Copyright (c) 2009 SIT Graduate Institute/SIT Study Abroad All rights reserved. http://digitalcollections.sit.edu Recent documents in DigitalCollections@SIT en-us Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:52:18 PST 3600 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/735 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/735 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:55:32 PST Candice T. Abinanti http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/734 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/734 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:55:20 PST Civil society organizations in Honduras, especially the more formal nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), have become formidable force in national development policy and politics. With this status has come a responsibility to be accountable to all those who have enabled them. This research paper first analyzes whether key stakeholders, directly or indirectly related to NGOs, address accountability issues. Second, it discusses an accountability training developed by the researcher to help determine what the public knows about NGOs in Honduras, and how it perceives them. Third, the paper summarizes the results obtained from a questionnaire proposed as an accountability tool and designed to evaluate three organizational capacities: structure and governance; human and financial resources management; and performance and impact. The design includes cross-cut lines measuring legitimacy, credibility and transparency. The main purpose for presenting the questionnaire was to measure its acceptance and usefulness as an NGO accountability tool.The study concluded that Honduran NGOs often lack internal systems or mechanisms for addressing accountability issues of transparency, credibility and legitimacy. Moreover, there is no consensus about if and how NGOs should respond to this situation, partially due to lack of clarity and partially due to distrust of motives. However, there are some recent initiatives that offer promise. And the response to the proposed accountability tool developed by the author was generally positive. As elsewhere, it is critical that NGOs in Honduras adopt one or more of these mechanisms so if they are to continue playing a key role in shaping the country's future. Sobeyda Álvarez Inestroza http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/733 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/733 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:55:07 PST The primary research question of this study considers that community training programs aim to improve psycho-social status and asks what is the impact of these programs on the lives of women participants in a tsunami devastated community? The research is based on interviews, focus groups and interactions with participants of training programs and key informants related to the community. Furthermore, the study incorporates the author's observations and personal reflections made while living and in Thalpitiya village in Kalutara district of Sri Lanka. The three training programs examined are: 1) Health and Social Issues Training for Women, 2) First Aid Training for Youth and 3) Waste Management Training. The study is focused specifically on women.Conclusions from this study show that training programs have a positive impact on the lives of the women in several ways. The findings of this study show that the training helped women to gain knowledge and have a positive psycho-social influence with the opportunity to attend trainings and come together as a community during the trainings and afterwards on their own (as trainings sometimes burgeoned new friendships). Furthermore, the conclusion acknowledges that training may not be the most important way to use resources, yet it cites how an increased variety, length of time and frequency of training programs offered in the district and around the country could help women to build meaningful relationships and have positive impact on their psycho-social status.This study has practical applicability in that it offers proof that training programs are useful to women's lives and can be used in support of expanding training programs in the District of Kalutara, in the country of Sri Lanka and even on a global scale. Ruah Basker http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/732 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/732 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:54:55 PST An area of opportunity for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to examine best practices is in mitigating dependent situations that result from aid. When I first arrived in Sri Lanka a year after the 2004 tsunami, I began to hear many stories of community dependency situations that arose as a result of aid.A series of interviews, questionnaires, community visits, and meeting observations over a three-month period in Hambantota District provided data on the relationship between dependency and aid. A picture formed of communities that began to see aid as free, ongoing, and an entitlement. Aid was primarily administered by NGOs, which resulted in creating an economy and civil structure with NGOs playing a very central role.I adapted a framework to the Sri Lankan context for looking at communities and determining levels of dependency that came from a paper written by Paul Harvey and Jeremy Lind. I then used this adapted framework to analyze my data. The data show that people did not return to pre-tsunami forms of employment but instead continued to work for NGO-sponsored projects. My data also show that people became used to free aid and associated NGOs with free goods. Participation in their own redevelopment dropped as they saw NGOs required less participation. Coordination between NGOs was also sorely lacking in many instances. Based on this research, the following ways are suggested the best methods for avoiding aid dependency in Hambantota District:Increased coordination between NGOs and between NGOs and the government;Increased and consistent participation by community members in projects;Clear timelines and exit strategies;Clear phasing of projects and programs;Clear purpose, roles, and programs for NGOs. Belle Cantor http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/731 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/731 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:54:42 PST Since the decline of the banana industry, the power relations in St Lucian Agriculture have become much more favorable to the Importers, the Hotels and the Supermarket chains at the expense of the farmer. This paper explores how this situation is problematized primarily from the point of view of the farmers using a Foucauldian type methodology. It considers the dynamics of what power is, and how it is felt at the level of the farmers. It concludes with a brief consideration of possible methods of renegotiating these power relations such that agriculture may attain a more sustainable situation for the farmers involved. Peter E. Dillon http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/730 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/730 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:54:29 PST The purpose of this case study was to learn about the experiences of internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the 2004 tsunami, and who were temporarily settled into transitional shelter camps (TSCs). The goal was to learn about the perceptions of their camp experience viewed through the lens of a psychosocial framework, how those experiences changed their lives, and what consequences were associated with the distribution of humanitarian aid.The data collection for this study involved interviews with IDPs in three transitional shelter camps located in Matara District, Sri Lanka. Initial visits to the camps were made to introduce the project and meet