“Author Archive”
Stories written by Tom MurphyI started the blog "A view from the cave" to record the year I spent in Kenya (2009). While most of my time was spent sharing my daily thoughts and experiences, I often wrote about various issues such as development, aid and healthcare reform. I have decided to continue this as a way to educate both myself and others when it comes to good and responsible aid. I might throw in a few things that are not entirely related, but I get to do that because I can.
I am not an expert in anything being that I am only 25. Everything that I say is purely my opinion and not that of my employer or anyone else unless noted. Please comment and correct anything that I may have said that is wrong. I feel that discussion is the best avenue of discourse. This is a way for myself to learn as well, so I am looking to continue through this.
Contact me at murph AT aviewfromthecave.com
By Tom Murphy
Food aid reforms came under the spotlight last month when the Obama Administration announced its Fiscal Year 2014 budget.The changes are important to humanitarian response. Oxfam America estimates that reforms to food aid procurement laws could speed up crisis response by 14 weeks and reach an additional 17.1 million people. For a crisis like the 2010 drought in the Horn of Africa, that improved response time could have saved thousands of lives. “The current approach to food aid can become, at times, an impediment to its very own mission,” said USAID Administrator Raj Shah.Humanitarian groups were mostly supportive in response and contractors were unhappy that changes would affect their business.
May 22nd, 2013 | Posted in Aid,Aid & Development | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
Journalist Roger Thurow presents at the recent TEDxChange out in Seattle. He describes the moment when he realized the importance of the issue of hunger. He goes on to discuss ways that hunger is being addressed. You can listen to Tom Paulson chat with Roger after the event here.
May 10th, 2013 | Posted in Aid & Development,Malnutrition,Noncommunicable Disease | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
Yup, UNICEF Sweden is telling its supporters to skip the like and make a donation. in that image and in this video. It is that simple. The push for direct giving and against overheads seems to be picking up steam.
April 24th, 2013 | Posted in Aid,Aid & Development,Featured Videos | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
British Red Cross chief executive Sir Nick Young tells the Guardian that the international response to Syria falls well short. The criticisms of the international response to Syria have been warranted: it has been belated and it has been too little. While we have launched an appeal for Syria, progress has been slow, and we undoubtedly need much more aid and support. Our experience there has confirmed that building capacity must begin before disaster or conflict strikes. It has also confirmed that the Red Cross needs to work much harder at getting our role – as a neutral and impartial actor – fully understood not only among governments and their armies, but among the opposition
April 21st, 2013 | Posted in Aid & Development | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
Howard G. Buffett is pushing the international community to fully restore aid to Rwanda. When a UN Group of Experts (GoE) report found that Rwanda was supporting rebels fighting a deadly conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a number of countries including the U.S. and Britain cut or suspended foreign aid in protest. Rwandan President Paul Kagame steadfastly denied supporting the Congo militias that have been wreaking havoc along the Rwanda-Congo border, but the evidence was strong enough to convince even some of Kagame’s biggest supporters that the Western powers needed to send a message of disapproval.
April 13th, 2013 | Posted in Aid | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
A Center for Research and Policy in the Public Interest report finds maternal mortality is up 30% in New York City over the past decade. The greatest burden falls upon black women with a rate of 79 deaths for every 100,000 live births. Alanna Shaikh put that number into context: Black women in NYC have a higher maternal mortality rate than West Bank or Gaza gothamist.com/2013/04/08/mat… and cia.gov/library/public… — Alanna Shaikh (@alanna_shaikh) April 10, 2013 If black women in NYC were a country, they would fall in the midst of this group of countries (ignore North Korea as it almost certainly grossly under-reports):
April 10th, 2013 | Posted in Hub Selects,Women & Children | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
It’s déjà vu all over again! One global health leader says extreme poverty can be ended by 2030 while another group warns of declining funding. Yes, you have already read about this. Last time it was Bono telling TED that the end of extreme poverty is in sight while the UN Development Programme played spoiler with a report pointing to significant development obstacles. This time it is the World Bank and it’s President Jim Kim who declared yesterday that extreme poverty can come to an end by 2030
April 3rd, 2013 | Posted in Aid,Aid & Development | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
A meeting of the major middle-income countries in South Africa garnered plenty of attention, but produced little in terms of actual policies. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) account for over 40% of the world’s population, 1/4 of the world’s GDP and are responsible for 55% of the global economic growth since 2009. The BRICS have raced onward in the face of the financial downturn and are poised to take a larger share of the global economy in the coming years. What will this mean for development, for the global push to reduce poverty, inequity and the so-called north-south imbalance of power.
