IDS Alumni

IDS Alumni blog will no longer be updated but you can read all the latest opinions from the IDS community on our website

2014-12-11T10:46:00.000+00:00

This will be the last post to be published on this blog. The Institute of Development Studies now publishes all our members’ and guest bloggers’ posts directly onto our website.

Future posts from IDS Alumni will be found here:

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Who Cares About Child Rights Governance?

2014-12-03T12:12:00.000+00:00

Promoting child rights is what drives all good development programmes for children. One way to institutionalise this, support its positive impact and long-term sustainability, is through that magic word ‘governance’.

So what exactly is Child Rights Governance?

My friends asked me this before I took up a job in the field.

At the time, I didn't know the full answer, so I made something up, based on what I’d learnt from my Masters in Governance and Development at IDS. I said it was about strengthening the institutions that govern societies so that children's rights were better realised. I suggested this would include improving public service delivery for children, especially at the local levels of government that are 'closest to the people'.

Seven months on, I find I my educated guess was more or less correct although the reality of 'child rights governance' is far more complex and nuanced.

Child Rights Governance is like vitamins in fruit: it is one of the most wholesome elements but is mostly invisible to the eye. Its benefits are sometimes equally intangible or unglamourous. Because of this, some people question the value of Child Rights Governance.

Translating Rights into Realities

Nelson Mandela once referred to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as “that luminous, living document that enshrines the rights of every child, without exception, to a life of dignity and self-fulfillment”. His lyrical description hints at the lofty ideals that brought every member of the UN General Assembly together except two to ratify the Convention in 1989. Twenty-five years on, it is still the most widely and rapidly ratified treaty in history. It also includes a ground-breaking commitment by states to invest in children ‘to the maximum extent of resources available’.

Last week, we celebrated what a grand and visionary treaty the Convention is on its 25th Anniversary. Its 54 articles cover virtually every aspect of a child’s life from infancy through childhood to adolescence. But how much is the right to an education worth if the road to the school is constantly flooded during the monsoon season, preventing children from accessing that right? The state is the primary duty bearer of the rights under the Convention; yet without a commitment to mobilise public resources for child-friendly programmes, child rights mean very little.

This is where Child Rights Governance can add real value. It asks for budgets to be disaggregated to show how allocations benefit children, and then seeks to hold policymakers to account for the promises they make. These transparency and accountability initiatives are what translates rights into realities.

Decentralisation: Not Just for Grown-Ups

Decentralisation is crucial for enabling child-friendly governance at the local level. Localising decision-making processes increases opportunities for everyone, including children, to take part and for government officials to be more responsive to their community’s needs. Together these are believed to lead to better public service delivery and accountability.

The child’s right ‘to express opinions, to have them taken into account and to participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives’ (Article 12) reinvigorates this framework. It allows for one of the most practical realisations of the Convention’s revolutionary premise: a child is not just a passive object of care or subject of adult power but a citizen in his or her own right. Children who are capable of forming and expressing their views should have as much opportunity to contribute to their community’s development as adults. This could be through open budget sessions, dialogue with the mayor or other public consultations where they can speak and be heard.

Local government officials are also often the unwitting gatekeepers of child rights. They control budgets that can be used to build parks and playgrounds. They sometimes also hold the power to select families in their communities to benefit from national social protection programmes. Adult advocates can and should lobby for these child rights to be realised. But their advocacy pales in comparison to the power of children raising their voices and trying to claim their rights themselves.

Child Rights Governance can facilitate children’s empowerment by developing their knowledge and confidence for meaningful public participation. Equally, it can sensitise local actors so they are more aware and responsive to children’s needs and rights.

What Is Crucial Isn’t Always Cool

Child Rights Governance isn’t cool. It doesn’t tug at our heartstrings in the way that classic child protection issues like child marriage or child labour do. Nor does it pull the donors’ purse strings like the giants of health and education. It often takes place quietly behind closed doors. This could be at awareness-raising sessions for government officials or capacity building workshops for children. It could also be at high-level meetings with Ministry big wigs about improving investment in children.

But, as Eleanor Roosevelt said – "universal human rights begin in small places, close to the home, where they cannot be seen, and unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere."

Child Rights Governance doesn't have to be cool, but it does need to follow effective frameworks and be fit for the context. For me, personally, my work is also driven by the conviction that the principles of good governance should accommodate and benefit all citizens, including children. I think my MA in Governance and Development at IDS taught me to appreciate these distinctions more than anything.

Suralini Fernando is a lawyer, writer and MA Governance and Development 2012/13 alum. She now works as a child rights advocate in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Belated Children's Day Thoughts

2014-11-28T10:34:00.000+00:00

What exactly is it like to be a child in India outside the cushy, protected confines of the Indian middle class? My travels to some of the most deprived districts in India allow me a glimpse at childhoods so awfully far removed from yours and mine- diseased, excluded, deprived and so bereft of everything you and I take for granted and consider normal.

Forget far away rural hamlets, our own cities and metropolises are chock-a-block of horrifying stories of child abuse, molestation and rape. The Bangalore rape recently brought some of these issues to fore, but last year, Tehelka had done a well researched, comprehensive but horrifying story on child abuse.

There are many instances where the political powers to be colour the content in textbooks to further their political agenda. The recent imposition of Sanskrit as a second language, comes bang in the middle of the academic year. Indian school kids go through enough pressure to memorise and score marks, as it is, and one can only imagine what this change will mean to the thousands of school kids, who suddenly need to shift gears before their annual exams in March/ April next year. It is outrageous that social science texbooks are written and edited according to the whims of one political party or the other, these texts are often children's first windows to deeper social and political issues, and it is so unfair on innocent children to tamper with textual narratives.

Just as I was drowning myself in gloom and doom, I reminded myself of some of the silver linings this Children's day.

i) Vibrant Civil Society: The messy democratic that is India, thankfully has space for a vibrant civil society movement. Recent Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi's exemplary work is ample proof of the this. I loved reading this glimpse into his work. I also think Bal Panchayats are supremely cool social experiments, many of these have succeeded in literally stopping child marriages.

ii) 'Child Stunting drops sharply': The Rapid Survey on Children (RSOC) confirmed some good news on Children's Day. This is definitely among other things, a governance success story. Encouraged by his recent visit, Lawrence Haddad writes optimistically on malnutrition in general, despite the barriers.

iii) Google Doodle: Shallow and small as it may seem, I loved these 12 finalists' google doodles. Nothing except hope and optimism can come out of such talent, and I'm restless for these kids to grow up and spread their art and talent far and wide.

iv) Project 100: I suppose this could technically be clubbed under Vibrant Civil Society, but I felt these incredible stories from a Teach for India classroom in Mumbai, deserve a bullet point of their own. Every time, one of these stories pop up on my Facebook feed, I feel a rush of happiness and a sense of hope.

With kids like Aryan around, how can India's future be anything less than exciting, huh?

Hamsini Ravi - IDS Alumni Ambassador in India

My War Diary: Gaza My Soul

2014-11-20T09:29:00.001+00:00

Part Two

Day # 26

Today I will not talk about Gaza Strip and its different neighbourhoods. Today I will talk about my city, Rafah, and my neighbourhood, where all my family and I live. As I am writing this post there is a continued aerial bombardment and the zzzzzzz noises are louder than every night.

So far the death toll in Rafah has reached 62, just for today, no need to say that most of them were children and women. A whole neighbourhood was bombed by Israeli tanks, and the bodies of innocent people were on the streets.

The main hospital in the city had to be evacuated; it is their punching bag now. There is no space left in the morgues anymore. The day that was supposed to be the first day of a three day ceasefire turned out to be another bloody day.

No one is in the streets, and there is no entry and exit from the city. We are surrounded by Israeli tanks and war-planes. Regarding the rest of the Gaza Strip, it is the usual- families being killed and houses being bombed.

Day # 27

It is in the night time when the Israeli thirst for blood is on its peak. Night is the time when they commit their crimes. The last time I slept at night was 27 days ago.

My family and I remain awake all night, most of the time watching news or just talking and talking and talking. Israelis prefer bombing at night to kill some and scare the hell out of the rest of us. Under the dark skies everything is maximized, the rockets’ sounds, the war-planes’ sounds and the deadly silence that follows.

Israelis enjoy killing people while they are asleep, they want to spread horror, and wake up the children in the middle of the night screaming and running. They want to break our strength and our faith.

They are just some cowards hiding under the cover of the dark. It is when the sun rises we release the breath we were holing all night long.

It is the sun that clears our skies and sends us some peace. Every time the sun sets everyone just goes home, and says, here comes the night and the terror it brings.

Day # 28-32

As much as we were isolated when the internet was disconnected for three days; it felt good to be away from the worrying online news. It was almost like a holiday away from the war, especially as it was followed by a three day ceasefire.

When one is in a relatively-quiet area, and watches horrible news, somehow deep inside the mind, one keeps saying it is not near us, it is away, it won’t happen to us. One is convinced that watching the news is different from being in the news.

When the Israeli army went deep inside the neighbourhoods of my city, Rafah, it just felt more real than it already is, and it made us think, we are next. The ceasefire was very much welcome and for the first time since this madness we slept at night and had breakfast in the morning.

We went out in the garden and enjoyed the sun without keeping an eye on the sky. The ceasefire will end tomorrow 8:00 am. No one knows what will happen next. Again, I have prepared my emergency bag, which has this printed: KEEP CALM AND FREE PALESTINE.

Day # 33

How does it feel when Israel shoots a rocket near you? There is no way to know when a rocket will be fired from a war-plane but there is a window of barely two seconds when one gets to know that it has been launched. The strength of the sounds depends on how near it is.

At the beginning, one sees a strong red light in the sky; after that one hears a very thin and strong hissing sound of the rocket while it goes to its target. This hissing sound is the worst. Even worse than the sound of the explosion once it hits the target. Since the year 2000, we have been hearing these sounds and it has always felt the same.

During these two seconds, one holds their breath along with their life, listening, anticipating, and wondering where it will go this time. Is it coming towards us? Then comes the explosion, a very strong sound that one hears inside the head, and feels it as if every cell in the body is going to explode.

Sometimes the sounds are very strong, shaking up the houses. We joke about it saying the house is dancing. Upper floors shake more, that is why during the attacks people will usually go to the ground floor if they can.

While I was writing this, an area near us was attacked with at least 15 rockets or so. I wonder if Israelis are done for tonight. Have a look at some of the rockets that were launched on Gaza. Look how huge that thing is, and just imagine the destruction it will leave, and they are not just one or two.

Day # 34

The ceasefire, which took place few days ago, was an opportunity for the martyrs to be buried by their near and dear ones. Near my house there is a large ‘fridge’ that is used for flowers farm.

During the attacks in my city, Rafah, the number of people who were killed by the Israeli army out-numbered the capacity of the hospitals’ morgues. They found alternatives in flower fridge, and in one case an ice-cream freezer was used for children’s bodies (see photo).

Children always look into an ice-cream freezer with joy, and try to choose the flavour they would like to have. They do not deserve to be killed and then kept in what is their source of joy. The people who lost their lives never had a proper funeral; their families didn’t have the chance to say a proper goodbye, and never hugged them for the last time.

