Rethink Fragility

Kathryn managed monitoring & evaluation for cross-border “stabilisation" programmes in Syria over the last five years (working with the development consultancy Integrity). These initiatives aimed to support functioning services and local governance in opposition-held areas, and to check the influence of extremist groups, in parallel with diplomatic processes. The goal of her own work was thus to track how these approaches were working out in an extraordinarily complex and violent operating environment, and suggest the necessary adjustments to do better. For more information on Integrity's work: https://www.integrityglobal.com/ Episode notes: [03:10] A career path through the US Army, some of the unique difficulties of aid in Syria, and how Kathryn explains her job to her grandmother [07:15] What cross-border “stabilisation” programmes looked like in Syria, and how they have adapted to changing circumstances. [17:00] What success looks like in a massive regional crisis. “Stabilisation” of peoples’ ev

Rabih Omar is a proud citizen of Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city, and has worked there on humanitarian and peacebuilding challenges for his whole career. We talk in depth about his experience working for different international organisations that have come to his city, what foreign “experts” tend to get wrong, and how he keeps his motivation up despite near-constant political destabilisation. Episode notes: [04:45] What it was like growing up in Tripoli, through the end of the Lebanese civil war [10:30] How Rabih moved on from early traumas, and ended up working in the field of conflict resolution & local development [16:45] What social cohesion and local development looks like in Tripoli, against a backdrop of inter-communal and inter-sectarian violence [26:15] Experiences with international organisations misusing “national staff”, and getting some of the basics wrong [35:55] What people coming into Tripoli tended to get wrong about local politics, Alawite-Shia tensions, and other issues [48:05] Rab

Roshan is co-founder of the Amani Institute, which supports talent development for the social sector. Over the last seven years it has graduated some 450 students from its hubs in Nairobi, Bangalore, and Sao Paolo. We talk about the merits of coming from an emerging market perspective when talking about social innovation, the gaps that Amani sees in the education market, and Roshan's own journey with a startup. Episode notes: [2:10] Why the co-founders felt there was a gap in the education market for the social sector. [08:00] Why it’s more interesting and probably more productive to be located in emerging markets, for those interested in social innovation. [13:30] The Amani Institute’s philosophy and curriculum for developing change-makers, including what kind of profile it attracts [21:10] Why it was worth the risks to start up a new offering, and a new way of contributing to social entrepreneurship [27:10] How Roshan’s own experiences with international education played into the design [39:30] Wha

A short one to share some reflections on the first year of the podcast, and talk about where we're going next. (Including a name change!) We've had a wide range of people on so far -- human rights defenders, community organisers, clinicians, aid workers, and more. I share some of the moments that have really stuck with me, and talk about what I think unifies this disparate group of people.

Nick van Praag founded and runs an organisation called Ground Truth Solutions. They work with people affected by crises to get their feedback and perspectives on emergency response. In practice this means door-to-door surveys, over time, of how people feel about the timeliness, quality and fairness of humanitarian service provision. This is shared with service providers and funding agencies to benchmark what they’re doing, and encourage greater responsiveness. What is particularly intriguing is that Nick started Ground Truth in 2012 after a long career in the World Bank and other multilateral institutions. So this amounted to a pretty significant career pivot! Show notes: [02:10] Working with communities to provide structured feedback to humanitarian organisations on how they’re doing. The topics that are covered, and the process for collecting and reporting findings. [09:20] Attitudes amongst humanitarian agencies. Building demand for, and genuine engagement with, this kind of feedback. [18:20] Experie

