Q&A: Assessment, Reallocation, Food Security, Careers, Bribery

Topics included:

• Needs Assessment
• Reallocation of Aid
• Food Security and HIV/AIDS
• Career Decisions
• Bribes and How to Avoid Them

Thank you very much to everyone who has contributed to the Aid Workers Network so far. We are experimenting with this weekly e-mail bulletin as an exchange of ideas and support amongst field staff in humanitarian relief and development. Please let us know your feedback on the format and the process, as well as your contributed articles and responses to the questions presented this week: exchange@aidworkers.net

Responses to the previous questions are summarised below, and listed in detail at the Aid Workers Forum. Please feel free to continue the exchanges about career decisions, food security and bribery.

Can you offer any insights or pointers to useful information/contacts on the following new topics? Thank you.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Mark Hammersley is compiling some new pages of advice about humanitarian needs assessment. What are your top tips? Do share some lessons that you have learned. What went well in your last assessment mission? What recommendations would you offer to someone planning their first assessment? Are there any aspects of a recent assessment that you would do differently next time? exchange@aidworkers.net

REALLOCATION OF AID

Have you ever changed the targeting of relief supplies during the evolution of an emergency response? For example, a second more accurate needs assessment might have highlighted different vulnerable groups. What if some of the needy people currently receiving assistance are no longer eligible? We would like to hear about your experience of drawing up transparent and accountable guidelines in such circumstances. exchange@aidworkers.net

Responses to previous questions are summarised below:

FOOD SECURITY AND HIV/AIDS

We received some diverse and interesting perspectives on the impact of HIV/AIDS on food aid interventions. Mark Adams and Mdl Narayan characterised the debate about whether people infected / affected by HIV/AIDS should be treated as vulnerable categories. CARE and FEWS have been working on this question in Kenya for some time. Kathryn Lockwood noted that whilst there are recommendations for the special nutritional needs of people with HIV/AIDS, it is unlikely that food aid can handle this. Camille Hart and others provided pointers to recent publications from FANTA and SARA projects. See http://oldforum.aidworkers.net/messages/141/170.html for the full discussion and links to suggested resources.

CAREER DECISIONS

The Emergency Personnel Network (EPN) published the documents relating to their recent conference at www.redr.org/epn. They include a report on field managers' experiences of being recruited, trained and retained by different aid agencies. Have you ever wondered why your job seemed impossible? - well just look at the generic job description for an emergency programme manager. Bioforce compiled this information from actual job adverts, job descriptions and interviews with serving field staff. They stress it does not relate to any specific job. Do tell us what you think:  exchange@aidworkers.net

FEEDBACK ON "BRIBES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM"

http://www.aidworkers.net/exchange/20020806.html

Instead of cigarettes, Linda Poteat prefers to offer condoms as "gifts" to grumpy soldiers at checkpoints. Betty Muragori argues against the excuse that bribery is part of "local culture". Even where there is an obligation for upwardly mobile people to share their success, there is no justification for using public resources to "uplift" one's relatives. Terry Clayton notes that donors do not allow budget lines for bribes. Any monies paid will have to be accounted for creatively, thereby further drawing people into the culture of corruption and loss of transparency. You can join the discussion online at  http://oldforum.aidworkers.net/messages/258/245.html

Aid Workers Exchange 15-AUG-02 ISSN 1478-5137