Nation-Building Elevated

[M-A Lagrange]

I think that gut guess is wrong, and I don't think this program would work. There's an important point being missed. When I said that the farmers were resisting because they knew their land would be taken by people with power and money... who do you think those people were? They were the local political powers, of course, and individuals close to them. As soon as they knew the road project would be funded (and well before it was announced) they were already muscling in, acquiring legal rights to land and positioning themselves to profit from the road. The government would never have allowed those farmers to get legal title to the land in question because the people in charge wanted it for themselves.

Dayuhan,

You're so right! Unfortunately this is one of the too often encountered problems with development projects.

Just prove us that back ground, context, creative solutions are the best. Only limit being: you cannot expect having non political policies in development.
And trying to change the political environment seems a little out of our range.

Tom Rick's also provides a link to an applied GIS website about Haiti.

Wilf,

The GIS website allows one to examine/focus upon security concerns...

So, we did figure out our location: seems we are going for Haiti, don't we?
The local politic may be as harsh as in the Pashto valleys. And the use of violence as necessary as in Astan.
Many reports of gangs killing people to get food and aid monopole and destroyed countries are wild wild West by definition.

Now, let's respond to the question to whom do we want to address it?
Are we trying to give a hand to US troops? To NGO? (who do not care about us by the way) To CIMIC?
My first feeling goes to CIMIC people. Most of those I now are good people who just would like to help, are seeking for advices but get bounced by NGO because they wear uniforms.
Here the advantage is that you no one will judge you on that.
They also are much more sensitive to security/development integrated projects.

[Dayuhan]

Unfortunately this is one of the too often encountered problems with development projects.

Just prove us that back ground, context, creative solutions are the best. Only limit being: you cannot expect having non political policies in development.
And trying to change the political environment seems a little out of our range.

Sometimes you need to just look the local authorities in the eye and say "no, we will not fund that project". If the circumstances on the ground are not conducive to development tossing money into ill-conceived projects is not going to accomplish anything.

There's a difference between "humanitarian aid" and "development aid". Humanitarian aid is about keeping people alive in extreme conditions; it's what we're trying to do in Haiti and in parts of Africa. Often in these conditions it's simply not possible to bring development aid into play effectively. Development aid to me is something that has to be carefully applied and used in plces and times where there's an opportunity. Tossing it around loosely ends up with the old paradigm of "poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries", which is not what we want to do.

Steve, when I ask "what's the goal, I guess the core of the question is this: are we working toward recovery after a disaster? Are we trying to mitigate an existing insurgency situation or prevent a potential one? Or is it a pure development problem? It will make a huge difference in how we proceed...

[Surferbeetle]

Steve, when I ask "what's the goal, I guess the core of the question is this: are we working toward recovery after a disaster? Are we trying to mitigate an existing insurgency situation or prevent a potential one? Or is it a pure development problem? It will make a huge difference in how we proceed...

Hey Dayuhan,

Our geographic choice drives our problem and solution sets. Afghanistan, although a mosaic situationally, could be generalized as trending towards COIN TTP. Haiti, although presently needing aid TTP, may trend towards development as info operations continue. Haiti seems to be more accesible for our purposes.

Here are some more water centric tech support thoughts.

Infiltration flows may be an issue for both water and wastewater piping systems depending upon their current condition, baseline + earthquake damage. *Crosscontamination (fecal) and the introduction of anthropogenic sources (chemical etc.) are a concern for treated water that is being piped. *Wastewater quantities to be treated may increase due to infiltration. *An additional caveat to wastewater treatment quantities would be a combined sewer system. *In this instance both wastewater and stormwater are carried by the system and quantities to be treated are greater than those resulting from a system limited to just wastewater.

The appropriateness of a CMOC or CIMIC is not addressed in this note but I would like to come back to that in later post. In this note I have crossed from aid to development and assume that local inhabitants are in the lead of that effort, again, we are functioning in a tech support role.

Once the water systems have been triaged project management skills will be needed to rehabiltate things. *We have touched upon how Walt Whitman Rostow's linear evolutionary development model has echos in maturity models employed by business and engineering communities. *However, for us, things start to get a bit nonlinear for the next portions of solution development. *Using the water system assessment a work breakdown system, which describes tasks, roles, and responsibilities would be developed. *A cost estimate (often close hold) project schedule, statement of work (operations order), specifications, and design are developed in concert with a variety of professions to include maintenance personnel, planners, legal personnel, community members, NGO, IO, and military - aka the CIMIC - something in between the hood of a truck and a facility.

