CARE Failing Forward

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CARE staff and other guests around the world talk about experiences we learn from failure, ways to create safe space to talk about failure, and how we use that to get better at our work.

Emily Janoch


    • Nov 12, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • every other week NEW EPISODES
    • 20m AVG DURATION
    • 124 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from CARE Failing Forward

    Beyond Money

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2024 19:31


    "If you've already built an elevator to the first floor, why not take it all the way to the top?" Vidhya Sriram talks about the journey of savings groups (also called VSLAs) at CARE, and what it took to think not just about scale, but also about the biggest benefits to women. VSLAs do build savings and income, but they can also do so much more. She talks about understanding what women themselves aspire to, not what we aspire for her. She also talks how savings groups can be a platform for women to build economies, change the support women get from the people around them, and thinking about building not just savings, but also equality that benefits the whole community. Check out the report here.

    Nothing to Lose: Garment Factories in Alexandria

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2024 33:07


    What happens when you don't see the results you hoped for in your project? If you're Dr. Nahla Abdel-Tawab from Population Council, you publish your results, learn from them, and try again. Some of the biggest barriers they faced were: assuming that private sector health solutions were the answer, asking workers the wrong questions about what they needed, and not understanding the context that garment factory workers in Egypt deal with when trying to access health care. Great examples of learning, admitting that it didn't work, and finding a better way to get results. You can see more about the project here.

    Thrive

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2024 22:37


    What does it take for people and the planet to thrive? We have to show up. C.D. Glin, President, PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Social Impact, PepsiCo. After decades in social impact, government, and philanthropy, C.D. talks about some of his earliest lessons as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the new South Africa, and the inspiration of Nelson Mandela's quote, “I never lose. I either win or learn.” Appreciative inquiry, meeting people where they are, and knowing you don't have all the answers or some of the key lessons.

    Failing By Default

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2024 31:28


    What happens if we stick with business as usual? We fail by default. C.D. Glin, President, PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Social Impact, PepsiCo, Inc talks about food systems are failing women, and what companies can do to correct for that. Thinking with a whole of company approach, beyond just philanthropy, is critical. Companies have to use their profits, their products, their procurement, their people, and their markets if we're going to achieve #zerohunger. He talks about how COVID-19 was a wake up call to the visceral challenges in the global food system—like climate change and inequality—and how to turn a moment into momentum. He also talks about how projects like She Feeds the World can help address these challenges.

    What the market wants

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2024 23:22


    Tahira Nizari and Barnabas Mtelevu talk about what it took to overcome the challenges in the tea sector in Tanzania, and how assuming that smallholder women farmers could immediately join a global supply chain demanded new partnerships and new plans. How do you grow from an individual farmer to a business? Don't assume it will happen automatically. Just because you're a businesses doesn't mean it will work. On the other hand, you can't assume a development project is set up to meet market needs. A demonstration factory, joint ownership with women farmers, and getting global investment were part of the key in shifting to a more business mindset in the partnership between CARE and Kazi Yetu. It led to a 17% increase in tea prices and an 83% ROI. Learn more about how they did it here.

    Why is your gender analysis disappointing?

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2024 31:56


    You've commissioned an analysis to understand the dynamics for women and young people to build a better program, and the results are disappointing. They're too general, too high-level, too obvious. They're accurate, but not useful. What went wrong? Well--you're not alone. MOST of the implementers in the Gender and Youth Activity have the same experience--gender analyses are often disappointing because we do them wrong. What's the solution? Get more focused, have managers involved in the whole process, and get the team involved in learning, instead of hoping that a consultant can do the learning for you. Great learning from Hope Schaitkin, Michelle Lemeur, and Savannah Smith from the Gender and Youth Activity. There are more resources here about what you should do next.: Step-by-step: A Roadmap to Gender and Youth Integration in Food Security and Resilience Programs GAYA Event Report – May 2023 Stakeholder Consultation

    Scary Conversations

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2024 31:14


    What happens when your consultation processes go off the rails? Lauren Beriont from The Emgergence Collective talks about how a lot of our feedback and co-creation processes face three major problems: 1) They assume a trust that does not exist between different stakeholders 2) They are centering the wrong actor--the donor or the most powerful group in the process--instead of focusing on the impact the world needs to see. 3) They are looking to validate a plan that is already in place (but maybe not on paper yet), not create a new plan How do we fix that? Have scary conversations. Talk about what's not working, what assumptions people holding, and tackle real power dynamics. Look at what impact donors expect, vs. the kind of impact people are actually seeing happen.