They were just waved at from a distance and rushed to be buried. They deserved to be kissed and hugged; their last goodbye should have been as it should have been. It is never easy to say goodbye, not with this insurmountable pain.

Day # 35

Tomorrow a 72-hour ceasefire will start. It is both, good and not good. We are done with temporary-ness; we need something solid and stable; we just can’t keep jumping from one ceasefire to another.

Are we in a state of war or not? For me, we have been in a state of war all my life, not just the past few years.

We are going to enjoy the few hours of ‘peace’ but if the negotiations that are taking place in Egypt, fall through, then that is it, things will just fall apart and it is going to be worse, and this time many of us won’t be as lucky as before.

Day # 36

First day of ceasefire went well, no surprises, nice and quiet. It is hard when you wake up and open your eyes and try to remember what day is today, war or no war.

The first thing that comforts you is the fact that you wake up in the morning, which means we were not up all night listing to explosions and just waiting, looking forward for second day of 'normal'.

Day # 37-38

Ok so a three days ceasefire ended today. The negotiations in Cairo (Egypt) did not seem to lead anywhere, and they are not saying a thing about what is going on behind those closed doors.

Another ceasefire will take place and this time it is for five days, we are not super excited about it; we don't want to jump from one ceasefire to another.

We are tired from this instability; we don't want to get old waiting to come home to peace.

Day # 39

"They steal your bread, only to give you a crumb... then they demand of you to thank their generosity...Oh their audacity!" Ghassan Kanafani (a Palestinian writer).

Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, there was remarkable increase in the activities of the BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel) in Palestine and around the world, proving its ability to unite people around the world in the favour of a right cause.

BDS in Palestine is a great opportunity to enhance the growth of the Palestinian industrial sector, but what I saw today shows that this sector was not spared during this war on Gaza, just like other previous wars.

Around 134 factories within different sectors were targeted and left with partial and complete damage. One of them is Al-Awda factory. Al-Awda, a food processing factory was targeted and severely damaged. Established in 1977; this factory is/was a leading one within the sector and was home for over 400 Palestinian workers.

Israeli is not just targeting the Palestinian resistance; it is also targeting the infrastructure within the Gaza Strip. Poor infrastructure would prevent the growth of our economy, and will hold us back ensuring our dependence on imported products.

So it is not others’ tax money that pays for their guns; it is also our own money they use to kill us with. P.S. The ceasefire, shakily, is still holding on…

Day # 40

We are still enjoying the few days of ceasefire and it is so hard to live life normally. Yesterday I went back to work in Gaza City for the first time since the beginning of the war.

So much destruction and so many tensed faces walking down the street, waiting for outcome of ongoing negotiations. By the end of the day I went to the market and got the biggest chocolate bar I found there, and I took a break away from war.

I showed my little sister a picture on Facebook; it was a little girl in the UK with her birthday cake. My sister was jealous and said: “Look she is having a birthday party as if they don’t have war" I asked her if she thought there is war in every country in the world and she said yes.

I grew up thinking that conflict is all over the world just like in my county. Now my sister who was born 22 years after me has the same feeling.

Day # 41-42

In every war there is always a story behind every face and a story behind every number. And there are always stories that will break your heart. Today my friend told me one that broke my heart.

It is about Asma, a girl from Gaza city in her twenties. In one of the Israeli massacres Asma's house was targeted and all her family members were killed, but this is not the saddest part. Asma, alive, was trapped under the rubbles of her house, in a two hours ceasefire her uncle went to her and with the help of the civil defence and paramedics they tried to save her.

She was crying all the time: "Why did you leave me?” Two hours were not enough for them to get her out and before the war resumed they made the hardest decision. They left her alive, screaming, crying and scared. There was nothing they could do. The Israeli army would coldly kill them.

They left with the promise that they will come back and they did, few days later. When they went to her she was barley holding on to life, and she died on her way to the hospital.

I can’t even imagine how she felt trapped on a war scene, lonely and scared. And I can’t imagine what her uncle must be feeling who had to leave her, helpless, knowing that he couldn't do anything.

I can just see her crying: “why did you leave me? Why are you leaving me again? This is Asma, a face of hundreds more buried in Gaza.

Day # 43

So today is the last day of the 5-days ceasefire, and by the end the negotiation team decided to give it another 24 hours as the informal news goes that an agreement might be signed by tomorrow. No one knows for sure what will happen and what is really happening in Egypt, but we will know for sure by tomorrow.

Today was birthday of a little girl in the picture, Maha, seven years old. Maha, who lost her mother in an Israeli attack on her house, is paralyzed from neck below from that attack.
Her birthday was different this year, it was in a hospital without her mother and this time she wasn’t able to cut the cake, but she had an amazing support from amazing people and will always do.

Happy birthday Maha, keep up your beautiful smile.

Day # 44

So ceasefire no more. War is back and the death toll is on the rise. Of course, Israel followed its war-protocol: they bombed a house, killed a child and had the cherry on the top with targeting an ambulance. As my friend said: Gaza is sinking again after taking a short breath.

The question is for how long can we hold on to that breath?

Day # 45

If Israel wasn’t the one who is occupying us; would USA and other countries still consider Hamas as a terrorist organization? Would they have called for our freedom?

If those countries who could help us really wanted to help us, wouldn’t they have ended the siege on Gaza Strip from the first year itself and showed the red card, which Israel deserves, at least when the first military operation against Gaza Strip took place in 2008?

Doesn’t the world have enough proof for the war crimes that were committed by Israel against us? Aren’t they equally evil as the crimes committed by Taliban and ISIS? Doesn’t USA think that we need the same protection they try to give to the people who flee their houses because of ISIS?

Doesn’t judging us according to a set of criteria set by our occupier and oppressor is a naive way to understand what is really going on? Aren’t issues such as health care, poverty and unemployment in the USA are in need for all the millions and millions of dollars which USA wire to Israel’s military sector every year?

Don’t you think it is time to have the courage to answer these simple direct questions and let the truth shine? And one final question: Can someone please switch off those damn drones so we can go to sleep?

Day # 46

It was 2:30 in the morning. Some of us were asleep, others awake and I was on the edge of falling asleep. Suddenly we heard rocket explosions.

We thought when we heard the first one that it is a warning and a house near us is being targeted. Then we heard more and more, it was so loud and I cannot even describe it. The ones who were asleep jumped screaming: “what is going on?"

My little sister woke up screaming running everywhere not knowing where to go! There was dust everywhere and the sounds of shredded glass just won’t stop. We jumped and carried the children and left to the next house assuming it is safer. Some of us held the babies and others helped the elders to take a shelter, and the rest barely had the ability to get themselves out.

We and the other families next door gathered on one room, praying and waiting for what will come next, and by then it was over. We were lucky no one was injured but lots of us won’t go to sleep early tonight and if we do we will make sure that we are fully dressed in case we need to go on the run again.

That night a house nearby was targeted with heavy rockets and seven people lost their lives.

Day # 47

"We teach life, sir. We teach life, sir. We Palestinians wake up every morning to teach the rest of the world life, sir." Rafeef Ziadah

Day # 48

Today Israel war-planes completely destroyed a 12-story building in Gaza City. Nearly 50 families lost their houses and what they own in it. The families were given a 10 minutes warning to evacuate.

Just imagine them running down the stairs carrying their children. Imagine the elders who can barely walk running for their life.

Israel has just been targeting more and more houses. This is the first time they targeted such a big building. No one knows what other firsts they intend to do.

Day # 49

More bombs. More deaths. More irreversible scars. A hand that will never grow, a foot that will never run and a father who will never kiss his child again.

Day #50

50 days of war flew away just like that. 50 days filled with horror and pain. I wish we could go out and light 50 candles for each day that were stolen from us.

I wish we could light 2133 candles for every soul that found a new place in heaven. I wish we could light 10895 candles for every man, woman and child who have been injured and are in pain and trauma – physical, emotional and mental.

And I wish we can light a candle for the rest of us who are forever wounded and stamped with war scars…

Day # 51

...of the third war on Gaza-Palestine: THE WAR IS OVER

- Laila Barhoum

For the full version please visit

http://livestheylive.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/my-war-diary-gaza-my-soul/

My War Diary: Gaza My Soul

2014-11-12T17:01:00.001+00:00

Part One

This is a 51 day war account of the how daily lives during the third war on Gaza unfolded one day to the next for its devastated and grieving citizens. This is a heart breaking nightmare. War is not just the numbers nor the political rhetoric it often masks itself in. In the end, it is about people coming to an abrupt end; and the continuum of life stabbed in the heart. In the end, it is about fear; constant fear, till cease fire is declared.

Day # 1

So right before we break our Ramadan fast, we heard a small air strike and we knew then that a house has been chosen to be destroyed! Less than 10 minutes later three strong rockets turned the house into pieces.

The funny thing is that Israelis are kind enough to warn the residence so they can start running before shooting, just like a hunting game.

The attack was so close to our house, and it is hard to convince my little sister and brother or even I that it is ok when I know today is the first of the many long hard days to come.

There are air strikes everywhere and one never knows where the next rock will land. We try to keep safe but how can anyone be safe when the enemy is right above seeing every single one of us as a target. Sadly to be continued…

Day # 2

Today we went out, driving through the streets was like driving into a ghost town. Everyone is taking shelter in their houses, knowing that even the houses have been targeted.

The main activity for the day for us besides prying, was watching the news. It just breaks my heart seeing all the martyrs especially the children who hardly know life beyond the games they play every day. They are just like anybody’s children who believe they are safe in their own homes.

We still hear the bombs and still wonder if it is our turn next, the only comfort we have is that we are together. So far, our family is lucky other families are not.

My sister, who is terrified, keeps asking the same question: "they do warn us before they shoot the house, right?” It is almost midnight but the night is just starting for us...

Day # 3

Today was relatively quiet in our area, and that is not because the situation is getting better but because they were busy in other areas. We are sad all the time because of what we see in the news and the families that have lost their lives...

So many parents have lost their children and so many children are orphans now. My little sister, who was screaming during a bombing, asked me where can we go, which area in the strip is safe so we can go? There are no answers for these questions.

The whole area is one big target, everyone is scared and we are all worried that they might start a land operation; especially that Israel is seriously considering cutting off water, electricity and Internet from Gaza Strip.

I have no energy today, I will leave you with a picture of how children in Gaza sleep, thinking that closing your ears will stop you from hearing the strike.

Day # 4

Houses are no longer warned before they are bombed. Entire families have been killed and photos of injured and dead children are coming on a daily basis.

Every picture is a story of its own. It is a face of a family who once was happy, safe and whole. Families that from now on will never be the same and will always grieve a beloved.

It is very difficult to choose the hardest situation to talk about when every single situation is hard and matters. Yet, your tears will run in front of parents grieving their child, standing helpless, not knowing what do. What do you tell the elderly when they lose their children and their grandchildren?

Despite this, with everything going on here, there is no other place in the world I would rather be. With the madness still going on, it is funny how one changes the way of comforting oneself and those around us.

First we convince ourselves that the strikes are far away and the only thing one has to deal with are the sounds. Then when the sounds are getting closer and closer we convince ourselves that as long as we hear the rocket then we will be safe, as it will land somewhere else.

The one rocket that will kill you, is the one you will not hear…

Day # 5

Israel bombing checklist: - People: check - Houses: check - Hospitals: check - Mosques: check - Handicap institutions: check - Schools: not yet. After all it is summer holidays now and it is useless to bomb schools.

