American Journal of Evaluation (AJE)
March 2014; 35 (1)
http://aje.sagepub.com/content/35/1.toc
Why Aren’t Evaluations Working and What to Do About It – A Framework for Negotiating Meaningful Evaluation in Nonprofits
Kellie C. Liket1, Marta Rey-Garcia2. Karen E. H. Maas3
1Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2School of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
3Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Kellie C. Liket, Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, H10-30, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50 P.O Box 1738, NL-3000 DR Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Abstract
Nonprofit organizations are under great pressure to use evaluations to show that their programs “work” and that they are “effective.” However, empirical evidence indicates that nonprofits struggle to perform useful evaluations, especially when conducted under accountability pressures. An increasing body of evidence highlights the crucial role of a participatory negotiation process between nonprofits and stakeholders on the purpose and design of evaluations in achieving evaluation utility. However, conceptual confusion about the evaluation objectives, unclear evaluation purposes, a lack of appropriate evaluation questions, and normative ideas about superior evaluation designs and methods, complicate the process. In response, we provide practical conceptualizations of the central objectives of evaluations and propose a framework that can guide negotiation processes. It presents the relationships between the evaluation purpose, evaluation question, and the different levels of effects that should be measured. The selection of the evaluation method is contingent on the choices made within this framework.

[PDF] Integrating science into humanitarian and development planning and practice to enhance community resilience
Full guidelines, January 2014, 49 pages; Numerous sponsors
Lead Author: Melanie Duncan (UCL)
Co-authors: Kate Crowley (CAFOD), Ros Cornforth (AfClix), Stephen Edwards (UCL), Richard Ewbank (Christian Aid), Parisa Karbassi (CAFOD), Charlie McLaren (UKCDS), Jose Luis Penya (Christian Aid), Alice Obrecht (HFP), Susanne Sargeant (BGS), Emma Visman (HFP)
Purpose
These guidelines are for humanitarian and development practitioners looking to effectively integrate relevant scientific understandings of risk within their humanitarian/development planning and practice, for the purpose of enhancing community resilience. Beginning with an introduction to what science is and how it might be used, followed by a breakdown of the key components for integrating science these guidelines encourage practitioners to think about the types of scientific information and expertise that they may need, how to access and use them, and how to ensure that they are applied in an ethical and accountable manner. Each section concludes with a checklist of key questions practitioners should consider throughout the process.
These guidelines are not exhaustive or prescriptive instead the aim is to enable practitioners to ask useful questions that will ultimately help them to apply science in their planning and operational decision-making. While the authors acknowledge that invaluable knowledge resides in communities at risk, the draft guidelines are about how to utilise scientific and technical expertise from external institutions….

World Water Day: World’s poorest have least access to safe water – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 21 March 2014 – Almost four years after the world met the global target set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for safe drinking water, and after the UN General Assembly declared that water was a human right, over three-quarters of a billion people, most of them poor, still do not have this basic necessity, UNICEF said to mark World Water Day.

:: Report: 2014 World Water Development Report [link not yet available]
“Water and energy are among the world’s pre-eminent development challenges and must feature prominently in the post-2015 agenda,” said Michel Jarraud, Chair of UN-Water.  “This fifth World Water Development Report marks a milestone as the first annual edition. The new format responds to the need of the global community for an annual, factual and evidence-based publication with a thematic focus that links to World Water Day. I would like to express my profound appreciation to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for hosting and leading the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), which has been coordinating the production and publication of the report. I am pleased that the United Nations, through UN-Water, is able to now annually deliver up-to date information on an issue that will only become more important to create a sustainable future.”

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/united_nations_report_warns_rising_energy_demand_will_stress_fresh_water_resources/#.Uy9JsoUWNdc

Statement: UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women
22 March 2014
UN Women welcomes the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The agreement represents a milestone towards a transformative global development agenda that puts the empowerment of women and girls at its centre. Member States have stressed that while the Millennium Development Goals have advanced progress in many areas, they remain unfinished business as long as gender inequality persists.

The clear analysis of Member States on the shortcomings in the design and implementation of the MDGs provides us with valuable guidance as the international community devises a comprehensive post-2015 agenda. As the Commission points out, structural inequalities such as persistent gender pay gaps, women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care work, low levels of women in decision-making and the persistence of discriminatory attitudes, norms and legal frameworks impede progress.