Hani al Rstum is a Syrian living in Lebanon’s second city of Tripoli, and the conductor for the SADA playback theatre troupe. They engage with communities affected by serious conflict, with the goal of recognising and affirming life experiences, and opening dialogue. Playback draws on psychodrama therapy, and Hani himself is a psychotherapist. He “conducts” events to create a safe space for people to share experiences, and to begin to connect and empathise. The troupe is based in a social innovation hub on the frontline of one of Lebanon’s most notorious neighbourhood conflicts. It has also performed on-site in buildings with special connections to the war. Show notes: [02:10] Leaving Syria to study medicine. Watching as the revolution started and the war began to impact his his family. [06:15] Cross-border activism as the war deepened. Filming and work with international media. Early work with children suffering from traumatic stress disorders. [12:45] How playback theatre works, and Hani’s role as “co

Tripoli, Lebanon’s second city, has experienced considerable violence ever since the end of the national civil war in 1990. But this escalated dramatically with the onset of the Syrian civil war. Pitched neighbourhood-level fighting led up to the shock car-bombing of the al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques in 2013. The central government responded with an army-imposed security plan which tamped down violence, but there’s been little progress since on the underlying conflict dynamics. Stepping into this gap, Bilal co-founded a series of community dialogues that ended up as the Roadmap for Reconciliation in Tripoli. The idea was a sort of open-source diagnostic that could be the basis for citizen action. Show notes: [02:40] Growing up in and around Tripoli. Encountering cynical reactions to work on community mobilisation and social stability, despite very real and very pressing problems. [09:15] The trajectory of conflict in north Lebanon. Roots in the colonial period, through to polarisation today around the

Christine Williamson runs a consultancy firm called Duty of Care International, and has spent twenty years in human resources management in the aid world. It’s well-known that this is a very difficult area. The sector puts large numbers of people into tough operating environments, with a tiny fraction of the support that’s available for diplomatic or military personnel. It’s built on short-term funding contracts which interfere with efforts to professionalise and plan the workforce. Perhaps most difficult of all, there are a range of equity and oversight issues that come with shipping expatriate staff into places with weak regulatory systems. Show notes: [2:20]  Christine's early days in the aid sector, and latter days starting her own company. The common thread of working for justice and fairness in human resources management. [09:30]  Key challenges for human resources management in the aid sector. Distinctions between expatriate and “national” staff, and the bad practices that tend to follow. [13:00]

Jean-Paul is part of the generation that was fundamentally shaped by the Lebanese civil war, but had no responsibility for it. In his words, when he left the country in 2006 after the brief and calamitous war with Israel, he never wanted to come back. While abroad, however, he found a sense of agency and possibility. He did come back, and founded an organisation called Peace Labs, which aims to facilitate the difficult conversations that need to happen if the country is to move forward. Show notes: [02:30] Growing up during the civil war, the origins of Peace Labs, and their current activities across Lebanon. Being mistaken for a priest. [12:00] Frustrations around the stagnation of Lebanese politics, and the 2006 war with Israel. Leaving with the intent to “never come back”, but finding a new perspective. [19:30] First steps in the peacebuilding sphere after coming back to Lebanon. Work with youth, and the commonalities that recur time and again in violent conflicts. [32:55] Why there was a need for a n

Assaad is best-known in Lebanon for an open letter in 2000, in which he apologised for what he’d done with the Lebanese Forces, a prominent Christian militia responsible for its share of atrocities. This has been followed by nearly twenty years of philanthropic work. Much of it has been in partnership with other former combatants, through the organisation Fighters for Peace. He has also been involved with a range of initiatives seeking to unblock social dialogue more broadly. His auto-biography La verité meme si ma voix tremble is available in French and Arabic. (https://dergham.com/book--157) Show notes: [02:20] Goals in working with other ex-combatants to reach younger generations. Peacebuilding as change at the level of moral values. [08:00] Assaad’s background during the Lebanese civil war. A period in the wilderness as a “traitor”. Early interactions with Moral Rearmament / Initiatives of Change. [19:00] Dialogue across conflict lines, starting at an informal level. The gradual evolution of Assaad’

