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Funding:Sri Lanka--Post Tsunami
- Jay Ilangaratne, JS@medical-journals.com (28 January 2005)
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Does emotion drive altruism in the best direction ?
- Sébastien TASSY, Guillaume GORINCOUR (1 February 2005)
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Humanitarian tourism?
- Caroline Mawer (4 February 2005)
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Capacity Building as Important as Development in Disaster Management
- Alex O. Otieno (13 February 2005)
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Jay Ilangaratne, Founder Medical-Journals.com, JS@medical-journals.com
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The magnanimity of the British public was evident within hours after the tsunami disaster.The fact that funds raised by the public heavily outweighed what the British government pledged initially,is ample testimony to the genuine sincerity of British people at a time of human devastation. Managing and accountability of donor funds have always been a notoriously sensitive issue. As a result of unprecedented chaos caused by the tusnami, it is likely that proper and efficient management of donor funds would suffer further.However, as to Sri Lanka, its government had already taken some active measures to improve transparency and accountabiltiy of funds it has received[2].It is also commendable that the Sri Lankan government has accepted a pro bono offer by McKenzie Consulting to advice on methods of greater transparency and accountability[3]. Such measures by respective governments are now a necessity in the light of increasing allegations of financial impropriety and mismanagement[4]. Whilst direct donations to government-managed funds are under wider public scrutiny, the scale of funds channelled to Sri Lanka privately, particularly by many NGOs who are assisting in various relief efforts, is largely unaccounted for. However, some NGOs have come under the spotlight for rather worrying reasons. It is alleged with photographic evidence that two NGOs identfied as "Evergreen" and "Neumatica" had brought partially dismantled helicopters without the consent or knowledge of the Sri Lankan authorities with the intention of handing them over to the 'Tiger' organisation[5];if true, that would pose a serious threat to Sri Lanka's national security. If some countries have not honoured their pledges following previous disasters[1], then that is a most unfortunate precedent. Perhaps, mismanagement, financial impropriety, and poor accounatabilty of funds in the receiving-nations may have detererred some donors from honouring their pledges fully.If that is a reason for not honouring pledges, then donor states should surely find a more effective way of ensuring that funds are utilised more honourably and efficiently -- and that would be no easy task. References [1]Peter Walker, Ben Wisner, Jennifer Leaning, and Larry Minear.Smoke and mirrors: deficiencies in disaster funding BMJ 2005; 330: 247-250 [2]http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/DDAD- 692SSJ?OpenDocument (accessed 28 Jan. 2005) [3]http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/01/28/new02.html (accessed 28 Jan. 2005) [4]http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=13175 (accessed 28 Jan. 2005) [5]http://www.lankatruth.com/news/25_31_jan_05/Full_story-0126_1.htm (accessed 28 Jan. 2005) Competing interests: Sri Lankan |
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Sébastien TASSY, M.D Sce de Gériatrie, Hopitale Sainte-Marguerite, 270Bd Ste Marguerite 13009, Marseille,France, Guillaume GORINCOUR
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The tsunami disaster has been of increasing concern in the media, leading to one of the largest international charity movements (1). But polemics began in France on January 3rd 2005, when Pierre Salignon, Director of Doctors Without Borders (DWB/MSF), declared that his organisation had received enough donation for the victims of the tsunami, and that their plans for this operation were already fully financed (2). He explained that DWB/MSF was of course still accepting money for other major humanitary campaigns such as slaughters in Darfour, AIDS in Africa (etc…) and proposes that future donations received for South-East Asia would be re-directed elsewhere, after asking personally each contributor. Indeed, according to DWB/MSF, founds collected in 15 days for this tragedy reached 6 fold those gathered for the earthquake in Bam in the same time, or 6 fold those collected for Darfour in 2 months1. This very fact does raise a simple question: why did people give more and faster this time? We think it is mainly because of the media coverage. The tsunami has provided what economists call a "focal point." This event happened just after Christmas, when people are usually less busy and the medias don’t have many interesting matters to deal with. Besides, westerners on holiday were involved. TV networks showed us so many very sad stories about husbands having lost wives or kids being lonely survivors of their families, not even realizing what was happening. And all this happened in an incredibly short period of time. It definitely gives birth to very strong emotions. And nowadays, neuroscientists and economists have good arguments supporting that emotions guide altruistic helping (3). Thus, when emotions are weak, i.e. for crisis prevention , it should also be the case for altruism. It probably explains why Rony Brauman, former president of DWB/MSF, remind us that many other tragedies remain (4). We are pleased that our nations react so generously to this “Tsunami” crisis but unfortunately, this provides us with a sad example on how public emotions can be directed, namely by the media. As a result, we must be very careful that less “telegenic” causes do not become forgotten ones. (1) Walker P, Wisner B, Leaning J, Minear L. Smoke and mirrors: deficiencies in disaster funding.BMJ 2005; 330: 247-250 (2) http://www.msf.fr/site/actu.nsf/actus/donstsunami040105 (3) Adolphs R. Cognitive neuroscience of human social behaviour. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2003 Mar;4(3):165-78 (4) Brauman R. «Une indécente surenchère victimaire». Le Figaro Magazine 2005 January 15 http://www.lefigaro.fr/magazine/20050114.MAG0010.html Competing interests: None declared |
