You don't know where Inspiration is going to come from...

I attended the annual Colorado State University School of Social Work Alumni Association open house tonight, with our guest speaker Andrew Romanoff. He did a wonderful presentation about the work that his non-profit employer-IDE-does. In short, they are all about helping poor, rural farmers gain access to water and sanitation, thus creating more income, better health, and access to other opportunities, such as education. Check out their webpage: http://www.ideorg.org/OurStory/Mission.aspx

His bio from IDE's webpage (http://www.ideorg.org/OurStory/Mission.aspx):

"Andrew Romanoff joined IDE as a Senior Advisor in 2010. He won election to four terms in the Colorado House of Representatives, including two terms as Speaker of the House. Romanoff earned national acclaim as one of the most effective legislative leaders in America. His work was honored by more than 50 state and national organizations, including Governing Magazine, which named him in 2008 as a Public Official of the Year. Romanoff has taught in Colorado and in Central America, worked in Nigeria for the National Democratic Institute, and served as a Scholar in Residence at the University of Colorado's School of Public Affairs. Romanoff earned a Bachelor's degree with honors from Yale, a Master's in public policy from Harvard, and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver."

It is very inspiring to learn about new organizations that are trying to make this world a better place for others, and even more inspiring that individuals like Mr. Romanoff find working for those organizations a source of awe and joy.

http://www.ideorg.org/OurStory/Mission.aspx

Makes me want to go out and do something! Thank you for your presentation, Mr. Romanoff!

The Rich get Richer & the Poor get Poorer: in Democratic Republic of Congo (and elsewhere)

In the article "Blood and Treasure," author Adam Hochschild tries to tell the story of what has and is happening on the continent of Africa: exploitation of the poor for corrupt government or outsiders. He writes about the oh-so-now-known as "blood diamond" industry. It is a lengthy article, so I am just going to link it here and let you read it: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/02/congo-gold-adam-hochschild


In a subset "The Blood Diamonds Myth: Why boycotting "conflict minerals" won't help Congo" (blue underlined is from Mother Jones' website and not my noting)

IN THE 1960s, many Americans boycotted California table grapes to help farmworkers unionize; in the '70s and '80s, we boycotted South Africa to help the anti-apartheid movement. In the late 1990s there was the push to ban "conflict diamonds," which led to the 2002 agreement, now signed by some 75 countries, to boycott diamonds produced by armed rebel groups in Africa and elsewhere. Shouldn't we help war-torn Congo by boycotting "conflict minerals"?

Unfortunately, it's not clear that a boycott would do much more than put tens of thousands of miserably paid miners out of work. Take the rather toothless conflict diamonds accord (which came about only because the international diamond cartel saw "blood diamonds" undercutting its inflated prices): It already applies to Congo, but makes no practical difference since the country's diamonds, like the overwhelming majority of its other exports, don't come from areas currently at war. And even when there is a direct connection between war and mining (as with the minerals sold by the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda, the genocidaires who have taken refuge in Congo), those exports are vexingly difficult to trace. You can quickly tell where an imported automobile was manufactured, but even the best laboratory tests cannot easily prove where an ounce of gold comes from. Congo's lengthy borders are impossible to police, and certificates of origin are easily forged.

The real problem is not conflict minerals, but the fact that Congo's long-suffering people reap only a tiny share of their country's vast wealth. Yet an alternate example is only a few hundred miles away from Congo's southern border: Diamond-rich Botswana has used its mines, which are partially owned by the state, to fund infrastructure, education, and health care, as well as set aside a rainy-day fund of nearly $7 billion. A recent joint venture between the government and the diamond giant De Beers is even bringing in some of the cutting and polishing work that used to be done in London, generating thousands of jobs. But Botswana has something essential Congo does not: a government known for being both functional and honest.

The author makes a few good points that have crossed my mind many times when it comes to my own "age-old" question of buying either FAIR trade products that come with a heftier price tag thus creating more of a financial burden on me, or buy FREE trade products, which usually come from companies that participate in the RACE TO THE BOTTOM in search of cheap labor:

1. "...it's not clear that a boycott would do much more than put tens of thousands of miserably paid miners out of work." Yes, do we give them at least something instead of nothing?
2. "...Congo's long-suffering people reap only a tiny share of their country's vast wealth." This seems to be a trend throughout the ages and we will continue to see it. The question is what can we do about it? I'm not sure, because I think Americans are seeing it too, just not in this way.
3. "But Botswana has something essential Congo does not: a government known for being both functional and honest." Ah, yes. This seems to be missing in many parts of the world.

Anyway, there is another subset: "Breaking the Curse," for you to read of you want an idea of how to help.