Dete is a researcher and activist whose work revolves around in-depth, interview-based research with people detained for terrorism offences, and their families. This includes special focus on women as both partners and protagonists. The results are used to inform dialogue with the Indonesian government and its international partners, along with targeted work to increase resilience to recruitment into vulnerable groups, and re-recruitment of former detainees. Show notes: [02:10] Early work with women in jihadist circles. Contacts with detainees in Indonesia, and beginning to work with the circle of people around them. [11:50] The difficult task of sustaining trust and confidence with government security actors, while building relationships to better understand detainees and their families. [16:00] Pivoting to focus on women with an active role in violent extremism. Starting a new organisation, SeRVE Indonesia, inspired by experiences in Tunisia. [18:30] The kinds of grievances that drive recruitment into

Rufa Cagoco-Guiam is an anthropologist based in General Santos City. Over the course of several decades she has worked on dozens of peacebuilding and development initiatives in the wider southern Philippines. Her perspective cuts across the usual disciplinary lines, with Rufa's CV including a lengthy academic record; stints as a newspaper editor-in-chief and columnist; and a wide range of consultancies with international institutions. Show notes: [02:00] Beginnings of involvement in Mindanao, coming from a small village in the northern Philippines. Childhood ambitions to “defend the oppressed”, and how they evolved into first steps as an adult. [10:20] An early conspiracy with a friend to escape a constricting family environment. Getting onto the right trajectory in anthropology, with a dash of political economy. [18:20] Rufa’s stint as editor-of-the-chief of the Mindanao Cross. The importance and the hazards of reporting around inter-religious tensions, violence against women and political corruption. So

“OBB” is a Nigerian public health professional and advocate who works with the LGBT population, drug users, sex workers, and the HIV-positive. Over the last 10 years he has been managing a large program for these key population groups, for Heartland Alliance International. The work can only be described as a calling, in an often very difficult context. The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act of 2013 was a step in the wrong direction, and alongside this there is a great deal of pushback from cultural and religious institutions. Show notes: [02:05] Working to address stigma and discrimination for the LGBTQ population in Nigeria, including access to health and social care. [12:15] Working with often-unsympathetic government stakeholders. Facilitating cultural change alongside engaging with technical challenges. [19:45] First steps for starting up programmes in new contexts and new communities. Variations between different parts of Nigeria. [25:15] OBB’s own story, and how he came to be an advocate for peopl

Marie-Rose founded ESPWA not long after the 2010 earthquake which killed some 200,000 people. This led into eight years of intensive support to community-driven planning, with particular focus on the Grand ‘Anse region. We discuss the difficulties of building an inclusive platform in rural areas with little infrastructure and the usual rivalries; her own family’s heritage of political activism; and what it was like to encounter international institutions as the face of a Haitian organisation. Show notes: [02:05] Pivoting from community development in the United States to rural Haiti. Commonalities in how people can be politically and economically marginalised. [10:45] Connecting with her family’s roots in political activism in Haiti. First steps in setting up a community foundation in the Grand ‘Anse region, in the wake of the 2010 earthquake. [24:10] How to develop an inclusive platform in the Haitian context. Early difficulties in communicating this vision to local and international partners. [35:25] T

Teame teaches at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Bristol, and has consulted on education policy in a range of different countries. He is an Eritrean who obtained political asylum in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, completed his PhD there, and has been extraordinarily active in supporting refugees and international students. For more you can find the biography ‘Long Way from Adi Ghead’ on Amazon (or elsewhere). Show notes: [02:15] Early life in the village; school and political activism in Asmara. Doing his little bit in a very difficult situation. [07:45] Going abroad for a PhD in the United Kingdom, obtaining political asylum during the Mengistu years in Ethiopia, and making it through graduate school by hook or by crook. [12:00] Early efforts to broaden international understanding in Thatcher-era Britain. Talking about Eritrean culture with primary school students. [16:00] Staying engaged with the Eritrean independence struggle; experiences with the rapid decline of post-