I commend the Commission for identifying critical issues that were not sufficiently addressed by the MDGs and calling for measures to address these. Notably, Member States highlight the pandemic of violence against women and girls that affects women and girls worldwide. The Commission also points to the urgent need to fully ensure women’s access to opportunities and resources, including quality education, control and ownership of land and other productive assets, as well as women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and recommends taking steps, including temporary special measures, to achieve women’s full participation in public- and private-sector decision-making.

The safety, human rights and empowerment of women are pivotal in the post-2015 debate. UN Women is encouraged by the call of a large number of Member States for a stand-alone sustainable development goal that addresses these issues. This will require political will, backed up by commensurate resources. As the Commission rightly points out, funding in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment remains inadequate. Investments in women and girls will have to be significantly stepped up. As Member States underline, this will have a multiplier effect on sustained economic growth.

We know that equality for women means progress for all. Through the development of a comprehensive roadmap for the future, we have the opportunity to realize this premise and promise. The 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women has given important impetus to making equality between men and women a reality.

Statement: UNFPA Welcomes Outcome of the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

22 March 2014
UNFPA, The United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the agreement by the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that clearly reaffirms the international community’s commitments to gender equality and the empowerment and human rights of women and girls. We also welcome the Commission’s reaffirmation of the importance of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

UN Commission on the Status of Women CSW58 (2014)
Implementing the MDGs for Women and Girls
10-21 March 2014
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Priority theme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls
CSW website: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw58-2014

Report: Society at a Glance 2014 
OECD: Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs

This report takes stock of available information about the social challenges emerging since the beginning of the economic crisis, and countries’ policy responses to meet those challenges.

This seventh edition shows that despite an improving global economy, the squeeze on public spending in many countries will make it increasingly difficult to cope with the social challenges thrown up by the crisis.

Public spending on disability, family and unemployment benefits rose during the early phases of the crisis but these areas are now under pressure. Coverage has also been a challenge: while social protection programmes helped soften the blow for many people, others were left with little or no support, notably in southern Europe.

Governments need to consider any further expenditure cuts very carefully, says the OECD. These may add to the hardship of the most vulnerable and could create problems for future social cohesion. While the long-term commitment to restore public finances should be maintained in order to create confidence, it cannot happen at the cost of raising inequalities and social gaps.

Read the full publication online
Download the full pdf
Media Release: http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/urgent-action-needed-to-tackle-rising-inequality-and-social-divisions-says-oecd.htm

Report: Asylum Trends 2013
UNHCR
March 2014, 44 pages

In 2013, the number of individuals requesting refugee or asylum status in the 44 industrialized countries covered by this report increased by 28 per cent compared to 2012. An estimated 612,700 asylum applications were recorded in the course of the year, some 133,000 claims more than the year before. This is the third consecutive annual increase and the second highest annual level of the past 20 years. Only in 2001 were more asylum applications registered among the group of 44 countries. Some 30 countries out of the 44 included in this report reported a rise in asylum applicants during the year which can primarily be attributed to an increase in Syrian and Russian asylum applications. This increase notwithstanding, the last quarter of 2013 followed the seasonal patterns observed in most years whereby asylum claims drop significantly towards the end of the year.

Asylum-seekers arriving in industrialized countries undergo individual assessments to determine whether they qualify for refugee status. Consequently their numbers are always higher than those who eventually get accepted as refugees. For the 44 industrialized countries mentioned in the Asylum Trends report, acceptance rates vary widely and tend to be higher among people fleeing conflict. Acceptance rates for people from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq, Somalia and Afghanistan, for example are between 62 per cent and 95 per cent. Acceptance rates from nationals of the Russian Federation and Serbia [and Kosovo: Security Council resolution 1244 (1999)] are significantly lower at around 28 per cent and 5 per cent respectively.

UNHCR tracks forced displacement globally and issues a number of reports each year showing trends worldwide. The three major components of global forced displacement are internal displacement, refugee numbers, and asylum-seekers (together totaling 45.2 million people, as of data from early 2013). UNHCR’s next major statistical update, the annual Global Trends Report, is due for publication in June of this year.

Download the Asylum Trends 2013 report

Report: 2013 Global Food Policy Report
International Food Policy Research Institute
March 2014  154 pages

This is the third in an annual series that provides an in-depth look at major food policy developments and events. Initiated in response to resurgent interest in food and nutrition secu­rity, the series offers a yearly overview of the food policy developments that have contributed to or hin­dered progress in achieving food and nutrition security. It reviews what happened in food policy and why, examines key challenges and opportunities, shares new evidence and knowledge, and highlights emerg­ing issues.

