Things I’ve learned from my colleagues: cross cultural competencies
I learned most of what I know about interacting across language and culture from the incredibly kind and thoughtful way my host country colleagues have dealt with me. With the exception of the occasional angry or inexperienced person, I’ve been gently managed by people all over the… Read More »
Six things I know about medical training
1. When you train a doctor, it doesn’t trickle down. It stops, right there, with her. That’s why you need to train nurses and the rest of the clinical team. 2. If you teach new skills from a book and don’t include hands-on practice, it won’t stick. People will go right back to the old… Read More »
Training that Sticks
This probably falls into the category of stuff everyone already knows, but it’s so important I wanted to mention it anyway. Training is one of the most common interventions in international aid. It’s where we all start, when we think about problem solving. If the doctors/farmers/parliamentarians/journalists knew how to do their work better, everything… Read More »
Five Essential Readings for People Working in Development
These are not the books that teach you about development. These are the books that crack your head open so you can start (or continue) to learn. 1. Anything by Graham Greene. Doesn’t have to be The Quiet American or Our Man in Havana, honest. The Comedians or The Heart of the Matter will do… Read More »
Drinking Our Own ORS
(This is a reprint of a post I wrote for my Global Health Basics blog, which it turns out I have neither the time nor the technical prowess to maintain.) In social media, they talk about eating your own dog food. In global health, I think the equivalent would be drinking our own Oral Rehydration… Read More »
May 2008 – What’s the difference between relief and development?
Note: August is looking like a crazy and stressful month for me, with no time to blog here. To make sure no one gets bored and abandons me, I am going to re-run some of my favorite posts from the past. May 2008 – What’s the difference between relief and development? The simplest breakdown goes… Read More »
Nutrition and Malnutrition
This one’s for Glenna. There are lots of ways you can prevent or cure malnutrition. They come down to emergency feeding, supplementation, fortification, and changing food behaviors. Here’s a high-speed tour, in order of speed of impact and sexiness to donors. Therapeutic foods come in two forms: powders that are mixed with clean water… Read More »