by Victoria Ford

Infrastructure is a big word in the world of international development. A quick Google search will provide any inquiring mind with a multitude of organizations dedicated to promoting sustainable infrastructure projects in the developing world. A brief catalogue search finds academic articles focused on highlighting the necessity of building lasting infrastructure as a means to move a developing nation forward. And yet, though many herald its value, successful infrastructure in international development too often is lacking.

While we’ve blogged about infrastructure in the not so distant past (Dominoes and Domino Effect), I can’t help but continually be reminded of its importance in some very unusual ways to remind me of its value and to bring the idea home. Take the Marshmallow Challenge. Posted online in April 2010, Tom Wujec: Build a tower (check out the video below), offers some fascinating insights he has made while observing a variety of groups attempting to build the largest freestanding structure possible out of 20 pieces of spaghetti, 1 yard of string, 1 yard of tape, and a marshmallow (which has to be placed on top). The real challenge? You are working in groups of four and you have only 18 minutes to complete the task.

Wujec reports that many attack this conundrum by first orienting themselves with the project, then planning their attack – these two stages account for approximately six minutes. Next, the groups build the structure, a process that takes up ten minutes. Finally, there’s the “ta-da” moment – the two minutes within which the groups place their marshmallow on top, begin to celebrate and then watch their tower buckle under the weight.

Wujec goes on to explain that there are certain groups who do exceedingly poorly at this challenge – recent business school graduates – and those who have fantastic results – recent kindergarten graduates.

While Wujec’s brief overview of his observations draw chuckles from the crowd, they led me to take another look at infrastructure.

Too often, infrastructure projects are attacked in a similar manner and with similar results as the business grads and the marshmallow challenge. It’s a process fraught with too many people looking for one right answer, and then becoming frustrated when it doesn’t work. Perhaps what the world needs is a bit more kindergarten logic in it. By that I mean the willingness to dream without restriction, create prototypes, learn from our mistakes and move on quickly when things don’t work out the way we think they should have.

It’s funny how sometimes the most beautiful solutions are the simplest ones quickly thrown aside because they are too, well, simple. Those in charge don’t want to let go of their ideas or admit a mistake, or, dare I say it, defeat. Perhaps, if we reconsidered the world’s problems through the eye’s of a child – eyes not yet tainted by naysayers or conditions, then we could begin to see the possibilities that lay before us.

I’m not belittling the current work being done in the area of infrastructure development. On the contrary, I’m simply trying to breath new life into it. A challenge, a marshmallow challenge, to get us thinking about age-old problems in innovative ways. Because only once we begin to solve the issues of infrastructure around the world are we able to build sustainable development on solid ground.

By Victoria Ford

My six-year-old son recently watched the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake. The only way to make Roald Dahl any more fantastical is to pair his original story with the creative mind of Tim Burton. Without a doubt, this retelling of the story makes one’s mind whir with wonder. What would it be like to win a golden ticket? Maybe it’s a dream trip. Perhaps it’s cashing in a winning lottery ticket. Whatever the scenario, it seems all of us know how we would spend the winnings.

But, there is an aspect of this story that makes me see the characters as players on the world stage. Indulge me for a moment. We are introduced to the characters throughout the story as they win their golden ticket – their chance to go into the locked chocolate factory and meet the reclusive, eccentric and somewhat unsympathetic Willy Wonka. On the world stage, Mr. Wonka represents the G8, those countries with the power and resources to help others, yet who wield their power to serve their own ends.

Next we have Charlie Buckett, the story’s protagonist. Charlie is poor – he lives on cabbage soup in a run down house with his parents and grandparents. While the setting is London, Charlie could be any one of the bottom billion – the poorest of the poor. Yet, Charlie has a characteristic we often overlook on the world stage: resolve and the desire to make his life better. He is truly deserving of the golden ticket.

The other winners are a mix of all that is wrong with our world. Augustus Gloop represents the gluttony of the industrialized world. Veruca Salt holds the key to the good life, and guards it closely and is only driven by greed (remind you of any companies or governments?). Violet Beauregarde is obsessed with being the best – and will not stop at any cost. Finally, we have Mike Teavee, a child who is too smart for his own good, and obsessed with violence and abusing authority.

