, so this is an innovative instrument. Potentially this could be saving millions of lives, now affected by tuberculosis, by malaria, and so that's the second reason to be quite excited by this pilot >> VOICEOVER: The hope is that the AMC will ensure that children like these and millions more like them will grow up to fulfill all their dreams and ambitions. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: What else, what else does somebody want to be when they grow up? >> CHILDREN: A doctor! / A nurse, a nurse! / Doctor! >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: A nurse, a lot of doctors, and nurses. Really. Doctors ... Nobody wants to be a football player? >> CHILDREN: Yes! >> VOICEOVER: So how welcome would a pneumococcal vaccine be in the countries which need it? >> PROFESSOR KIKELOMO OSINUSI: A lot of time will be saved for treatment of other conditions, and many other savings would be carried out: the cost of looking after the children, the time of the parents who stay in the hospital with children, and all the anguish of losing the children. I think I will be very happy, when ... if this is introduced into the country. >> DR. ORIN LEVINE: What would you say if I told you that in a few years we think there's going to be a vaccine that could prevent the kinds of pneumonia that took the life of your baby? How would you feel about that? >> BUSAYO OGUNBODE: I would be very happy if such a thing could happen. >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: rockhopper TV http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-real-lady-killer <p>Cervical cancer kills more than half a million women worldwide every year, and is the leading cause of female cancer deaths in the developing world. New low-tech screening programs have begun to reduce cancer deaths but campaigners like Sarah Nyombi, a politician in Uganda, want to see more.</p> Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:29:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-real-lady-killer Cervical cancer, Uganda, Sarah Nyombi, Africa, Developing country, Health, Vaccination, HPV vaccine, PATH, Vaccine >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> SARAH NYOMBI: In our African culture, you know, they will think they are bewitched. Sometimes women don't know what's wrong with them and they are in huge amounts of pain. So to avoid burdening their families they take themselves to remote areas such as this to die lonely. It is a tragedy. >> TITLE: The Real Lady Killer >> VOICEOVER: Sarah Nyombi, a Ugandan politician, is on a mission. She's trying to halt a silent killer stalking her country, from which every woman in Uganda is under threat. It's called cervical cancer and in the developing world it's the leading cause of female cancer deaths. >> SARAH NYOMBI: It is a horrible cancer, it kills hundreds and hundreds of thousands of women each year, it's not a nice way for women to die >> VOICEOVER: Today Sarah, a former nurse turned women's health campaigner, is visiting Margret Makakoni, a lady whose mother died of cervical cancer. >> MARGRET MAKAKONI: I feel week and drained. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Mmm, of course. It must be the constant reliving of the memory. >> VOICEOVER: Sarah knows exactly what Margret's going through. She's also lost people she loves. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I have known lots of people who have really died of cervical cancer. My auntie, the pain she was going through. Her children couldn't help, we couldn't help, so really we were devastated. >> VOICEOVER: Cancer kills more people than AIDS, TB, or malaria. And there could be an even greater number of cancer victims who don't know what it is they're suffering from. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I have heard about stories about people, but not even knowing that they're dying of cervical cancer. They think that patient was bewitched. In Africa there is that bewitching belief in our heads. >> VOICEOVER: In March this year, as part of her efforts to dispel such myths, Sarah travelled 4,000 miles to Oxford in the UK, to see how the cancer is dealt with in the developed world. Here, screening is widely available and last year, a vaccine which could cut cervical cancer deaths by 50 percent worldwide, was introduced into schools. The vaccine prevents two types of a virus called HPV, known to cause 70 percent of all cervical cancer cases. HPV is sexually transmitted, but unlike HIV, condoms can't prevent it entirely. It infects most people at some stage of their lives, so the aim is to vaccinate girls before they're exposed. In the UK, girls are vaccinated at the age of 12. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I'm going to a school to really interact with girls who have been vaccinated with the HPV vaccination, and to see and find out how they really found it. >> VOICEOVER: Just like in Uganda, knowledge about the cancer is limited. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Did you hear about cervical cancer before? >> ALICE B [schoolgirl]: No. At primary school they told us a little bit about cancer but not cervical cancer. >> SARAH NYOMBI: OK, just other cancers. >> BOTH SCHOOLGIRLS: Yeah. >> VOICEOVER: But when they heard that cervical cancer affects almost half a million women each year, they all wanted the vaccine. >> ALICE B: I think it was popular here. I think everyone wanted to have it, it wasn't just the parents pushing them to do it but I think they wanted to have it. >> SARAH NYOMBI: The students themselves wanted it for themselves. >> SCHOOLGIRL: And I think anybody who didn't was soon convinced by everyone who was like, this is going to save our life in the future, this is a good decision to make. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I had a good time chatting with the girls. This is a vaccine which has that appeal to almost all girls in this world. So if every girl could have it, it would be wonderful. But the affordability ... it is so expensive. >> VOICEOVER: In Uganda, the government hasn't been able to afford to include the cervical cancer vaccine in its national program so far. To buy it privately here would cost at least USD$300, almost the same as the average Ugandan earns in a year. In two districts of the country, however, a project is underway which could change all that. An American NGO called PATH has organized for 12,000 girls to be vaccinated. >> DR. AISHA JUMAAN [Director, HPV vaccine project, PATH]: This is a demonstration project, to demonstrate how the vaccine can be introduced into a country. >> VOICEOVER: They've launched similar projects in India, Peru, and Vietnam. The aim is to show governments around the globe ways in which the cervical cancer vaccine can be delivered in the developing world. One of the things the project hopes to discover is whether a vaccine for young girls will be accepted here as it has been in the UK. In Uganda, it's targeted at young adolescent girls like Aisha. This morning, she's on her way to school where the vaccinations are taking place. Because the vaccination prevents a sexually transmitted infection, there are fears people will be suspicious. >> DR. AISHA JUMAAN: There is a stigma that people think if you give girls a vaccine that protects them against a sexually transmitted disease then you are encouraging them to start sexual activity. >> SARAH NYOMBI: If you bring it, a vaccination, to girls who have not even been exposed to sex, it was like you are now making them think about sex at that early age. >> VOICEOVER: It's something Sarah's worried about, so she's heading to Aisha's school to see for herself how the vaccine is being received. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I really want to see what's going on there and I believe it to be of great importance to Uganda and the whole of Africa. >> TEACHER [to class]: What are we immunizing against? Hands up if you know the answer. What was that? >> SCHOOLGIRL: Cervical cancer. >> TEACHER: Well done, give her a round of applause. >> SARAH NYOMBI [to schoolchildren]: Do you know who's going to be vaccinated for the first time? Are they here? Put your hands up. They will check your vaccination cards. Boys are not vaccinated, only girls. >> VOICEOVER: Everyone, it seems, wants to be vaccinated. And fears that injections for young girls would be viewed with suspicion have proved unfounded. >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA [HPV Vaccine Project Manager, PATH]: We haven't had any negative issues. Instead we are seeing the opposite, that there is much more demand for the vaccine. Many parents ended up lying about the age of their daughters, so even if someone was 13 they would say she's 10 so that they can be vaccinated. >> VOICEOVER: It's Aisha's turn, and as a former nurse, Sarah knows all the tricks. >> SARAH NYOMBI: The medical personnel was telling me that they don't inject on a hand regularly used so there is no excuse for these children to go back to class and say, 'Teacher, I cannot write because my hand has been ...' So, there is no excuse. >> VOICEOVER: All the girls have been told what they are being vaccinated against, but Sarah soon discovers Aisha knows a lot more about cervical cancer than her classmates. >> AISHA [schoolgirl]: Why is it when you have cervical cancer you start bleeding? >> SARAH NYOMBI: You know that because you have seen it? >> AISHA: Yes. >> VOICEOVER: Two years ago, Aisha's mother died of cervical cancer. >> AISHA: My mum started bleeding and vomiting. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So she was vomiting, and bleeding from her private parts? >> AISHA: Yes. After that, she passed out. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Was she taken to hospital? >> AISHA: Yes, she was. Later they took her to a herbalist called Mawenjje who told them if they took her to hospital again she would die. She kept seeing the herbalist but eventually died. >> VOICEOVER: It isn't the only tragedy Aisha has to deal with. On the same day the crew is filming, her cousin Betty dies of malaria. She is buried the next day. Malaria is just one of the health crises with which Uganda has to do battle. Premature death is common here. But it doesn't make losing someone any easier to bear. Each year, the Ugandan health budget is USD$143 per person. The cervical cancer vaccine is USD$300. The next morning, Sarah and the local health worker, Justine [Kajura Justine Makityo], pay their respects to Aisha's family. Her mother's death, like so many others, never made official cancer records. But there's no doubt what killed her. >> MUSA: She was 46 years old and the bleeding went from bad to worse. I was advised to go to Nakaseke to see Dr Mawenjje. He told me to take her back home and visit him regularly for the medicine. But her condition deteriorated. She couldn't walk. Then she kept getting weaker and weaker. I am terrified of cancer after everything I saw my wife go through. I'd rather die from AIDS than have cancer. >> VOICEOVER: He's relieved a vaccine might be able to save his daughters from the same fate. