Travis Warrington RPCV/The Gambia '08-'10

1. Breaking Down the Sustainability of Development Projects:International Development from the Perspective of a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Travis Warrington RPCV/The Gambia '08-'10 MA Candidate in Sustainable International Development & Coexistence and Conflict

2. Itinerary Lecture: 10:00-12:00pm • Peace Corps • Plug • My experience • Bike Milling Machine: lessons learned Question related to Peace Corps • My graduate program and future plans • The Gambia (culture, local resources, etc) • Development work Lunch: 12:00pm-1:00pm Question & Answer Session/Dialogue: 1:00pm-___ • Please hold any other questions from lecture until this time.

3. Disclosure • The views/opinions stated here today to do not reflect those of U.S. Peace Corps, The Heller School, and/or Brandeis University. • Not a Peace Corps representative • I am not omnipotent • Brief introduction of International Development

4. Three Main Points • Development work is methodical • Questions to ask… • Word of the Day: Sustainability

5. Peace Corps Volunteer • 1960: (then) Senator John F. Kennedy spoke at University of Michigan. • JFK wanted students to “serve their country in the cause of peace by living and working in developing countries.” • Peace Corps was born March 1, 1961 • 200,000+ Peace Corps volunteers (PCV) • In 139 countries • Working in HIV/AIDS education, IT, and environmental education www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about

6. Peace Corps Volunteer • Mission: • Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. • Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served. • Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=about.mission

7. Peace Corps Volunteer Bits and Pieces: • Full term: 27 months • 10 weeks of training; 2 years of service • 1 month served = 2 days vacation • Free travel to and from country served • Living allowance • Host family • Medical and dental • Serving is free www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol

8. Peace Corps Volunteer Benefits of serving: • $7,425 post-service readjustment money • Insurance • High level of confidence, independent judgment, and cross-cultural resourcefulness and awareness • Resume booster • Adult learning (language, technical skills, etc) • Graduate school options www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol

9. Peace Corps Volunteer Educational Benefits – Graduate School • Master’s International (MI) program • PC service as master’s degree credit. • Variety of programs with many schools • 9 programs with 6 universities for engineering • Fellows/USA program • Post-service graduate school • Benefits: scholarships, stipends, and internships • Variety of programs with many schools • 5 programs/universities for engineering • *note: The Heller School with be joining the Fellows program very soon. Peacecorps.gov/gradschool www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol.eduben

10. Peace Corps Volunteer Rowan student - -BS in Engineering: • *Math and science teaching • English teaching position w/ ELS background • A water resources and engineering/sanitation • (*rare and need Spanish background). • Nearest Peace Corps offices: New York city, Boston, and Atlanta. www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whyvol

11. Peace Corps/ The Gambia ‘08-'10 Health and Community Development Extenstionist Projects • Taught English to 4-5th graders • Agro-forestry projects (mud stoves, fence, seeds) • Grant writing (new grade school kitchen) • Health talks to mothers/ health clinic work • Malaria prevention • Consulted and oversaw World Bank-funded projects • Boys Club

12. Peace Corps/ The Gambia ‘08-'10Projects with Rowan Road Project • Liaison and translator • Formed community committee, organized meetings, and mobilized villagers. • Health and transportation survey • Assisted in water resource survey with EWB ‘Bike-Pedal Powered Millet Milling Machine’ • Worked with nation’s technical college and civil servants

13. Peace Corps/ The Gambia ‘08-'10 Problems with the device: • Metal workers could not re-create the machine • Tech. college failed • Device too technical • Some metals not available or too costly (aluminum) • Grinding-plates did not produce ‘fine’ enough product • Grinding plates were purchased in the States, not produced. • Costly to reproduce the grinding plates

14. Peace Corps/ The Gambia ‘08-'10 Where the device is as of June 1, 2010. • Used private donation to purchase local grinder • Grinder replaced the grinding-plates • Working with local welder

15. EWB’s version ? Modified version

16. Peace Corps/ The Gambia ‘08-'10 As of June 3, 2010 – now: • New grinder does not work with rice or cous • Grinder may breakdown faster • Too costly to mass produce

17. Graduate Program • Dual Degree (MA) Candidate in • Sustainable International Development & • Coexistence and Conflict - 2012 • The Heller School for Social Policy and Management • Brandeis University, Waltham, MA.

18. Development AND Conflict? • Many developing nations/areas are under disputes/civil unrest via conflict between others. • Energies are focused on warfare and survival rather than societal progression • The two fields coincide because one cannot promote development if the area is under conflict.

19. Future? • Graduate research-based practicum in (West) Africa summer of 2012 (fingers crossed). • Career: • Lifelong work in Africa in conflict management and sustainable development for USAID, U.N., or the like.