So here we have a group of unlikely individuals being given the opportunity to go into the most magical of places and the chance to win an extra, special prize, one that is “beyond their wildest expectation”. It’s an amazing opportunity. It makes me wonder how it would play out on the world stage. But then again, it is already, isn’t it?

We have a group of individuals with the ability and countless opportunities, to change the world for the better. They could decide to eradicate world debt. They could even out the world stage. And yet, they don’t . To some it seems insensitive, to others self-serving. Regardless, it’s a fact. In Willy Wonka-fashion, there’s a carrot dangling in the faces of the world, yet it isn’t being given – at least not without any strings attached.

The great thing about this book and film is the ending: Charlie triumphs. It gives us hope that one day the rest of the world’s palyers – the Augustuses, Verucas, Violets, Mikes and Willy Wonkas – will come to their senses and see the drive, ambition and desire of the bottom billion, of the Charlies of our world, and do something to help them help themselves. For me, it’s just another reminder that the world can change. And, as the story is targeted to children, hopefully the lesson is learned.

“Wouldn’t it be cool Mom,” my son commented. “If I was Charlie, I’d share it all. No one would have to be hungry any more.” Who knows, maybe he’ll grow up to take the seat as the next Willy Wonka – and perhaps he’ll initiate the change we need to see happen in the world. Until then, I guess we’re all still holding onto the dream of our golden ticket.

By Victoria Ford

With the news focusing on the one year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake, I’m reminded of a previous blog post about dominoes. In retrospect, David’s words held an ominous premonition in them. In this post, we were called to recall how in a chain of dominoes, it takes only one weak spot – one tippy black and white tile – to wreak havoc on the surrounding area. When the ground trembled on January 12, 2010, we got to see the devastating effects of lacking infrastructure – of poorly placed dominoes.

From Asia to Africa, around our world and back, many individuals lack the bare minimum to make the basic necessities of life accessible. Roads are little more than rutted and pitted mud tracks. Hospitals are where the sick go to die as medicines, sterile environments and even doctors are missing. Houses are shacks, literally built from the refuse of the wealthy.

So, 365 days after the quake, what do we see in Haiti? More of the same. Infrastructure remains lacking. Orphanages and hospitals are bursting at the seams. The refugee tent cities are overrun with infectious disease. But, there is hope. There are things we can do.

We are all agents of change. Each and every one of us has the opportunity to step into the domino chain, to make sure it is firmly rooted – that it will serve it’s surrounding area, rather than impede it. We can step into the midst of the trembling blocks, quell the unrest and work in partnership with others to ensure a sustainable future.

We have a year of post-Haiti-earthquake under our belts. In this year, we’ve been shown, yet again, the important role infrastructure plays in development and capacity building. And, we have been called to act.

So, what are you waiting for? Learn more. Get engaged. Make infrastructure a priority – both in the rebuilding of Haiti and in the development work around the world. Because, without infrastructure, we’re just one domino tip away from another catastrophe.

By Victoria Ford

If you are anything like me you are probably tired of hearing the word “resolution”. In fact, I have a confession to make – given that the only resolution I’ve ever been able to keep is to not make any, I often find myself lying when cornered with the question “And what did you resolve this year?” Instead of being truthful I’ll hear myself utter “Oh, you know, the usual. Eat healthier. Exercise more. Stress less. And you?”

And while I tire easily of resolution talk, resolutions – made, kept, broken or overlooked entirely – can’t help but make me think of the chaos theory. While originally found in mathematics, the chaos theory has continued to find it’s way into other fields of study, and Edward Lorenz’s theory came to be known more commonly as the butterfly effect. In short, this theory suggests that any small change at one place within a complex system can lead to significant effects elsewhere in the same system. In his book Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos, Ian Stewart remarks: “The flapping of a single butterfly’s wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month’s time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn’t happen. Or maybe one that wasn’t going to happen, does.” (p. 141)

What if we all started to view our actions – either resolutions or otherwise – as exactly as what they are: small changes that can affect, either positively or negatively, the complex system in which we live (the world)? Perhaps, if we all began to view the world and our actions within it this way, then we would begin to think and act not for our own benefit – but for the benefit of others, both directly and indirectly.

