The Road to the Horizon

[i-cable with rope]

Here is something you might enjoy: a list of "100 books for humanitarians" worth browsing through. Fiction, fact and some reference material.

Happy reading!

[i-Bike blur]

I finally had the time to clean up the link lists on the sidebar. I checked if the sites were still active, and updated. I also added a whole queue of new sites.
When browsing through the blogs, I realize what talent people expose in writing, pictures, drawings. I feel fortunate to be in such good company!

Here are my latest finds:

1. For the "aid resources"-section:
   
   • CIMA: To be honest with you, I have no clue why I added this to the "aidworker resources", but it looked like the right thing to do. Is a bit American, though.
   • Praecipio International: Some interesting stuff on early warnings around public health, especially in a humanitarian context. Is a bit American, though. 
   • Aid Transparency: No aidworker can resist a site with a title like that. 
   • AidWatch: Nothing to do with Bill Easterly, but call it the watchful eye on Aussie aid. Is a bit Aussie, though.
2. New aidworkers with a blog: 
• Innovation with Farmers: Wayne in Ghana
• On My Way Suvojit, also in Ghana.
• Penelope MC (Canada): from the Niapele Project
3. Some cool expat blogs:
• Sketches of Africa (Kenya/Uganda): comes with some surprises. Read this Audio Archaeology post
• Stood in the Masaai Mara(Kenya): I have been following this blog for the longest time (used to be "Stoodinthecongo". Great pics and hilarious lines.
• Roving Bandit (Sudan): An economist's blog with a twist 
• Nick Wadhams (Kenya): a reporter based in Nairobi gives his view on things.
• Uncornered Market (World): a journal of world travellers. Has some great photography, and simple videos.
• Scarlett Lion: used to be Ugandan Scarlett Lion. An inspiration when I started blogging 3 years ago.

[i-Zimbabwe classroom]
Here are the interesting links I harvested last week:

• Not earth shattering articles, but an easy "doctor's waiting lounge" read: Tonic is a news site with a twist. They define themselves as "The place where good lives - good news, good style, and good deeds.."
  
• Now here is something earth shocking: A governmental emergency response goes web2.0: "Emergency 2.0 Australia" uses social media and GIS to improve location enabled information sharing between emergency management agencies and the affected community. The latter means you. Have a look. I love it. "Data goes Public, or Data Power to the People".
  
• You want an example? Check out Firemash: Web 2.0 in action to spot and disseminate information on Australian bush fires.
  
• Food crisis and the global land grab is a great resource for one of the issue we highlighted on The Road before: the neo-colonialism of buying, leasing, bribing, grabbing land in developing countries for food or biofuel production. One of the great dangers for the food production particularly in Africa. A great resource, and very well done site.
  
• If pictures are your thing, then you definitively have to check out Gary Chapman's site and his blog. Gary does a lot of work for NGOs and nonprofits. The picture atop this post is one of Gary's: Kids in Zimbabwe taking notes with chalk on the floor, due to lack of benches, note pads or pencils.
  
• The Northstar Alliance is an excellent public-private partnership initiative working establishing a network of roadside health clinics at major truck stops and border crossings in Africa, India and Asia. Worth a browse!

[i-oranges on tree]
Here are the interesting links I harvested last week:

• Last fall, Google.org's Project 10^100 called for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible. Thousands of people from more than 170 countries submitted more than 150,000 ideas. Now is your time to help selecting the best.
  
• 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis--the solutions that science and justice demand.
  
• Vittana is a microfinance site, like Kiva, bringing student loans to the developing world through the power of person-to-person micro-lending. The difference is that Vittana borrowers are students who are in need of capital to finance their education. After the student finishes school and finds work, they pay the lenders back.
  
• Peace X Peace is connects women across cultures for friendship, support, and action for peace.
  
• Daily Good is a community blog delivering an inspiring quote, a related good-news story, and a simple action. "Good" does not have to be "big".

[i-Shattered Lives]
The interesting links I harvested this week:

• MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Belgium launched Shattered Lives, an advocacy campaing concentrating on sexual violence affecting the lives of women, men and children.
  
• If you are interested in political and social justice reporting Mother Jones might be your thing.
  
• Sean Gallagher is a photographer we have featured before on The Road. His blog has interesting videos and pictures from his travels in China and North Korea, and side notes of his travels.
  
• I have not figured out Duckrabbit's blog fully, but I *do* know it has loads of advocacy and media projects related to development and humanitarian issues. Definitively worth a bookmark.
  
• On the homepage of ApeSphere, I read: "The place of business in society needs to change. Profits can no longer come before people or planet." Hear Hear!
  