April 1st, 2013 | Posted in Aid & Development,Hub Selects | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
The UN continues to deny responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti. It also now claims it is immune from compensating Haitian cholera victims.UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon told Haiti’s President Michael Martelly that the UN is both unwilling and not required to compensate the victims.The United Nations advised the claimants’ representatives that the claims are not receivable pursuant to Section 29 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations,” spokesperson Martin Nesirky told reporters in New York.Evidence that the outbreak came from Nepalese UN peacekeepers is overwhelming, but the UN has yet to claim responsibility. A lawsuit brought against the UN by the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) in November 2011 called for a national water and sanitation system, compensation to the victims and a public apology from the UN to the victims.Reactions to the announcement were swift. “It is disgraceful that the UN will not even consider compensating the thousands of families who have lost their children, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters due to the UN’s wrongdoing,” said lead counsel of the lawsuit against the UN Mario Joseph, Av.
February 25th, 2013 | Posted in Aid & Development | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
The UN has the responsibility to lead the anti-cholera effort in Haiti, says PIH policy adviser Louise Ivers in the New York Times. She calls on the UN to finance the upcoming vaccination plan that will be unveiled on February 27th by Haiti’s ministry of health and looks to the $648 million peacekeeping budget as a source of significant financing. On Thursday, the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, rejected a legal claim for compensation filed in 2011 on behalf of cholera victims in Haiti. Through a spokesperson, Mr. Ban said the claims, brought by a nongovernmental organization, were “not receivable” because of the United Nations’ diplomatic immunity.
February 23rd, 2013 | Posted in Aid & Development,Infectious Disease,Vaccinations | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
By Mike Miesen The clarion call of “Trade Not Aid!” is a catchy slogan but a false choice, one that provides more heat than light and undesirably narrows the set of options available to development. It attacks a straw man from the past and doesn’t contend with the latest in development theory and practice, which is, often, “Trade And Aid.” Andrew Rugasira, founder of Good African Coffee*, is out with a new book, A Good African Story, and was recently profiled in The Guardian. In the article – and on the company’s website – his philosophy is clear: “We passionately believe that Trade is the only viable strategy for Africa’s economic and social development.” His is a compelling story to tell. An obviously charismatic and intelligent Ugandan creates a multinational coffee company from nothing, all the while preaching the gospel of self-reliance and home-grown solutions to home-grown problems.
February 22nd, 2013 | Posted in Aid,Aid & Development | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
The well-intended but perhaps off-target campaign by Oxfam to spread good news about Africa now has drawn a critical look from the LA Times.But the real action is in the comments section. The early responses repeat the somewhat tired – and offensive – old refrain that aid is wasted money because Africans are incapable and bound to mess things up. These comments show we still need a lot more discussion about how people view the African continent and its residents.Yes, that’s offensive.But why does such ignorance and apathy persist?Maybe it’s because conversations about poverty alleviation campaigns have been framed in a way that creates misunderstanding, stereotypes and hopelessness. Critics of these depictions are concerned that they perpetuate the idea that Africa is in deep trouble and needs the help of the West if it is to just barely survive.
February 5th, 2013 | Posted in Aid,Aid & Development,Hub Selects,Human Rights | Read More »
By Tom Murphy
The fantastic Tumblr/Instagram Everyday Africa founded by photographer Peter DiCampo is at the helm of the New Yorker Instagram feed this week. If you are not already aware of Everyday Africa, then immediately click through to their Tumblr page and follow them on Instagram.
February 1st, 2013 | Posted in misc | Read More »