Alex is an independent researcher who strives to build better bridges between the global North and South, promoting constructive dialogue and putting power imbalances higher on the agenda than they currently sit. This is a tough ask in a sector that is pretty much defined by imbalances — between those who pay, and those who are supposed to benefit. And that also has its more than its share of old-fashioned attitudes to human resources. For more you can find Alex’s personal website here: https://www.alexmartinsdev.com/ Show notes: [02:20] The life of a consultant researcher. Complicated accents that attract gentle mockery no matter where you are. [07:00] Early days in the development sector. Bottom-up and top-down perspectives, and seeing structural challenges and disparities. [17:00] Barriers to entry and advancement in the development sector for people from the global South. [22:00] How “expertise” is defined and produced, the real role and importance of formal qualifications, and the place of econo

Mario is a clinician and psychotherapist, who first started working with Guatemalan immigrants to the USA in the early 1990s. These days he’s clinical supervisor at the Marjorie Kovler Centre in Chicago (https://www.heartlandalliance.org/kovler/), a part of the Heartland Alliance. He works with people claiming political asylum, and helps on initiatives elsewhere around the world. We discuss a three-decade journey with severely traumatised people, what can work in rebuilding resilience, and the gradual growth of the field. Show notes: [02:30] Mario’s work with survivors of torture, and how they can rebuild and move on with their lives. How people react to his job when he meets them socially. [11:20] How to reach people across cultural and language divides. Finding cultural and spiritual resources to build resilience. [22:15] Application of the Kovler Center’s approach in Guatemala, Colombia, and other contexts where resources for this kind of work are not abundant. [27:00] How psychotherapy can work fo

Farai is director at the Centre for Natural Resources Governance in Zimbabwe (http://cnrgzim.org), and works to empower communities for whom an abundance of natural resources has brought nothing but trouble. He has attracted considerable international recognition in this role, but this is a slightly more personal story about the journey into human rights advocacy and community organising. Show notes: [02:00] Human rights abuses around natural resources exploitation in Zimbabwe. Farai’s work at home and abroad. [11:00] The perverse effects of natural resources for poor communities, and the limits of responsible sourcing initiatives like the Kimberly process. [17:00] How Farai came to work in this area. The journey from reaction to pro-action, and building a sustainable community movement. [25:00] Lessons from a decade-plus of activism in a repressive political climate. The ethical and practical pitfalls of engaging with the Zimbabwean government. [30:20] Some international influences and inspiration f

Dan spent several years with the “Group of Experts” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These are people tasked by the UN Security Council to work out what is really going on with sanctions, armed groups, and smuggling. The approach has generally been low profile, but became somewhat infamous with the murder of two of Dan’s successors in Kasai province in 2017. At a practical level it’s an immensely important role that is a “force multiplier” for effective diplomatic, security and aid intervention, and we unpack how it works from several different directions. Show notes: [02:15] How Dan went from the U.S. Navy to investigating mineral trafficking and armed groups in central Africa, by way of a PhD. [10:45] Following the supply chain for illegally traded gold on foot, from the bush in DRC to the black market in Kampala [16:50] When we don’t have the right information. Failures to “ground truth” our beliefs about fragile places; the mysterious tale of “Mr X” and the ADF in North Kivu. [24:45] When

Lewis is a researcher and advocate who’s worked in some of the toughest environments around over the last decade, often in the immediate aftermath of war crimes and crimes against humanity. This interview touches on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, and Burundi. We get into both the practicalities of “doing” human rights, and the personal journey that’s entailed. Episode notes: [03:15] How Lewis talks about his job, people’s reactions, and the limited presence of Central Africa in the Western imagination [05:55] Working with community radio in the DR Congo, the advantages of lax security rules, and the “flag raising racket" [12:55] Why Human Rights Watch was appealing as a next step, what the day-to-day looked like, and why it remains “fascinating” ten years later [21:00] Keeping a sense of optimism and/or perspective despite unambiguously bad trends in the DRC, CAR and Burundi [29:30] A walk-through a few career “highlights” with investigation and advocacy in