In 2013, staple food prices were relatively stable, lacking the spikes that often dominated headlines in previous years. But prices of important dietary components, such as vegetables and fruits and nutrient-intensive crops, increased and fluctuated in many countries, particularly China and India. Nutrition captured the international spotlight in an unprecedented way. For instance, the high-level Nutrition for Growth summit in June resulted in commitments of US$4.15 billion to tackle global undernutrition, the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition and the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement both gained momentum, and India passed major food security legislation.

Yet the world continues to face serious hunger and undernutrition challenges: one in eight  people around the world suffers from hunger, and more than double that number are victims of hidden hunger (deficiencies in essential micronutrients). With the Millennium Development Goals set to conclude in 2015, the global community is already working to define future efforts to eradicate hunger and undernutri­tion under a post-2015 agenda.

The anchor of this new agenda is the formulation of sustainable development goals. Extending beyond traditional investments in increasing food production, this new agenda should embrace a comprehensive, long-term approach that promotes increased agricultural productivity for all farmers, links smallholder farmers’ production to markets, and ensures that their products are safe and nutritious. It is important that the post-2015 development agenda does not pursue environmental sustainability goals at the expense of the well-being of poor and hungry people. Based on the successful experiences of several developing coun­tries, we see the clear potential for ending hunger and undernutrition by 2025 if the necessary policies and investments are adopted. Among other things, reaching this goal will require a more inclusive global part­nership, one that includes regional and country levels and spans government, civil society, and the private sector. Eliminating hunger and undernutrition sustainably by 2025 will be challenging, but it is doable.

Journal Article: Nothing Succeeds Like Succession
Kim Jonker & William F. Meehan III
Stanford Social Innovation Review
One test of a nonprofit organization hinges on whether it can manage a difficult leadership transition.
Excerpt

Many nonprofit executive directors, and indeed many other leaders as well, first consider the notion of their professional mortality when they reach their late fifties or sixties. All too often, they react with denial, and with an urge to rear back and tighten their grip on power. At about the same time, other responsible parties within an organization will begin to consider when and how to replace a top leader who is nearing the end of his or her prime. The result is a primal human conflict that looms as one of the most difficult challenges that a nonprofit organization will face. In the end, however, the need to plan for the future of an organization must win out.

Intentional succession planning is imperative not only in organizations with an executive director who is heading toward retirement age, but in every kind of organization. That’s particularly true in cases where a dynamic and visionary founding leader remains at the helm.    The need for a “founder transition”—a transfer of power to a more professionalized second generation of leadership—often comes far earlier than the moment when a founder is inclined to embrace it. The failure to manage such a transition successfully is what kills most entrepreneurial ventures, be they social or commercial. In any context, founder transitions are fraught with potential challenges, and those challenges pivot around highly emotional life-and-death issues that are at least as much personal as they are institutional.

Succession planning, in fact, is one of the most frequently requested topics of discussion at the annual retreat for recipients of the Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership that we facilitate. Even the remarkable people and organizations that have won this prize struggle with handling leadership transitions. In part, that is because many Kravis Prize organizations have founders who are still active.

The dominant personality traits of those who build great social organizations include a visionary approach to society and an ability to see through constraints—the constraints of time, in particular. Many nonprofit leaders talk about the future of their organization in the present tense, as if their vision for that future had already come to pass. And with those traits comes a deep reluctance to see one’s mortality as something to plan for.

Nonprofit leaders can delay or neglect succession planning, but succession itself is unavoidable. Here, then, are three principles that typify nonprofits that are not only effective but also enduring.

Get Real
Stakeholders in an organization should find out if their founder or executive director has a realistic sense of when and how succession should occur. Kravis Prize recipient Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of BRAC, is one visionary leader who was able to develop realistic expectations in this area. BRAC, founded in 1972, is the largest nonprofit in the world. It reaches more than 100 million people per year in Bangladesh and across the world through anti-poverty, health care, and education programs. Abed served as executive director of BRAC until 2000, but he started identifying potential successors as early as 1990. Since 2000, BRAC has had three executive directors, and BRAC International (which oversees programs in 11 countries outside Bangladesh) has had three directors as well. Abed now serves as chair of the organization. “I have tried to ensure succession at BRAC without thinking about myself,” he says. “I wanted to address succession from the inside by gradually taking steps backwards and seeing how things worked out. I believe an organization can have more than one leader; in fact, leadership roles should be well dispersed throughout an organization.”…

