Comments on: Thoughts from my visits to Small Enterprise Foundation (South Africa) and VillageReach (Mozambique), Part III http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/ Exploring how to get real change for your dollar. Thu, 17 May 2012 08:09:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Rene Coda http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/#comment-116936 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:54:47 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/#comment-116936 Sir, You have to be commended for the way you try to understand and help very poor people. As a native of the Congo, albeit of Italian descent, I have spent 40 years there and have an extensive knowledge of their mentality. which is quite different of ours. I cannot speak for elsewhere but in the Congo, it is as difficult to find a reliable person as it is to find a 200 carats diamond. What I hear from other places confirms if anything that they are not different. To be successful an organization has to train its own people. To instil them with a sense of professionnal integrety and morality that has been lost in most of Africa. Not an easy undertaking but feasible. One has to be straightforward and firm at the same time. At the beginning people have to be closely monitored. As an exemple, if you supply fertilizers to farmers directly, one has to be sure that the fertilizer are used properly and not sold. It is even more imperative if said fertilizers are given to an intermediary. I am at your disposal if you have any question. Rene Coda Sir,

You have to be commended for the way you try to understand and help very poor people.

As a native of the Congo, albeit of Italian descent, I have spent 40 years there and have an extensive knowledge of their mentality. which is quite different of ours.

I cannot speak for elsewhere but in the Congo, it is as difficult to find a reliable person as it is to find a 200 carats diamond. What I hear from other places confirms if anything that they are not different.

To be successful an organization has to train its own people. To instil them with a sense of professionnal integrety and morality that has been lost in most of Africa. Not an easy undertaking but feasible. One has to be straightforward and firm at the same time.

At the beginning people have to be closely monitored. As an exemple, if you supply fertilizers to farmers directly, one has to be sure that the fertilizer are used properly and not sold. It is even more imperative if said fertilizers are given to an intermediary.

I am at your disposal if you have any question.

Rene Coda

]]> by: Julian Brelsford http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/#comment-114125 Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:54:17 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/#comment-114125 I recall reading an argument in favor of Givewell which said that reducing "overhead" and administrative costs can be counterproductive. To me, this is one of those instances: your travel to see exactly what top nonprofit organizations are doing is overhead, but it looks to me like it was worth every penny. The numbers are important, but it requires person-to-person interaction somewhere in the process to ensure that numbers mean what we think they mean. I recall reading an argument in favor of Givewell which said that reducing “overhead” and administrative costs can be counterproductive. To me, this is one of those instances: your travel to see exactly what top nonprofit organizations are doing is overhead, but it looks to me like it was worth every penny. The numbers are important, but it requires person-to-person interaction somewhere in the process to ensure that numbers mean what we think they mean.

]]> by: Jason http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/#comment-112423 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 18:53:30 +0000 http://blog.givewell.org/2010/03/12/thoughts-from-my-visits-to-small-enterprise-foundation-south-africa-and-villagereach-mozambique-part-iii/#comment-112423 Sounds like a great trip. I love your statement about how your giving carries more weight now that you've seen hands on the work of the orgaanization. I think that's valuable for donors and nonprofit professionals. As a fundraiser it is surprising how little of what I'm raising money for I experience firsthand. Sounds like a great trip. I love your statement about how your giving carries more weight now that you’ve seen hands on the work of the orgaanization. I think that’s valuable for donors and nonprofit professionals. As a fundraiser it is surprising how little of what I’m raising money for I experience firsthand.

]]>