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Mr. Makah wanted all girls in his house vaccinated, from age 1 to age 16, because what he saw and what he went through was so horrible. >> VOICEOVER: By the time the PATH project finishes in 2011, 12,000 girls will have been vaccinated. But families like Aisha's, and thousands of others, will continue to suffer if the government isn't able to keep on vaccinating. Back in her office in Kampala, it's something of which Sarah is acutely aware. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Yeah, there is a lot of work to be done. After this trip, I feel there is a lot of work to be done. HPV vaccine is very expensive. So we have a meeting of members of parliament tomorrow to get an update of the progress of the vaccination of these young girls. I would really wish to get as many women as possible to know about this cancer and get screening and tested early, not really end up dying like my aunt did. >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> VOICEOVER: Sarah Nyombi is a politician and former nurse. Today, she's visiting a hospital in the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Sarah is visiting the gynecological ward where almost a third of the beds are filled with people suffering from cervical cancer. >> SARAH NYOMBI: Greetings to you all. My sympathies for your illness. >> VOICEOVER: It's one of the few places in the country that keeps any cancer records. Each year, cancer causes more than seven and a half million deaths globally. Seventy percent of them are in the developing world. >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA [HPV Vaccine Project Manager, PATH]: But even then that's the tip of an iceberg. Those are the few individuals who are able to go to the hospitals and get recorded. But many of the cancer patients actually don't. Whenever somebody hears of the word "cancer," it means "death." So they go back to their villages and die. So those are not recorded at all. >> VOICEOVER: Here at Mulago Hospital, most patients with cervical cancer are admitted in the advanced stages, when there's little that can be done to help them. Rehema Namusisi is 35. She's been diagnosed with stage III cancer and is waiting to begin radiotherapy. >> REHEMA NAMUSISI [cancer patient]: When I'd wash myself it felt sore. Stuff used to come out of me. It felt like ants crawling on my skin. On the 20th they sent me to the wing where they expose you to electricity. >> SARAH NYOMBI: And do you feel any better? >> REHEMA NAMUSISI: I'm in a lot of pain. >> VOICEOVER: She might not seem it, but Rehema is one of the lucky ones. If cervical cancer isn't caught early, it kills: a quarter of a million women each year. Rehema might have been diagnosed in time to save her life. Most aren't. Across town, for one day only, a center for free cervical cancer screening has been set up to try and spread the word that women over 25 should be regularly checked for pre-cancerous lesions. Even if the vaccine is introduced here, it only protects against the two most dangerous types of HPV and cannot help the millions already infected, so screening is still vital. In wealthier countries, a test called a Pap smear has seen rates of cervical cancer fall dramatically. But such a high tech, expensive service isn't widely available in the developing world. Here, the best option is to try and introduce alternative, low-cost methods such as VIA [visual inspection with acetic acid], the method being used today. Vinegar, applied to the cervix, highlights any abnormalities, which can then be removed with cryotherapy, or freezing. When treated at this stage, cure rates can be 85 percent or higher. Back in the hospital labs, Sarah is finding out about future screening possibilities. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I would like to know, if a woman wanted to be screened, what are the options? >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA: There are newer options which are about to be ready, such as the careHPV which basically tests for the virus. So you can test about 90 women at a go. It can run on a car battery so it doesn't require an electricity supply. >> VOICEOVER: It's hoped, in conjunction with VIA, the test will help screening to become widely available in the developing world. Uganda is one of the first countries to conduct field evaluations of the test. But, as well as screening, Sarah wants the vaccine introduced nationwide too. This morning, she's organized a meeting for MPs to try and galvanize support. >> SARAH NYOMBI: We organized this meeting to really reach out to the members of parliament. Cervical cancer is not to do with doctors only. >> VOICEOVER: Overwhelming opinion is that the vaccine should be introduced in Uganda. >> MAN IN MEETING #1: Madam chair, when do we have the mega-plan of ensuring that we roll it out all over in the whole country? >> WOMAN IN MEETING #1: We should try to catch up different corners of Uganda. >> WOMAN IN MEETING #2: As much as we need to roll out to other districts but even we have to look at the way how it's going to be sustainable. >> VOICEOVER: First, they have to work out how to pay for it. >> MAN IN MEETING #2: He put the question, "How much would be involved?" It is us who is going to pass the budget. >> VOICEOVER: But the Ugandan Ministry of Health will struggle to afford the vaccine alone. >> VOICEOVER: Hope lies in an organization called the GAVI alliance. >> DR. AISHA JUMAAN [Director, HPV Vaccine Project, PATH]: The cost of the vaccine for many of the developing countries is very expensive. GAVI [Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation] helps poor countries purchase vaccines at a subsidized price, like the HPV vaccine. They [governments] may be able to pay 20 cents per dose, where GAVI takes care of the rest of the price. And GAVI is able to purchase quite a bit of vaccine, and therefore are at a very good position to negotiate a better price for the vaccine than individual countries are able. >> VOICEOVER: Four thousand miles away, in Oxford in the UK, a conference on cervical cancer is being held at the university. GAVI's chief executive, Julian Lob-Levyt, is going to be there. And so is Sarah. >> SARAH NYOMBI: I hope now Julian is here, I will talk to him about this program in Africa, the taking up of the HPV vaccine by GAVI. >> DR. EMMANUEL MUGISHA: Yeah I think it's high time they hear from the politicians. >> VOICEOVER: GAVI has expressed an interest in adding the HPV vaccine to the list of those it already supports. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT [CEO, GAVI Alliance]: Yes, I'm here because GAVI has recently made a decision to explore the use of vaccines, including a vaccine against cervical cancer. In terms of effectiveness it's an astonishingly effective vaccine it gives very high protection. >> VOICEOVER: But the current global financial crisis might make any commitment impossible. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: We don't know yet how deep or how prolonged that crisis is going to be, or [what] the impact will be on development budgets. And essentially GAVI relies on the development finance from the rich countries of the West. So we won't really know that situation until 2010. >> VOICEOVER: It's something Sarah is keen to talk more about. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So, it's nice meeting you and I'm glad that you are here. >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Well, I think the good news is our board has recognized, mid-November last year, the need, and the board has made a decision that GAVI should now explore the support to HPV vaccine introduction. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So how long will that take? >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: It's all going to happen in the next few months, so that should happen fairly quickly. We're then going to want to look at countries for the feasibility of introduction, so we'll be looking for early adopter countries where there's strong political commitment. >> SARAH NYOMBI: OK, like Uganda? >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Absolutely, absolutely. >> SARAH NYOMBI: So the funding really is so crucial to Africa, and Uganda in particular, so it's glad I met you and I will keep following you up and ... >> DR. JULIAN LOB-LEVYT: Yeah, and you should chase me up on this one. [laughs] >> SARAH NYOMBI: It really went so, so well that the journey was worth it, and I've talked to Julian, the CEO and president of GAVI, it's really exciting, and there is really hope. >> VOICEOVER: Back in Uganda, Sarah is determined to keep up the momentum of her cervical cancer campaign. Over 500 people have turned up to an awareness march, and Sarah is optimistic about the future. >> SARAH NYOMBI: My hope for the women of Uganda is that everyone gets aware that there is cervical cancer amongst us and that it is preventable. I'm a believer. I believe in God and I know God loves his people. These things will happen. >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: rockhopper TV http://www.viewchange.org/videos/liberia-microfinance <p>Improving the economic situation of women is key to peace-building efforts in Liberia following a civil war that tore the country apart and left 75 percent of its people in extreme poverty. UNDP, with funds from Denmark, has set up revolving microloans that provide funds to women entrepreneurs, many of whom are heads of households.</p> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:26:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/liberia-microfinance Microfinance, Africa, United Nations Development Programme, Gender, Liberia, United Nations, Developing country, International Women's Day, Gender equality, Foreign Assistance >> KEBBEH SUMBO: They started me with 3,000 Liberian dollars, and with that 3,000 I was able to buy three tins of oil, and I started to sell. As time went by I was able to pay LEAP [Local Enterprise Advancement Program, a UNDP microfinance initiative] money. Then I got another loan of 10,000. I own my own house and I've got a warehouse. So it is through LEAP that I have come this far. >> KENYEH BARLAY [UNDP Liberia]: The rational for targeting women in microfinance worldwide is both practical, strategic, and economically viable. Women are more likely to pay debts. Women are more likely to use resources for the family rather than their individual benefit. And women are very adept in making small businesses grow. >> KEBBEH SUMBO: This will be my living room, this is my living room ... and here is the dining room. I am so thankful to LEAP for having empowered me, that I am able as a woman, a single woman, to be able to build this kind of house. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-aid-traders <p>Kids in developing countries need vaccines, but will the world's wealthy financial markets really help to deliver them? A deal brokered by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has so far raised nearly $2 billion for just that purpose. It's called the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), and author Aminatta Forna wants to know how it works.</p> Tue, 06 Jul 2010 21:07:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/the-aid-traders GAVI Alliance, IFFIm, Vaccine, Immunization, Africa, Vaccination, Millennium Development Goals, Sierra Leone, Health, Development aid >> TITLE: Kill or Cure >> VOICEOVER: The heartland of Sierra Leone, the country in which Aminatta Forna grew up. She's watching local mothers bring their babies to be weighed and immunized >> AMINATTA FORNA: Every woman with young children has turned up for this, there's almost a festive atmosphere. >> VOICEOVER: It's very different from the world that Aminatta, as a London-based writer, now inhabits. >> AMINATTA FORNA: You'd never see this in the West. I've never seen this in the West. But here it's really quite typical. I think everyone, apart from the kids, is enjoying themselves a lot. >> VOICEOVER: Everyone's making the most of the vaccinations. But what they don't realize, is that most of the money used to buy these jabs comes from places thousands of miles away, like Canary Wharf in London, Aminatta's home town. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Most of the money that funds vaccination programs in the developing world is raised in places like this. But we couldn't be further, perhaps 6,000 miles and a million light years away, from my family village. >> TITLE: The Aid Traders >> VOICEOVER: Aminatta Forna, a writer who grew up in Sierra Leone, has just arrived at the country's main airport. She's on her way to the capital, Freetown. >> AMINATTA FORNA: From the airport to Freetown isn't easy. There's theoretically a road round but it's impassable. So you can go by ferry if the ferry's running, sometimes it isn't, or you can rely on the helicopter. Just a matter of scrambling to find out which one's working, if any of them are working at all. >> VOICEOVER: Aminatta was born in Scotland to a Sierra Leonean father and British mother. But she grew up here. Today, she and her husband are on one of their regular trips back to the country. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I enjoy coming back. I always feel, for me, I was born between two cultures, on the crossroads of cultures. I was born African and European. [Shouting in helicopter: "That's Freetown!"] We came here when I was six months old so I actually learnt to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, that's what I remember. >> VOICEOVER: But Sierra Leone's beauty belies its troubled past. For the last two decades, it's been consistently ranked by the United Nations as one of the worst place in the world to live. From 1991 to 2002, civil war killed tens of thousands of people and displaced two million. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Sometimes I've referred to Sierra Leone as a flawed paradise, because it seems to me that so much of the essence of life really is still, in Africa, in the developing world, where a place as beautiful like this is also a place where children die very young, where death is an everyday experience for most people. >> VOICEOVER: Aminatta is preparing for a trip to her family's village, Rogbonko, a four-hour drive from Freetown. It was one of the worst-affected villages during the war, cut off behind rebel lines for over a decade. >> AMINATTA FORNA: The rebels came on a particular day, the first invasion of the village. The women were raped, every woman in the village was raped. From then on, the rebels came back regularly for money, for food, there were various atrocities committed. When I first came back to the village in 2002 there was quite literally nothing. >> VOICEOVER: Since the end of the war, Aminatta has returned twice a year. She's set up a school and helped with a farming project. But this time, she's looking into something a little different. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I'm not absolutely certain the kids are being vaccinated. There's a hospital nearby, but I'm not certain what kind of level of coverage we have in the village. >> VOICEOVER: She wants to see if vaccines are reaching the remote areas of the country like Rogbonko. Because she's heard about a new initiative which could be helping them. It's called the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, and it launched thousands of miles away. >> VOICEOVER: It was in London, in 2005, that the International Finance Facility for Immunisation, or IFFIm, was launched. Six European governments pledged USD$5 billion to help fund immunization projects run by the GAVI Alliance in over 70 of the world's poorest countries. IFFIm's aim was to make those future aid pledges available now. But how? >> AMINATTA FORNA: So how it works is a government pledges a certain amount of money for immunization projects in the future. IFFIm say, "OK, we'll raise that money now by issuing investments bonds," bonds that you or I could go out and buy, or our pension funds could go out and buy, and that makes the money available now for programs in the field. It's called front loading and it's something I'd like to know a lot more about. >> VOICEOVER: The IFFIm chairman is Alan Gillespie. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Can you tell me what the trigger was to getting IFFIm started? >> ALAN GILLESPIE: When we look back at the last 50 years, there've been endless attempts to bring effective development assistance to the poorer countries. The [United Nations] Millennium Development Goals called for a very different approach. The [Bill & Melinda] Gates Foundation and a number of European governments said: What can we do to step in and make a dramatic difference to the way in which healthcare is delivered to the poorer countries? >> VOICEOVER: In order to make the money pledged by governments in the future available today, IFFIm borrows the money from investors. They aren't donating money, they're investing: they get their money back, plus interest. It's proved popular and it's something about which Aminatta has questions. >> AMINATTA FORNA: So the money that is paid to investors actually comes from future aid donations? >> ALAN GILLESPIE: That's correct. The money that will be used to pay interest coupons on the bonds is pledged by eight wealthy governments over the next 20 years, and that is a little piece out of their forward aid commitments which will be used to pay the interest on these bonds. The average interest rate over all the bonds we've issued in the market is 2.3 percent. >> AMINATTA FORNA: When I first heard that the money that was paid to investors came out of future aid donations, it made me feel uncomfortable. And I just wondered whether ... how you feel about that? >> ALAN GILLESPIE: If we're creating healthier children today, going forward that will mean a far lower healthcare burden in those poor countries and on us in assistance. Secondly, our governments are all the time borrowing in the capital markets. So the principle of paying interest to do something is in-built in how our society works. And so one way or another we're going to pay interest on that in the future. >> AMINATTA FORNA: So are you saying it's reality and actually it's a price worth paying? >> ALAN GILLESPIE: It is undoubtedly a price worth paying. And when I think we have been able to mobilize over USD$2 billion on an interest cost of just over 2 percent that is a remarkable financial accomplishment in order to advance the cause of child health. >> VOICEOVER: Over the next two decades, more than USD$5 billion will be made available to IFFIm by the governments of the UK, France, Spain, Norway, Sweden, Italy, and now South Africa and the Netherlands. So far, IFFIm have raised more than USD$2 billion of that on the capital markets to be used now. The press have hailed it as innovative and unique. Aminatta goes to meet Andrew Jack, from the London newspaper, The Financial Times. >> AMINATTA FORNA: How innovative an idea do you think it was to raise the money in this way? >> ANDREW JACK: I think it's been an exciting idea, it's innovative. No one else has really come up with alternative mechanisms for delivering large numbers of vaccines, to making good that lag between what's available and what's actually delivered to the world's poor countries. This is probably about the most efficient way you can do it financially. >> AMINATTA FORNA: So everybody wins? >> ANDREW JACK: I think there is perhaps a broader philosophical question, if you like, because what a government is doing today by taking part in IFFIm is pledging future generations to paying money up front today. It's restricting their ability to maneuver on future development aid. >> VOICEOVER: The government pledges are legally binding and managed by IFFIm's treasurer, the World Bank. But should governments commit funds 20 years into the future? Aminatta asked the financial secretary to the British treasury, Stephen Timms. >> STEPHEN TIMMS: Well I think the prize is in doing things now, rather than in 10 or 15 years time, because we'll have healthy children in the future thanks to immunization now rather than sick children. So I think actually the case for spending money now and using this mechanism is a very, very compelling one. >> AMINATTA FORNA: What IFFIm are doing, in raising money for vaccines through the world of finance, is imaginative and interesting. But I think actually implementing it, on the ground, with all of the challenges that there are in Africa, is going to be quite different, and that's what I want to see. >> VOICEOVER: Back in Sierra Leone, Aminatta is almost at the end of the four-hour drive to her father's village, Rogbonko. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I normally come to the village about twice a year, but it's been a whole year since I've been back. I was here this time last year, I wasn't able to come at the end of the year. So I'm really excited. I'm actually just excited to be home. >> VOICEOVER: The feeling appears to be mutual, with every member of the village turning out to greet her. But this isn't just a social visit. Aminatta wants to find out whether vaccines paid for out of the IFFIm initiative are reaching remote areas like this. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I'd really like to know if all the kids in this village are being immunized, because that will absolutely change things around ultimately and forever. >> TITLE: Kill or Cure. >> VOICEOVER: Aminatta Forna is writer who lives in London, but grew up in Sierra Leone. She's staying in her father's village looking into the work of a vaccine initiative called the International Finance Facility for Immunisation. >> AMINATTA FORNA: My father was a doctor, I myself was immunized by him, and I grew up in a clinic with people coming and going with different ailments, so I've always had an innate understanding really of not only how important healthcare is in a country like this one but also what the challenges of delivery are. >> VOICEOVER: Poor roads and tiny budgets are just two of the reasons why Sierra Leone's health system struggles to cope. When Aminatta arrived in the village a few days ago, she learnt that her cousin Ibrahim had just lost a daughter to tetanus. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Can you tell me, at any of the hospitals, did they tell you what was wrong with your baby? >> IBRAHIM: Well I'm not a doctor, but I know when a baby is dying. You look out for signs like shivering. But we were told it was tetanus, so we took the baby to Makeni. After a while, I was told the baby had died. >> FATMATA: I was devastated. I loved that child. >> TRANSLATOR: He told me, indeed, he believed that she had not been given a tetanus vaccination and this is not the first child that has died in this way. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Of theirs? >> TRANSLATOR: Yes, of theirs. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I'm so sorry this happened. >> IBRAHIM: After everything I've been through, I never want to go through that pain again. Any life that is lost leaves a family devastated. >> VOICEOVER: It's unlikely these children were immunized against tetanus, a vaccine-preventable disease. Ibrahim isn't sure if they had been or not. >> AMINATTA FORNA: In so many parts of the world tetanus is virtually an eradicated disease. I mean, I can't remember the last time I heard of anybody in the Western world either contracting or dying of tetanus and yet it happens here all the time. Ibrahim and Fatmata had lost not one, but two children to tetanus. >> VOICEOVER: The next morning, Aminatta is taken by another of her cousins to the nearest vaccination centre. There are a lot of villagers -- and Fornas -- in the vaccination register. >> AMINATTA FORNA: So this is the list of vaccines that they've had and then you put the date according to which vaccine it is. >> VOICEOVER: IFFIm money has helped to increase routine vaccination coverage here from just 40 percent to over 60 percent. In-country estimates indicate that figure is still climbing and could be as high as 85 percent by the end of the year. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Yeah, I can see lots of people from Robonko here. >> MARY [vaccination center nurse]: They are very attentive. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I didn't know that anyone from my village came here. I thought that those kids that were vaccinated were actually going to the big hospital in Magburaka, which is much further away. So I was really impressed. >> VOICEOVER: Normally, the villagers come here for vaccinations. But today, the nurse is taking the vaccines to the village to make sure every child is up to date. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I guess for people in the West, taking your kids to be vaccinated is a routine and rather mundane activity: you go into a hospital, it gets done, you leave. But here, well you can see, it's such a festive atmosphere, it's like a party in here. Everybody has come together today, and they have actually decided to make a bit of a day of it. I don't think all the kids here actually need to be vaccinated but everyone's brought them anyway. One of the reasons the nurse is checking the records so carefully is to make sure that she doesn't accidentally double up and that's because people have got such a strong belief in medicine, free medicine, that they come anyway. >> VOICEOVER: Until 2007, none of these babies would have been protected against the child killers Hib [Haemophilus influenzae type b] and Hepatitis B. IFFIm money helped to include vaccinations against them into the national program two years ago. By front-loading the money pledged over the next 20 years by donor governments, IFFIm has raised USD$6 million to be spent each year in Sierra Leone. The GAVI Alliance is the organization which distributes IFFIm funds. According to the World Health Organization, its support of vaccination programs has averted 3.4 million deaths worldwide. Aminatta meets visiting representative Arianne Leroy. >> ARIANNE LEROY: We're funding a number of various vaccines and the most recently introduced vaccine is a vaccine called the pentavalent, which is a very new vaccine, and it's actually extraordinary to think that the pentavalent vaccine, which is a vaccine that is available in Western countries, is now available to all the kids in Sierra Leone for free. What we're trying to do is to give the same chance to all these children in Sierra Leone as Western children to start off their life healthy. >> VOICEOVER: Rogbonko is just one of millions of villages around the world being helped by GAVI and IFFIm money, which supports immunization programs for half the world's population. In Sierra Leone, GAVI has committed funds until 2015. But what happens then, when the money is spent? >> ARIANNE LEROY: We're trying to make sure that the countries are self-sustainable at some point. We are now requiring all countries to co-finance their vaccine, meaning that Sierra Leone is starting to pay part of the vaccine they are getting, and increasingly they'll have to pay for more and more as time goes through. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Is it just the vaccine itself that GAVI funds in Sierra Leone? >> ARIANNE LEROY: GAVI funds the vaccine itself but it couldn't just fund the vaccine otherwise nobody would be trained to use the vaccine, families would not know that the vaccine is there to get their children vaccinated, so GAVI is also strengthening the national health system so that people are trained, people know about the vaccine, the infrastructure is in place, and the vaccines can be administered. >> VOICEOVER: Back in the village, it becomes apparent why this additional support is so vital. It transpires some of the women had, in the past, been charged for their free vaccinations. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Can you tell me how much money you'd have to pay for this? >> WOMAN [via translator]: Five hundred leones [SLL]. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Five hundred leones for what? >> WOMAN [via translator]: Five thousand leones. >> AMINATTA FORNA: Five thousand leones, for the card. We went round asking different women, we asked about 20 women, and they all told us exactly the same story that the previous nurse had been charging them all 5,000 leones for their immunization card, for something that should by rights have been given to them free. It transpires that some of the officials did know, they are onto it, they are stamping it out, so that was reassuring. It also demonstrates actually why GAVI money is needed for more than just the immunizations themselves, that actually monitoring the systems is as much part of it as delivering the vaccines. >> VOICEOVER: The next morning, the village holds a meeting to discuss what has happened. >> AMINATTA FORNA: This is a village meeting in the barrie and the representative health worker has come to talk to them about vaccinations and why they're so important. There's clearly more to an immunization program than simply sending over batches of vaccines, and I think that it's tremendously important that GAVI is and continues to spend money on the entire infrastructure, on the personnel, on the systems, on delivery, on giving the right messages. >> HEALTH WORKER: The reason I am here today is to tell you about vaccinations. We want you to know that all vaccinations are free. You never have to pay for the vaccination card. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I don't think the villagers have any real understanding that the money for their vaccines is coming from IFFIm and GAVI, I don't think those acronyms mean anything to them at all. But they do understand, now, that the vaccines are free, that's been made absolutely clear today. >> VOICEOVER: The villagers have had their questions answered. And so has Aminatta. >> AMINATTA FORNA: I didn't really know what to expect when I first began to look into this whole area. I knew about the challenges of delivering aid to a country like Sierra Leone but I knew absolutely nothing about financial institutions. I think there's a natural suspicion, which I've always shared, about capital markets, about the world of finance and business. It's been really interesting for me to see that there are times when that can be harnessed in a way which is productive, and in this particular case it's produced something enduring and really beautiful, and that is a child's life. >> VOICEOVER: On the other side of the village, at the school Aminatta started, it's time for their annual photo. >> AMINATTA FORNA: With the school that we run, what people love so much about giving to us is, if they give a pound, they see a set of pencils arrive; there's a very, very direct correlation. So I think with the IFFIm program, it's vaccinations. You're getting something that's very measurable back. If that's what you're investing, that's what a child at this end gets. >> TITLE: [end credits] >> TITLE: Rockhopper TV http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-nathan-wolfe-s-jungle-search-for-viruses <p>Virus hunter Nathan Wolfe is outwitting the next pandemic by staying two steps ahead: discovering deadly new viruses where they first emerge (passing from animals to humans among poor subsistence hunters in Africa) before they claim millions of lives.</p> Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:12:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ted-nathan-wolfe-s-jungle-search-for-viruses Nathan Wolfe, Epidemiology, Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, Bushmeat, Virus, Cameroon, HIV, Pandemic, TED, Central Africa >> TITLE: TED: Ideas Worth Spreading>> TITLE: Nathan Wolfe>> NATHAN WOLFE: When most people think about the beginnings of AIDS, they're gonna think back to the 1980s. And, certainly, this was the decade in which we discovered AIDS, and the virus that causes it, HIV. >> TITLE: February, 2009. Long Beach, California.