• The Real 100 is a mix between business with ethics, ethics with business, noble thoughts, inspiration and values. I did not make that very clear, did I?
  Try this then: It contains articles based on a list of organisations and companies that inspire. Got that? Now go and get inspired, will you? Have a look.
  

[i-sun behind the clouds]
It has been a while since I published my "Picks" or "Links" of the week, so time to catch up:

• Project Diaspora is all about empowering Africa by Africans. Read their moving pledge.
  
• WikiGender is a Wiki aimed at exchanging and improving the knowledge on gender-related issues around the world.
  
• On a lighter note: Africa goes webcam with this Kilimanjaro webcam.

[i-links]

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• A blog about strange maps and nothing but strange maps.
  
• Where do you rank on the World's Richest List"? Find out on GlobalRichList. They put it nicely into perspective too.
  
• A great news site that lets you filter the news by subject: Topix.
  
• Talking about news: did you know you can browse through the list of lists of online newspapers, magazines and Ezines via Google/Top/News?
  
• United Prosperity is announced to be up soon, claiming to be the world's first person to person loan guaranteeing website. An alternative to Kiva?
  
• Giving in a Digital World is an interesting blog with ideas and news related to all forms of digital fundraising and non-profit marketing.
  
• This project is just one of many creativity projects featured on the Behance website.
  
• And last but least, Pifworld is a new website providing an easy way to find projects that you really care about. From hunger relief projects to wildlife protection. From HIV awareness to building a school.
  

[i-park between the lines]

Am at home, in bed with a sore back. I have some time to browse the web a bit. If you have five minutes, here are my picks of the week (eh.. day..):

• What are the odds?
  British and French nuclear subs collide in Atlantic (Full).
  Maybe a confusion about the priority rules. Who goes first at crossroads? The one coming from the left or the one from the right?
  
  
• What are the odds? - Part 2
  A Russian and US satellite collide in space (Full).
  Now what would be the "rules of the road" in space, hey?
  
  
• Jean does it again.
  Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe is "a mad dictator" who has lost all sense of reality, according to Jean Ziegler, a UN human rights expert (Full).
  I hope that was not part of his opening speech in a new round of negotiations!
  
  
• Not too embarrassing
  A man walked into the EU parliament building in Brussels. And robs the resident bank (Full).
  He must have been desperate. At the rate the Europeans have been bailing out their banks, who would come to the bank at the EU parliament?
  
  
• The only difference between men and boys
  Combat Outpost, a video from the Afghan frontline (Full)
  It makes me think of the times when we were kids and we were playing 'cowboys and indians'. Sad really.
  
  
• Stephanie in Zambia.
  From Kala is the newest edition to my list of aid workers blogs (check out the full list in the side column). Stephanie just started her assignment in a Zambian refugee camp. It is always fascinating to read how others experience their first aid work assignment.
  
  
• Oh, and..
  In between aaallll the fabulous sites I manage, you might have a stroll through The Signs Along The Road, my random Internet clips. I picked up some nice cool pictures along the way.

[i-a view at the sea]

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• Third Sector is a new discovery. A UK on-line publication for everyone who needs to know what’s going on in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector.
  
• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a nonprofit organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development problems, and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors around the world.
  
• Marginal Revolution goes under the banner "Small steps toward a much better world". It is witty, it is informative, and fun to read.
  
• AidWatch is a new blog keeping a critical eye on the efficiency of aid.-- Added to the list of "Aid Resources" in the side column.
  
• For the nerds amongst you: drop.io allows you to share any file, for free. I use it to share .pdf files.
  
• Wokai is a new startup microfinancing platform where you can fund entrepreneurs in China. An alternative to Kiva?
  
• Africa Can End Poverty is the blog of Shanta Devarajan, the Chief Economist of the Africa Region at the World Bank. Sounds very formal, but his blog is not. Recommended!!

DoodleBuzz screenshot[i-DoodleBuzz screenshot]

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• DoSomething.org believes you have the power to make a difference. They want to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of doers: people who see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done, and then take action. DoSomething.org lists plenty of projects you can contribute to.
  
  
• FeedANeed.org is social media giant Reddit's exploit matching volunteers with non-for-profit organisations in need of volunteering time. Instead of asking for monetary donations, they ask people to donate a few hours of their skills & energy. So if you are a programmer, designer, artist, lawyer, geology professor, bacon cooker, or anyone else with a few hours to spend for a good cause participate in this year's Feed a Need charity drive.
  
  
• OnlineVolunteering is the online brokerage by the UN Volunteers. They feature a massive database of specific volunteering jobs anywhere in the world, from online to onsite, from a few hours per month to a few months per year. I did several online volunteering jobs through them.
  