My little sister who is nine years old, told me today that her biggest fear is if and when Israelis shoot our house and every one of us die except her, then where and whom will she live with?

My little brother and I went for a walk today and we passed someone we know driving his car. Also we walked near a mosque and worried that it might be bombed so we sped up.

The mosque was not bombed, but that car was and the driver is fighting for his life now....

Day # 6

Is it 6 days already??? Displaced families in northern areas of Gaza Strip are taking shelter in schools.

They go to UNRWA schools as they believe it won’t be targeted, it is UN after all, right? Yet in 2009, an UNRWA school was bombed with illegal weapons while people were in it for shelter! What a nice occupier we have?

They sent those displaced families a leaflet explaining which areas will be targeted, what street they should take for evacuating and at what time? But the most important thing they forgot to tell if, whether and when they will return to their homes!

Targeting people, houses and mosques continued under the threat of a ground operation. Meanwhile, the support I see through the social media for us is overwhelming and makes me wonder: what if social media was as active more than 60 years ago?

I think the whole world would have seen Israel for what it really is, just a forced-state of terrorism....

Day # 7

Remember that car that was bombed day before yesterday? The driver who was fighting for his life lost the battle today, after suffering severe injuries in his head. He was targeted while he was on duty as an employee of local municipality to ensure that houses get the water they need. He was bombed while driving a municipality car.

He is one of the many who have been on duty since the beginning of the war, especially doctors working 24/7 doing their best in the light of limited resources in the hospitals. Most of them have not gone home since last seven days and on top of that while fasting in the holy month of Ramadan, how, when and where will they break their fast?

Certainly not in the operation room! Amongst the Palestinian doctors you will find a Norwegian doctor who came to Gaza once the war started, marking his presence in all three recent wars on Gaza Strip.

These doctors are not just giving their time and energy but also their lives as they are an equal target, especially paramedics who never hesitate to go out and help who need their help.

They are the ones who deserve the world cup of bravery.

Day # 8

I have lost track of the number of days. I had to go back to the previous post to learn that it’s the end of the 8th day. Today the Ministry of Education announced the results of Tawjihi or 12th grade. It is an important stage in every student’s life as it determines one's university future.

But this year’s Tawjihi results are special for different reasons.

Not only have they been announced during the war on Gaza strip, but also many Tawjihi students were not there to celebrate their success, 35 of them! They have been killed by the Israeli attacks.

What a feeling a mother must be going through while distributing sweets mixed with her tears to celebrate her martyr son's success, who will never join any university.

One of the martyrs is Ibrahim who on June 26th, was feeling hopeful and wrote on his Facebook page: "Thanks to Allah today I finished my Tawjihi exams. I wish that Allah will grant me with success, please pray for me and for all the students."

Ibrahim received an overall result of 89%, but Ibrahim will never know.

Day # 9

Since day one of this war children were a target like anyone else. Children from different age groups- from unborn in the womb of their mother, to newly born up to teenagers have lost their lives. They were targeted in different areas- homes, streets, cars and mosques.

Today 4 children aged 11, 10, 10 and 9, who were playing on the beach in Gaza Strip were targeted by Israeli military ships. They didn't stand a chance and were killed immediately.

In the very first picture down here you will see that a nearby area from the children was targeted first, so that the children start running for shelter.

Then they were immediately targeted leaving them dead and others wounded. Those Israeli ships with all the technology they have would have never mistaken them for freedom fighters or even civilian adults.

It was crystal clear to them that they are children, just innocent children playing on the beach. If this single crime doesn't convince you that Israel is a forced-state of terrorism then nothing else will.

And I am not going to apologise for the cruelty of the pictures.

Day # 10

ISRAEL ANNOUNCED ITS DECISION TO START A GROUND OPERATION AT THE BORDERS OF GAZA STRIP.

Day # 11

Musings: Our land should never be used as a passage for war tanks for it to come and spread its terror and darkness. Our sky only needs one sun to spread light, not fear and death.

A person should never answer a call of duty only to find his/her child killed and gone. People should be safely sleeping in the warmth of their beds, not on the hard cold floor of a shelter.

Babies should never die alone away from their mothers, on a cold table connected to a tube. They should be warm listening to their mom's heartbeats, and if they must go, then they must go in peace, not murdered with cold hands.

Children should never have the beauty of their face hidden behind bloodied scars, it should only be covered with smiles and joy of chasing colourful butterflies.

Day # 12

12 days of violence and deaths. Children orphaned, families killed and displaced, people living as refugees in their own country, taking shelter in schools, sharing their beds, food and fear.

All this is considered nothing but collateral damage. I quote my friend, “After being awake all night because of the sounds of bombing, at dawn, Israeli bullets started hitting ours’ and neighbour’s walls, forcing us to run from our houses.”

My friend carried her daughter and her husband carried their son, started running for shelter. One of the neighbours who was carrying his son was directly hit, his son was killed but he, despite his injuries, refused to let go of his son’s body and kept moving with him in his arms.

It could have been a scene of an action movie; only it was a true event of a massacre, an ongoing massacre. This is just one story of many more, happened and sadly still happening.

Day # 13, 14 & 15

The list of martyrs are getting more familiar as names of friends and people we know are starting to appear on it, and one can't help but wonder, will my name be on that list soon?

In the past two days we had no internet, the lines were destroyed and it took a while to be fixed. During the last two days, people had a fundraising campaign to help the families who had to leave their houses and take shelter in schools.

The speakers of the mosque asked the families to donate anything: money, food, blankets etc, and despite the hard economic situations the families did. The same speakers asked the people who were leaving the mosque after finishing morning prayers to go leave quietly and not to walk in groups; they feared being targeted by the war planes.

The one image that won't leave my mind is from the massacre that happened two days ago, during the heavy bombing on one of Gaza neighbourhoods, a family took shelter under the stairs of their house (most of us do).

The family, who couldn't leave their house, thought it was the safest place for them. Of course they never made it out, they were killed together while sitting next each other, I just keep imagining the last thoughts they must have.

I already know how they felt when they heard the bombing sounds, but I don't know how they felt when they knew that death is just around the corner. Did they hold hands? Did they call someone? Did the mother tell her son that it would end soon? Or maybe they were just praying, hoping that it won't be so painful and it will end soon.

I keep thinking about them and I keep imagining being in their situation, they were just like us no more than three days ago watching the news and seeing images just like theirs. No-one is safe here, no one. The one thing you can keep doing is holding hands and praying …

Day # 16

Today the number of the Palestinians who lost their lives reached 704, from which 73 lost their life just today. Today words are failing me. Today I will share with you few faces of the war.

Day # 17

In 2011 I was granted a scholarship for my postgraduate studies in England. The name of my scholarship is Al-Fakhoora, and it was established and named after a United Nations school in the north of Gaza Strip which was targeted by Israeli war-tanks in ‘Operation Castled' in 2008- 2009.

The estimated number of people who lost their lives was 46. Today Israel insisted on repeating history and targeted a UN school in north of Gaza Strip. The attacks killed at least 15, and left about 200 injured ones. Who were in the school? There were families and only families.

The families who were forced to leave their houses and take shelter in the school, the same families who were asked to evacuate the school and once they were gathered in the school yard the tanks started shelling.

Despite the massacre which happened in 2008-2009 people still believed that the UN school was red line for Israel, but then terrorist never have any limits at all. Literally there is no safe place in Gaza Strip.

I wonder how many scholarships with the name of bombed schools there will be.

Day # 18

So, here are some stories from today: Do you see the little girl in the first picture. She is Shaima, named after her mother, one day old and despite the tubes, she is in stable condition. Her mom, till yesterday a 9 months pregnant woman, was waiting along with her husband for her first baby to come into this world.

Their story never had a happy end. Their house was targeted with two rockets from Israeli war-planes. The mother died, few minutes before reaching the hospital, and once the doctors discovered the baby was still alive, they immediately had her out.

Now imagine little Shaima telling the story of how she was born when she is older! I was watching the news earlier and during the live updates of the situation in Gaza Strip, there was a phone call with the general director of the only hospital in Beit-Hanoun, a city located in the north of Gaza Strip. He was sending an urgent appeal, as the hospital was bombed with war tanks.

The only hospital in the city, which is crowded with patients, was hit with shells from war tanks. UP UNTIL THIS MINUTE, the hospitals can’t be evacuated….

Finally, this evening, there was a press conference, in front of the central hospital in Gaza city for paramedics. One of them said his name and number and spoke to his colleagues asking them to take the Quran that he always carry with him, and continue with his mission whenever he loses his life on duty.

The conference took place after their friend and colleague Mohammed, 32 years old lost his life. He was targeted with his crew while been on duty, with Israeli war-tanks’ shells. Mohammed is the seventh paramedic to lose his life since the beginning of the conflict.

Day # 19

A 12-hour ceasefire took place today; those few hours exposed the severity of the destruction in some of the neighbourhoods that were restricted from being entered.

The faces of the tragedy were finally revealed after it was hidden within the darkness of the bloody Israeli hands. The wounds of the people who fled their houses were re-opened when they saw their life and memories turned into piles of rubble.

But what breaks your heart the most are the bodies of their loved ones who have been removed from underneath the rubbles, forcing their families to re-live the pain of their loss.

Day # 20

Tomorrow is Eid Al-Fitr, a celebration we have at the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Eid is a time of joy and happiness especially for children, but not this year.

In the picture you will see Mohammed carried by his father at his funeral. Mohammed was 2 years old, and if he was with us, tomorrow would have been so different for him.

He would have been probably too excited to sleep, his daddy must have taken him downtown and bought him a new suit and a small shoes for his small feet.

On the morning of Eid, he would have worn that suit, combed his hair and with few drops of his dad’s perfume; Mohammed would be running, smiling with a tummy full of sweets. None of the above will happen with Mohammed.

His smile was a threat to the security of Israel. Mohammed will celebrate Eid in heaven and he won’t be alone. His father joined him just a day after. A wife and a mother who is left behind in their family, will mourn their deaths this Eid.

Nothing is left in this Eid but broken hearts, and stolen smiles. Eid Mubarak to 236 Mohammed’s in Gaza.

Day # 21

In Gaza your childhood is measured by how many wars you have managed to survive.

Day # 22

Israel has just lost it. They have gone crazy. First day of Eid, and at least 50 were killed today, and this doesn't include the recent numbers, from which children who were enjoying a day out in Public Park.

Israel announced that it will expand its ground military operation, as if it can get any worse, but they are good at beating their high scores when it comes to Palestinian death tolls.

My Facebook page is full with people praying for themselves and their loved ones, and some of those prayers sound like last prayers to me.

In the news, they showed a house in my city which was targeted and eight people lost their lives of which five are women, and this is just here, there are more like that all over the strip. Gaza Strip is on fire tonight; they are bombing everywhere, literally everywhere.

People are praying for the day light to come sooner this night so it can erase some of the darkness away.

Day # 23

A mother told me today that last night all her children wanted to sleep together in one room, as the weather is hot and the room is airy. She didn't allow them and asked them to sleep is several rooms. She said: "If anything happened and the house was targeted, at least they will be in different places, if they all sleep in one room and it was hit with a rocket I will lose them all, but like this I hope some will survive".

