Corporate Council for Africa introduction

Sunday 10 MAY 2009         20:45  - 22:00 EST

Session Attendees:         Nishi Andra, Vivek Nath Olivia Campos, Taylor Hickem, Brigitte Silver, Kenneth Simons

 

Next Session

SUN 17 MAY 21:30 – 22:30 EST

Moderator

this week 10 MAY : Taylor

Weekly Update

Kenneth Simons – Program analyst for Corporate Council for Africa - welcome!

Discussion Topics

Corporate Council for Africa - a non-profit that promotes US business investment into Africa

 

 Trekking for Kids. – Organization that organizes hikes, and helping orphanage projects in various parts of the world

 

Ideas for focus areas

–        women’s issues (fertility, equal rights) may not be as good a use of engineering skills

compared with working on water sanitation projects

-         rural electricity distribution infrastructure is important, because it allows for more productive hours in the day, among other things

-         engineering training resources are also in short supply – working on engineering training curriculum would be a worthwhile effort

-         some organizations are offering cheap solar panels ~ $100 for Africa projects – mcc.gov

-         gas flaring is damaging to the environment, waste of natural resources and an opportunity for engineers to help

New Affiliated Organizations

Millennium Challenge Corporation

http://www.mcc.gov/

 

Trekking for kids

http://www.trekkingforkids.org/

 

One laptop per child

http://laptop.org/en/

 

Conversation Transcript: (available at SustainableAfricaGroup documents)

Brookings Institute - Africa Growth Initiative

http://www.brookings.edu/projects/africa-growth.aspx

The Brookings Institute

http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2007/12_malaria_cohen.aspx

Free Distribution Or Cost-Sharing? Evidence From A Randomized Malaria Prevention Experiment

Health Care, Africa, Global Health, Global Economics, Economic Development

Jessica Cohen, Development Economics Research Fellow, Global Economy and Development 
Pascaline Dupas, Assistant Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College

It is widely believed that cost-sharing—charging a subsidized, positive price—for a health product is necessary to avoid wasting resources on those who will not use or do not need the product. We explore this argument in the context of a field experiment in Kenya, in which we randomized the price at which pregnant women could buy long lasting anti-malarial insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) at prenatal clinics. We find no evidence that cost-sharing reduces wastage on those that will not use the product: women who received free ITNs are not less likely to use them than those who paid subsidized positive prices. We also find no evidence that cost-sharing induces selection of women who need the net more: those who pay higher prices appear no sicker than the prenatal clients in the control group in terms of measured anemia (an important indicator of malaria). Cost-sharing does, however, considerably dampen demand. We find that uptake drops by 75 percent when the price of ITNs increases from 0 to $0.75, the price at which ITNs are currently sold to pregnant women in Kenya. We combine our estimates in a cost-effectiveness analysis of ITN prices on infant mortality that incorporates both private and social returns to ITN usage. Overall, given the large positive externality associated with widespread usage of insecticide-treated nets, our results suggest that free distribution to pregnant women is both more effective and more cost-effective than cost-sharing.

Willing to contribute 4 hrs / week

Sunday 19 MAR 2009 21:30 – 23:00 EST

Session Attendees: Nishi Andra, Vivek Nath, Taylor Hickem, Olivia Campos

Next Session

SUN 26 MAR 2009 20:30 - 21:30 EST

Moderator

Vivek

Weekly Update

Brigitte forwarded us a contact at UVA who knows of a lot of development projects that could use engineering work.

Discussion Topics

Details of email response to contact, Tim Redden
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/a52/179

Conclusion – Taylor will send draft email to group, and

The rest of the group will provide resumes and approval before sending to Tim

Each member will be willing to contribute 4 hrs/week

Contents of email draft may be found in the google group under “Engineering Project in Africa”

New Affiliated Organizations

Conversation Transcript: (available at SustainableAfricaGroup documents)

__________________________________________________________________________________

Feedback from field experience

Sunday 12 MAR 2009 22:30 – 23:30 EST

Session Attendees: Nishi Andra, Vivek Nath, Taylor Hickem, Brigitte Silver

Next Session

SUN 19 MAR 2009 21:30 - 22:30 EST

Moderator

no moderator this week

Weekly Update

World Bank Millennium Goals – Fight: poverty, hunger, infant mortality, disease,

Improve: maternal health, education, women’s rights, sustainability, global integration

Brigitte Silver – UVA Law student with experience in humanitarian projects – welcome!

