Grantmaking
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Dangerous assumptions about admitting failure
14 February 2012
Engineers Without Borders Canada's fourth annual Failure Report. PR exercise or innovative internal learning document?
In the last six months, debate surrounding admitting failure in development work has escalated, swinging periodically between two “absolutelys” – yes and no. Tshikululu’s senior communications specialist, Gina de Villiers, discovers that the concept itself could be doomed to failure.
No one is arguing that increased transparency and knowledge about the realities of working in development would be a bad thing. In fact, in this debate, that’s probably all that everyone agrees upon.
The organisations admitting failure very publicly, and creating platforms on which others can do the same (see www.admittingfailure.com, the website launched by Engineers Without Borders Canada), assert that better clarity and communication is exactly what lies at the heart of this movement.
Those calling the movement a fad and the phrase a “meaningless buzzword” have pointed out that a noble cause could become one that is dangerous to development’s millions of beneficiaries, should funding be threatened.
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" alt="Technology in schools – what we’ve learnt" />
Technology in schools – what we’ve learnt
2 November 2011
Bertha Phohlela, Tshikululu CSI practitioner working with the Epoch and Optima Trusts, shares the experiences gained while assisting local schools introduce technological advances to their students.Technology is a part of our everyday lives, and so it is no surprise that a variety of technological innovations have been introduced in classrooms around the world.
In addition to computers, these include interactive whiteboards, video games, virtual worlds, simulations, and mobile telephones. Schools are also looking to network their classrooms and use Skype-similar technology, whereby one teacher can simultaneously teach learners in several different classrooms.
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" alt="Achieving community investment with corporate returns" />
Achieving community investment with corporate returns
7 September 2011
Corporate social investment (CSI) initiatives can do much to build a company’s resilience and reputation and to generate sustainable improvements for South African communities. So why do many still struggle to gain internal corporate recognition and demonstrate lasting impacts? Louise Gardiner, international corporate sustainability expert and founder of First Principles Sustainability Services suggests four reasons and four strategies to address them.
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" alt="Grantmaking in the disability sector – “˜Nothing about us without us’" />
Grantmaking in the disability sector – “˜Nothing about us without us’
1 September 2011
Elinor Kern, CSI Practitioner at Tshikululu Social Investments, considers how social investors should approach their work in the disability sector – in an inclusive partnership with the people they support.“˜Nothing about us without us’ is an international disability slogan that encapsulates the importance of the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Until recently, much of the focus in disability sector work has been on the medical and individual implications for people living with disabilities, but this is a limiting approach and does not take into account their social needs. It is most commonly referred to as a “˜medical model’, which is not developmental in nature and it does not acknowledge the real needs of people with disability.
