Comments on: Innovative Approaches to Grantmaking in Africa http://blog.tides.org/2010/02/26/innovative-approaches-to-grantmaking-in-africa/ Written by and for people interested in infrastructure for social change Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:05:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Pamela Hawley http://blog.tides.org/2010/02/26/innovative-approaches-to-grantmaking-in-africa/comment-page-1/#comment-385 Pamela Hawley Mon, 22 Mar 2010 20:48:13 +0000 http://blog.tides.org/?p=728#comment-385 Thank you for this piece on sending aid to Africa. I love hearing about innovative approaches. As I see it, the challenge is to get the right kind of aid to the right people. It's definitely so important to remember that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to aid. Some populations of poverty need direct aid to simply eat. Others can eat, but need direct investment, and donations, to attain an education and solid healthcare. On the next level, many can receive microfinance investments to start a business. Furthering the process, a person formerly in steep poverty can attain solid job training and employment opportunities. Which then leads to the developing a middle class: A Middle Class that can care about voting, health, education and being a participatory citizen caring not only about survival, but also contributing to the growth and positive development of their community. We need it all: direct aid, for profit investment and philanthropy — invested at different times, and different ways, across different life times, before we can get out of the woods of poverty. As we work to achieve this, we have to make sure aid is going to the most effective organizations. This is a major focus of UniversalGiving, as we vet all our partner NGOs through our rigorous Quality Model™ before their projects can appear on our site. As you describe, we need aid to go to the people who are poised to make a difference, and who are as efficient and effective as possible. Thank you for this article--it's inspiring to see the work Tides is doing! Sincerely, Pamela Hawley Founder and CEO UniversalGiving™ phawley@universalgiving.org www.universalgiving.org Living and Giving blog www.pamelahawley.wordpress.com Thank you for this piece on sending aid to Africa. I love hearing about innovative approaches. As I see it, the challenge is to get the right kind of aid to the right people.

It's definitely so important to remember that there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to aid. Some populations of poverty need direct aid to simply eat. Others can eat, but need direct investment, and donations, to attain an education and solid healthcare. On the next level, many can receive microfinance investments to start a business. Furthering the process, a person formerly in steep poverty can attain solid job training and employment opportunities. Which then leads to the developing a middle class: A Middle Class that can care about voting, health, education and being a participatory citizen caring not only about survival, but also contributing to the growth and positive development of their community.

We need it all: direct aid, for profit investment and philanthropy — invested at different times, and different ways, across different life times, before we can get out of the woods of poverty.

As we work to achieve this, we have to make sure aid is going to the most effective organizations. This is a major focus of UniversalGiving, as we vet all our partner NGOs through our rigorous Quality Model™ before their projects can appear on our site. As you describe, we need aid to go to the people who are poised to make a difference, and who are as efficient and effective as possible.

Thank you for this article--it's inspiring to see the work Tides is doing!

Sincerely,
Pamela Hawley
Founder and CEO
UniversalGiving™

phawley@universalgiving.org
http://www.universalgiving.org

Living and Giving blog
http://www.pamelahawley.wordpress.com

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