Another woman was sitting next to her disagreed and explained that she would rather sleep together and die together. She didn't want anyone to be left behind suffering the loss of their family, in case they are bombed. I would agree with that.

The rocket which will hit the house usually takes the whole house down, it doesn't matter which room you sleep in. What really matters is that you tell your children how much you love them before they go to sleep. One never knows who wakes them up, you or an Israeli warplanes.

Day # 24

Well, I guess Israel was right today, I mean they chose the right targets to support their security. Look, they targeted a UN school again which had families taking shelter in the building.

Then they targeted a market, again a good target, I mean how dare we try and live our life, we don't need to get fruits and vegetables anyway, they are luxury, we need to stick to their bullet diet.

Like this, we might not be considered as a threat to the security of Israel. Israel's dirty game to break us is not working, hence they are going more mad than before. Meanwhile we will keep getting our fruits and vegetable from our markets.

Day # 25

72-hour ceasefire will start tomorrow, Friday at 8 am. I am glad they said 72 hours, not three days, 72 sounds longer than 3.

We need an hour to count the wounded, an hour to count the dead and another to say goodbye.

We need an hour to kiss the sun, and an hour to sleep under the moon.

We need an hour to grieve a child and another to buy a lollipop for a child.

We need an hour to breathe clean air and an hour to smell the flower.

Then in the rest of the hours, we will try to put together a thousand shredded pieces of stolen lives.

(The second part of Laila's dairy will follow next week.)

- Laila Barhoum

Alumni Dinner in Geneva

2014-11-05T14:32:00.001+00:00

A group of Geneva-based alumni met together for dinner on September 26^th. Twelve alumni met for drinks and nine had dinner together. The group consisted of former students and staff and was organised by IDS Ambassador Milasoa Chérel Robson.

The reunion coincided with the visit of former IDS alumni Chair Richard Longhurst (DP81) and his wife Judy (former IDS staff). The group consisted of Ricardo Gottschalk, Samuel Gayi and Milasoa (all from UNCTAD), Sarah Cook, Director of UNRISD, Maite Irurzun (of l'Agence de Médecine Préventive and former IDS Alumni Committee member), Sally-Anne Way of OHCHR, Arianna Rossi, Azfar Khana and Edmundo Werna (the three of them from ILO) and Shin-Yuan Lai of the Permanent Mission of Taiwan.

Shin-Yuan surprised the group by generously footing the bill at the restaurant. Richard briefly outlined some of the recent changes at IDS including the appointment of the new Director, Melissa Leach, and the alumni emphasised how important it is for them to be kept in touch with developments at IDS, and encouraged all IDS staff visiting Geneva to get in contact with the group.

Milasoa shared with the group the intention to organise an intellectual event in cooperation with IDS in the forthcoming months. The idea was well received and gathered support from some alumnis who are keen to contribute to developing stronger links between IDS and the Geneva-based international development community.

- By Milasoa Cherel-Robson and Richard Longhurst

An Open Letter from our First Alumni Scholarship Student

2014-10-29T16:05:00.000+00:00

Mir Dosteen Hoth

I am very grateful to the IDS Alumni Team for their generous support to my educational ambitions in Development Studies by selecting me for the IDS Alumni Scholarship.

I am in permanent employment with Govt. of Balochistan as a fast stream entrant as Civil Service Officer since 2011. During all this period I have served Govt. of Balochistan in different positions and was responsible for a variety of tasks including supervision & monitoring of developmental schemes, managing a housing scheme, ensuring provision of health and educational services and other basic amenities to the poor masses and to some extent looking after law and order situation within a District.

Capacity building is a vital part of our career planning which helps us better understand the key issues and in effective service delivery which are crucial to the Economic Growth and Human Development. I, therefore, planned to study a course in Developmental Studies to get the knowhow of the modern developmental theories and ideas being practiced in different parts of the world. It will surely help me in making a positive and responsible contribution to make this world a better place for the humanity.

I was interested to secure a place within the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) for this course as IDS is a well-known research institution, as well as it has a result oriented approach. Moreover I found this institution challenging the conventional and traditional ways of dealing with longstanding world developmental issues.

I am enrolled on MA Development Studies and I hope this one year course will help me in grasping the key concepts and ideas about various paradigms of Development and ways to counter the obstacles to development such as bad governance, lack of transparency and accountability, economic dependence, poverty, lack of proper infrastructure and many more.

I intend to resume my service with the Govt. of Balochistan after the completion of this course. Balochistan is the most under-developed and poverty ridden province of Pakistan. This problem of under-development engendered so many social, political and economic complications within the region. I am hopeful that after completion of this course I will be able to take informed decisions in my future assignments with Govt. of Balochistan, and play a positive and productive role in bringing the marginalized communities in the mainstream to reduce the level of distrust on the State.

I assure the respected IDS Alumni team that their generous contribution will certainly make an impact on the lives of millions of people living thousands of miles away.

Why are 1 in 4 South Africans hungry?

2014-10-21T13:20:00.001+01:00

On Saturday afternoon, 18 October, more than 300 people, mostly farm women from small towns and farms in the affluent and picturesque wine and fruit growing region of the Western Cape, marched through the streets of Cape Town. Their bright green T-shirts proclaimed ‘HUNGER HURTS’. Many carried hand-written placards and banners:

‘We have the right to food’
‘Farmwomen feed the nation’
‘A hungry child can’t learn’

The march was organised by the NGO ‘Women on Farms Project’ as a World Food Day event. It coincided with the launch this month of ‘Hidden Hunger in South Africa’, a report by Oxfam which highlights the shocking finding, from the 2013 South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, that 26% – one in four, or approximately 13 million – of South Africans currently suffer from hunger and a further 28% per cent are at risk of hunger.

Availability Versus Access

How can over half of all South Africans be food insecure, in an upper-middle-income country that produces more than enough food to feed the nation – enough, in fact, to export almost 2 million tons of maize (pdf) each year to its neighbours and overseas? As with many of South Africa’s economic and social challenges, inequality is at the heart of the issue. It is not inadequate availability of food that is the problem; it is inadequate access to food – by race, class and gender.

The Oxfam report identifies several factors for food insecurity in South Africa, including:

Unemployment (25%) and underemployment (e.g. seasonal and daily farm labourers)
Low wages for the working poor (which make adequate nutritious food unaffordable)
Rapidly rising food prices (and price fixing of bread, maize and dairy products by cartels)
Gendered inequalities (in access to employment, wages, and the burden of unpaid care work)
No access to land (<2% of South Africans grow the majority of their own food)
Poor nutrition (“poor households have good access to bad food but bad access to good food”).

How is food security a priority for the South African Government?

The marchers approached Parliament. Their placards asked some challenging questions:

‘Why must we go hungry in a country of plenty?’
‘Do your children go to bed hungry?’
‘Can you feed your family on R12.41/hour?’

R12.41 (about 70p) is the legislated hourly minimum wage for farm workers in South Africa. Their monthly minimum wage of R2,275 equates to just £127, or $218, far below the national average gross national income (GNI) per capita of $600. In many households this is the only income, to be divided among several adults and children. A simulation by the Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy found that a nutritionally balanced diet would cost a family of four R2,308 per month in 2012 (pdf).

The marchers in Cape Town reached the gates of Parliament. A spokesperson for the farmwomen read their Memorandum aloud before handing it over to representatives from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, who signed it to acknowledge receipt before responding.

The Memorandum included the following demands, among others:

Realisation of the constitutional right to food
Faster land redistribution that will benefit women
Expropriation of unproductive and multiple farms
An end to farm worker evictions
Regulation of food corporations to stop their profiteering off basic food stuffs.

The Government spokesperson responded, but the farm women were not easily convinced.

Government: Food security is a priority for this government.
Farm woman: How? How?
Government: We will ensure that no South African has less than two meals a day.
Farm woman: More empty promises!”
Government: This week we celebrated World Food Day...
Farm woman: There is nothing to celebrate. We are hungry.

Nothing to celebrate, indeed. As Nelson Mandela said around the time of South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994:

“Freedom is meaningless if people cannot put food in their stomachs.”

Authors
Stephen Devereux is a Research Fellow in the Rural Futures cluster at IDS, and an adviser to the Centre of Excellence in Food Security at the University of the Western Cape.
Colette Solomon is Director of the NGO ‘Women on Farms Project’ and an IDS Alumna.

Mother’s Little Helper

2014-09-25T16:24:00.000+01:00

By Akansha Yadav

Earlier this year, I was giving social audit training to a group of women and men in Gumla district of Jharkhand when a toddler of a young mother (a trainee) decided to be cranky for her attention. She tried to humour him and feed him but to no avail. While this distracted her from the class, others too started glancing at her with impatience. Embarrassed and under the pressure of those accusing glances, she tried her best to console the child. Gradually, people sitting at the back started raising demands of either quietening the child or leaving the room. Some even whispered why come to a class with a child !?! Amongst that mixed din, a loud male voice stood out categorically asking the mother to take the child outside. Embarrassed, she started to rise, pick up the toddler when I intervened and asked her to sit again. My team members and I tried to distract the child and finally got him to play again with others... and so we continued the training after a gap of about 20 odd minutes.

I feel this incident highlighted some significant social behaviour towards mothers coming to work and a brief insight into the gradual process as to how they are forced to leave the work force. The mother obviously did not have any help at home where she could have left the the child, nor a crèche at the centre for training (which was already in shambles!). Her concentration in the class was divided between her child and the discussions, though her participation and responses were quite good. Had she gone home that day with the child, she would have not completed that training, or gone on the field to conduct field interviews for social audits. Apart from the experience, it would have also deprived her from the honorarium she would have earned for her work. All because she is a mother with no day care help for her child.

Another issue that I felt got raised was embarrassing a mother for bringing her child to work. She can't leave him at home and if she does, it also means she stays back and automatically gets out of the workforce in due time. A man (amongst many others sitting there!) feels he has the authority and social sanction to tell a women, his fellow trainee nonetheless what she should do with her child. He does not feel an iota of shame or realises the kind of embarrassment he has caused to a mother.

While gender sensitisation is the buzz word of this decade, how exactly does it translate in real life, in social and work scenarios? I say this because the training that all of them were undergoing at that moment included village survey on gender based indicators and specifying outcomes on how a certain welfare scheme has affected lifestyle and lives of women in the village amongst other things. Theoretically or verbally perhaps, the man who shouted across the room was in-sync with terms like women empowerment, participation, economic freedom etc, etc.. but clearly there was a disconnect. He was trying to learn this as a professional skill with no intention of understanding or assimilating it in his social life. He mentioned delay in time and class schedule with much more urgency, without grasping the practical compulsions of dealing with a young child.

If no-one in the class interferes and even the trainer does not interfere, the mother would have picked up the child and gone home. Why this behaviour does not outrage others? How exactly we can enforce gender sensitisation in practice? Why we do not emphasise on the need for formal and compulsory child care for working mothers? Possibly this insensitivity and its many manifestations are the reasons, why educated or ambitious mothers have to stay at home!