20. The Gambia, West Africa • Location • Religion: Muslim • Language • Culture: • Family-oriented. • Greetings are important • Arabic and local languages • Shaking hands (men) • Male-dominate • Respect elders • Imam/Alkaloo • Per diem • Toubab

21. The Gambia, West Africa Transportation

22. Culture/Customs regarding water/fuel projects Water • Women and young girls are ones to fetch water • Water comes from open-well, pump, or ‘tap’. Fuel (aka wood) • Females walk a few meters to miles to gather wood in the bush/forest. • Wood only source to cook (esp. in rural areas) • Thus, deforestation • Woman are proud in taking care of their families, including providing their compound with water and wood to prepare daily meals

23. Engineering for Development Common pitfalls Rowans students/faculty (and the like) face in development work, • Especially in developing technologies/products for the developing world?

24. Engineering for Development Common pitfalls: • Grain crusher project (additional). • Pilot study in India. Device was altered for cultural needs • No pilot study done in The Gambia..? • My Fault

25. Engineering for Development Common pitfalls: • Rope pump: • Biggest problem: breakdown/ maintenance • May be too technical (to use and maintain) • Too many working parts www.rowan.edu/today/news/index/PR/2891

26. Engineering for Development Common pitfalls: • Tree climber- -” [A] device to help villagers climb trees more safely” • Constructed from steel = very heavy • Harness • Will this work? www.rowan.edu/today/news/index/PR/2891 www.rowan.edu/colleges/engineering/newsletter/downloads /fall_2010_newsletter.pdf

27. Engineering for Development Common pitfalls: • Shell crusher or “a method of crushing peanut shells to create a fuel source.” • Compressed peanut shells into briquettes (cooking fuel). • Already done with mixed paper and hay (Senegal) • Cost effectiveness? www.rowan.edu/today/news/index/PR/2891

28. Engineering for Development What RU-EWB/EIWB is doing well: • Rights of devices/products free to use by whomever (villages, NGOs, etc) to better themselves • Asking the right questions: • “Can [the devices] be made more inexpensively?” • “Can [the devices] be made so they are easier for local people to repair? “ • Giving students real-life/hands on knowledge skills • Devices with locally found materials • Non-monetary benefit minded • Altering already used devices www.rowan.edu/today/news/index/PR/2891

29. Engineering for Development Questions to consider: • Why create devices to help people in developing areas? • Are these devices universal or do they need to be tailored to each (cultural) situational context? • Did you ever ask ‘them’ if they wanted ___machine to ‘assist their lives?

30. International Development Tools: • Needs Assessment: • Important to conduct a 'needs assessment' with communities so as to cater future devices to what exactly the community needs rather than wants. • Need vs. Want • Your work vs. their work • Appreciative Inquiry (AI): • a group analysis of positive potential and what has worked particularly well in the past to mobilize positive experiences and outcomes in the future

31. International Development Wants • Cigarettes • Fashionable clothing • Money • Bigger/new school • New garden/school fence Needs • Water • Cleaner water • Access to water • Food • Growing & • Buying • Transportation • Health

32. International Development Participatory Approach at the community level PROJECT

33. International Development Participatory Approach at the community level Women PROJECT Govt. officials respected elites Youth groups Women’s groups Men Etc Elders

34. International Development Participatory Approach at the community level Appreciative Inquiry PROJECT Monitoring Needs Assessment: Capacity Building!! (education) Community Evaluation

35. International Development Sustainably implementing devices: • Train locals to make the device = Capacity Building • Making sure materials/resources needed to recreate the device are readily available • Local buy-in and funding • Are ‘they’ ready for ___ or ___? • Will this alter gender/cultural dynamics/norms for the better or for worse? • Who to work with? • VITAL to your work

36. International Development Why collaborate? • Culture and Language • Resources and Knowledge • Sustainability • Planning Who to work with? • NGOs • Local • International • Peace Corps • Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) • *ALL are at the grassroots level! www.vsointernational.org/

37. Admitting Failure • 2011 Failure Report EWB-Canada admittingfailure.com

38. Owen Barder’s Speech at EWB Conference • "Aid works, but not as it should“ • “Speaks of his thoughts on the current state of aid” • “Anyone with an interest in development policy — and in how to make foreign aid more effective — should watch the whole thing” • “[H]ow to move beyond the current unhealthy equilibrium and outlines some useful lessons from complex systems thinking” http://www.vimeo.com/groups/kumvana/videos/18803571

39. Thank you! warrint@gmail.com warrint@brandeis.edu Follow me at: Twitter: @warrintj Blog/website: traviswarrington.com *PowerPoint will be on website