We can no longer argue that we are islands. That each of us stands alone and is independent. In fact, we know the opposite to be the truth: We are all connected and interconnected in a multitude of ways. Don’t believe me, check out this example of the chaos theory in action.

The Lorenz Butterfly

More than just a beautiful pattern. Look at the ripples of the initial pinpoints. Each one of us is one pinpoint in the grand scheme of things – and while we may argue that our actions can’t add up to anything, think of the possibilities of a butterfly flapping her wings.

And so, I’m going to break my resolution of not making any resolutions in order to make this decree: I resolve to start being intentional about how I flap my wings, and to consider how each of my actions or inactions will effect those around me, both today and in the future. And I challenge each of you to do the same thing.

It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly.
- Thoreau

A friend of mine recently sent me a YouTube video that highlights Bill Maher’s Christmas Message. I’m not a huge fan of his work, but I have to say it’s one of the most interesting and honest things I’ve ever seen him do. At times I find him crass and a little too cynical, recall Religuous. His sanctimony is only outdone by his pretension, condescending tone, and echoes of fundamentalism. Oh sure, it’s of another sort and ilk, but he’s a child of the enlightenment all the way. But in his recent Christmas Message, as I’m sure many will agree, he’s hit the nail right on the head and the ball right out of the park.

There may be things that will bother you about this clip. It might get you a little angry, and that’s frankly what I think he was hoping for, and it’s what I’m hoping for as well.

Maher says he finds the TV news clip and Oprah montage deeply disturbing.

I agree that giving is what Christmas is about, that generosity is great, but I find it hard to imagine getting so excited over a collection of things. We need to stop confusing the idea of generosity with overabundance, hyper consumerism and the resulting greed. I’d have to say that my personal fave in the Oprah montage was the presentation of the mac and cheese. I think Maher’s point here is clearly and without a doubt deserving of a standing ovation.

Greed has never been good. What is it about possessions? Things. Plastic. Metal. Wood. Not so fashionable Dollar Store throwaways. Perhaps through possession we misplace our greatest possession. In some way maybe we lose a sense of self worth and existential ownership. Are we free to choose responsibly? What is the ROI on the Magic Bullet or any shiny new, dead thing? It’s fun to buy and spend money, but perspective can bring so much clarity if we can see the forest and also those pesky little problematic trees.

Some might find it a little cynical and some will find it a little crass, but if it gives us an opportunity to think and reflect about why we do what we do now and throughout the year, then Merry Christmas.

And for those of you with a little more interest in global issues have a look at this video by Hans Gosling. It’s making the cyber rounds. It’s sobering. It’s thoughtful. It’s reflective. And worth seeing a second time – 200 countries, 200 years, 4 minutes.

Have a safe and memorable holiday.

Recently, a small group of us from Oakville met at a Church early morning to load bright red and green shoe boxes onto a rented truck. 2003 of them in total. Not bad for this community. Shoe boxes with no shoes. It was a short time of lifting and packing spent in support of a Samaritan’s Purse initiative called Operation Christmas Child - OCC.

The project began in October of 1990, when Dave and Jill Cooke of Wrexham, Wales, watched a television broadcast about Romanian orphanages. The Cooke’s wanted to do something to help the children living in the orphanages. A convoy of nine trucks was filled with medical supplies, food, clothing, and Christmas gifts. The trucks were driven into Romania marking the small beginnings of what is now the world’s largest children’s Christmas program.

In 1993, Samaritan’s Purse, adopted Operation Christmas Child as a project. They first delivered gift-filled shoe boxes to children in war-torn Bosnia and since then more than 77 million shoe box gifts have brought a message of hope, joy, and love to children in over 130 countries. Last season, 640,569 shoe boxes were collected in Canada and distributed to children in more than 15 countries.”

That’s a lot of shoes without a home. It’s great to be a part of something bigger. 130 countries and 77 million boxes. Amazing.

My family – my wife, Elizabeth, and children Spencer and Victoria – came along. And we all pitched in. There were a couple of women who were leading the charge and who were responsible for the labelling, logistics and planning of the collection and move. They did an amazing job. A little here and a lot more over there.

I can’t say it was a fun day, but we all left feeling good, satisfied and fulfilled. It was a different kind of family fun really. Spencer and Victoria ended up playing in the Church gym while we unloaded the truck at the depot in Burlington.

