Summer 2014 Issue of Developments Now Available

August 07, 2014

The Summer 2014 issue of DAI’s Developments newsletter is now available.

Leading off, Kanwal Manzoor and Sereena Nizam describe work in Pakistan—spearheaded by five of the country’s top civil society groups—that is helping thousands to more effectively demand services such as decent schools and health facilities. Operating in hundreds of communities, the AAWAZ Voice and Accountability Programme is also bringing long-missing attention to the concerns of Pakistani children, religious minorities, the poor, elderly, and disabled.

Next up, instead of reinventing the wheel, Maria Busquets writes about how a project in Indonesia—the country most victimized by avian influenza—leveraged existing social, mobile, and community media technology and networks to reach key audiences and promote safer poultry practices.

In other stories:

• Carrie Davies and Brigit Helms describe the importance of being at the bargaining table—even when operating against a headwind of vested interests—in order to influence reforms that broaden the reach and benefits of economic growth in resource-rich Mozambique.
• Alma Porciuncula recounts how an innovative water financing scheme in the Philippines has enabled water companies to extend their services into areas that otherwise would not have clean water, benefiting millions of residents.
• Christy Martins and Keith Doxtater tell of assistance to war-weary communities in transitioning Sri Lanka even as uncooperative circumstances threaten the project’s hopeful legacy.
• Catherine Johnston tells of how a project in Timor-Leste has brought more than 400 farmers into improved greenhouse and outdoor vegetable production and helped build a stronger fresh produce value chain. Similarly, Nicholas Parkinson’s article from Liberia describes how agricultural loans are enabling more timely planting and harvesting.
• Jim Winkler, DAI Vice President of Solutions, gives an interview about the DAI Solutions team and how the 40-person unit is improving information sharing and project implementation across the globe.
• Charles Coon writes about a study conducted by the Jordan Fiscal Reform II Program that determined how much the influx of Syrian refugees in Jordan is costing the Jordanian government, information that, in turn, helps the government and aid organizations to more effectively budget for the growing crisis.
• Finally, DAI’s CEO and President James Boomgard writes about “Poverty, Partnership, and the Pursuit of Innovation,” and the imperative of helping partners—old and new—tackle the grand development challenges of the 21st century.

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