Read Akansha's original post and her other blogs

And if you'd like to follow her on Twitter, you will find her @akanshayadav

IDS Alumni have an evening in Kampala – Emmanuel Nshakira Rukundo

2014-09-16T12:32:00.000+01:00

Occasionally, I read the Yellow Monday online to see what is happening at IDS, nee publications, research in the pipeline and who is hiring where? It is always refreshing as it keeps me almost plugged into current events at IDS. It gives me the opportunity to share with other people especially alumni I meet once in a while. In one of my routine snowballing through the Yellow Monday, I got to know that IDS Fellow Patta Scott-Villiers was in Kampala from 1^st to 12^th June.

Of recent I have been talking with a few of the alumni in Uganda about when to have an event. We are about twenty or so alumni in Uganda, including a cabinet minister, two professors and a big number in NGOs and development agencies. A few emails with the alumni and Patta gracefully agreed to a quickly organised dinner. We actually plucked Patta from the busy essay marking she was doing! About three of the alumni turned up and it was a good dinner over drinks and Chinese cuisine in Kampala.

Dinner chat was good, oscillating from new leadership at IDS to post 2015 development agenda and Patta’s experiences living with a rural household in Uganda for a week. While trying to evade the normal development cliché discussions, what was outstanding was the issue of access to information. It cuts across the whole spectrum of development that access to information will be as crucial to national development macro goals as it will be for small community level development outcomes. Patta’s week with family in rural South Western Uganda exposed the fact that households on community level in numerous instances did not have the right information or any information of specific interventions such as insurance. And for young professionals, most of the information needed, such as on study opportunities and funding is not available in mainstream channels such as government departments. Of course debates on including access to information as one of the goals for post 2015 development agenda remain high. And as development professionals, we continue to follow and look forward to the benefits to come.

A number of alumni sent in their apologies for not making it but we agreed to have a better organised and certainly better attended alumni event so soon. It was a wonderful evening with Patta and really good IDS alumni catch up in Kampala! Looking forward to the next one!

The Blind Spot That Is Child Labour

2014-07-03T14:03:00.003+01:00

Children working is a common sight in India - young girls carrying water and/or washing utensils, young boys working in the fields or indulging in activities not compatible with their age - such as gambling. Rather than going to school, they often work for ungodly hours. And worse, they have no right over income and resources that they generate (if at all they are paid!)

While travelling around various states in India, I keep coming across these images, quite often and much the same. Children out of school, working in horrible conditions with no bargaining power, underpaid and malnourished. Some see it as cheap labour and some see them as not our responsibilities but a product of unavailable or poor public education system.

They live in conditions we will never allow or even imagine for our own children. Admittedly, we have grown immune to these images given how pervasive they are and despite the shocking nature of this reality, it does not seem to assault our senses any more.

Some of these images left me disturbed and I am curious to know if you notice the phenomena that is child labour. Do share your views.

A boy cutting onions for his father's railway side restaurant in Paderu, Araku Valley, Andhra Pradesh. He had a small puppy to keep him company while he went about doing this mundane job.

A young girl doing embroidery on a bag for selling it at her stall in Hampi, Karnataka

Children often serve as cheap, acquiescing labour. If not employed by their own parents (and simultaneously being out of school), they work for very low wages for others and quite often exposed to exploitation - physical, mental and emotional and most vulnerable to abuse on regular basis.

Few months back, while eating at a roadside dhaba in Jharkhand, I came across a nine-year boy working there. Dressed in tatters, he was serving beer/whisky to group of men sitting inside playing cards. When I asked the dhaba owner about his schooling and working hours (who was a migrant from nearby Bihar and more excited to tell us the story about how he established this dhaba than deal with this interrogation!), he dismissed it summarily stating, "he is my 'naukar', why will he go to school?".

The word 'naukar' loosely translates to the word lackey in English and if one lives in an artificially sanitized environment for a long time, this term has long been replaced with a lesser (but still) offensive maid, chotu or bai in towns. It repulsed me to hear that word and what I found more infuriating was dhaba owner's sense of entitlement over him and complete dismissal of the boy's property rights.

A group of young boys gambling with coins gathered from River Godavari in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh. Don't miss the bunch of magnet rings they use ...

You can barely see past that tight huddle and what is going in there. It was strange to see the impeccable method they had developed overtime for gathering Re 1, 2, 5 and 10 coins thrown in the river by those bathing in it through those magnet rings and expert diving and swimming, then using those coins to gamble amongst themselves.

Carrying loads of water from community hand-pump for her house in Dumbriguda, Andhra Pradesh

Washing utensils with cold water in winters and then carrying it home in Shivrajpur, Jharkhand

Barely 100 metres away from that girl washing utensils, these boys playing gully cricket in the same village. I have hardly ever came across girls playing or running around

Ready with her broom to clean the house, all of three years old in Nagpur, Maharashtra!

This are some common images that I feel also reinforce gender roles. I have observed girls industriously working like ants going about household chores - travelling long distances for water for household use and cooking, cleaning or washing utensils at community hand-pumps and boys playing and/or indulging in nefarious activities.

Older sibling (usually a girl) taking care of younger one in Shivrajpur, Jharkhand.

Lack of care facility, more often than not entrusts older siblings with the responsibility of younger ones. Particularly in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand, I observed that almost every household had more than four-five children (very young in age). While both parents work in the field, the responsibility of taking care of younger ones falls on the older ones especially sisters, who may not be old enough to take care of either themselves or the younger ones, but they have to learn.

In case there is no one reliable at home to take care of children, mothers often bring them along at work sites, which is hazardous amongst equipments and heavy loads of stones etc. There is the absence of crèche facility and they often prefer that their children remain in the sight.

At a NREGA worksite in Bastar, Chattisgarh. Under the NREGA guidelines, a crèche at work site is mandatory, though I have never come across any.

Amongst these, something heartening I saw in Ghanpur, Warangal that enthralled me. This is a private school where I saw young kids with equal gender participation learning English and rhymes, being taught by enthusiastic teachers which was quite refreshing :)

Learning... Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

By Akansha Yadav, MA Development Studies 2012. Originally published at Lives Some Live

(Copyright of all the images used in this blog rests with Akansha Yadav)

India currently is home to largest number of child labourers in the world. Some 12 million children are out-of-school, as per UNICEF 2014 data and many more that goes unrecorded and have been pushed into bonded child labour, working in brick kilns, beedi-rolling, carpet weaving, commercial sexual exploitation, construction, fireworks and matches factories, mines, quarries, silk, synthetic gems...the list goes on.

Connecting India’s Villages with Successful Village Migrants

2014-06-19T15:49:00.000+01:00

A rather common question asked amongst Indians on being acquainted with one another is regarding their “native place”; the village, town, or city that the person originally belongs to. Having been born in the southern city of Chennai, but brought up in the western city of Pune; with my mother having roots in Iran, and my father having roots in the north-western State of Gujarat, the quintessential question of “my native place” eludes me.

Gayathri (left) is a 'successful migrant' and is helping renovate the lavatories in the primary school in Melmayil

The significance of a person’s roots has developed a monumentally different meaning to me in recent times. It stemmed from a rather passionate meeting between representatives of the organization I work for and an NGO that focuses on rainwater harvesting in rural Tamil Nadu. While we were deliberating the location of the rainwater harvesting project we would like to fund, one of the associates of the NGO emphatically stated “make sure the employees of your organization can draw a strong emotional connect to the location of the project”.

That single expression has now led us to developing a web platform which showcases India’s villages in a rich and highly visual manner. The purpose being, to provide a platform for “Successful Village Migrants” – people who themselves, their parents or grandparents, have roots in a village in India – to stay connected with and contribute to their native villages.

Children at the primary school in Melmayil village, Vellore, Tamil Nadu

Plenty of first or second generation migrants visit their native villages annually, whereas many third or fourth generation migrants might have never visited their native villages but yet have distant relatives still residing there, or even sometimes donate money to the village temple. By displaying India’s villages in all their glory as well as short-comings, we are hoping to build on this connect that people have with their native places and channel individual contributions towards the most under-served regions of India.

A project of enormous scale, considering India has 640,000 villages; a project that would involve millions in expenses and a minimum gestation period of 5 – 10 years to really witness meaningful impact; all based on the promise of emotion. Based on the emotional connect that people have to the villages that they come from.

Children at the primary school in Melmayil village, Vellore, Tamil Nadu

The project, with only a temporary name – “My Village” – and a temporary website – is just a few months in but is already seeing success. A French gentleman with roots in the quaint Union Territory of Pondicherry scouted out the most impoverished village in the area and is now collecting funds to start a Tailoring Unit for 8 women. A young IT professional with roots in the District of Trichy is mobilizing resources to fund a ‘Supplementary Education Programme” in the village of Kattur Ramanathapuram in his district.

Could it be possible for a rural development project to sustain itself purely on an emotion? Do you think with time this project will grow to an extent that truly encourages “Successful Village Migrants” to take an active role in the development of their own “native” villages?

Follow the progress of this project on the website or facebook page.

– by Jenaan Lilani, MA Development Studies 2009 - 2010

The Washington Fellowship: leadership, management and entrepenurship

2014-06-13T13:49:00.001+01:00

As I write this input to the IDS Alumni Blog, I am one among the 500 Young African Leaders who have been identified to participate in the inaugural Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, which is an exchange program of president Obama's Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).

Lebogang Mokwena - more photos available in the Alumni Flickr Album

So what is it?

The programme is organised around three leadership tracks:

civic leadership
public management
entrepreneurship (or business)

Over a six-week programme delivered in various universities across the United States, the programme is structured to deliver leadership training, academic coursework, and mentoring for the African Leaders.

The fellowship's ultimate aim is to contribute to the continent's economic growth and strengthened democratic institutions by enhancing the leadership capacity of leading African youth.

There is no question of the strategic nature of this multi-year initiative for the United States, not least geo-politically in light of the increasing footprint of Chinese investment in Africa and the seeming rise of Islamic extremist movements in parts of the continent.

This notwithstanding, there is no denying what an amazing opportunity this will be to interact with 499 other young people who are committed to engendering positive change on the continent and who have already started on a compelling path of public service, innovation, and social relevance and it certainly feels like a rare privilege to form part of a targeted continent-wide conversation among young people about how to address some of the pressing challenges facing the continent.

And what will I be doing?

I have been placed on the public management track and will spend six weeks, starting in June 2014, at Howard University in Washington DC with a number of other fellows from across the continent who either work in the political arena or in government. Having worked in the national Department of Higher Education and Training in South Africa since March 2011, mine has been an attempt to give practical expression to Amartya Sen's capabilities approach, that emphasises human development, particularly education, training, and skills development, as the cornerstone to national development and positive change. Additionally, my work has provided me with an opportunity to bring to bear my own personal experience of the transformative power of education and training in a country that is still grappling with the legacy of racial discrimination and limited opportunities for self and community actualisation among a racial majority.

My past

Being a young, black South African woman who grew up in the urban townships of Johannesburg, access to opportunities for study have enabled my participation in South Africa's transformation project, hence my work in the civil service as a way of contributing to young South Africans' access to technical and vocational education and training opportunities. As the Director for Youth Development Programmes, I was responsible for developing and implanting strategies for improved youth access to and success to opportunities of study in the country's 50 Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges, chiefly through overseeing the administration of the Department's Bursary Scheme for Colleges (currently valued at approximately GBP116million, the development of academic and exit support programmes, and through the introduction of health and wellness initiatives, notably the Higher Education and Training AIDS (HEAIDS) programme.