    What's in a Logo?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2024 25:02


    What's in a logo, and why does localization need to include participant-led logo design? Zinat Ara Afroze and Sairana Ahsan explore the logo competition to have frontline service providers design a logo for their own services. What did they learn? Only 9 people out of a potential 450 participated in the competition the first time around, and understanding why not, and what level of understanding it takes to draw a logo that sums up your job showcased how much more shared understanding there was to build. Zinat's recommendation for what you should do? Practice adaptive management and CLA. Check out their case study here.

    Learning from Humiliation, Shame, and Failure

    Play Episode Listen Later May 16, 2024 25:56


    Inspired by his recent blog post on From Poverty to Power, Duncan Green reflects on why it's important to learn from failure, and some of his own failure stories. "Think before you jump", and "be a reflectivist as well as an activist" are some of his key pieces of advice to people working in the sector. He's got stories about playing chess from the management bunker, evidence-based humility, and How Change Happens, the second edition paperback and Open Access that's coming out starting from August 16. Want to hear more stories from Duncan and the change makers he works with? Listen to his podcast: GELI Stories podcasts

    A Fearless Climate

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2024 28:02


    "I wish I had known that my biggest source of learning would be my field colleagues. ...I believed in textbooks." Dr. Muhammad Musa reflects on 41 years of work in international development. His two biggest lessons are: learn from your frontline staff, and tell stories with impact. Some lessons he learned in the decades are to build a fearless climate--a climate of trust, where staff at all levels can learn from failure, and can take time to reflect. He also notes that moving from a project to a movement--one that changes a system--is the best way to create change. Technical solutions are not the only (or even the best) way to get the job done.

    Transforming Lives Amidst Growing Security Challenges in Mali

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2024 13:03


    The Feed the Future Mali Sugu Yiriwa operates in the Delta Zone of Mali, aiming to strengthen the resilience of farming and business communities through market-driven, inclusive, nutrition-sensitive, and agriculture-driven economic growth. However, the complex nature of Mali's political situation poses significant challenges to program implementation and participant outreach. In this episode of the Failing Forward Podcast, Laurore Antoine, Chief of Party for Sugu Yiriwa, shares valuable insights into how adaptive leadership, collaboration with local grassroots organizations, and strategic use of digital solutions, among other adaptive management approaches, have been instrumental in achieving program goals and positively impacting lives in Mali.

    Have I Solved the Problem: why innovation labs fail

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2024 13:00


    Christabell Makokha talks about always anchoring innovation to the success metric: have I solved the problem? Instead of focusing on the process, focus on the problem, and whether or not people's lives are getting better. She reflects on why innovation labs fail (inspired by this article from ICTworks). What's going wrong? We define innovation as "the next new thing" rather than leveraging creative problem solving. We struggle to find the balance between stand-alone innovation work and innovation integrated with existing programming We measure the wrong things--too much process measurement, and not enough problem-solving. Our risk appetite is too low, and our timelines are too short.  

    Moving from publication to action

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2024 33:58


    You've done the desk literature reviews, collected and conducted field studies, crafted and deployed surveys, analyzed the data, written up the results, and released your study findings. Is it having any real influence or impact? How do you know? Laura Kim and Michelle LeMeur of the Canopy Lab wrestled with these questions when they attempted to trace uptake by stakeholders of their studies on COVID-19 and the international development workforce: https://www.marketlinks.org/blogs/beyond-downloads-views-and-likes-how-do-you-know-your-research-having-impact

    Start at the roots: how to turn around failure

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2024 14:41


    Titukulane's progress was achieved by addressing the failures it faced in the years leading up to 2023. When the program was first implemented, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world, making it extremely difficult to implement field-level activities. However, Titukulane was able to turn around its failures by starting from the roots and addressing every aspect of the program. They focused on team building and cross-functional teamwork, built the capacity of the M&E teams, made field engagement a regular task for everyone involved, and engaged participants in multiple activities to diversify their income while keeping sustainability in mind. This was no small feat. Listen to Daniel Abbott, the Chief of Party of Titukulane, as he speaks about how closely he worked with the team to address every detail and achieve where Titukulane stands today.

