From the category archives:

Ethiopia

Yesterday I Totally Microwaved a Lecture

January 29, 2010

The inventors of the microwave thought their device would be used for cooking whole meals from scratch. It never really was, but users found out that it reheated food pretty well, saving the appliance from the graveyard of failed inventions.
Yesterday, rendered immobile by back pain, I Skyped in to listen to a 3 hour lecture [...]

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6 Great Development Blogs

January 18, 2010

No longer living in Ethiopia or Senegal, I’m not as tuned into the workings of on-the-ground development. Thankfully we have some good folks who keep us in the loop and help us learn more. Here are my favorites.
Blood and Milk. Alanna Shaikh writes all over the place, but her own Blood and Milk blog is [...]

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Phone Power

January 3, 2010

A powerful, reoccuring theme for me recently recently has been the growing importance of mobile technology. This is as profound a shift in many parts of the developing world as it is in the richer nations. Mobile adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa is ocurring at staggering rates. The International Telecommunications Union puts out a report each [...]

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‘We need to educate them on…’

December 1, 2009

I’ve heard this used more than a few times.
I’ve heard it in development: ‘We just need to educate them on the benefits of clean water, then they’ll buy our pumps.’ ‘If only they’d understand how immunizations can help them be healthier, they’ll come in and get them.’
I’ve heard it in marketing: ‘We have a killer [...]

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Relative Emergencies

November 18, 2009

What is an emergency? This question came to mind the other day when a friend posted about fuel shortages in Ethiopia. Mark has been trying to get to work and home, but there seems to be a regional shortage of fuel (benzine).

“There’s a crisis right now in Ziway. Well, wait a sec. There are [...]

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Like New Approaches to Old Problems? Two Ways to Engage.

November 11, 2009

Morning/Afternoon/Evening folks,
Here are two great ways to get engaged with communities of changemakers, change angents, social entrepreneurs, unreasonable people (pick any term that works for you), particularly if you’re in the UK.
First, Emerge, a student social entrepreneurship conference happening at Oxford on November 29th:
Over 300 students will gather for the main event - a day [...]

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More Love for Kiva and Awareness for Pneumonia

November 2, 2009

Good news in the kicking ass against poverty front today: Kiva has surpased 100 million dollars in funding for entrepreneurs around the world after less than 4 years of operation. 100 million dollars lent to people, by people. I love it.
While we’re talking about Kiva, it’s worth mentioning their recent response to criticism that they [...]

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Shot of the Day: Wisdom

October 29, 2009

The first Cashewman Shot of the Day not taken by me: this beauty by either Ashley or Manpreet (a point of debate!). One thing is for sure: this shot trumps almost all of my Ethiopia photography. Everything about it is perfect: from the donkey’s pose, to the red background, to the framing, which leaves the [...]

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A Better Bednet Approach

October 26, 2009

It’s easy and often justified to be critical of aid and development. I do it. Others do it. But sometimes it helps to remind ourselves that it can work well. Take this example, of a market generation project to set up a mosquito net industry in seven countries (via Alanna Shaikh).
“In a decade-long initiative to [...]

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Shot of the Day: Asegadech

October 10, 2009

I’ve always loved this shot of Asegadech. Ethiopia, 2009.
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Check out more:  Ethiopia - Shots of the Day
       

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