…That said, we recognize that there are exceptions to every rule. Fazle Abed, as we noted, stepped down as executive director of BRAC but continues to serves as chairman of that organization, and by all accounts that arrangement appears to be working. “BRAC has benefited from the long-term commitment and continuity of its leadership,” says Susan Davis, founding president and CEO of BRACUSA. To emphasize that point, Davis notes that the founding chair of BRAC remains on the BRAC board and that the board elected a former BRAC deputy executive director to serve as its vice chair.

Deliberate, advance succession planning is important not only for the founder or executive director role, but also for other key positions on the senior management team of an organization. Focusing only on the founder “does an organization a disservice,” Abed argues. “BRAC now conducts succession planning at every level. We learned that we must pay attention to the pipeline.” Abed cites an occasion when that lesson was brought home for him: “We were taken by surprise when a critical member of the senior management team passed away unexpectedly in 2010. He had been my right-hand person since 1976. Fortunately, we had some bench strength. But we learned firsthand the importance of succession planning.”…

Full text at http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/nothing_succeeds_like_succession

AMREF  [to 22 March 2014]

AMREF joins global partners in advocating for integrated water and energy solutions
Excerpt
Water and energy have crucial impacts on poverty alleviation. Although access to water supply and sanitation in Africa has been steadily improving over the past two decades, a lot still needs to be done.  Often, the same people who lack access to improved water sources and sanitation also lack access to electricity.  Today, 1.3 billion people are in this situation; it is unacceptable and requires urgent attention. 768 million people across the globe lack access to improved water sources while 2.5 billion people do not have proper sanitation facilities.  About 340 million people in Africa do not have reasonable access to safe drinking water and nearly 230 million people defecate in the open. Despite these statistics, the continent is well endowed with fossil fuels: oil, gas and coal, and renewable resources: hydro-power and geothermal in particular. Yet access to modern affordable energy sources is still a challenge for many African nations.
This year, AMREF joins the world in celebrating World Water Day themed: Water and Energy.  In realising that water and energy are closely interlinked and interdependent, there is need to ensure that water resources are available to all, irrespective of their economic status.  Yet, these resources are scarce in developing economies even though generation and transmission of energy often requires utilisation of well-developed water resources.  Inequitable distribution of water resources has seen billions of people especially those who live in slums and rural areas suffer the consequences of unsafe water, inadequate sanitation facilities and energy services.
In most parts of Africa, the common reality for many women and children is that they have to carry 20 litres of the precious liquid and firewood for domestic energy use for very long distances of not less than one kilometre.  Sometimes it is not safe to collect firewood from the bushes thereby putting them in grave danger…
…In order to touch the lives of more disadvantaged communities, AMREF calls for the development of policies and crosscutting frameworks that will ensure the useful integrated approaches to water-energy issues to achieve greater economic and social impact.  We consistently advocate for energy access for all people living in Africa and better strategies that can benefit all across the continent.  We call on partners to ensure that the 1.3 billion people who have no access to sustainable energy get access because we are convinced that without access to energy, it will be difficult to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

AMREF ‏@AMREF_Worldwide Mar 21
We join the world in celebrating #WorldWaterDay, and work to increase access to safe water in Africa. See how: http://bit.ly/1r6yoqq

AMREF USA ‏@AMREFUSA Mar 21
Unclean #water & poor sanitation has far-reaching effects. This is why we integrate #WASH programs: http://bit.ly/1im20vo  #WWD2014

AMREF UK @AMREF_UK Mar 17
Happy Monday folks! If you didn’t get a copy of our newsletter this Spring, you can have a read of it online here: http://www.amrefuk.org/news/publications/item/371-spring-newsletter-2014 …

Aravind Eye Care System  [to 22 March 2014]

AravindEyeFdtn @AravindEye Mar 19 How being customer-centric is helping #Aravind Eye Care overcome their challenges http://social.yourstory.com/2014/03/deepa-aravind-eye-care/ … via @YourStorydotin

BRAC  [to 22 March 2014]

Retweeted by BRAC
Microcredit Summit ‏@MicroCredSummit Mar 20
.@BRACworld in Tanzania 2 dbl ELA pgm to 360 clubs reaching ~15k girls #youth #Commit100M #100MGoal http://bit.ly/1nITOXY

