Smart development

“…Hollywood is so powerful and can change culture…” - Bambadjan Bamba, Hollywood actor and film maker. Celebrity Advocacy Celebrities have long been known for using their star power to influence...

This concluding post of the series on sexual misconduct examines the consequences of the #OxfamScandal, briefly looks at Oxfam’s communication in light of the International Women’s Day, and finally addresses...

Not many people outside the ‘geek’ or financial communities will have heard of blockchain, but this relatively new technology is beginning to stimulate a lot of interest and curiosity among...

The theme for this year's International Women's Day is #PressforProgress.  It is universally accepted by international organisations that poverty alleviation and sustainable economic growth that benefits everyone, cannot be achieved...

“Yuh haffi suck salt thru wooden spoon,” (You have to endure against all odds) were words I heard often in my childhood. Growing up in the Jamaican country side I...

Dos euros con cinquenta, two euros and fifty pennies, says the lady at the counter. It has been a warm day, so the cooled reception area is pleasant indeed. The...

A growing number of people want to travel in a different manner and do something useful. To address the demand, travel agencies have developed a new product: voluntourism—combining tourism activities...

If you are worried about how you will fare in the digital revolution, spare a thought for those who could suffer the most. Advances in technology and artificial intelligence (AI)...

Much has been written about the Oxfam sex abuse scandal in Haiti over the past few weeks, ever since Britain’s The Times newspaper previewed its exclusive story on Twitter the day...

In my previous post from the series, I discussed what measures were in place to combat sexual exploitation and abuse against beneficiaries among UN and NGOs. In theory, there is...

The year was 1988, the venue was Ethiopia and the photographer was Englishman, Derek Hudson. The latter, a world-renowned and acclaimed reportage and portrait photographer, had just captured what would...

On February 21st, The Telegraph, ran a headline "Save the Children boss quit over ‘unsuitable and thoughtless" texts to female staff.” This is the second scandal to hit the development...

Since the disclosure of the #OxfamScandal in Haiti, Oxfam has received 26 new allegations of sexual misconduct. Last Wednesday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF - Doctors Without Borders) revealed that it...

#World Radio Day is celebrated annually on 13 February.  Now in its seventh year, the Unesco designated day serves as a reminder that radio is a powerful tool.  But in the...

  “Development as a field of research and practice provides a language to talk about the relationships between nations and economies, but continues to struggle with understanding the complicated relationships...

Having spent a great deal of my life in the Dutch Caribbean, my early childhood, in the 1980s, was characterised by animated television series crafted by the Hanna-Barbera animation studio....

Allegations of sexual misconduct involving aid workers have rocked the development sector. Will the furore create space for victims of international aid abuses to tell their stories, be heard and...

More of what we read comes from sponsored journalism, particularly in the case of humanitarian news, which can be expensive and time consuming to produce with limited readership and returns....

As the world moved into a new year, I was pleasantly surprised by an instant message at the outset of the month: “Hi Jassir, I would like to invite you...

  “I’m not interested in taking advantage of people’s situations for the sake of a story. I’m interested in showing the dignity, the hope, and the shared humanity of all...