    Notes from a Failure Summit

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2024 23:57


    Maria Alemu and Gregory Makabila talk about the Ifaa project's Failure Summit, and what it took to create a culture where failure spurred reflection, learning and action. Lessons from Saint Yared, a learning from failure roadmap, pre-mortem exercises, and the 5 Whys of Failure were all key tools that helped the team learn, adapt, and improve. Check out their reflections, what they would do differently, and the diverse range of tools that helped the team embrace failing forward. Ifaa is a USAID-funded RFSA project that CRS leads in Ethiopia.

    A Magical Example of Adolescent Girls Leading

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2024 31:00


    It's not easy or obvious to not only work with adolescent girls in crisis settings, but also to let them lead. But it is possible. AMAL currently operates in Syria, Nigeria, and Somalia, addressing the unique vulnerabilities of adolescent girls in crisis settings, such as early marriages and adolescent pregnancy. The program includes components like a Young Mother's Club, Community Dialogues, and a health provider curriculum to improve sexual and reproductive health service uptake and enhance participants' life skills. Our guest speaker, Pari Chowdhary, highlights the importance of relationship investments, continuous quality improvement mechanisms, and including adolescent girls in program design and evaluation. The final hope is for the program to be owned and run locally by the adolescent mothers themselves.

    There was no blueprint: trying to make COVID-19 vaccines fast and fair

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2023 39:58


    Katharine Nasielski, Pari Chowdhary, and Brittany Dernberger talk about Fast and Fair-- CARE's work trying to get COVID-19 vaccines out to the world to meet the global deadline for 80% vaccination rates by September 2022. Advocating for funding and policy change, running programs to support vaccine delivery around the world, and trying to measure global to local impact are all places where we've learned a lot about what we need to do next time. Because like it or not, we need to prepare for a next time. Consistent investments in innovative, nimble, and adaptable are our best shot for future pandemic preparedness.

    Too Many Trainings

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2023 27:51


    If you looked at a problem and thought, "the answer is more capacity building and more guidelines" Florence Santos says you might need to think again. Based on her experience leading Monitoring and Evaluation at CARE, she's seen a proliferation of tools and resources that aren't really solving the underlying solution. If it's the recommendation you would always have made under any circumstances, you're probably not looking carefully enough at the solution. Florence reflects on how she would get to a solution with fewer tools and trainings, and more systematic follow through.

    Reimagining IMAGINE

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2023 22:19


    CARE implemented the Inspiring Married Adolescent Girls to Imagine New Empowered Futures (IMAGINE) project to design & test interventions aimed at delaying the timing of first birth among married adolescents in Niger (Zinder region) and Bangladesh (Kurigram district) between 2016 and 2022. Rachael Goba explains how the IMAGINE journey went on married adolescent girls envisioning, valuing and pursuing alternative life trajectories. For example, after 22 months of implementation, contraceptive use in Niger was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the control group; and higher for those who have had a birth compared to those who have not.

    The New Usual: Supporting Frontline Healthworkers as a goal, not a tool

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2023 24:37


    Frontline health workers play a critical role in delivering health services globally, especially to the hardest to reach populations. Despite their importance to health systems and universal health coverage goals, this majority female workforce faces diverse and ongoing barriers affecting their working conditions and capacity.   Pari Chowdhary talks about how at CARE, we aim to bring support and work with and for FLHWs to achieve healthy outcomes across our programming countries, but also, we aim to bridge key gaps like equipping and training FLHWs.

    Connecting Learning to Decisions

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2023 28:29


    This time on the other side of the mic, Emily Janoch talks about what it takes to truly move from learning to changing the choices we make, and the hard commitment to "do it differently, not just next time, but every time after that." We all need to be accountable to impact. How do we remove the idea that we are the heroes of the story in development, and how do we acknowledge our own privileges, let them go, and learn to deploy them for others instead of ourselves. Christabell Makhokha hosts, asks great questions, and helps hold a space for vulnerability.

