Music is a great to raise awareness. How often have you woken up with a song stuck in your head? What if the lyrics bouncing through your brain contained relevant information instead of being about breaking up, falling in love, or working for the weekend?
The messages in music are powerful and KRS-One's "Disaster Kit" is no exception; it has a lot of good information and he even manages to make water purification rhyme.
And while listening to this may sound strange, using rap and other genres of music to spread unusual messages is taking root within the development community. USAID has funded programming in the Caribbean that uses music as a way for kids to relate to foreign subject matter and make it relevant to them. (http://blog.usaid.gov/2013/05/how-rap-music-is-saving-lives-in-the-Caribbean/)
However the messages are being spread, the fact that the preparedness message is being spread in such a unique way is great to see.
The below video makes you realize just how difficult it can be to create a song about disaster preparedness sound good.
Showing posts with label USAID. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USAID. Show all posts
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Bigger isn't always better
As part of my history in responding to disasters I've had the good fortune to spend time in Haiti, albeit under difficult circumstances. One of those times followed the January 12, 2010 Earthquake...which is why reading the report issued by the GAO was and continues to be so infuriating.
The Governmental Accountability Office released an interim report on the efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 3 years on...remember to take deep breaths.
The Governmental Accountability Office released an interim report on the efforts of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 3 years on...remember to take deep breaths.
Haiti Reconstruction: USAID Infrastructure Projects Have Had Mixed Results and Face Sustainability Challenges
The Highlights:
- Of the $651 million Congress allocated for Haiti reconstruction to the USAID, only $204 million has been spent three years later. And much of that has gone to questionable use.
- USAID is building a power plant, port, and industrial park all of which the GAO has concluded will not be able to be maintained upon their completion without continued outside support. Not only that but the projects were poorly mapped out and budgeted for and will likely require an additional $120-$190 Million to complete.
- USAID has reduced its permanent housing construction targets in Haiti. USAID initially underestimated the funding needed for its New Settlements housing program. As a result, the agency increased the amount allocated by 65 percent, from $59 million to $97 million, and decreased the projected number of houses to be built by over 80 percent, from 15,000 to 2,649. The estimated number of beneficiaries was reduced from 75,000 to 90,000 to its current estimates of approximately 13,200 to 15,900.
The GAO recommends that Congress consider requiring regular reports from the State Department on USAID’s progress. It also recommended that USAID hire an engineer to oversee construction of the port and suggested the organization put community support programs in place for housing development projects.
Excuse me...I need to go scream.
How is this possible? How was regular reporting and proper fiduciary oversight not part of the agreement in receiving $651 Million dollars?! I realize that implementing programs of this size and scope is not easy, especially in Haiti where nothing goes according to plan, corruption is commonplace, and the government wants things like flush toilets in new houses with no municipal septic system to process the waste produced. Be that as it may, the findings in the report do not paint a happy picture, and I hope for the sake of those still living in tent camps struggling with getting back to life as it was can expect better now that more eyes will be on recovery programming.
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