Looking to the Future

Through my participation in the Washington Fellowship, I hope to be able to collaborate with other fellows in enhancing young people's access to public education and training opportunities. Having been the youngest senior manager in the Department's Vocational and Continuing Education and Training branch, I am also passionate about devising an advocacy campaign that can attract talented and highly-skilled young people to work in the public service, which, in my experience, has been a dynamic, stimulating, and rewarding way in which to apply my skills and introduce institutional innovations towards improved state capacity in the delivery of important services to young people through greater student engagement.It will be interesting to figure out how best to do this while living in New York City from August 2014 when I will be undertaking graduate studies at The New School for Social Research towards a PhD in Industrial Sociology, specifically, the interface between skills and industrial development.

While participation in the Washington Fellowship requires that fellows return to their home countries after the six weeks of leadership training (or after completion of an internship for those fellows who will be placed at an institution relevant to their leadership track for a few weeks beyond the six weeks training), I had already applied to and been accepted for a place of study at The New School and so mine will have to be a smart collaboration with fellows who will be back on the continent but there is no question that upon completion of my studies and in much the same way that I did after my studies at IDS in 2008, I will be heading back to South Africa.

By Lebogang Mokwena, IDS Alumnus 2008

My reunion with Alumni: an unexpected and delightful evening in Dhaka

2014-06-10T13:14:00.000+01:00

As a fellow, my travel itinerary is usually a whirl of airports, hotel rooms, meetings, emails and trying to meet on-going work commitments, despite being away from IDS.

From left to right: Linda Waldman, Iqbal Ahmed, Suralini Fernando and Mamunur Rahman

On my most recent trip to Bangladesh, I did something very unusual for me. I arranged to join the IDS Alumni in Dhaka for a reunion dinner. What an amazing evening!

We were a small group of four and we pooled our knowledge of the IDS community – ‘how is John Humphrey? Where is Marzia Fontana these days? Is Robert still doing his workshops for all IDS students’? I was asked all about the recent changes at IDS and I heard about lots of students I haven’t managed to keep track of over the years.

We shared our insights of Dhaka life and politics, what and where to eat, easiest ways to get around and what work everyone is doing. Everyone is doing such interesting work: Iqbal Ahmed researching climate change and children; Suralini Fernando is part of the Child Rights Governance Team at Save the Children and advocating for the Bangladeshi government to produce a child budget; Mamunur Rahman is working for the Bangladeshi Government heading up a Small and Medium Enterprise Foundation and still working hard on women’s empowerment.

And of course, we discussed current issues: Argentina and Brazil’s chances of winning the World Cup being hotly contested and asking 'how guilty is Oscar Pistorius?' Discussing Bangladesh’s amazing achievements in relation to the MDGs and its hopes for Vision 2021 and of South Africa’s BRICS status. All as we sat in Nando’s and enjoyed its food.

Inevitably, IDS’ work also came up, particularly gains made in CLTS (or, Community Led Total Sanitation) and policy makers’ ongoing awareness of Robert Chambers’ ‘Voices of the Poor’. All in all, a really interesting evening of light, engaged and thought-provoking conversation.

Okay, so its not part of my commitments, and I still have unread emails, but I feel refreshed and invigorated. Thank you Mamunur for encouraging me to meet the Alumni and for all the behind-the-scenes work that you did to make this possible. From now on, my travel itinerary will include Alumni reunion meetings whenever possible.

By Linda Waldman, IDS Research Fellow

Inclusion or Exclusion of CEDAW's Concluding Observations on Health in Government Plans? The Case of South Asia

2014-06-06T15:29:00.000+01:00

The booklet I have just published is a result of my experiment with researching and writing topics that I want to, rather than focusing on topics that I am commissioned to write by development agencies. At times they match, but other times it is just an “assignment”.

I have always been curious as to the extent to which the Concluding Observations of the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (after reviewing reports of State Parties and civil society groups) is followed up by governments, and more so gets reflected in their development plans of government. I took the example of the health sector in South Asia and examined this aspect.

I was also inquisitive as to whether global statistics - in particular sex disaggregated ones - are examined and implications analysed in national planning process. Again I took the example of health, examining the links between World Health Statistics (sex-disaggregated data in particular) on South Asia and the analysis within the health section of national development plans. The health plans of the following South Asian countries were examined: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri-Lanka.

What were the findings?

The health sections of most national development plans only partially take into account the Concluding Observations of CEDAW. The gaps were larger in countries recovering from conflict and where democratic spaces were lesser. The gaps between Concluding Observations and national development plans were largest with regard to ‘controversial’ issues like providing treatment to survivors of violence against women and providing abortion services. As well as for low priority issues like women's mental health or reproductive cancers. Further, the gaps were wider with regard to health/sexual and reproductive health of ‘controversial groups’ like unwed adolescent girls and women or women who were married but in other relationships. Gender-intensified aspects of quality of care were other issues, like access to confidentiality and privacy. To address this gap it is suggested that the CEDAW insists that governments incorporate comments on each sector into their national planning process, and report back to the CEDAW on how this had been done.

It is also suggested that the CEDAW and the national governments together identity gender and health experts (well versed with the Convention), public health financing experts, women’ federations and women’s health rights groups who could be part of the planning process of the health section of the national development plan.

Lastly, the national governments and other stakeholders, while planning the health section, must identify and analyse sex-disaggregated data on health financing, health risks, health systems, health laws, health services and health outcomes. In particular, barring two South Asian countries, per-capita private health expenditure (over 80% out-of-pocket expenditure) exceeds public health expenditure; and the trend of privatisation has been increasing in most South Asian countries. Concluding Observations on health, critical analysis of gender and health statistics and national development plans must go hand in hand to combat gender inequalities in health in South Asia.

I decided to publish my booklet as an e-book (Kindle Direct Publishing on the Amazon Kindle Store) as I want to see if it can also fetch me an income, and I can pursue full time researching and writing what I please, but related to development, as a profession! I am also planning to publish the same through Amazon CreateSpace at the suggestion of Kindle Direct Publishing.

By Ranjani.K.Murthy, IDS Alumni Ambassador for India

[1] Other than for sex selection.

On the importance of scholarships

2014-06-02T14:19:00.000+01:00

My name is Nasrat Esmaty. I am an Afghan Chevening scholar of the academic year 2012 to 2013.

Nasrat Esmaty (centre) with Prospero Mudza (left) and Benjamin Afreh (right). All three studied at IDS with the support of scholarships

Chevening scholarship made it possible for me to study MA Poverty and Development at IDS. As I left a job to pursue my academic endeavors, this scholarship gave me the financial security I needed as a student.

While studying at IDS, my only concern was attending to my academic responsibilities. Visiting the UK for the first time and learning about its people and culture was the icing on the cake, which turned out to be a meaningful and an unforgettable experience, too. By unforgettable, I certainly did not mean washing my hands under the two-tap sink and burning my hand in the first month of my stay, nor was I referring to my landlords.

I was referring to breathing in the clean air of Brighton, enjoying the evergreen sceneries, using the well-managed and low-cost transportation system and meeting people from around the world. The reason for venturing into an area of study in development was not just to find a job after I graduate. I wanted and still want to be part of a change in Afghanistan, regardless of how small it can be, in my future professional career.

This opportunity and status were made possible by both the Chevening scholarship and IDS, which I will always be thankful of. As I was graduating, I came up with the term POVERTICS (an amalgamation of the words POVERTY and POLITICS) and POVERTICIAN (an amalgamation of the words POVERTY and POLITICIAN).

I plan to take the poverty agenda into Afghanistan’s politics and ensure that poverty reduction is reflected in all the key political and economic decisions in the country. Since IDS is a well-reputed institute, I can even look into international assignments, too.

I believe that the investments made through scholarships go a long way and farther than any other investments. As one of the scholarship recipients and then seeing its effects in my life, I certainly encourage everyone to invest generously in scholarships. Such investments make it possible for capable and deserving individuals who cannot otherwise enjoy the experience of studying in some of the prestigious universities in the world.

Chevening sponsors seven to eleven (more or less) Afghan scholars to study in the UK every year. I hope that they at least quadruple the number of recipients since Afghanistan needs more and more highly-educated individuals. I also want to request IDS to offer especial scholarships to the Afghan citizens since IDS offerings governance, poverty, gender and development studies) have major takers in Afghanistan and there is a dire need for them, too. I am sure IDS can secure funding for sponsoring Afghan students, too. In the long run, it can add a star to the already good reputation of IDS, too.

IDS have recently announced the IDS scholarships as a result of the generous support of alumni and other supporters. Please visit the website for details and to apply.

IDSers meet in Nairobi in the first of many Alumni meet ups

2014-05-23T12:32:00.000+01:00

In the month of April 2014 the IDS alumni (henceforth IDSers) in Kenya held two informal meetings in Nairobi. The first meeting was at the Stanley Sarova Hotel on the 12th of April 2014 whereas the second one was held at the Panafric Sarova Hotel on the 25th of April 2014.

Noticeably, in both meetings the IDS spirit of warmth and affection was very much alive; in spite of cohort and course differences alumni who had never met prior to these meetings were very cordial to one another. They were happy to share their experiences since leaving IDS and also on information on possible opportunities for the other IDSers and the IDS family in general.

During the informal discussions, the following key issues came out:

a). The need of establishing a formal and solid platform where IDSers will be in better positions to influence public debates on key issues relevant to Kenya’s economic growth and development. Some of the areas IDSers in Kenya can play critical roles in are: devolution to local government, national cohesion and integration, recurrent spells of food insecurity and youth unemployment.

b). Identify ‘friends’ in the media who will publish IDSers pieces on a range of development topics. There is further need to identify spaces for participation in TV discussions on development related issues on leading stations.

c). In addition to the contacts that IDS- Sussex already has, identify institutions and think tanks in Kenya where IDSers can contribute to development studies’ discourses, research, teaching and course modeling and sharing of different literature in development studies.

d). Use possible means to influence public policy analysis, implementation, communication and evaluation
It was further agreed that the IDSers hold another meeting as soon as possible to crystalize these ideas further and identify clear pathways for their implementation. To this end the IDS alumni in Kenya will hold its next meeting within the month of May 2014.

Reflections on the CSP Conference on Graduation and Social Protection in Rwanda

2014-05-19T09:36:00.000+01:00

Last week I attended the Centre for Social Protection conference on Graduation and Social Protection, co-hosted by the Ministry of Local Government of the Government of Rwanda, with support from Irish Aid, UNICEF and DFID. I would like to share some of my personal reflections on the conference. They are by no means representative of the number of issues that were discussed, and I recommend reading Stephen Devereux's comprehensive ‘Learning Insights and Action Points’ on the conference website.

Graduation describes the moment when beneficiaries of a transfer programme (cash, food or assets) pass a threshold and manage to sustain a certain level of wellbeing over a period of time after exiting the programme. The rationale is that the transfers and complementary interventions (skills training, microloans) will allow beneficiaries to move out of poverty by increasing and maintaining their income generating potential and productivity and become resilient to shocks. The concept was pioneered by BRAC in Bangladesh and has been adopted by programmes such as the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) in Ethiopia and Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP) in Rwanda.

