A note from Tess - the donation process

Something which I have personally found to be an extremely challenging and exciting area to navigate is how best to use donation money coming through the Charitable Trust thanks to all you generous souls out there. In recent years, the ability of foreign aid to achieve it’s goals of development have been called into question. If improperly managed, donations carry the risk (despite best intentions) of creating a culture of dependency – corroding the sense of self-governance of the communities we are trying to support. Misuse of donor funds through poor management, a misguided ‘west knows best’ mentality and/or corruption have caused widespread problems across the continent, the list of which is far too exhaustive to get into here.

Donations need to be smart. Recipient projects need to be carefully planned and directed by local communities, with a long-term framework. The easiest way we can waste precious donations is to focus funds on the immediate (and generally highly visible) symptoms of poverty. This is a very typical western response to exposure to genuine poverty – cash handouts. Under this paradigm however, in five years time the money will be gone and communities will be in the exact same position as where we first found them. The spending of donation money in support of people stuck in poverty traps needs to be carefully targeted, of good value and they must be sustainable. That is, deliver development benefits far beyond the one – off payment, which put communities on the road to self sustainability and not needing donors. When donations positively encourage development instead of fostering dependence, they work.

Wrking with GVI has been a hugely encouraging experience in terms of my faith in the donation process. A heavy and dedicated staff presence in the field who work long-term with local partners is a key factor in what makes it work. At times it can be tricky balancing desires of donors with the long term requirements and wishes of our partners, but we are making it work. An independent, focused and (importantly) transparent body – The Charitable Trust – provides the mechanism by which donations are ensured to be spent appropriately (any time we request funds we need to justify what we are spending it on). The CT keeps all parties accountable, ensuring every shilling (excuse my ‘Kenyan’) makes it to the intended project. Thanks Ross Deans!! And thank you to each and every one of our donors throughout 2009 and 2010. We would not be where we are now without you!

In terms of Mombasa then, what is our “big picture”? What is the end point that both partners (Olives and Precious) ultimately aim to be at? In the short-term (1-3 years) we want to see income generating projects established for both children’s centres. A greenhouse at Precious Vision has been funded by former volunteers (Catherine Tye, Catherine Noble and Gavin Noble tghrough the West Parish Church Fraserburgh and an amateur dramatic society called Fraserburgh Junior Arts Society). The idea is to grow fruit and vegetables intensively and sell surplus produce for profit. A one-off donation payment on infrasturture will (fingers crossed) bring in a modest wage for the school into the future. At ORC, we are still in the planning stage with staff there, but fish farming is a possibility for an income generating project.

Madame Jane tending to the crops. Importantly, Madame Jane and the Precious Vision team were involved in all stages of the planning of the greenhouse.

Long-term however (4-10 years) the schools desperately want to purchase land to release them from monthly pressures of rent payments and difficulties with landlords taking advantage of them knowing full well that funds do not exist to defend themselves leagally. That saved rent money can be used to invest in students and teachers, to give them a shot at a dignified life which doesn’t involved the term “donations”. I’m putting a challenge out there: we need around 60,000 GBP per school and we all know the money is out there. Who’s up for the challenge? Let’s do this.

- Tess Doogue

A note from Tess - the donation process