>> NATHAN WOLFE: But, in fact, this virus crossed over into humans many decades before, from chimpanzees, where the virus originated, into humans who hunt these apes.>> TITLE: Brazzaville, Congo, 1929>> NATHAN WOLFE: This photo was taken before the Great Depression in Brazzaville, Congo. At this time, there were thousands of individuals, we think, that were infected with HIV. So I have a couple of really important questions for you. If this virus was in thousands of individuals at this point, why was it the case that it took us until 1984 to be able to discover this virus? Okay, now, more importantly, had we been there in the Forties and Fifties, Sixties, had we seen this disease, had we understood exactly what was going on with it, how might that have changed and completely transformed the nature of the way that this pandemic moved?In fact, this is not unique to HIV. The vast majority of viruses come from animals. And you can kind of think of this as a pyramid of this bubbling up of viruses from animals into human populations. But only at the very top of this pyramid do these things become completely human. Nevertheless, we spend the vast majority of our energy focused on this level of the pyramid, trying to tackle things that are already completely adapted to human beings, that are going to be very, very difficult to address, as we've seen in the case of HIV.So, during the last 15 years, I've been working to actually study the earlier interface here -- what I've labeled "viral chatter," which was a term coined by my mentor Don Burke. This is the idea that we can study the sort of pinging of these viruses into human populations, the movement of these agents over into humans, and, by capturing this moment, we might be able to move to a situation where we can catch them early.Okay, so this is a picture, and I'm going to show you some pictures now from the field. This is a picture of a central African hunter. It's actually a fairly common picture. One of the things I want you to note from it is blood, that you see a tremendous amount of blood contact. This was absolutely key for us. This is a very intimate form of connection. So if we're going to study viral chatter, we need to get to these populations who have intensive contact with wild animals.And so we've been studying people like this individual. We collect blood from them, other specimens. We look at the diseases, which are in the animals as well as the humans. And, ideally, this is going to allow us to catch these things early on, as they're moving over into human populations. And the basic objective of this work is not to just go out once and look at these individuals, but to establish thousands of individuals in these populations that we would monitor continuously on a regular basis. When they were sick, we would collect specimens from them.We would actually enlist them, which we've done now, to collect specimens from animals. We give them these little pieces of filter paper. When they sample from animals, they collect the blood on the filter paper and this allows us to identify yet-unknown viruses from exactly the right animals, the ones that are actually being hunted.>> ANDERSON COOPER: Deep in a remote region of Cameroon, two hunters stalk their prey. Their names are Patrice and Patee. They're searching for bush meat: forest animals they can kill to feed their families. Patrice and Patee set out most days to go out hunting in the forest around their homes. They have a series of traps, of snares, that they've set up, and they'll catch wild pigs, snakes, monkeys, rodents, anything they can, really. Patrice and Patee have been out for hours, but found nothing. The animals are simply gone. We stop for a drink of water. Then there is a rustle in the brush. A group of hunters approach. Their packs loaded with wild game. There's at least three viruses that you know about, which are in this particular monkey.>> NATHAN WOLFE: This species, yeah. And there's many, many more pathogens that are present in these animals. These individuals are at specific risk, particularly if there's blood contact, they're at risk for transmission and possibly infection with novel viruses.>> ANDERSON COOPER: As the hunters display their kills, something surprising happens. They show us filter paper they've used to collect the animals' blood. The blood will be tested for zoonotic viruses, part of a program Dr. Wolfe has spent years setting up.>> NATHAN WOLFE: So this is from this animal right here: greater spot-nosed guenon. Every person who has one of those filter papers has at least, at a minimum, been through our basic health education about the risks associated with these activities, which presumably, from our perspective, gives them the ability to decrease their own risk, and then obviously the risk to their families, the village, the country, and the world.Okay, before I continue, I think it's important to take just a moment to talk about bushmeat. Bushmeat is the hunting of wild game, okay? And you can consider all sorts of different bushmeat. I'm going to be talking about this. When your children and grandchildren sort of pose questions to you about this period of time, one of the things they're gonna ask you is how it was they we allowed some of our closest living relatives, some of the most valuable and endangered species on our planet, to go extinct because we weren't able to address some of the issues of poverty in these parts of the world?But in fact that's not the only question they're going to ask you about this. They're also going to ask you the question that, when we knew that this was the way that HIV entered into the human population, and that other diseases had the potential to enter like this, why did we let these behaviors continue? Why did we not find some other solution to this? They're going to say, in regions of profound instability throughout the world, where you have intense poverty, where populations are growing and you don't have sustainable resources like this, this is going to lead to food insecurity.But they're also going to ask you probably a different question. It's one that I think we all need to ask ourselves, which is, why we thought the responsibility rested with this individual here. Now this is the individual -- you can see just right up over his right shoulder -- this is the individual that hunted the monkey from the last picture that I showed you. OK, take a look at his shirt, you know, take a look at his face. Bushmeat is one of the central crises which is occurring in our population right now, in humanity, on this planet. But it can't be the fault of somebody like this. Okay? And solving it cannot be his responsibility alone. There's no easy solutions, but what I'm saying to you is that we neglect this problem at our own peril.>> NATHAN WOLFE: So, in 1998, along with my mentors Don Burke and Colonel Mpoudi-Ngole, we went to actually start this work in Central Africa, to work with hunters in this part of the world. And my job ... at that time I was a post-doctoral fellow, and I was really tasked with setting this up. So I said to myself, "Okay, great. We're gonna collect all kinds of specimens. We're gonna go to all these different locations. It's going to be wonderful." You know, I looked at the map, I picked out 17 sites, I figured, no problem. Needless to say, I was drastically wrong. This is challenging work to do. Fortunately, I had and continue to have an absolutely wonderful team of colleagues and collaborators in my own team, and that's the only way that this work can really occur. We have a whole range of challenges about this work. One of them is just obtaining trust from individuals that we work with in the field. The person you see on the right hand side is Paul DeLong-Minutu. He's one of the best communicators that I've really ever dealt with. When I arrived I didn't speak a word of French, and I still seemed to understand what it was he was saying. Paul worked for years on the Cameroonian national radio and television, and he spoke about health issues. He was a health correspondent. So we figured we'd hire this person, and when we got there he could be a great communicator. When we would get to these rural villages, though, what we found out is that no one had television, so they wouldn't recognize his face. But, when he began to speak they would actually recognize his voice from the radio. And this was somebody who had incredible potential to spread aspects of our message, whether it be with regards to wildlife conservation or health prevention.Often we run into obstacles. This is us coming back from one of these very rural sites, with specimens from 200 individuals that we needed to get back to the lab within 48 hours. I like to show this shot: this is Ubald Tamoufe, who's the lead investigator in our Cameroon site. Ubald laughs at me when I show this photo because of course you can't see his face. But the reason I like to show the shot is because you can see that he's about to solve this problem. Which he did, which he did. Just a few quick before and after shots. This was our laboratory before. This is what it looks like now. Early on, in order to ship our specimens, we had to have dry ice. To get dry ice we had to go to the breweries, beg, borrow, steal, to get these folks to give it to us. Now we have our own liquid nitrogen. I like to call our laboratory the coldest place in Central Africa -- it might be. And here's a shot of me, this is the before shot of me. No comment.So what happened? So, during the 10 years that we've been doing this work, we actually surprised ourselves. We've made a number of discoveries. >> TITLE: Results after 10 years: Identified new viruses, including retroviruses; collected 26,000 human and 18,000 animal blood samples; documented viral jumps from animals to humans. >> NATHAN WOLFE: And what we've found is that, if you look in the right place, you can actually monitor the flow of these viruses into human populations. That gave us a tremendous amount of hope. What we've found is a whole range of new viruses in these individuals, including new viruses in the same group as HIV -- so, brand new retroviruses. And let's face it, any new retrovirus in the human population, it's something we should be aware of, it's something we should be following, it's not something that we should be surprised by.And needless to say, in the past these viruses entering into these rural communities might very well have gone extinct. That's no longer the case. Logging roads provide access to urban areas. And, critically, what happens in Central Africa doesn't stay in Central Africa. So, once we discovered that it was really possible that we could actually do this monitoring, we decided to move this from research, to really attempt to phase up to a global monitoring effort. And through generous support and