Here are my take-away points from the conference:

1. Beneficiaries are often still poor after graduating

Despite some success stories, most 'graduates' are still poor after graduation. Maybe they managed to move from extreme poverty into moderate poverty, or from food insecurity into food sufficiency. But they are still poor and in many cases they might fall back because their context hasn't changed. They are still vulnerable to shocks, they might still have limited access to markets and basic services and in most cases after leaving the programme they no longer have access to a social safety net.

Taking into account the limitations of any single programme to address the multiple causes of poverty, maybe we shouldn't punch above our weight and claim that livelihood promotion programmes can achieve sustainable graduation? Maybe we need to be more realistic, and call programmatic thresholds 'exits from the programme', rather than 'graduation thresholds', as the VUP programme in Rwanda already does.

2. Systemic approach: yes, but let's not overburden social protection

The challenge seems to lie in drawing a line between where social protection ends and where 'other' interventions start, e.g. supplying basic services, facilitating access to labour markets, promoting inclusive economic growth. As one participant said, "social protection cannot become the solution for all of governments' failures". It is one part of the graduation puzzle and incomplete without the rest. We need to figure out how the different pieces fit together.

This line however should not in itself represent a point of no return, when people graduate permanently out of social protection. It rather demarcates responsibilities and highlights complementarities between programmes and sectors. Social protection is required on a permanent basis to help people manage the range of risks they encounter throughout a lifetime.

3. Learning lessons..

...across actors: The presentations covered a range of different approaches, from small NGO-led pilots to nation-wide government programmes across Africa, Asia and Latin America. Important lessons can be drawn from these cases on what works and what doesn't. NGOs can test different models, provide more extensive, individualised support to beneficiaries, even if only on a short-term basis. Governments are looking at more long-term and scalable approaches that are financially sustainable and reach a larger group of beneficiaries. Pooling the experiences and evidence and sharing lessons will help to design programmes that improve the chances of poor households to climb up the ladder.

...within programmes: As one participant said "Let's focus on doing it well. Let's focus on getting programme delivery right, on time, as promised." Delivering a transfer programme in itself is already quite challenging. One consultant working on the PSNP in Ethiopia told me that at the higher policy level people are discussing a comprehensive social protection framework, whilst at the district level there isn't enough capacity to allow the programme to work as it is. Comprehensive approaches are important, but maybe we need to focus on delivering well first, before jumping ahead and complicating things?

...from beneficiaries: One panellist said "No offence to all you academics, but we do a lot of thinking for people who live poverty 24 hours a day". Much of our discussions focus on how and who to target, what kind of support to give and where to set the benchmark. Whilst these are all important issues that are part of the reality of programmes, it often distracts from focusing on the beneficiaries and understanding the range of challenges they face every day to 'graduate out of poverty'.

Thanks to the organisers and participants for sharing their experiences and making this conference possible!

Martina Ulrichs is an independent consultant and IDS Alumni Ambassador for Canada. This blog is part of the Graduation and Social Protection blog series featured on Povertics, The VPR team blog.

Remembering whose reality counts in IDS' Impact Evaluation Short course

2014-04-09T11:52:00.000+01:00

Comfort and excitement on returning to IDS

The familiar hallways, familiar faces and familiar library combined to make me feel like I was coming back home. My time studying at IDS four years ago was a period of immense excitement for me. My understanding of development was ripped apart and put back together again. Every week brought new challenges to my experiences and preconceptions, and as I walked back into the building four years later for a week long Impact Evaluation Design course, I knew the same was about to happen again.

The five day course was led by Eduardo Masset, Robert Chambers and Dee Jupp. In the first half of the week, we looked at quantitative methods, in the second at qualitative. As an IDS alumni who spent some of the most fascinating days of my master’s degree crawling around on the floor with multi-coloured seeds, discussing participatory methods, much of this was familiar territory for me. But not to everyone. Asking the beneficiaries, or participants, was sometimes perceived as the 'poor relative' of 'robust' and 'scientific' approaches.

The last day of the course allayed any fears about this as the robustness of qualitative approaches was addressed. By documenting the process thoroughly and using different methods to ensure findings are supported, we can have equal confidence in this method of research.

Challenging my preconceptions

Since leaving IDS, I have worked for both BRAC and Children on the Edge. Multiple times I have encountered M&E Consultants who have advised a sample size of between five and ten per cent. I had come to assume, therefore, that this is best practice. I quickly realised that this is a dangerous way of calculating sample sizes that could lead to either not finding an impact when there is one, or finding an impact when there actually is not one.

The power of participatory approaches has always amazed and excited me, and I have thoroughly enjoyed using and experimenting with different approaches I learned at IDS. Last year I facilitated a participatory mapping exercise in a Ugandan slum with severe issues of alcohol abuse, child exploitation and child sacrifice. It led to fascinating insights and to new understandings for many parents about how to protect and keep their children safe.

Disseminating the findings back to the participants was key. Parents gained a new understanding of their children’s behaviour and local partners told us how they would use the information: “we have learnt that children have a great capacity to be change makers if provided with opportunities to feel empowered.”

This process was an important part of a chain of events in this slum, which has driven local people to develop Community Child Protection Committees which have since transformed the community.

Bringing it back to work

Children on the Edge is currently in the design phase of an exciting new education project for Musahar children (the lowest of the Dalit’s) in Bihar State, India. I can’t wait to return to my team and start exploring new avenues to include children in the evaluation of the project. One new method which I am keen to explore further is photo elicitation. It is my hope that through giving children disposable cameras and asking them to take pictures that represent their lives, and then discussing the pictures which they children, that we can gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives on what is important to them.

I learned as much from my course colleagues as from the front, with participants from a wide spectrum of organisations. Their combined knowledge and expertise gave enormous diversity and helped contextualise the learning.

I am challenged to ensure that our quantitative work is sufficiently rigorous and that our control groups are secure. Children on the Edge often works in extreme environments such as makeshift refugee camps or informal slums of displaced people. It was also important to realise that it is better not to implement randomised control trials (RCTs) at all if they cannot be done with sufficient sample sizes and robust control groups. Whilst rigorous RCTs are not possible working with such transient and mobile communities, there are a myriad of options which could be used to understand if these are the right projects for these groups, and what change, if any, is attributed to our interventions.

Exploring participatory methods having now gained practical experience led to me seeing the sessions in a very different perspective from how I saw it as a student. I am now less idealistic and very aware of constraints, but am newly encouraged to continue to seek and use methods which are inclusive and empower the participants, and reminded to challenge my preconceptions of whose reality counts.

By Ashley Kuchanny, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Children on the Edge and IDS Alumni Ambassador for the UK

Inspiring Change following International Womens Day

2014-03-28T15:43:00.000+00:00

The theme for this years International Women's Day was Inspiring Change which made me look back at my experiences since leaving IDS in 1991. Some moments have been really inspiring!

What have they been?

When I went to Bangladesh a few months ago: Visiting the Microfinance for Marginal and Small Farmers Project. Some of the women reported that they had not only contested local government elections, but were also called upon to become members and assist in resolving cases of violence against women and girls. Some of the women had acquired land under their name during the time of the project and I saw men and women receive training in gender equality.
In the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, India: I saw women’s federations celebrate the birth of daughters and lead a grassroots campaign against sex selection. I saw these campaigns focus on clinics that disclose the sex of a foetus and bring them to book.
In the same state, a TV talk show hosted by Ippadikum Rose - a transgender woman, highlighted issues of sex, sexuality and relationships issues faced by transgender women.
In Nepal 2007: UNICEF formed women’s para-legal networks at district and sub district levels which supported women facing gender-based violence and helped them to access justice. Around half of the para-legal network members were single women. Another initiative of UNICEF in Nepal was to strengthen community monitoring of maternal health, immunisation, infant and child nutrition, mortality and education outcomes in a gender, caste and ethnicity disaggregated manner. Apart from women, men and village development committee leaders, health workers and teachers were in the monitoring committee. Supplementary nutrition, parental education (e.g. that boys and girls eat together), school and health centre reform and tie-ins with poverty reduction programmes followed.

What did they teach me about policies towards inspiring change?

Foster institutional change beyond sectors: While sectoral projects and programmes are necessary, it seems absolutely essential to change institutions from a gender lens. Both the Theni community level campaign and community monitoring illustrate the importance of challenging community norms. Apart from norms is the issue of challenging power embedded in institutions. Bangladeshi women entering local governments, not as proxies but in their own right is an example of such change. So is the effort by para-legal workers in Nepal to hold the legal system accountable, or the Tamil Nadu experience of holding health markets and media to account on gender.
Challenge those who hold patriarchal norms, and not only men: Lessons from Theni, as well as surveys in India show that both men and women hold patriarchal values like son preference, belief that men have the right to hit their wives under certain circumstances and so on. Women are sometimes victims, sometimes agents, but at times uphold patriarchy and other hierarchical systems. Feminists and development agencies have to address this complexity in their strategies. Strategies of working with men also have to deal with men as perpetrators and supporters, go beyond issues of violence against women into gender and care, health, education, economic and political participation.
Recognise diversity amongst women and build diverse women’s movements: Women are a diverse group in terms of race, caste, class, abilities, marital status and gender orientation. Hierarchies amongst women are not recognised adequately in development policy. Further, gender is seen as a binary system, and transgender persons are not taken into account in development policy or practice. Dalit women’s movements, transgender women’s movements and so on, need to be fostered, while at the same alliances need to be forged. Gender policies need to be framed in dialogue with these movements.
Broaden MDG indicators on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE): UN Women has advocated that the MDG indicators on GEWE should include freedom from violence against women, earning their own income, percentage of women with access to institutional credit, percentage of law enforcement professionals who are women, and house and land ownership. These indicators are indeed welcome, as well as its suggestion to integrate gender into all indicators. What could be added are indicators on attitudes such as ‘absence of son-preference’ (proxy could be sex ratio at birth). Indicators on women in decision-making roles in religious institutions and traditional councils, as well as access to safe and legal abortion could be considered There could be a guideline that all indicators need to be disaggregated across axioms of diversity amongst women. Finally, the vibrancy and independence of women’s movements could be an indicator.

By Ranjani Murthy, IDS Alumni Ambassador for India

IDS: From business card to business partner

2014-03-24T11:10:00.001+00:00

For the past five years after my departure from MA in Poverty, I have been luckily interacting with IDS. In this post, I will look back into my work experience and share how it affects my work.

IDS is a reliable ‘business card’

“I am Ippei Tsuruga, working for Japan International Cooperation Agency, and I am also an IDS graduate.” That is how I introduce myself when I meet new people, and it works much better than just giving a boring business card.

As a staff member of a bilateral development agency, I often meet senior government officials and practitioners in developing countries. You could imagine how challenging but important the first meeting is to build up good relationships with those experienced people. Talking about IDS is always a good start for a friendly conversation. In my experience, people in the development community somehow link to IDS. Even though they are not IDS alumni, they likely have friends or colleagues from IDS or work together with IDS. All of them have a good impression about IDS and its alumni.

IDS is a powerful knowledge bank

Whenever I need information about poverty related issue, I rely on the source of IDS. In 2011, I was in Kenya to conduct a stock taking survey for formulating an assistance portfolio in response to the worst drought in 60 years. Our agency had not been involved in any interventions in arid areas. So we had no experience and no networks. I had only one week to map who was working for what projects, to find out needs, and gaps for further investment. Where should I start? That was my first reaction when I got this task.

