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Peanut butter falls on Kandahar – NGOs after September 11
September 11 was a watershed for Afghanistan. People who had been starving for the better part of a decade would soon experience ritual bombing and destruction. But then long-awaited aid would start to arrive. Some …
Funding civil society in tough places
The prospect of working in a country with a repressive and unsympathetic government shouldn’t put donors off – it is often these places that need assistance the most. The experience of one American donor working …
Beyond Bali – APPC’s developing agenda
When the Governing Council of the Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium (APPC) met the day after the conference in Bali in July, they faced a formidable task: looking at APPC’s future programme directions in the light …
Japanese Government channels ODA to NGOs
Japan is the world’s largest bilateral donor, spending over US$13 billion in Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2000. Despite domestic pressure to reduce ODA owing to the struggling economy, efforts are being made to sustain …
A role in public affairs? Five challenges for Indonesian NGOs
NGOs in Indonesia have become a sizeable and highly dynamic component of Indonesian society, active participants in almost every social endeavour. Unfortunately, they have serious problems with political legitimacy, legal accountability, financial sustainability and professional …
Central role in development for Thai NGOs?
As in many countries, development NGOs in Thailand are regarded with some suspicion by many people. Yet their experiences and values make them ideally suited to take a lead in social development. Current government downsizing …
Channelling resources to CSOs in Southeast Asia
Despite increasing interest in civil society in Southeast Asia, there is still much to be learned about this emerging sector. In particular, comparatively little is known about how civil society organizations (CSOs) are supported, financially …
Charitable giving in Asia more than expected
People throughout Asia do give to charitable causes, and they give a surprisingly substantial amount. The key finding of a recently completed pioneering project on giving and fundraising in Asia refutes the frequently heard argument …
IT creates new power disparities in Mexican human rights network
Information technology (IT) has had a profound effect on the human rights movement in Mexico. For decades, daily human rights violations went largely undetected by the international community. Today, information about abuses is transmitted almost …
Learning from new business models
In the world of business, two companies stand out as representatives of the 20th and 21st centuries. Ford was one of the early innovators, creating the ideas behind mass manufacture and distribution. Cisco, the maker …