partnership scientifically with Google.org and the Skoll Foundation, we were able to start the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative and begin work in four different sites in Africa and Asia. Needless to say, different populations from different parts of the world have different sorts of contact. So it's not just hunters in Central Africa. It's also working in live animal markets -- these wet markets -- which is exactly the place where SARS emerged in Asia. But really, this is just the beginning from our perspective.Our objective right now, in addition to deploying to these sites and getting everything moving, is to identify new partners because we feel like this effort needs to be extended to probably 20 or more sites throughout the world -- to viral hotspots -- because really the idea here is to cast an incredibly wide net, so that we can catch these things. Ideally, before they make it to blood banks, sexual networks, airplanes. And that's really our objective. There was a time not very long ago when the discovery of unknown organisms was something that held incredible awe for us. It had potential to really change the way that we saw ourselves, and thought about ourselves. Many people, I think, on our planet right now, despair, and they think we've reached a point where we've discovered most of the things. I'm going tell you right now: please don't despair. If an intelligent extra-terrestrial was taxed with writing the encyclopedia of life on our planet, 27 out of 30 of these volumes would be devoted to bacteria and virus, with just a few of the volumes left for plants, fungus, and animals -- humans being a footnote -- interesting footnote but a footnote nonetheless. This is honestly the most exciting period ever for the study of unknown life forms on our planet. The dominant things that exist here we know almost nothing about. And yet, finally, we have the tools which will allow us to actually explore that world and understand them. Thank you very much. >> TITLE: New TED Talks each week at www.TED.com http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-and-echo-reintegrate-child-soldiers-in-cote-divoire B&eacute;ou&eacute;, 18, is a former child soldier in C&ocirc;te d&rsquo;Ivoire. He is now learning how to run a business with help from the Prevention, Demobilization and Reintegration Programme. Supported by UNICEF and the European Commission&rsquo;s Humanitarian Aid &amp; Civil Protection Office, the program works to reintegrate young people like B&eacute;ou&eacute; into their families and communities, and to offer them a second chance in life. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:47:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-and-echo-reintegrate-child-soldiers-in-cote-divoire Côte d'Ivoire, Education, Child, Human rights, Humanitarian aid, UNICEF, Africa, Foreign Assistance, ECHO >> VOICEOVER: Once hailed as a model of stability, Côte d’Ivoire has slipped into the kind of internal strife that has plagued many African countries. In 2002, an armed rebellion split the nation in two. The conflict caused numerous atrocities and displaced thousands of people. Violence against civilians was rampant. Children were witnesses, victims and sometimes even perpetrators. >> BÉOUÉ [18 years old]: I am a hero - they call me Béoué. I was so happy to defend my village, that on my way home, I used to sing. >> VOICEOVER: Béoué is one of the thousands of Ivorian children who was associated with the fighting forces. Béoué, like so many others, was deprived of his basic rights. >> BÉOUÉ: Although I am not a soldier, I know everything a soldier knows about weapons. Up until now, I remember everything. Around us, we had death. People were wounded and dying. There are terrible things that happen on this earth. >> SYLVIE DOSSOU [Chief Child Protection, UNICEF]: UNICEF, along with implementing partners, has set up a Prevention, Demobilisation and Reintegration Programme for children who have been associated with fighting forces, for children who were at risk of recruitment and also for vulnerable children in the community. The main goal of our intervention is to reintegrate children like Béoué into their families and into their community and offer them a second chance in life. >> BÉOUÉ: When the rebels came, they burned everything. The birth certificates, everything was destroyed. I would have liked to finish my schooling, but it is already too late. I need to learn a skill. >> VOICEOVER: Because he had no access to school during the war, UNICEF – with the assistance of ECHO – has helped Béoué, and many more, to learn skills which benefit his entire community. >> SAMY CECCHIN [Regional Humanitarian Advisor, ECHO]: ECHO, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department provides humanitarian assistance to the victims of crisis. In Ivory Coast, with its partner's Prevention, Demobilisation and Reintegration Programmes, to date, over 4000 children associated with armed groups and thousands of vulnerable children, at risk of recruitment, have benefited from the Commission's support. >> BÉOUÉ: In the project I learn the alphabet and math. I learn to read and write. I learn many things. The education which I receive is good. It helps me; it actually helps me a lot. I chose chicken breeding, because a hen might produce ten eggs in two weeks. So soon there may be many more. In five years time, I would like to have a business, a big business! http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-young-malaysian-footballers-on-the-offensive-against-hiv <p>HIV is a growing problem among young people in Malaysia, which means more effective ways are needed to teach teenagers about the dangers of the disease. In one innovative UNICEF-supported initiative, exchange students are talking to young Malaysians about prevention in settings far from traditional classrooms.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:47:29 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-young-malaysian-footballers-on-the-offensive-against-hiv HIV, Malaysia, UNICEF, Kuala Lumpur, AIDS, Youth, Foreign Assistance, AIESEC, Education, Soccer >> DIPRA RAY [exchange student]: HIV now has basically gotten rid of our defense, right? >> VOICEOVER: It's not the usual pre-game pep talk. These young Malaysian football players are learning about a challenge very different from winning today's game: keeping themselves safe from HIV and AIDS. This lesson has become a standard ritual of youth football leagues in the capital, Kuala Lumpur. It is a new approach to reach out to young people, who are increasingly at risk of catching and spreading HIV. >> GAYE PHILLIPS [UNICEF Representative to Malaysia]: In Malaysia, more than 37 percent of the group who are currently infected are between the ages of 13 and 29. That's a serious population group that we need to look at. Because it shows us that young people are not being well informed. >> VOICEOVER: In partnership with the Football Association of Malaysia, UNICEF and the Association for the International Exchange of Students of Economics and Commerce, known as AIESEC, are working to make youth more aware of the dangers of HIV, and what they can do to avoid it. Dipra Ray is an exchange student from New Zealand. He believes it's critical for young people to hear this message from other young people ? and in an active setting far from the classroom. >> DIPRA RAY: For us I think that's the biggest motivation: it's that we're coming here, we're having fun, but at the same time we try to make sure that they get the lesson. Because if the young generation, if we -- if I and my friends -- if we know how we can stop HIV, we can stop it. It's not like it has to spread. It can be stopped. >> VOICEOVER: For young footballer Shawn Daniels, it's a lesson that is starting to sink in. >> SHAWN DANIELS: I learned about many things: how to protect myself, how to say no. >> VOICEOVER: A winning game plan for young people to follow, long after the whistle is blown. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this is Steve Nettleton reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-liberating-liberia-s-war-generation <p>Sunny fought twice in Liberia's civil war: first with the rebels when he was 12 years old, and again for the government when he was 17. Now aged 20, Sunny has been enrolled in a UNICEF-supported program, which is teaching this former child soldier how to be a farmer.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 20:33:54 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-liberating-liberia-s-war-generation Liberia, Child soldier, Monrovia, Civil war, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Second Liberian Civil War, ECHO, Education, UNICEF, President of Liberia >> VOICEOVER: Brutal marks of war and neglect are stark in Liberia's capital, Monrovia. But unseen is the damage to an entire generation. Not just once but twice Sunny fought in Liberia's civil war. First when he was 12; drugged up and fooled into thinking war was fun, he fought for the rebels. Then, when he was 17, he fought on the side of government forces. Now, Sunny is planting seeds, but his scars and his memories of being exploited will always be with him: >> SUNNY [Not his real name]: At which time I was a little boy, I was only used: "Go and get, go and do this," and I'd go and do it, and "Go and get me this," and I go and get 'im. But I was with the general and, because, anywhere he goes, I follow; anything he wants me to do, I did. >> VOICEOVER: He is one of more 11,000 Liberian youngsters directly involved in the 15-year conflict. Today, it's drama of a different kind. They're learning Shakespeare, being counseled, and coming to terms with their past. At this resource center supported by UNICEF and ECHO, the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Department, young Liberians are beginning to pick up the pieces of their lost childhood. >> CORINNA KREIDLER [ECHO Field Expert]: They don't have any skills or very few: those few they learnt, for those who did some training courses. Their education level is relatively low. And also their frustration ... their tolerance to accept frustrations and to resolve problems with peaceful means is limited because that's not what they learnt. They learnt that if they have a weapon, they are the boss man, they are the strong people, and they can just impose whatever they want on other people. And of course in Liberia in 2007 things don't work that way anymore. >> VOICEOVER: Help from outside has laid a firm foundation, but Liberians themselves have had to make it happen. Daniel Swaray has seen how work and play can rehabilitate former combatants. >> DANIEL SWARAY [Sustainable Development Promoters: Ganta]: The growing stage of a child is very important. Play is one very important aspect