  
• If you are interested in volunteering work abroad, then also check NaBuur: an online volunteering platform linking Neighbours with Villages (local communities) in Africa, Asia and Latin America. I integrated this site into my post "So You Want To Be An Aidworker, hey?".
  
  
• WikiSky is a wiki for astronomy bluffs. Remember that 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy
  
  
• Then there is this site which encourages you to send your shoes to Bush "to show what you think of the war mongering administration."
  
  
• One Million Acts of Green is a social network with the ambitious goal of getting people to take 1,000,000 acts to make the world a greener planet.
  
  
• And last but not least... Have you tried reading the news using DoodleBuzz (see picture above)? Go to their site, click on 'Open DoodleBuzz', in the new window, type in a News search item. And then draw a line by click-dragging anywhere on the screen. Along that line, a number of articles will pop up.
  Click and drag on any of the articles, and a summary will appear at the end of the line. With a number of new search items. Click and drag on those, and a new set of articles will appear... Each time you see an article summary, clicking on it, opens up the original news source... This should keep you entertained for a while.

deep space[i-deep space]
Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• Boston.com shows some of the amazing pictures from the Hubble telescope. Like the one above: the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: Astronomers pointed Hubble at a tiny, relatively empty part of our sky (only a few stars from the Milky Way visible), and created an exposure nearly 12 days long over a four-month period. They found thousands of galaxies ranging from 1 to 13 billion light-years away from Earth. Each galaxy is a home to billions of stars.
  
  
• The Enough Project is helping to build a permanent constituency to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity.
  
  
• AndFunForAll features many bitter-sweet random pictures collected from here, there and everywhere.
  
  
• The HungerSite allows you to "donate with a click" for their causes: hunger, breast cancer, children's health, the rainforest, literacy and animal shelters.
  
  
• And last but not least: Gigapan is a project supported by a team at Carnegie Mellon University, promoting a camera robot. The unit, which can be used with almost any digital camera, costs just under $300, but the “stitching” software that creates the signature zoom & pan panoramas, is free. The result are megapictures where you can zoom up to incredible details. Have a look and get hooked. (discovered via Janet from TrackerNews)

[Loband: Object Removed -]

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• Room to Read partners with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, providing education to girls and establishing computer labs. They also feature on my post about meaningful Xmas gifts.
  
  
• You might think Facebook is "it", but I like Ning more as a highly customizable social network platform. It features blogs, forums, video and picture libraries, events scheduling all on an easy to use platform. I subscribed to ChangeBlogger network on Ning.
  
  
• You might have come across some of the Commoncraft ".. in Plain English" video tutorials, but have you checked out their library. All in Plain English, from "Electing a US president" to "Twitter" and "Social Media", all in short videos and in Plain English.
  Some of their productions is also worth a look. (Watch the Google Docs video).
  
  
• You would be surprised of the digital trail you leave on the Internet through your signature (your IP address). There are plenty of public domain tools available allowing anyone to trace back the origin of the visitor through that IP address. So.. should your activity can be monitored? Maybe you are a human rights activist, or you blog about controversial issues. TorProject allows you to 'hide' your entity, and 'go onto the web anonymously'
  
  
• And last but least, Technorati published their 2008 overview of the Blogosphere. Who are the bloggers? What is the impact on the Internet? Even just these figures are impressive: 184 million blogs active worldwide, reaching 346 million readers. 77% of active Internet users read blogs.

Rome, Italy soup kitchen 1944[i-Rome, Italy soup kitchen 1944]

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• Google has put millions of photographs from LIFE magazine online. The photo archive stretches from the 1750s to today. Most were never published before.
  
  
• DuckDown features funny pictures and cartoons to enlighten his posts. I have to admit, I don't read the text, but the graphics are great.
  
  
• The "Playing for Change Foundation" is dedicated to connecting the world through music by providing resources to musicians and their communities around the world.
  
  
• Ever thought of volunteering for a cause? You will not find a better resource than Online Volunteering, a site recently revamped by UNV, the UN agency coordinating volunteers. Opportunities vary from missions abroad to part-time work you can do from your sofa at home. Doing research, help writing or reviewing papers, translating documents or website management,.. From a few hours per week to full time for several months...
  
  
• Humanitarian Technology Net is this week's newcomer on the block. They focus on technology applicable in development or humanitarian relief projects.
  
  
• And last but least, if you are interested in innovation and development, the material on TED will keep you enticed for hours. After those hours, you will agree with me: TED - Technology, Entertainment and Design, inspires.
  