[Surferbeetle]

Anybody have know why the iPod Touch includes asterisks when one copies from the notes function to SWC? The asterisks were not intended in this post or that one.

[Steve the Planner]

Steve:

There are still plenty of little bugs for Macs.Even my Win/Mac w/Parellels gets some things that are fluky. Maybe a patch or update?

Re: Water

All well and good. but reducing contaminant issues for first responders to:

Is the Water in Your Area Safe and Clean Enough?

And a few simplified ideas of what to look for, and a pre-planned and supported protocol (Send samples to your next level for testing, or use this kit to get a green on the stick) would make it happen.

A three pager with illustrations, plain language and explicit simple steps would really create a Eureka moment, and allow the upstream alignment to consistent responses, and plannable, cost-saving, locally sustainable solutions.

Steve

[jmm99]

In regard to the SWC "Experiment" in this thread, attached is a pdf file, with some introduction to terms and many questions, which would have to be addressed to reach longer-range targets. Basically, an edited cut and paste with only a few comments by me.

It might be helpful for internal use in setting directions.

Regards

Mike

[M-A Lagrange]

There's a difference between "humanitarian aid" and "development aid". Humanitarian aid is about keeping people alive in extreme conditions; it's what we're trying to do in Haiti and in parts of Africa. Often in these conditions it's simply not possible to bring development aid into play effectively. Development aid to me is something that has to be carefully applied and used in plces and times where there's an opportunity. Tossing it around loosely ends up with the old paradigm of "poor people in rich countries giving money to rich people in poor countries", which is not what we want to do.

Dayuhan

Concerning that matter, unfortunately: NO.

Too often humanitarian aid is turned into giving poor people money from rich countries to rich people in poor countries at war.
The man who supplied WFP in Goma for years made a good amount of money (with 6 zero). And the local authorities took their part too.
In Chad, the "prefet" received a water tank of 20 000L for his personal use as proof of good will and cooperation from a very well known NGO.
In Lebanon, NGO distributed aid to Palestinian camps which were not even affected by the war. Several important families with strong hands in politic received through their foundations huge bulk of medical aid which they sold instead of distributing it.
In Liberia, WFP food smuggling was organized by the police.

I am thousands of examples. I even bought a refugee cart at my name for 500 US$ once and was registered under my real name into by HCR...

What you point out is just what we have to be careful of.

Steve,

Concerning water:
Have a look on Merlin and Oxfam web sites.
Basically assume that water is NOT DRINKABLE! portable water blazzer (5000, 10 000 L) will do the trick. compte 20 L per person/day.
Chlorine (you know the swimming pool stuff) will do the trick to clean the water and keep it safe. But the water must be kept out of sun light.
Form comities among the population to protect the water points around the water blazzers and explain to the people how to use the tapes.
Train people to chlorinate the blazzer when water is delivered.
There is no water tank trucks? Put a water blazzer 5000 L on a truck 2/3 full maximum (so it wont damage the blazzer when moving). You also have semi hard water blazzers (the bottom is in hard plastic) they are great for such use.
Blazzer must be 1 m higher than distribution point at least. Also build a bed of sand for the blazzer so you do not break it when you refill it.
Put you water point at least 10 m far from the Blazzer.
I highly recommand to NOT USE ROOF to set up water blazzer (1 L water = 1 KG: 5000 L = 5000 KG).
Roofs and buildings are fragile for the momment in Haiti.
Avoid distributing the big 100, 500 L drums. People will fight to get one.
When you install a blazzer, distribute jerricanes to the community around. 1 jerrican of 20 L per family. (if some receive 2... What the ####)
Also what comes with water is hygiene and latrines. In NGO/UN speaking language this is called watsan. UNICEF organise a watsan cluster every day, week, 2 days...(?). People have to participate! This is the main point where info is exchanged! ALL NGO ARE PARTICIPATING: NATIONAL, INTERNATIONAL... So should military acting in watsan! The same for shelter, food distribution, health... (I know, some UN agencies are better than others! But in the case of Haiti, I hope they will move their hass for once!)

All this is standard and in SPHERE.
For all possible activities, always have a look to the SPHERE standards from United Nations.
This is the basic international standards for emergency interventions. What the people have to receive at least to keep their dignity. (And Human dignity is cheap, believe me, even according SPHERE standards.)

When a guy says but who said the people have to have SPHERE standards water: just smach him! He is an idiot!

That's all for my practicle advices.

Mike,

Very usefull your pdf.

M-A