    Cozy with the context

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 21, 2023 29:05


    Monalisa Salib wants you to get cozy with the context. If your theory of change is full of assumptions and logical statements that could easily be true anywhere in the world, it's probably not going to work. Only by understanding the context where we operate and respecting the actors and the expertise in that context will real change happen. That means knowing the specific players, actors, and dynamics where change gets done. Another tip she has for you: people matter more than process, and technical solutions will never be enough.

    It is possible: Savings groups in emergencies

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2023 23:35


    Natacha Brice--who runs CARE's work on Village Savings and Lending Associations in Emergencies (VSLAiE)--wants you to know two things about doing group savings in crisis settings: 1) It is possible, and it will have big impacts; 2) it's going to take a lot of hard work to do it right. You can build capital in crisis, which changes how we think about both our long term programming and our emergency response. There's a lot we've learned on the journey. Thanks to Beja Turner for hosting!

    Getting Rigor Right

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 24, 2023 33:03


    Why do we spend so much time and money on gathering data we never use? Why can't we always find the data we need to make good decisions? Christina Synowiec from Results for Development talks about Getting Rigor Right, and article she co-authored on deciding how rigorous data needs to be based on the decision you are trying to make. Sometimes you need quick, indicative data. Sometimes you need people's voices. (Often you need both). You always need data, but only sometimes do you need the most rigorous data to make a good decision.

    Balancing Risk and Agility: The benefits and challenges of 78 years of organizational expertise

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2023 25:22


    In our 100th episode, Michelle Nunn talks about lessons learned since she last joined the podcast with Fourth Quarter Failure, including navigating challenges we never predicted--like COVID-19 and the conflict in Ukraine. Some of her reflections include that we have to lean more into local leadership and networks with humility, we have to lighten our systems, and we have to create a space where everyone can be a change agent. Building new tools to listen to the women we work with faster and more completely, balancing risk, and becoming agile are some of the thoughts at the top of her mind.

    Reigniting Empowerment: Redesigning staff diversity training to prevent harm

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2023 27:17


    Aqsa Khan and Diana Wu talk about the journey to re-imagine and redesign CARE's Reflections on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (REDI) training after getting feedback that the previous version was harming staff with marginalized identities. Even with the best intentions, diversity trainings can do more harm than good. So we had to redesign ours. Change only happens when you commit to doing the work. Staff have to reflect, to change, and commit to grow. Some of the other key lessons they shared: senior leadership commitment is critical, we need to focus more on accountability, not just awareness, and budgets and resources are crucial to getting things done. This is work none of us do alone. We had a lot to learn from people who are doing this work. Here are some of the key resources CARE drew inspiration from for the REDI training. AORTA, Continuum of becoming a transformative anti-oppression organization. We Don't Want to be Stars Vo Vo Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective/ Mia Mingus – Accountability Lab Community Accountability Videos from Barnard

    Avoiding Hothouse Flowers

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 5, 2023 34:10


    Joshua Muskin from Geneva Global talks about the incentives and biases that cause programmers to design "hothouse flowers"--projects that will only work inside the special resource and attention environment of a startup and a pilot. To get to scale, you need to think beyond the hothouse, to what will work under the hardest conditions, not the easiest ones. Who scales, what resources they have, and what their goals and incentives are contribute so much more to scale than having an elegant solution from the outside. "Be more trust based" is just one of Joshua's tips on how to succeed in creating something that could scale.

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    Telling the Truth in Love

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2023 22:51


    Rachel Wolff talks about the journey to cede power to local organizations, and continuing to push to center people in the most marginalized communities as the leaders, responders, and decision makers in their own lives. We need to put more power and more voice for impact into our partners, and be accountable for impact. Rachel talks about Nepal's Humanitarian Partnerships Platform, and how much faster partners are at stepping into the lead. Mutual respect, being flexible, and telling the truth in love so we can all get better are powerful tools. And speaking of power--remember when you have it, and step back to leave room for others.