We all played our part in an operation that is massive in tone and scope. It’s based on the idea of giving. Simple generosity. Giving gifts to children.

There are wonderful components to it from both perspectives. Picking out the gifts and receiving them each side has its grace like aspects built in.

Having our children with us was important. Two hours of our Saturday morning together as a family. Helping others. We weren’t at the local hockey arena, but instead we came together and were a part of a different kind of team.

My holiday wish is that each of you is able to find time as a family to give freely this holiday season. Every small act, after all, is a large step towards positive change.

Prison continues, on those who are entrusted to it, a work begun elsewhere, which the whole of society pursues on each individual through innumerable mechanisms of discipline…In its function, the power to punish is not essentially different from that of curing or educating.
- Michel Foucault

A few days ago, on the morning drop off, I watched my son Spencer run into line as the school bell rang. Interrupting some serious pre-school playing, I was amazed at how the sound led the children to drop what they were doing and run for the line-up. They do hop to it.

The Sign Said

Skinner would be proud; Foucault not so much. Lining up single file, the children waited their turns as the teachers allowed them to enter the school. It’s all done in a fairly neat and orderly fashion, and believe me I understand why, but it still makes me a little angry. It’s the ideological implications that bother me. The diligence. The regimentation. The military-like nature of their approach. I understand the difficulties of managing young children. I’m a Father. Elizabeth, my wife, is a primary school teacher, and my brother is a primary school principal.  All of these rules and regulations make sense. But these forms of discipline lead me to wonder if they change the way we think, create, and see the world. I’m left pondering: Do they awaken or deaden our senses?

In one of the photos in this posting you will see my daughter Victoria’s feet. She loves her dress shoes. In this shot she’s wearing her left shoe on her right foot, and the right on her left. It’s not a mistake, but an intentional act on her part. Trust me, we’re not going to let her climb Kilimanjaro with poorly placed footwear, but for the time being I welcome the intentional innocence of doing what she feels like. In some ways this open space allows for so much more. She will be boxed in soon enough and everyone, including my podiatrist, will be telling her to get those shoes on the right feet.

On The Wrong Feet

“Because I said so.” It’s a phrase I have never used with my kids and trust I never will. I’m a philosopher for crying out loud. If I can’t come up with more than that then I need to head back to the Academy. Jacques Ellul wrote of his teaching and mentoring, “I found it extraordinary to transmit something…to awaken a mind.” This is what I hope to do as a parent, the sentiment I hope to instil as a teacher and the legacy I would like to leave as a development worker. Another quote, this one from Aristotle, also springs to mind: “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” I like the way he thought. Ask questions, entertain ideas, but don’t just blindly accept them. It seems to me that little good can come of that. A pathway to mediocrity blind acceptance is. Sure it may be easier, but the road less traveled is still under a great deal of construction it seems to me. No map. No GPS. Just your questions ready in hand not for the sake of argument, but for the sake of clarity and understanding.

School bells will continue to ring. Children will run for the door. I do trust, though, that some of us will continue to break a few rules along the way. It’s liberating. And it can awaken the mind. The Matrix is everywhere said Morpheus. Be vigilant and stay on your guard.

Locked Up

Let’s dig a little deeper, examine our lives and do our best to jump out of the ordered, symmetrical and stultifying four walled box. I know I’m going to do my best to keep Spencer and Victoria out of it for as long as I can.

A Guest Blog by Flavia Barandiaran

Sometimes, it’s the process that’s more important than the end result. I recently participated in a workshop about interpreting and communicating the results of HIV drug trials to a wider audience, and learned much about the drug testing process. Being a grass-roots action kind of girl, and a supporter of health rights in the developing world, I was shocked to find myself agreeing with the pharmaceutical companies’ approach. And this was because of the focus they put on everything other than testing the new drug. Let me explain…

To my surprise, I learned that many of the activities that occur before, during and after the research period were the ones that ended up having a long-term impact, and that most had nothing to do with the effects of the drug being tested. Any medical trial being considered for implementation (after years of lab and safety tests) goes through a rigorous planning process, including conducting extensive needs assessments involving community members and research subjects. Once the participants are selected through informed consent, they begin a long-term relationship with the medical team carrying out the trial. The most important feature of this process is the “standard package of care” all trial participants receive. This is a multi-faceted bundle of back-up: accurate medical record-keeping (including regular HIV testing), nutritional counselling and emotional support (regardless of HIV status), coaching on negotiating condom use with a partner, and referrals to other services. It turns out that this underlying support is so successful, it often improves the health outcomes of participants more than expected, and in many cases, it leads to a ripple effect of positive consequences beyond the individuals in the trial.

