Part of designing an impactful program is learning from other past and present programs’ experiences. There is a wealth of knowledge about “development” that makes up the archives of “development” implementations and theories. The typical ways organizations learn about “development” are by reading about a program in a report or hearing about a program from …
Since the mid-twentieth-century, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental organizations have been active in development projects throughout the underdeveloped world. Most of these interventions have been high-budget, top-down approaches devised in office buildings in major world cities with very little collaboration – and typically only symbolic collaboration – with nationals in the countries in which they …
In February 2013, Nuru International held interviews with applicants from all over Ethiopia who were interested in working in the new Nuru Ethiopia Agriculture Program. The task was to find high-capacity agriculture experts who also held a strong commitment to servant leadership and the eradication of extreme poverty. The group of applicants that walked through …
In February 2013, Nuru International’s project in Ethiopia transitioned into the early phases of field implementation. In this update, I introduce Douglas La Rose, Nuru International’s Agriculture Program Facilitator for Ethiopia. Before I do so, I want to review where we’ve come from and where we’re at currently. Nuru International started working in Kuria, Kenya …
We are off to a great start for Nuru Ethiopia here in Gamo Highlands. The team has been on the ground with me now for three weeks, and I can already tell that this is going to be a really cohesive and effective team. During this first phase of the project, we will focus on …
On 24 February 2013, a new chapter in Nuru’s mission began: Nuru started a second country project in Ethiopia. This expansion is the culmination of years of work and is a crucial step in the Nuru model reaching proof of concept—which is our precursor to scaling the organization to more and more countries. The importance …
2013 is a busy year for our Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team at Nuru International. We are launching an M&E component into Ethiopia and we’ll be collecting impact data for our Agriculture, CED, Healthcare and Education programs in Kenya. In Ethiopia, Kristin Lindell is one of our newest Fellows and has joined us to help …
In the Nuru International Agriculture Program, I often find myself planning and anticipating what’s to come: the next few years, the next season, the next activity in the field, or the next month’s outlook for rain. Nuru International’s Agriculture Program is growing, with a robust program under Nuru Kenya and a nascent program under Nuru …
*For an explanation of Nuru’s Proof of Concept, see below. I’m very excited about the launch of our new country project in Ethiopia. I just spent the last three months in Arba Minch, Ethiopia laying the foundation for the project – developing required administrative infrastructure, building a solid logistics and support base, conducting early M&E …
Wow…I forgot how hard this is. The last five weeks have pretty much been a blur since I hit the ground in Boreda, Ethiopia to launch Nuru’s new country project here. It is an exhilarating adventure, but the challenges can be a bit overwhelming at times. I have had several people ask me, “What in …
I heard the news of the death of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Meles Zenawi while I was working in the Nuru Kenya office in Kuria. The news ended two months of speculation about the fate of Ethiopia’s leader. As many of Ethiopia’s fellow citizens, I am shocked by the untimely death of Meles Zenawi. My heart …
However informative training is, it always leaves me (and I think all my Nuru colleagues) feeling like we sure do have a lot of work to do. I am down in Southern California after three days up in the Bay Area where I attended a training session organized by Lindsay Cope and attended by a …