    Don't Feed the Zombies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2023 29:29


    Kevin Starr talks about his article "Don't Feed the Zombies" and how if we focus on measuring reach, instead of caring about impact, we end up doing harm in the world. His vision is a world where you can't get taken seriously if you can't talk about real, measurable change in the lives of people we serve, and the evidence to back it up. "The minute you commit to impact, and a definition thereof, you're starting to be part of the solution." What's a definition of impact? Evidence of change that happened in someone's life, and a plausible description about how your part in that change worked. If we (especially donors) are not accountable for impact, they end up supporting groups that aren't accountable to the people they serve, and are not driving for the full potential of what we can get done in the world. Here are some other links to check out: Making Ourselves Accountable Strategy: Go Big or Go... Oh, Just Go Big The Seven Commandments of Funding The Lazy Funders Guide to High-Yield Philanthropy

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    Life Happens: Balancing Rigor and Lived Truth

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2023 26:50


    Anne Sprinkel talks about trying to implement, translate, and apply learnings from a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) in the middle of a pandemic. "Communities are not laboratories, and they deserve so much more." She talks about how to combine qualitative data and triangulate different perspectives in an RCT, and all of the learning around it. "Simply taking one person at their word...that is truth." Anne first joined the podcast in 2019, talking about Square Pegs and Round Holes and fitting research to community needs. Nearly four years later, she's talking about what their RCT told them, social norms findings, and balancing people's lived truth with "rigorous" research findings.

    From $2 to $20: getting more impact for the dollar in international development

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2023 25:19


    Mark Muckerheide talks about what it would take to close the gap that international development aims to work on. Right now, Mark's team estimates that many programs get $2 for every dollar they put in. To truly close the gap, it needs to be $20 per dollar in. So how do we get 10 times better? Focus on putting "money in her pockets" and think about measuring efficiency by the benefits to women who make less than $4 per day. That means we need to think about the bigger system, and fixing the market failures that prevent women from participating fully.

    Why Resilience Beats Sustainability

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2023 20:06


    Sustainability fails because it assumes progress is a straight line, and things will always be getting better. Gloria Steele talks about why our thinking about how COVID, climate change, and conflict show us that we need resilience, the ability of people and systems to bounce back. Sustainability is continuing to do what others define as progress. Resilience is being able to choose the path that works for you. What's an example of resilience? Refusing to allow gender norms to define who has capacity, and what capacities they have. Another tip she has is "we are only as good as we are able to learn."

    Stop Analyzing and Act

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2023 26:33


    Crystal Simeoni, the Director of NAWI Collective, shares tips for decolonizing, deconstructing, bravery, and joy in development. International development gets so much wrong, but there are ways to be better. Some of Crystal's tips include: align your operations with your values, give up power, center care, and just get it done. You know what you need to do; stop analyzing and act. A few other key pieces of advice: "slow it way down," "pull your head up from your laptop," and "the narrative of capacity is a lie." Crystal helps think about redefining success, and who gets to build the future. And if she could wave a magic wand, Crystal would have a feminist audit firm take charge of operations.

    Perception is Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2023 30:09


    When you're leading a change to have more equity in your staffing practices, people who hold privilege will feel that they are losing power, no matter what the data says. You also don't usually get to such a profound organizational change unless you REALLY have a problem. Listen to Esther Watts talk about how CARE Ethiopia had to change it's policies and practices so the staff was no longer 26% women--the worst equity rate of any office in the CARE federation, and what they had to do to get there. Diversity makes a difference, and you have to have a lot of courage to get there. Esther's advice? "go go go. Stand by the courage of your convictions."

    Sit in the Failure

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 20, 2022 14:01


    We learn more when we have to sit in a failure than we do when we succeed. Listen to Sarah Eckhoff talk about what happened when we offered and opt out to CARE's Gender Marker. It showed us a lot about commitments to the process, data overload, and when reporting is optional. It also changed our approach to supporting teams in the gender marker process.

    Get Over It: Learning from Failure 2022

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2022 17:14


    "If failure is uncomfortable, get over it." Rebecca Rosetti and Tara Ross talk about CARE's 2022 Learning from Failure, and how their background in laboratory sciences helped them learn early that failure is inevitable. "Failure is just data." They talk about what CARE sees as big gaps this year--partnerships and sustainability--and how we can now see that projects are improving over time. Gender and M&E have been two big areas of improvement since we started.

