NewsLetter March 2009

About planning, people and predictability

In the year 2009 the word "crisis" is dominating many conversations and the media only seem to talk about how it affects life of Western societies. In a globalized world everybody is affected by the crisis in one way or the other; some people lose jobs, income is getting less, and everybody fears the future, etc. A friend from Cameroon said he only noticed what crisis really meant when he visited Paris and talked to people who had lost their job. "In our country, he said,  people remain poor, many do not have a job for already long time and social family system continues to take care of those in need. We continuously face crisis and live with it."

In development cooperation money flows will most probably decrease, from private as well as bilateral sources. It will affect programmes and projects and this is sad for many citizens in developing countries. Planning for results has to be reviewed drastically; in fact managing for development results is becoming a challenge even more. How to adjust to new circumstances, which decisions need to be taken in order to achieve the best one can with limited resources. This is reality and it leads to the question about planning for results, something donors always stress. It will be interesting to see how the donor community is reacting to this crisis.

But what is really tragic is that the West has shown how greed and short term results dominate decisions by influential people. "Who cares?" The question whether we learn from this crisis and chose for long term visions, for equity and development, for sustainable use of resources, etc. remains a big question mark. Let us continue to lobby and work for a different world, manage for sustainable development results.  

Herman Snelder, Director MDF Training & Consultancy

MDF and the support to Disabled People

The United Nations has named 2000-2009 the African Decade of Disabled People. The decade aims to promote "full participation, equality and empowerment of people with disabilities in Africa".

MDF contributes to the above aim through a partnership with CBM, the biggest international organisation serving persons with visual impairment and other disabilities. CBM operates in 113 countries and has a reach of 18 million people. Through CBM's Nairobi office, MDF (Goma) has implemented some 13 assignments of capacity strengthening of CBM partner organisations in Central Africa (DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya). MDF's services consist of assisting, through participatory workshops, with all phases of program and project planning, design of implementation and M&E, and human resource development.

In 2008, in Cameroon's North-West province, an integrated empowerment programme for persons with disabilities was formulated with large stakeholder participation including target group representation (blind and physically disabled). In 2009 funding has been obtained for this proposal from Australian Aid (€ 1.3 million). The program is innovative for Cameroon. It integrates health, education, economic empowerment, communication and research components, and is executed by the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board based in Bamenda. This Health Board also plays a leading role in fighting against HIV/AIDS in the province.

In other parts of the world, MDF has been involved in support to disabled people. In 2006 we assisted the Moldovan Blind Union with a profound financial, business and marketing analysis and the writing of a business plan to assist the MBU to guarantee work for the blind and visually impaired in industrial companies.

Since 2007 MDF cooperated with the Dutch organisation Sensis which focuses on the integration in the society of people who are blind or visually impaired. Sensis also supports projects abroad. MDF trained the Sensis staff in Project Cycle Management and will continue to do so.

MDF assisted the Dutch Liliane Fund in obtaining funds from the Dutch government. In more than 80 countries Liliane Fund helps children with physical handicaps to integrate in the society. Liliane Fund staff has been trained and coached and assisted by MDF to set up planning and M&E systems which will be tested in 2009. Our MDF Vietnam-office uses a real-life case Strategic Planning of the Vietnamese Inclusive Development Action (IDEA), promoting inclusive and barrier-free national development by providing information, advice and training to people with disabilities.

MDF hopes to be able to exploit its (gratifying) experiences and its knowledge built up in this sector, and to share it with many more organisations in the world assisting people with disabilities.

Sjoerd Zanen, senior trainer/ consultant MDF