Category: Development
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Within and Without the State
South Sudan is the world’s youngest country, founded in 2011 in the wake of decades of war. I visited with Oxfam to photograph their programme ‘Within and Without the State’, that supports people in holding their rulers to account without confrontation.NGOs use a lot of buzzwords to describe relationships between people and their governments. But how…
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A complicated story about donkeys and people
Many NGOs develop problematic ‘mission creep’ as they attempt to burrow down and address the causes – rather than just the symptoms – of the problems they were set up to tackle. A case study from the work supported by the Donkey Sanctuary in Romania lays bare the dilemma; sticking to a clear mission can…
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A simple story about donkeys and people
With thanks to Mwende, Beth, Lydia, Jadida & The Donkey Sanctuary Aid policy and interventions can raise very complex issues but in drought ridden Mwingi in NE Kenya the role of donkeys is really very simple. Without donkeys, people and their livestock cannot survive. Donkeys form the vital final link in the distribution of water,…
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Donkeys and ‘resilience’
‘Resilience’ is the latest buzzword in social, environmental and international development circles. Donkeys are known for their physical resilience in the face of drought and abuse by humans but they can also help women’s resilience in poor communities. Tumme Konton, her husband Sisay and their children live in a tiny settlement called Adankonsole, near the…
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Donkeys in Ethiopia
‘A woman without a donkey – is a donkey’ Ethiopian saying There are 6.2 million working donkeys in Ethiopia. When they are fit and healthy they carry water to villages and goods to market. In both rural and urban areas they form the backbone of the local transport and haulage system and provide an income for…