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Caroline Mawer, GP, Consultant in Public Health Self employed
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On a visit last month to friends in Bam (Iran), a local woman told me how she was employed for six months after the earthquake – theoretically as an interpreter – for an international NGO. Initially, apparently, she worked with a very young expatriate woman, who was keen but who had very limited relevant experience; and with someone else who had retired some time ago and was, my friend felt, tired and potentially out of date. She was then transferred to work with a more senior expatriate logistician – who, I was told, just handed most of the duties to the ‘interpreter’. My Iranian friend was paid a small fraction of the expatriate salaries. Unlike her expatriate colleagues, she was not accommodated in the best local hotel, or given on-demand access to an expensive (and unnecessary) all-terrain vehicle. She expressed clearly to me how she felt that the expatriate staff – who had all now moved on somewhere else – were an expensive waste of time and money. Whilst this is “just” an anecdote, I know very many similar first-hand stories (from Russia, Bulgaria and Kenya as well as Iran). I agree with Walker and Griekspoor’s points (ref 1 and 2). The broken international financial promises are inexcusable. Funding development without prevention is short sighted. But just as important are limitations in quality, cost and outcome monitoring of the aid / relief itself. Take the staff, for example. Many expatriate staff are motivated and caring juniors – perhaps with an “overwhelming need to help” (ref 3) – rather than useful experts. They move on from the aid zone, having cost much more than experienced and knowledgeable local staff, and taking their extended knowledge with them. Staff turnover in NGOs may severely limit organisational memory. And then there’s the equipment and medication supplied. I have some difficulty with the ethics of supplying “single use items which are date expired” (ref 4). If they are not good enough for UK residents, how come they’re OK for Tanzanians? Refs: 1:Smoke and mirrors: deficiencies in disaster funding. Walker et al. BMJ 2005; 330:247-51 2:Change will not happen overnight A Griekspoor et al. BMJ 2005;330:250-251 3:The Advice Zone: I am trying to find an organisation that I can go to the tsunami areas with as a volunteer. I am willing to do anything from working with children to cleaning up. I feel an overwhelming need to help. BMJ Career Focus 2005;330:42 4:Surgical training in the developing world. BMJ Career Focus 2005;330:46-48 Competing interests: I have previously worked for NGOs (hey, we all make mistakes!) and governmental organisations outside the UK including in Russia and Bulgaria |
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Alex O. Otieno, Instructor, Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology/MA Program in Intl Peace &Conflict Resolution Arcadia University, Glenside, PA 19038, USA
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Community Based Disaster Management (CBDM), an empowerment oriented approach to disaster management developed by the United Nation’s Center for Regional Development (UNCRD), received no mentioned by Walker et al (1). Although the role of development in mitigating the consequences of natural disasters is patently obvious, it can also cause ecological and social damages unless it is effectively planned and implemented. Fortunately, the guidelines of Agenda 21 are available for all to consider. At the international level, the United Nations has been spearheading laudable efforts in disaster planning during the last decade or so. Disaster planning took a new dimension during the United Nations International Decade for Nature Disaster Reduction (UNIDNDR) - 1990-99. The establishment, in 1999, of The UNCRD Disaster Management Planning Hyogo Office in Kobe, is another indicator of the development in this arena (2). Whereas the resource allocation issues tacked by Walker and colleagues is a timely contribution, an area that received inadequate attention was capacity building. Although they mention the fact that experts may be lost in disasters, they fail to make mention of the lack of preparedness that characterizes the sub-Saharan Africa region. There are reportedly only three disaster management experts in the entire region (3). Clearly, this situation needs urgent attention- perhaps as urgent as the fund raising component of disaster management. References (1) Walker P, Wisner B, Leaning J, Minear L. Smoke and mirrors: deficiencies in disaster funding. British Medical Journal. 2005; 330:247- 250. (2) UN Center for Regional Development available online at http://www.hyogo.uncrd.or.jp/ accessed February 12, 2005. (3) Kenya sends disaster expert to Asia, East African Standard Online, Wed., January, 5, 2005. Online at http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=10007 accessed January 29, 2005. Competing interests: None declared |
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