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Local voices heard in Zimbabwe
At a second community near Gwanda the loudspeakers, carefully placed on a wheelbarrow delivered messages about the local governance of the recently installed water pump. The language was Sotho, so my...
View ArticleLoos and luck
I really need the loo. I’ve been at my desk for well over three hours and so far have filled my body with two cups of tea, one cup of coffee and a fair amount of water too. But I have the misfortune of...
View ArticleZimbabwe Blessings
I’ve just come across an old note book in which I scrawled interview notes when I visited Zimbabwe. Its two years ago now but I recall each conversation so well. I’ve just written another blog that...
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Podcasts for Poverty
We travelled for a day and a half to reach Ntepe – a ward in Gwanda district, south western Zimababwe. A crowd of 50 – mainly women greeted us beneath the spreading arms of a huge, but dead, tree....
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ICT outreach in Zimbabwe
The Ministry of ICT in Zimbabwe have three digital programmes. They want to encourage e-government (improving their own webistes etc.), e-learning (equipping schools) and they are interested in setting...
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Local solutions to local problems
Gwanda community meeting The Secretary General of the FAO came to Harare today. According to the papers his most important message was that Zimbabwe should be seeking local solutions to local problems....
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Bad news from Zimbabwe
A new report published today suggests that up to 1.6 million people in Zimbabwe will require food aid next year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/aug/01/zimbabwe-food-shortages-aid...
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Water problems know no gender
During a recent conversation with Reckson Matengarufu, one of our Project Officers working on water and sanitation projects in the Gwanda District, I was amazed with the way the community has been...
View ArticleIt’s all in the name……or is it?
Some years ago Practical Action was called Intermediate Development Technology Group – am I pleased we changed it! Moving from ITDG wasn’t a universally popular decision but calling ourselves Practical...
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Building relationships – the key to improved services
For the residents of Sakubva in Mutare, living with heaps of uncollected waste at illegal dumping points had become the norm. These sites had become a health time bomb, exposing the residents to...
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Meeting Godfrey Dongaronga
Last week Practical Action and ZERO hosted a workshop in Harare on the UN’s Sustainable Energy For All initiative. I had some reservations about spending three sunny days in a conference room but my...
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Things that make you go ‘grrrr’
I have now been in Zimbabwe for a week, most of which has been a whirlwind of hectic activity, helping a local journalist cover our work for the Guardian Christmas appeal. The trip hasn’t been easy....
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Shit Matters
I’m looking forward to listening to BBC Radio 4s Costing the Earth – A toilet for the 21st Century. It reminded me that every day, several times (I hope) each one of us goes to the loo. We in the rich...
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Why the Daily Mail’s petition is wrong and we are all in this together
Wherever you live in the world, having your home or land flooded can be utterly devastating. The victims of the floods in the UK deserve our help but the Daily Mail is wrong to target the UK’s...
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Save our soil
Last week I went to a talk at my local history society by a local (Warwickshire) farmer, Graham Robson who recently retired after 80 years in the business. Both his film and the subsequent discussions...
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Making real change in Oliver’s life
He can hardly read or write in English. He only did a few years in primary school as his parents could not afford paying the ‘exorbitant’ school fees. He estimates his age at 31 years though not sure...
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How to get a Christmas appeal with a national newspaper (and is it worth the...
The run up to last Christmas was the most exciting and exhausting time for me as a media officer at Practical Action. We had been chosen by The Guardian to be one of four charities to benefit from its...
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Living below the line
In less than two weeks I start living below the line for 5 days, spending £5 or less on food and drink. I made this commitment to Practical Action a couple of months ago not long after taking over as...
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Working with the community – the reality
After more than ten years working at Practical Action and always describing our projects as ‘working with the community’, today I discovered for myself what this means in reality. I am visiting...
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Building a future with energy
It is hard not to be inspired by the enthusiasm of the people of Himalaya for their project. They are able to see neighbouring Chipendeke from their homes and the lights in that valley spurred them on...
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