    The Data Belongs to Them

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2022 20:06


    In part 2 of her podcast, Kalkidan Yihun talks about how to make sure that data transforms into action--and especially that women and girls who contribute data get that data back in ways they can use themselves. Instead of extractive processes that feed into a black box that communities never see, think about how to format and share data so women can act. Who needs to see it? Who will take action? What ways make sharing that data safe for people who provided it? Kal coordinates the Women Respond project, and offers tips and lessons about what doesn't work (and does) in putting women's voices first.

    We should not be a burden

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 9, 2022 12:43


    Kalkidan Yihun talks about how to redesign data collection so it centers what people--especially women--want and need, instead of being a burden on their time and lives because of what's easiest for the data collectors and researchers. Kal coordinates the Women Respond project, and offers tips and lessons about what doesn't work (and does) in putting women's voices first.

    Always Have a Plan B: How to Assess Risk within Partnerships

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 2, 2022 10:26


    What do you do when your pursuit of a necessary program partner falls through? Don't waste time on pushing a failed strategy, and don't be afraid to move on. How do you guarantee commitment from partners early on? Assess interest from partners to ensure equal buy-in on both sides.  Naureen Chaudhry identifies two challenges and the resulting lessons experienced by the CARE Pakistan team while working with female entrepreneurs through the CARE Ignite Program.

    Know Your Partners

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2022 6:54


    Tran Thi Minh Nguyet discusses her experience with working to increase access to finance for local micro and small women-led businesses in Vietnam through the CARE Ignite program. Partnerships with microfinance institutions can prove to be very difficult in these contexts. How to work against experiencing potential failures with these partners? Build in flexibility in financial product development that allows for pivots in the face of issues. Additionally, have a deep understanding of your partner from the start and develop output based contracts with potential partners to prevent failures during product rollout.

    What we think we know: why cash didn't work without addressing GBV

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2022 22:37


    Cash transfers designed to help women re-enter markets after COVID-19 lockdowns lifted worked really well, AFTER we added programming to address GBV. Partway through the project, gender dialogues showed that women were facing so much violence that even cash was not enough to get back into the market. So the project re-designed their work to include social norms and addressing GBV, and helped more than 1,400 vendors get back on track. Media Matyanga talks about what the team learned, how they learned it, and what they did next.

    La conversación difícil e incómoda (en español)

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2022 35:52


    Como trabajadores humanitarios/as la conversación difícil e incómoda es muchas veces necesaria, si de verdad queremos tratar a fondo temas como el antirracismo, la descolonización y la igualdad de género.     Resumen: Considerando temas mencionados entre los diferentes podcasts anteriores y en vísperas de la Vision 2030 decidimos realizar nuestro primer podcast en Castellano con el fin de hablar sobre temas como lo son la aceptación de los errores, el antirracismo, la descolonización y feminismo. Y cómo crear espacios de reflexión dentro de los diversos equipos que promuevan el reconocimiento de los errores, la deconstrucción y análisis sobre interseccionalidad es crucial para llevar nuestro trabajo humanitario... a un nivel más humanitario. ------------------------------------------------ English: Title: As humanitarians, the difficult and uncomfortable conversation is often necessary, if we really want to deal in depth with issues such as anti-racism, decolonization, and gender equality.   Summary: Considering the topics mentioned in the different previous podcasts and on the eve of Vision 2030 we decided to make our first podcast in Spanish in order to talk about issues such as the acceptance of mistakes, anti-racism, decolonization, and feminism. And how creating spaces for reflection within the various teams that promote the recognition of mistakes, deconstruction, and analysis on intersectionality is crucial to take our humanitarian work... to a more humanitarian level.

    Myths about Flexibility

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 6, 2022 34:40


    Rojan Bolling and Hannah Itcovitz talk about their paper on how to design flexible programs that work for fragile settings. Along the way, they discovered 4 myths that everyone believes work, but that really don't. Flexibility can make a huge difference--especially in complex contexts--and that makes it even more important that we do it well. The idea of flexibility in institutions and relations, not just in operations, and getting beyond a 15% budget benchmark are two of their key insights.