  

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:
Grass on Photoshop[i-Grass on Photoshop]

• You thought Google Maps was the best? Here is something even better for you: OpenStreetMap offers a free editable map of the whole world. It allows you to view but (and this is new) also edit geographical data. This means the maps continue to get better, in an "open source", collaborative way.
  As a result, those areas which typically don't feature with details on Google Maps (those areas we -humanitarians- work in), and get detailed up to an unexpected level. (Discovered via Aid Worker Daily)

• Through SixDegrees.org, you can support your favorite charities by donating or by creating fundraising badges on your website.
  
  
• Blood and Milk is one of my favourite development blogs, full of inspiration. Through Alanna, I discovered this link:
  
  
• TrackerNews, an initiative by Instedd, is an news aggregator with a twist. Its beat covers health, humanitarian work and technology as it applies to both. You can also follow their blog.
  
  
• And now for something completely different: Photoshop Tutorials features amazing digital pictures and techniques.
  

oops[i-oops]

Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:

• Starting on a lighter note: If you suffer of flight anxiety, you should NOT want to visit The Oops List. A simple site with nothing but links to pictures, audio and video about aircraft (and other) accidents. Full of treasures. Mostly hilarious. Some sad. Others plain scary. My favourite is the clip called "My Dog Skip".
  
  
• Onto more serious matter: Get Beyond Firewood highlights the plight of refugee women, a very pragmatic way. Every day, millions of refugee women and girls around the world risk being raped, beaten —even killed— as they search for the firewood they need to cook food for their families. This site offers alternatives for firewood. Simple.
  
  
• The Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children advocates for the rights of refugee women and children.
  
  
• Good.AllTop aggregates news about "doing good". It also features The Road to the Horizon (with thanks!).
  
  
• MyC4 allows you to invest in a good cause. They raise capital for African entrepreneurs as a tool in the fight to end poverty. So far 10,300 investors from 78 countries have invested €5,668,392 in 3,306 businesses through this site. The average interest rate for investors is 12.9% p.a.
  
  
• If you want to invest in a good cause, but you are not looking for interest, your Pick of the Week is definitively Kiva. If Kiva and micro-financing is your thing, join The Road's Lenders Team! Check out our score card for The Road's latest micro-financing investments in Kiva.
  
  
• And last but least, you should have a look at my latest labour:
  - AidBlogs shows all the latest post from the aidworker blogs I list in the right column of The Road.
  - The Signs Along The Road is a scratch pad for random clips.
  - For Those Who Want to Know summarizes all blogs listed my "Resources for/by Aidworkers"
  - Aid News summarizes all recent humanitarian news, assembled from over 50 different sources.
  

stood in the maasai mara[i-stood in the maasai mara]

Ironic Sans does nothing else but publish 60 second videos "in the life of". Weird how beautiful "simple" can be.

Women for Women International mobilizes women to change their lives in conflict and post-conflict environments.

Positive Africa lists success stories in a continent riddled with poverty and war. This site is part of African Loft, "Where the People and Friends of Africa Mingle", a discovery by itself.

CauseWired features as headline "Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World - the Rise of Online Social Activism". How the digital social media can help changing the world.

Stood in the Congo is a funny and sweet Tumblr blog. Find the treasures! From the same author: Stood in the Maasai Mara.

Our Wall Bears Witness features pictures from the US Holocaust Museum.

Short-Term Volunteer in Africa is a fresh blog from Jo, working in Nairobi and DRC. It shows Africa in the eyes of someone who just arrived.

Congo Gorillas, the official website of Virunga National Park in DR Congo.

Humanitarian Relief by Michael Bear Kleinman is one of the newest treasured additions to my aidworker blogs. He writes informed posts about aid work and aid issues. Is part of Change!, a new site working on informing the masses of social issues.


More Picks of The Week on The Road.

Picture courtesy Stood in the Maasai Mara, discovered via The Signs Along The Road

link[i-link]There are many treasures out there in the blogosphere and the Internet in general, which give a perspective on the humanitarian causes. I decided to start a new series on The Road, pulling treasures together in one short post. I will call them "Picks of the Week". Here we go.

Vigilante Journalist Anne Holmes reports on human rights and social issues in developing nations and conflict zones around the world.

Harry Rud[i-Harry Rud]Harry Rud is an aidworker in Afghanistan. He features great pictures and excellent writing.

Humanitarian Relief blogged by Michael, an aid worker, lawyer, and consultant, as part of the change.org initiative.

Louder than Swahili by long time blogger Pernille, who moved to Tanzania since a while. She has been one of my role models in blogging.

Pictures from the Ethiopia famine reminded me why I am doing the work I do.

The UnCultured Project shows how one young man decided to do his bit for a better world. Hat off to Shawn.

One Mango Tree uses a fair trade model to provide income generating opportunities for women in impoverished and conflict-ridden areas of the globe. Our first project is now underway in northern Uganda. (thanks Rebekah)

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