Distributing medication was but one small piece of the puzzle; it would only be successful (and scientifically credible) if supported by a host of other actions. It’s a valuable lesson for the health development context in general. Sometimes we forget that it’s not just about giving out medicine, donating capital items, or delivering health messages. A successful development initiative needs to have support on many levels from varied sources, not just from one donor. Stakeholder-driven community involvement, counselling and advice, long-term monitoring and accurate referrals are all as important as finding a cure, whether it be for HIV/AIDS or any other disease affecting vulnerable populations in the global south.

It’s not even a week past World AIDS Day and already it’s become old news. There was a time when AIDS demanded our attention and focus, but it seems that increasingly, it is loosing it’s status as “the” issue to support. At one time, all the stars were standing behind AIDS initiatives, wearing red ribbons and demanding change. Today, however, it’s almost as if the world has grown somewhat complacent.

On Wednesday, SoChange attended a World AIDS Day breakfast in Toronto. We were seated at the back at table 23. There, we met some new people, and bumped into old acquaintances - a reminder of just how small the international development and social justice fields are. We listened to dignitaries, recovering politicians, performance artists and front line workers talk briefly about HIV/AIDS. We celebrated our successes. Then, when the brief speeches were over, the applauses done, we finished our coffees and headed out for our day. That was it. There was no push, no stress on the immediacy and urgency of our need to do something. And this, I fear, is what is letting this virus win.

Table 23

Perhaps it was the presence and sponsorship of big pharma. Perhaps it was the desire to leave people feeling good about their work. Regardless, it wasn’t enough. Sure, we’re doing a lot to help in the battle against this epidemic, but you and I and everyone in that room knows, we can and should be doing a whole lot more.

According to ACT, the number of people living with HIV (including AIDS) in Canada continues to rise, from an estimated 57,000 in 2005 to approximately 65,000 by the end of 2009 (a 14% increase). Lest we forget - it is one of our MDGs - and in a few weeks we’ll be just four years away from our 2015 target. The time to act is still now - otherwise, our silence about this silent virus will win.

It's time to act

“How is this silence anything other than complicity?” Stephen Lewis

An HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence for many in the developed world. We know there are drugs and therapies available to patients to provide them with a life worth living. And, thanks to countless committed people around the world, this is becoming the reality for many HIV patients, regardless of race, ethnicity, or social status.

Today marks World AIDS Day, a day of standing in solidarity with HIV/AIDS positive people around the world, and telling them we have not given up or forgotten about them. That AIDS is still a priority. And, this year, we have cause to celebrate: the number of new infections is down, the number of childhood infections is down, and, the number of AIDS-related deaths is down. We’ve also seen a worldwide increase in access to vital AIDS-related treatments and medications. And while we celebrate, we also need to remember.

We need to remember the global, snail-like response to this epidemic. We need to remember the children who have become orphaned and are raising their own brothers and sisters because the disease has stolen their parents and their childhoods. We have to remember those still living with the disease, who do not have access to affordable medications.

The UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic states: “Since 1999, the year in which it is thought that the epidemic peaked globally, the number of new infections has fallen by 19%. Of the estimated 15 million people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries who need treatment today, 5.2 million have access – translating to fewer AIDS-related deaths. For the estimated 33.3 million people living with HIV after nearly 30 years into a very complex epidemic, the gains are real but still fragile. Future progress will depend heavily on joint efforts of everyone involved in the HIV response.”

Real and fragile gains. Joint effort of all involved. That includes you and me. It includes our government, and the governments around the world. We are all affected by HIV-AIDS. We all have a role to play. So today, take a moment to both celebrate our successes in the battle against HIV-AIDS, and also to remember our losses. And then, consider what you can do to join the global effort.