Peace Corps – can be dangerous, not much positive feedback from those who have gone. A lot of manual labor. Response to applications can be slow.

Discussion Topics

Brigitte Silver – experience in humanitarian projects in Guyana, Guatemala Panama, and Costa Rica

New Affiliated Organizations

SOIL
http://www.oursoil.org/

Global Development Learning Network
http://www.gdln.org/

Meetup.com
www.meetup.com/

Conversation Transcript: (available at SustainableAfricaGroup documents)

Global Learning Development Network (GDLN)

From the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) Website

Coordinated by the World Bank, the Global Development Learning Network (GDLN) is a partnership of over 120 recognized global institutions (Affiliates) in over 80 countries that collaborates in the design of customized learning solutions for individuals and organizations working in development [...]

Collectively, Affiliates put on 1000+ learning sessions a year that range from training courses and informal brainstorming sessions to multi-country dialogues and virtual conferences. GDLN learning specialists in these organizations collaborate in designing customized learning solutions for clients [...]

Sessions are designed for specific learning objectives and audiences and also draw on applied knowledge and expertise from across the network. They usually feature a combination of learning techniques, such as expert panels, case based learning and action plans, as well as information and communication tools, used in face-to-face, videoconferencing and e-learning events.

GDLN is present in most major cities and in many secondary cities. We offer direct access to local, regional and international development experts, provide tailored learning programs, knowledge or technical assistance programs, and state of the art facilities for multi-point videoconferencing and internet-based learning.

Our services fall into four broad categories: program and session design, session management and coordination, learning product development, and promotion and marketing services.

Since GDLN first opened its doors in 1999, thousands of people around the world have been inspired to improve their lives. From a group of women in Tanzania who created their own national Chamber of Commerce, now boasting 2,000 members — to the government of Nicaragua who collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme to create an emergency response plan to the Avian flu threat.

Another example

Productivity improvements through collaboration between Toyota and Mongolian textile fatories

GDLN’s Japan affiliate [organized] a course on business efficiency, entitled “Toyota Production Systems"[...] Through [the GDLN affiliate], Japan’s APO [extended] its capacity building regionally, and Mongolian companies [became] more competitive.

Team challenge - post your vision

Sunday 22 FEB 2009 22:00 - 23:00

Session Attendees:

Nishi Andra, Aditya Subramanian, Olivia Campos, Taylor Hickem, Francesca Lanata

Next Session

SUN 01 MAR 2009 22:00 - 23:00

Suggested Topics - Individual Visions
(See agenda proposal in Google Group)

Moderator

this week 22 FEB : Olivia
next week 01 MAR : Aditya

Weekly Update

The Water Project - non-profit organization that organizes donors for water projects

Corporate Council for Africa – useful forum for collaboration on Africa related issues

Harvard – One laptop per child initiative

Francesca Lanata – Intl Relations and Pol Science at UBC, Vancouver – welcome!

Discussion Topics

Individual Visions
Team challenge

post ideas on how the group will be able to

help improve peoples lives in poorer countries

group consensus on challenge

agree to post by next session

New Affiliated Organizations

The Water Project

thewaterproject.org/

Corporate Council for Africa

www.africacncl.org/

One laptop per child

http://laptop.org/en/

Conversation Transcript: (available at SustainableAfricaGroup documents)

building schools in Africa - podcast

A podcast with the CEO and founder of Building Tomorrow,
a non-profit that builds schools in Africa.

Beyond engineering and agriculture, although certainly worth a listen. He discusses some of the methods in which they operate, some of their goals, and some of the problems they have faced. also included are other Africa related podcasts from the same source.

From Kenneth Simons

http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/12/srour_on_educat.html

Other podcasts from econtalk.org
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/02/easterly_on_gro.html
http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2008/01/collier_on_the.html
http://www.econtalk.org//archives/2008/09/karol_boudreaux_1.html