What I did was to go to the IDS website and Eldis catalogue to learn about existing social protection mechanisms and key players for the issue in the country. I then found that the Hunger Safety Net Programme, a cash transfer scheme, was a flagship social protection scheme, and IDS’ Centre for Social Protection was involved. Having a contact, I visited the ministry in charge of the programme on the first day. It was completely successful. Beginning with the introduction mentioned above, we started very friendly discussion and I got a lot of information about the project, the overall framework of social protection in the country, and focal points at other agencies. Our mission ended up with a comprehensive assistance package at the end.

IDS is a partner

As Lawrence Haddad summarised in his blog Development Horizons, we are working on a joint research project on Quality of Growth. I join to coordinate this project and contribute one paper. I particularly like this project because of its critical perspectives.

When talking about growth, one of the biggest questions is what we expect from growth. Why do we want growth? It may be for money, savings, or wealth. Development practitioners might say for helping the poor out of poverty. Then another question comes. Growth for whom? Policy makers and development partners still tend to quickly translate ‘growth is good for the poor’, trickle-down theory. Even though they further think of the question in depth, they might be stuck at pro-poor growth discussions. Is it enough to cover the issues that we are facing today?

My passion is to work for poverty alleviation throughout my career. That is something I learned from IDS. When I left IDS in 2009, one of my dreams was to work with IDS. It has come true. IDS has given me a lot even after my graduation. I believe that my responsibility is to devote my career to poverty reduction.

This blog is by IDS alumni Ippei Tsuruga and has also been posted in The Povertist.

Welcome to 'Politics of Gender'

2014-03-19T14:01:00.000+00:00

This is a guest blog from current IDS MA students Moe, Ana, Precious, Stacey, Mohamed, Pramita, Jungyoun, Ahra & Ulrica who are organising a mini-conference - 'The Politics of Gender' - on Monday 24 March, IDS Room 121, 10am -12pm.

How does the law shape our understanding of gender and citizenship?
How do different ways of structuring political institutions affect how women and men participate as citizens and their chances of accessing decision-making positions and authority?
What meaning do concepts like justice and human rights have in the process of implementing gender?

These - and many other questions - have been touched upon in the module called 'Politics of Implementing Gender'. In the course, we have been talking about the basis of politics, the state, citizenship, and democracy. How do states institutionalize patriarchal values? What are the implications of the public/private divide for women's political aspirations? We have debated representation and quota systems, and reflected on the law and legal activism. There have been many good discussions and personal reflections based on the different experiences in the group, and we are now ready to take our thoughts on the politics of gender one step further and share them in a wider context.

As part of our assessment, we have arranged a mini-conference where we shall present on topics that have emerged from the course.

The purpose of the conference is to reflect on how the law shapes our understanding of gender, citizenship, and identity. We will explore concepts like social justice, transformative legal reform and quota systems, as well as human rights and family law.

We want the conference to be an opportunity for reflection and sharing, and engage the audience in exploring spaces for transformative change in policy and law to achieve gender equality.

We want to discuss, share, and learn with you! Welcome to 'Politics of Gender'!

Traction Politics is taking birth in India!

2014-03-14T15:11:00.000+00:00

India’s the biggest democracy in the world with around 790 parliamentarians representing their constituencies and states in New Delhi and around 4,215 members of legislative assemblies in different state assemblies. Then there are numerous representatives in urban areas to municipal corporations, municipal councils and town councils.

There are no set ways, to enter into politics in India. Currently I see there are 'Five feeder lines to politics':

From political families or from the glamour world (sports, bollywood etc).
Student/college leaders Incubated by industrial tycoons to garner their interests
Side-kicks/Chamchas of Netas after 15-20 years of mindless dedication
Contractors - who enter into politics to get more govt. construction business
IAS officers turned politicians

Someone from middle class, from a non-political family background has neither means nor any incentives to enter politics.

The anti corruption campaign started by Baba Ramdev and later joined by Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and General V.K. Singh has a left a huge residual effect – It created a market/demand for political candidates with clean image and development focus. Maybe such instincts were always there in some/many among the Indian voters, but these campaigns have further strengthened the thought. This is the only tiny space opened, where normal people can engage with politics. I call it “traction politics” and it seems to be taking birth in India!

By Shantanu Gupta, IDS Alumni and development consultant based in India

Eyes to the Future: Why we need a Scholarship Fund

2014-03-03T13:36:00.000+00:00

By Anna Shepherd, IDS Partnership Fundraising Manager

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela

How true this is.

And we all know how much there is in the world that needs to be changed for the better. For every action that must take place – to eradicate poverty, to tackle injustice, to promote respect and equality – there must be a sound underlying theory and strategy, a logical and evidence-based rationale that will win over any doubters and ensure sustainability.

IDS research and teaching provides the underpinning for development theory and action. Our international Alumni go forward equipped to engage with global issues, to make those changes and to go on to teach others.

We receive many applications for our prestigious development masters programmes and requests for PhD supervision. But in too many instances talented men and women are unable to take up their well deserved offer of a place due to financial constraints. This situation produces a class and geographical imbalance amongst our students and unfairly curtails talent and commitment. It is something that our Alumni, students and staff recognise and often identify with – many of us did not get where we are today without a helping hand. (I myself went to university with 2 small children and my PhD was only made possible by substantial support from a well-known medical charity.)

So who are these students who need our support? Let me give you two of many examples:

Twice, a young woman who works in advocacy and support for sex workers in South Africa has applied to IDS and twice she has been accepted. Her NGO work involves striving for human rights, and supporting policy, legal and other interventions; a masters from IDS would both strengthen and inform the important on-the-ground work that she does day in and day out. On each occasion she has tried valiantly to raise the necessary money for her tuition and living costs, only to fail to secure the full amount needed.

Another gifted young man from Pakistan was the fortunate recipient of a fees only scholarship from an outside agency, but this first class candidate had his visa refused by the British High Commission as he was unable to raise the money to make up the difference between the scholarship he had been granted and the full amount required to cover his maintenance. He is from a family that is not well off and lost his father as a young child. As a local government worker, his salary is simply not enough.

The loss of such talent, of the opportunity to educate and collaborate with strategically placed men and women who can make a difference in some of the most challenging corners of the globe, is a loss to us all and to our collective future.

This is why we have the IDS Scholarship Fund. It is the right to education, the striving for betterment of the individual and of society that has impassioned all of us here at IDS, not least our director, Lawrence Haddad, who has recently requested that any tokens of respect and admiration being considered for his imminent departure, be translated into donations to the IDS Scholarship Fund.

Join us. Make a real difference. To one. To many.

Hope Floats

2014-02-26T11:01:00.000+00:00

By Akansha Yadav, State Programme Coordinator at Department of Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh, M.A Development Studies 2012

Andhra Pradesh (India) coastal area belt is infamous for its trafficking and sex trade where a number of targeted interventions for HIV awareness and mitigating violence have been proposed by the Government. For the 12th Five Year Plan, the Planning Commission of India opened a window to the civil society whereby it can propose policy recommendations for social inclusion of various groups.

For this purpose I went to the coastal area belt and facilitated discussions amongst community researchers with the purpose of mapping existing knowledge and practices pertaining to their access to social schemes. These community researchers come from the sex workers’ community itself and are trained by the NGOs.

I sat through a number of discussions, listened to their stories and went through case studies with them and the members of their community. Their experiences of violence and hurt will probably leave you numb for a long time, not only because it is difficult to imagine but because after a while, the comprehension of that violence and pain starts receding. Their profession, life-choices and livelihoods draw random opinion and reaction from the crowd and media, but what gets missed out is their persistence and resilience to mainstream themselves, and the continuous education they provide to themselves in order to achieve that.
We discussed about many government schemes like housing, pensions, health services, education and their relative access to those schemes:

‘Are you able to access these government schemes?’ I asked.

‘It is difficult to access’, they said.

‘Was it the paper work?’

‘Partly. It is difficult to arrange for all the documents. We have no proof of residence and bank accounts. They know it.’

‘Then, what is the reason?’

‘The officials don’t acknowledge us’.

‘How is that?’

‘They don’t even look at us in the eye. Sometimes, they abuse us and ask us to leave. Don’t know why they do that. We thought it is our right to access these services. We try our best to arrange all the documents. But these officials keep asking us to come on some other date.’

‘So then what do you do?’

‘We come everyday to their offices, wait and then go home. Often they ask us provide them services too…’

‘Have you ever complained or given a letter in the grievance cell?’

‘Where is the grievance cell?’

… and the discussion goes on.

What I was supposed to gaze was their access to these social schemes. As an analyst, I can determine the inadequacy of certain benchmarks and requirements. Especially for them, for example, the pension receiving age for sex workers cannot be 60 or 65 as it is for others. But then in the long run this takes a back-seat. What I could not stop gazing was their ability to deflect their pain, face the insensitivity everyday, brush themselves up the next day and try again, hoping someday the reaction will be different… and because access to those schemes is important to them.

My purpose here is not to narrate tales of suffering and violence. They get their occasional due mention in the media, except it is not ‘their’ voice nor it even remotely captures it. In the media, it is often their story narrated by someone else – the way their problems, issues, lives are understood and presented.

And I believe this is what the whole problem is. They don’t have a face – not when they are demanding their entitlements, not when they are being written about, and perhaps not when they are being spoken to….

I feel, this goes beyond the dimensions of social bias against a certain class (which is so pervasive in our Indian society). It is social bias with financial and emotional liability thriving in our social set up which conveniently hangs on a patriarchal framework. It is a space where every spectrum of life – body, emotions, thoughts, power, control- mix together to form a blur, and where the anger with the ‘system’ is not about corruption, service provisions etc but about insensitivity and non-acknowledgement for being another human being… and being labelled for what we know as the world’s oldest profession. We all feel vulnerable in our daily lives, but it comes and goes as we move from one circumstance to another, pushing the walls and shuffling the change. For them, the constant is the change.

How have they responded, you would ask. Some of them have mobilised themselves into Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and are learning to communicate with the government in their language – write letters to concerned officials, devise methods to get access to facilities such as Aadhar card, ration card and supporting documents to eventually get access to basic necessities such as pensions, scholarships and medicines etc. The CBOs also assist those in need. In one such case, they took charge of a girl’s education whose father died of HIV, and also wrote a letter to the education officer, requesting for a cycle as her home was far away from the school. After a lot of paper work and attempts to meet with officials, they eventually managed to get her a cycle. There are cases of CBOs enlisting hidden sex workers identified as HIV+ which has made medicines and hospital accessible to them. CBOs’ attestation has facilitated opening of bank accounts by many members of the sex workers’ community. This is a critical step towards accessing services such as housing and Aadhar card.

The complexities involved in their cases are overbearing with deluge of questions to answer and the basis of this could probably be our societal non-acceptance to the reality of this livelihood. But I was humbled by their resilience to relentlessly pursue the ‘system’ to demand entitlements and their basic citizenship rights; rather than waiting for the ‘system’ to wake up.

My trip to the sleepy town of Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh was rather sudden and unplanned but immensely enlightening. After spending time with them and listening to their experiences and testimonies, I can say that nothing could have ever prepared me for that experience.

This blog was originally published on Akansha's blog, Lives They Live