of the growth of a child and, if you lack play, you lack your childhood. And this is one thing that they were lacking very much. So, when we came to them, they did not even understand what play was. Most of the trainees we have there were fighting for opposing forces, and they were chasing one another with guns. But now they are playing together, eating from the same bowl. >> VOICEOVER: In the wake of recent elections, all the signs are looking good for the country. Bright-eyed children are back at school, new construction abounds. But Liberia's new government sees children as its most valuable asset. >> ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF [Liberian President]: The government will protect the children, first of all ensuring that they have the means to get an education, and of course in our carrying out of the rule of law, to ensure that any action against them will be dealt with in our laws. This refers particularly to our young girls who have been subjected to rape. >> SARAH CROWE [UNICEF]: What about your vision for the future of Liberia's children, in general? >> ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: To ensure that all of our children have an educational opportunity, in even the most remote village in the country. >> VOICEOVER: For so long Sunny too was deprived of so much. Going back home and learning a new trade has given him, like so many others, new hope. >> SARAH CROWE: This skills training that you're doing: are you happy with it, is it a good thing? >> SUNNY: I am very happy with it because I want to learn, and then do something to improve myself -- and improve my country as well. So I am very happy with it, it's fine, it's going down well with me. >> SARAH CROWE: What do you want to do when you finish your training? >> SUNNY: When I finish my training if my choice is given to me, I will try to have my own agricultural fields as we are doing, and then try to learn some things, and then practice what I was taught. That's what I want to do, yes. >> VOICEOVER: Progress is promising here but there's concern that the international community may drop the ball on Liberia and not give the youth a fighting chance of a better future. In Liberia, this is Sarah Crowe for UNICEF Television. Unite for Children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef2_6057_laos_uxo <p>What's the best way to educate children about the dangers of stray land mines and unexploded bombs? UNICEF and its partners in Laos are discovering that a giant magic cricket mascot helps.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:16:14 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef2_6057_laos_uxo Unexploded ordnance, Laos, Education, UNICEF, Land mine, Foreign Assistance, Child, Environment >> VOICEOVER: Sanchon and Andy have still not fully recovered from the day a bomb exploded at their feet. The brother and sister had been tending to their family's livestock when Sanchon picked up a round object in the grass. He thought it was a ball. His sister thought it was something else. >> SANCHON: She said it's a bomb. I dropped it, and it exploded. >> VOICEOVER: They suffered wounds in their stomachs and arms. Shrapnel remains embedded in their bodies. They are part of a growing number of children injured by remnants of war in Laos. Bombing and ground fighting in the 1960s and 70s have left unexploded ordnance littering 16 of the country's 18 provinces. There are more than 200 accidents per year, nearly half of them involving children. Most child survivors bear not only permanent physical scars, they also must endure emotional trauma that haunts them for years. Clearance teams are removing and detonating unexploded ordnance. But it's a slow process that's expected to take decades. With the help of a magic cricket, UNICEF and local partners are working to teach children about the dangers of explosives and reduce accidents. Here in southern Laos, the cricket holds special appeal to children. It is a ready source of food, and many children, like 13-year-old Ken, often dig for them in fields that could hide unexploded ordnance. Once a week, these cricket mascots lead children through a program of games and education. Through the story of the magic cricket, children learn how to identify mines or bomblets and what to do if they find them. Eleven-year-old Khanphachanh says these activities have made her more comfortable. >>KHANPHACHANH: I have a lot of fun, and now I feel safer because I know how to avoid unexploded bombs. >> VOICEOVER: With proper warning and encouragement, UNICEF is giving more children in Laos the tools to defuse their fears, and live in the fields with greater confidence. In Paksong, Laos, this is Steve Nettleton reporting for UNICEF. For every child, advance humanity. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef2_8312_china_child <p>UNICEF and the Chinese government have set up 40 child-friendly centers in the area devastated by the Sichuan earthquake in May 2008. These provide safe, protective environments to help children recover from their traumas through play and creative expression.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:16:13 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef2_8312_china_child Sichuan, Earthquake, Child, 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, UNICEF, Kindergarten, Han Chinese, Foreign Assistance, Family >> VOICEOVER: At a resettlement center in one of the hardest-hit areas of Sichuan province, six-year-old Doudou spends her days riding her bicycle, or singing and dancing with other children. For her, it has been a long road toward recovery. She lost both her parents in the quake that struck in May 2008, and now lives under the care of her grandfather. >> GRANDFATHER: The earthquake ruined everything that our family owned. At that time Doudou missed her parents very much. She didn't want to eat. When she went to bed at night, she cried for her father and mother. >> VOICEOVER: When a special center for children opened near her home, Doudou slowly began to find comfort in songs and games with other children. >> GRANDFATHER: With the community's help, conditions have slowly gotten better. Plus, she has learned to attend kindergarten, and plays when we take out the toys. >> VOICEOVER: This is one of 40 centers set up across the earthquake zone by UNICEF and the Chinese government, providing safe, protective environments where children can interact and develop through play and creative expression. The effects of last year's quake are still taking a toll on families throughout the region. The "Child-Friendly Space initiative" aims to give children the psychological and emotional support they need to recover from the trauma and also prepare for a new start in life. Parents and teachers say they've noticed a dramatic change in children's behavior over the past year. The manager of a child-friendly space in Feishui township, Tang Xiaoping, says the children's emotional progress can be seen from how their drawings have changed since the aftermath of the quake. >> TANG XIAOPING [Feishui Child-Friendly Space]: Our first activity here was to have the children to draw what was in their minds. One boy drew a capsized boat; a girl drew buildings falling and people running in the streets. This year, we again invited children to paint pictures, and now you see colorful balloons and smiling faces. >> VOICEOVER: The child-friendly spaces offer not only emotional aid to children, but support adults as well. >> HE LIPING [Leigu Township All China Women's Federation]: I lost my own daughter in the earthquake, and I was very sad for the first couple of months. But now I work here and I am with children every day, I feel happier. It is like when I see them, I can see her. >> VOICEOVER: A space for songs and smiles -- also a haven for healing. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ausaid_02_indonesiahiv <p>In Indonesia, fresh approaches to illegal drug use and the sex industry are helping to reduce the spread of HIV. Now addicts can get access to methadone programs and clean needles, and sex workers are being tought about prevention methods by former colleagues.&nbsp;</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:16:00 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/ausaid_02_indonesiahiv Indonesia, HIV, AIDS, Antiretroviral drug, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, Drug-related crime, World Health Day, Education, National AIDS Commission, Safe sex >> NARRATOR: Compared to many other countries battling the spread of HIV and AIDS, the percentage of the Indonesian population infected with the virus is low. But it's estimated more than 200,000 Indonesians are living with the virus, and other worrying statistics are emerging >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI [Secretary, National AIDS Commission, Indonesia]: According to the UNAIDS report, they said that Indonesia was one of the fasting growing epidemic in Asia. And that is because we have more than 50 percent transmission among the injecting drug users, and that goes very fast. >> NARRATOR: Controlling the spread of HIV across this enormous archipelago is a huge task, but Indonesian authorities are taking on the challenge. The growing epidemic has prompted a fresh look at policies including new approaches to education, treatment, prevention, and drug law enforcement. >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: There can be the death penalty, actually. So what happened was anybody with drugs were put in jail, so our prisons became overloaded. But, for injecting drug users especially, that meant they went underground and they shared syringes, they shared needles among them, which means the infection went very, very fast: from almost zero in 1997 to very high prevalences in 2007. >> NARRATOR: Measures to reduce the spread of HIV have been scaled up dramatically with the support of the Australian Government, including new needle and syringe programs and methadone clinics like this one, where registered drug users can come, without fear of prosecution, for assistance to reduce their dependence on heroin. They can also access clean needles, avoiding the need to share syringes, a key cause of infection amongst injecting drug users. It's taken a shift in thinking, but it's an approach Dr. Nafsiah Mboi has worked hard to implement. >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: If they don't get access to prevention, like condoms and sterile needles, etc, and they don't get access to the medication and service they need, we will fail. >> NARRATOR: Work is also underway to ensure health workers have a positive approach to those at risk of contracting the HIV virus. A trip to the methadone clinic is specifically designed to be a non-threatening experience >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: They are our children and they have the right to be healthy, they have the right to live. >> NARRATOR: Across the water in Bali another forward-thinking program is underway. This one is aimed at reducing sexual transmission of HIV. These young women are former sex workers, and their knowledge of the local industry is being used to educate others in safe practices. The island is well known as a holiday destination throughout the region. Unfortunately, it's also where some young Indonesian women get caught up in the sex industry. >> FORMER SEX WORKER [Yayasan Kerti Praja volunteer]: I was from a small village in Java and someone came and said there's work for you in a shop. >> NARRATOR: Now she has been diagnosed with HIV, a direct result of unprotected sex. She has also joined a team of women working with Australian volunteer Emily Rowe in an outreach program promoting condom use in the Kuta sex industry, and encouraging regular health checks. It's a very successful initiative funded by AusAID. >> EMILY ROWE [outreach worker, Australian Volunteers International]: Because they understand the industry, and they understand the way that the male guests think, and because they're not shy, they can talk about all kinds of really, really detailed aspects of the work with the girls. >> FORMER SEX WORKER: For me, it's much easier for me to talk about HIV, because I know how it feels, and I know how it feels to be discriminated against, and how it feels when you get sick with HIV. >> NARRATOR: According to the women involved in the program, male guests -- as they call them -- are very reluctant to wear condoms. Changing that practice is the principal focus of the group's work. >> FORMER SEX WORKER: I think it's very, very important, especially for lots of the guests that are ... maybe they're construction workers, or they're fishermen, and they have very, very low levels of knowledge. >> NARRATOR: Teams pay regular visits to brothels and other known sites throughout the city, not only to educate, but to encourage sex workers to visit the clinic for health testing. >> DR. PUTRI GESAKMADE [Kerti Praja Foundation]: Because of this organization, we have had a really, really big impact, especially in the sex-work industry, especially with regards to condom use, and helping to treat positive sex workers with ARV treatment and therapy. So we are helping to control the epidemic. >> NARRATOR: Dr. Putri's father, Professor Wirawan, established the Kerti Praja Foundation in 1992. It's a medical organization working to provide antiretroviral therapy for patients who need it. That support has now been extended to help meet the health needs of those most at risk: sex workers. >> EMILY ROWE: I think that obviously it probably would have begun with one or two that wanted to stop working, and we thought that's such a great opportunity as peer educators, and so it's growing. We just got recently another two volunteers. >> NARRATOR: For Indonesian authorities, the strategy to fight the spread of HIV -- sexually transmitted or through the use of infected needles -- is not to ostracise the most vulnerable but to embrace them, reaping the benefits of their street-level knowledge. >> DR. NAFSIAH MBOI: So only by embracing them, by recognizing that they are the key populations, will we succeed. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-s-unite-for-children-campaign <p>UNICEF's "Unite for Children" Campaign aims to help some of the 15 million young people who have lost a parent to AIDS. Children like "Kouadio" in C&ocirc;te d'Ivoire, who is receiving help with his health and education, and dreams of one day becoming a doctor.&nbsp;</p> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:10:17 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-s-unite-for-children-campaign Côte d'Ivoire, United Nations, Antiretroviral drug, World Food Programme, UNICEF, HIV, Child, Education, Health, Foreign Assistance >> VOICEOVER: An estimated 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS. This boy, who we'll call Kouadio, is one of them. His mother died six months ago, and his father abandoned the family when Kouadio was just an infant. As if his life weren't difficult enough, he also carries the virus that causes AIDS. He now lives with his mother's two sisters in Côte d'Ivoire. They say they couldn't raise him without the help of the local health center. People of all ages receive services including medical treatment, counseling, HIV testing, and different ways to help support orphans and vulnerable children. >> N'ZUE VERONIQUE DJE [social worker]: The center can have an especially big impact on the lives of children. For example, with Kouadio, he's already feeling much better since he first visited the center. He receives medication, but partners are providing nutritional support. So his situation absolutely improved since he arrived in the center. >> VOICEOVER: Kouadio is here to receive a UNICEF school kit. He's about to start his first year in school. His kit includes a small chalkboard, chalk, pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons, a ruler, and scissors. The center also provides him antiretroviral drugs, which inhibit the replication of HIV, as well as money to pay for school fees. UNICEF's approach to helping children like Kouadio is holistic. Assistance covers education, health, and child protection, as well as food from the World Food Programme. Kouadio is already dreaming about his future. >> KOUADIO: When I grow up I want to be a doctor so I can make myself better. >> VOICEOVER: Children like Kouadio face a difficult battle, and if it's to be won, it must be fought on multiple fronts. In Côte d'Ivoire, this is Thomas Nybo reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-children-in-the-west-bank-and-gaza-promote-non-violence <p>In the West Bank and Gaza, children experience violence at many levels, both from the ongoing conflict and due to local cultural beliefs and practices. UNICEF and the European Commission have been running projects to promote "nonviolence," enabling children to learn about their rights and how to protect themselves.&nbsp;</p> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:10:17 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-children-in-the-west-bank-and-gaza-promote-non-violence Nonviolence, West Bank, Children's rights, Nablus, Gaza, UNICEF, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, European Commission, Child, Palestinian people >> VOICEOVER: Palestinian adolescents in Nablus on their way to a special meeting promoting nonviolence. The children in the West Bank and Gaza have experienced violence at many levels: Not only because of the ongoing conflict but also due to local cultural beliefs and practices. At today's meeting, children spoke their minds about the issue of violence at school. >> RAWAN AL MASRI [schoolgirl]: We're facing violence but it's hard sometimes when you are attached to those who commit the violence and then you ask yourself: why do they commit it? Teachers here also sometimes use violence. >> VOICEOVER: According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, children are exposed to assault mainly at home and in schools. UNICEF and the European Commission have been running the violence awareness projects in 10 Palestinian districts. Here the children learn skills to help them implement child rights and protection campaigns in their own communities. >> ALYAA ALSHAAR [committee member]: As one of the members of this local committee, I see that it positively affects children at different levels. In terms of personality, it benefits their character, their ability to express themselves and communicate with other people. >> VOICEOVER: UNICEF's "promoting nonviolence" project also boosts the awareness of caregivers, including parents, to child rights issues, and strengthens their capacity to protect children against abuse, exploitation, and violence. This is Sabine Dolan reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children. http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-helps-tajik-girls-return-to-school <p>In the poorest parts of Tajikistan, young girls are most likely to miss out on a formal education. However, a new UNICEF program that emphasizes traditional life skills such as sewing and cooking alongside academic classes is encouraging rural families to send their daughters to school.&nbsp;</p> Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:10:17 +0000 http://www.viewchange.org/videos/unicef-helps-tajik-girls-return-to-school Tajikistan, United Nations, Child development, Poverty, UNICEF, Life skills-based education, Foreign Assistance, Education, Child, Life skill >> VOICEOVER: It's five in the morning in the apricot orchards of Isfara, Tajikistan, and the women are already working. It is the poorest of the post-Soviet republics with a stagnant economy. Most of the men from this valley are in Russia working, as there are no jobs for them here. With limited family income, the priority is to educate the boys in the family. >> MUAZZAM HOMIDOVA [farm worker]: It is very difficult to give an education to the whole family because of poverty. We cannot send the girls to school because of the economic conditions and they have to buy textbooks, shoes. We need money for this. >> VOICEOVER: Educated people cannot find work here, so a formal education for their daughters is seen as a burden and expensive. Families pull their daughters out of school to work in the fields alongside mothers and babies. UNICEF decided it needed a way to bring those girls back into the classroom. >> IKRAM DAVNOROV [Child Development Officer, UNICEF]: The idea was to show school as a value. To attract, to bring back to school and show them that school gives something for future life. >> VOICEOVER: To attract girls back with the approval of the family, UNICEF created a Life Skills Education Program. Parents allow the girls to return to school because as well as academic classes, they learn practical domestic skills valued by traditional rural families. >> ZORIGINAVA MADINA [schoolgirl]: My parents allowed me to come to school because I would learn sewing classes and cooking lessons. >> VOICEOVER: Linking life skills to education persuades parents to allow their girls back into school. Once there, they also receive a formal education. The school environment teaches them teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills. Life Skills Education is more than just sewing and cooking. They also learn about AIDS, conflict resolution, and negotiating skills. Getting these girls back into the school is the hard part. Once inside, their natural curiosity and urge to learn takes over. This is Vladimir Lozinski reporting for UNICEF Television. Unite for children.