    Innovation is not enough: Gender, Technology, and Water in Kenya

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2022 27:12


    Solar water pumps were a great business opportunity for women in northern Kenya--so great that as soon as businesses were profitable, men took over and shut women out of both the business, and sometimes access to water. Dorothy Aseyo from CARE Kenya talks about what she learned about how to pick technologies, pick partners, and make sure that when your goal is women having successful businesses, you don't set up systems for failure. Keeping track of who leads and adapting quickly are some of her key lessons

    The Chance To Choose Something Different: Crypto, Cash, and Refugees

    Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2022 28:13


    Monica Tobar and Ronald Picso talk about their experience working with cryptocurrency instead of cash to support refugees and host communities in Ecuador. Some key lessons? Just do it--don't spend all of your time trying to get everything perfect. Get lots of feedback--participants will tell you what's not working. Build more supply--get many vendors up to speed on crypto so people have choices about where to shop. Plan for training--it takes time to learn a new technology, especially in a crisis. Plan lots of time to support people in using and adopting a new tool, it won't happen overnight.

    Don't Be Afraid to Stop When It's Not Working

    Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2022 26:27


    We talk about sustainability all the time, and commit to guaranteeing it in almost every development program. But is it really working? CARE launched a series of post-project studies to find out what lasts and what doesn't after a project closes. Caitlin Shannon and Maria Tobin talk about what they learned doesn't work. A few tips they saw across all 9 research studies: No matter how good it is, training alone is not enough for sustained impact. If you can't figure out how people will get paid in the long term, it probably won't last. You have to design differently. Participants who will have to live with systems in the long term should be at the heart of decisions about sustainability. There are lots of things that worked too. Check out all of the studies to learn more.

    Reflection and Risk: Lessons from Girl-Led Activism

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 24:34


    "You have to believe that girls have the power. You don't empower the girl; you have to see the power in her." Suniti Neogy from CARE and Jayanthi Pushkaran talk about lessons from girl-led activism in the Tipping Point project, adapting a model from EMpower in India to Bangladesh and Nepal. What would they do differently now? Have girls lead more! It's very difficult for adults to let go of control, but girls can lead themselves. Ask them the questions; don't tell them the answers. Help girls think through risks and what activism means for them, and how we can be their allies. In needs cultivation, coordination, and commitment. Thanks to Colleen Farrell for hosting the interview!

    More listening: Taking feedback to create and use more effective standards

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2022 8:06


    Madj Sawan from Ihsan for Relief and Development Organization, Fe Kagahastian from CashCap's Syria response, Ola Batta from the Shafak Organization, and Reem Khamis from UNFPA describe their experience from the Cash and GBV working group. Why was 9 years into the crisis the right time to get started? How do we overcome the failure that most cash responses aren't focusing on survivors of GBV? They shared the process that helped them get to a better set of standard procedures, and what we have to do to make them real in the way we do programs. This podcast is produced in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission and with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

    It's not a choice: Connecting Cash and GBV

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2022 5:56


    Fe Kagahastian from CashCap's Syria response and Reem Khamis from UNFPA talk about the importance of getting Cash practitioners and experts in supporting GBV survivors. Doing it wrong sets off all kinds of alarm bells, because if we do it wrong, we can hurt the people we're trying to support. We need to speak “not necessarily the same language, but at least an understandable language.” This podcast is produced in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission and with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

    Move faster: Finding ways to support GBV Survivors with Cash Services (English)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 11, 2022 14:41


    Madj Sawan from Ihsan for Relief and Development Organization and Ola Batta from the Shafak Organization talk about the challenges they see while working on cash responses to protect women and girls and support survivors of Gender​-based Violence​ in Syria. Some of their recommendations are to speed up the cash process so survivors can get services fast, to make sure there is a referral system in place, and to prioritize survivors and take action to support them. This podcast is produced in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission and with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). This is a translation of the original Arabic podcast here: https://careinternational.podbean.com/e/move-faster-finding-ways-to-support-gbv-survivors-with-cash-services/

    Move faster: Finding ways to support GBV Survivors with Cash Services (Arabic)

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 9, 2022 17:37


    ARABIC Podcast. Madj Sawan from Ihsan for Relief and Development Organization and Ola Batta from the Shafak Organization talk about the challenges they see while working on cash responses to protect women and girls and support survivors of Gender​-based Violence​ in Syria. Some of their recommendations are to speed up the cash process so survivors can get services fast, to make sure there is a referral system in place, and to prioritize survivors and take action to support them. This podcast is produced in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission and with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). Stay tuned for the English version of this podcast, coming soon.  

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