camp residents. Additional, repeated visits were made to the camps in order to conduct interviews.The data in this study pointed to several findings: IDPs were disillusioned by the manner in which the government and the humanitarian aid community responded to their needs, they were disappointed by their friends' and neighbors' behavior, they needed information about when they could expect to be resettled, and most importantly, they needed homes.Psychosocially speaking, IDPs continued to suffer from their trauma. Their human capacity was diminished; their social ecology had evolved towards a more individualistic style; and although severely stressed, culture and values remained relatively in tact. The case study provided data that indicated the IDP experience deteriorated over time and that their disillusionment increased as their expectations were not met. The general perception shared by all IDPs was that aid was distributed unequally, that the government did not communicate appropriately with the people, and that the government did not provide opportunities for beneficiaries to participate in their resettlement process and as such, their own recovery process. Michele A. Green http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/729 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/729 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:54:17 PST This paper describes the ongoing Sarvodaya Shramadana peace activities in a southern Sri Lankan village in 2006. Questions about the villagers' perceptions and opinions of these peace-building activities are explored using a grounded theory approach. Findings indicate that Sarvodaya is indeed highly regarded amongst villagers, however, resources could be redirected within these programs in order to provoke greater change at the grassroots level. The efficacy of the activities and programs and suggestions for future interventions are considered. This research will benefit Sarvodaya leadership in making future decisions regarding peace activity programming as well as scholars and individuals who may work with Sarvodaya peace programs. Erica Hougland http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/728 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/728 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:54:05 PST An incredible outpouring of aid arrived to countries in Southeast Asia affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. I became interested in how relief agencies distribute aid after a natural disaster of this magnitude. I realized that I also wanted to learn how tsunami-affected communities were involved in the process of aid that was given to them, especially in the needs assessment processes that were conducted in their communities by relief agencies. Therefore, this inquiry set out to gain insight into perceptions of key stakeholders on how aid was distributed after the Indian Ocean tsunami. I decided to explore this question by focusing on beneficiaries of post-tsunami houses. Interviews were carried out in two tsunami-affected villages: Panama and Brahmanawatta South, Sri Lanka. One-to-one interviews were conducted with community members, leaders, and representatives of organizations that implemented post-tsunami housing projects. Based on the findings from my research in Panama and Brahmanawatta South, Sri Lanka, it seems that that little or no needs assessment processes were carried out by housing organizations; minimal communication occurred between relief agencies and beneficiaries prior to construction of post-tsunami houses; an unequal distribution of aid took place; and there was insufficient coordination among relief agencies, community members, and leaders. It is hoped that this inquiry will serve as a reminder of the importance of involving beneficiaries in all stages of relief efforts after a natural disaster, and of the consequences of not carrying out a comprehensive needs assessment prior to providing aid. Jennifer Lefing http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/727 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/727 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:53:53 PST This study was conducted to investigate the impact of a community-based disaster preparedness program on the preparedness level of a tsunami-affected village in southwestern Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Disaster Management charged the Army with creating a disaster awareness program in Galle District. The Army partnered with two local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Sri Lanka Red Cross and Sarvodaya, to plan a program consisting of three phases: an initial awareness lecture, committee trainings incorporating participatory rural appraisal (PRA) methods and recurring follow-up meetings with committee members. The lecture consisted of tsunami information, review of the determined evacuation route, instructions for an emergency kit, and formation of disaster committees to assist the community in an emergency. Information regarding the program was gathered through semi-structured interviews, focus groups and secondary data. Equal numbers of men and women from three age groups were identified and interviewed. The responses of program attendees were compared to those of non-attendees. Four experts were interviewed and three focus groups were facilitated. One focus group consisted of community leaders, one consisted of female non-attendees and the third, male attendees. The data collected were analyzed through the conceptual framework of disaster preparedness and mitigation (DPM) international best practices. Though gaps exist, the program was a good beginning to disaster preparedness in the community. Key missing components were planning for vulnerable populations and local business owners. Coordinating with the partner organizations was also a major challenge; nonetheless, the responses of attendees were more informed and confident than those of non-attendees. Jill Morehead http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/726 http://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/726 Tue, 16 Dec 2008 09:53:41 PST Since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, its relationship with foreigners living and working in China has drastically changed in regard to numbers and influence. It was not until the mid-1980s that foreigners living in China were granted mobility and access to non-restricted zones. The numbers of foreigners moving to China has been increasing each year. China is changing on many levels, such as economic reforms brought about by joining the World Trade Organization. An increase of Chinese speaking and studying English and new generations of adults (products of the one child policy) are two of many variables influencing China and its relationship with other nations. In order to better understand the relationship between foreigners in China and the Chinese, this research spotlighted the researcher's experience as a foreign educator in China working with Chinese college students by asking: What factors and values motivate the Chinese college student to pursue higher education? Supported by a sub-question: Does the Chinese college student display "modern values" with distinctly Chinese characteristics? In using data from ten surveys completed by ten Chinese college students, this research attempts to answer these inquiries. Through the use of Grounded Theory, this research introduces the theory of Cognitive Preparation suggesting that Chinese students have become cognizant of a modern promise in China and its influence upon values and education. This research also provides a platform for further inquiry in China and other "developing" countries and for aiding non-Chinese educators in Chinese colleges attempting to better understand the Chinese college student, thus allowing the educator to better serve and learn from the student. Esteban Nicolas Olivares