Retweeted by BRAC
Daniel Lee ‏@flybyboy Mar 19
@BRACworld‘s 6000 “barefoot lawyers” in Bangladesh – lessons for #humanrights #philanthropy http://disq.us/8hlls2  @SusanDavisBRAC

Retweeted by BRAC
Susan Davis ‏@SusanDavisBRAC Mar 18
Nothing Succeeds Like Succession (SSIR) http://shar.es/R9h0k  via @sharethis @bracworld

BRAC ‏@BRACworld Mar 18
Stories from the field.Thanks @UKinBangladesh for sharing your experiences with us! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152301559007673&amp …

BRAC ‏@BRACworld Mar 14
BRAC #Tanzania announces Commitment to double #youth #girls clubs by the end of 2014 http://bit.ly/1ktbgP4  #Commit100M #globaldev #MDG

Casa Alianza  [to 22 March 2014]
Covenant House [to 22 March 2014]

21/03/2014 – Suzanne Vega supports Team Casa Alianza Nicaragua on the Road to Rio

Covenant House ‏@CovenantHouse Mar 22
To everyone who slept out last night for #HomelessYouth, we want to thank you all for your time, effort, and commitment. #THANKYOU!!!

Covenant House ‏@CovenantHouse Mar 21
Tonight is the night! 100s of participants, 6 cities, 1 goal. #CovenantHouse #YPSleepOut #DoIt4TheKids

ECPAT  [to 22 March 2014]

The International Day of Happiness
Posted on 03/20/2014, 15:32
On 28 June 2012, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 20 the International Day of Happiness. Celebrated all over the world by both NGOs and individuals, this day focuses on promoting happiness by educating and raising awareness about social causes through various activities. We at ECPAT focus on eradicating the commercial sexual exploitation of children by raising awareness about CSEC issues.

Every child has the right to happiness!

ECPAT-USA @ecpatusa Mar 20
TONIGHT is the first meeting of the ECPAT-USA Young Professionals Committee in #NYC! We hope to see you there > http://ow.ly/uNl9V

Handicap International  [to 22 March 2014]

Handicap Intl UK ‏@HI_UK Mar 22
Making sure #disability is high on the development agenda! @CommonsIDC members are visiting @HIUK in #Zaatari refugee camp today! @DFID_UK

Handicap Intl UK ‏@HI_UK Mar 15
Welcome home? – Arriving at the Zaatari refugee camp – A look at our work at the vast camp http://bit.ly/PAT37T  #SyriaCrisis #3yearson

Handicap Int’l-US ‏@HI_UnitedStates Mar 19
See how a wheelchair transformed the life a 5 year old Typhoon Haiyan survivor: http://bit.ly/1gKhyFq  #Philippines

Heifer International  [to 22 March 2014]

March 14, 2014
Eduardo Stein Barillas Named to Heifer International Board of Directors
Dr. Eduardo Stein, former vice president of the Republic of Guatemala, has been elected to an at-large position to the Board of Directors of Heifer International, an international development organization whose mission is to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth.

March 14, 2014
Ashley Stone Named to Heifer International Board of Directors
Ashley Stone has been elected to an at-large position to the Board of Directors of Heifer International, an international development organization whose mission is to end hunger and poverty and care for the Earth

Heifer International ‏@Heifer Mar 21
After losing everything from Typhoon Haiyan, see how the Talle family is rebuilding thanks to Heifer: http://hefr.in/1nLKp5w

Retweeted by Heifer International
Pierre Ferrari ‏@HeiferCEO Mar 20
In our work, we see role reversals take place when we empower #women: http://www.heifer.org/join-the-conversation/blog/2014/March/an-unexpected-role-reversal.html … #AskAg

HelpAge International  [to 22 March 2014]

Retweeted by HelpAge
HelpAgeUSA ‏@HelpAge_USA Mar 19
Read the full interview with @helpage CEO @tobyhporter in @AARPIntl‘s ‘The Journal 2014’: http://bit.ly/1lOoyWc

HelpAge ‏@helpage Mar 18
Find out the results of the first test in #Ethiopia of our new tool to measure #nutrition of older people: http://bit.ly/1kFKCCC

HelpAge @helpage Mar 18
We have a new member of the HelpAge team in London: @01SarahG is our new Media Manager – welcome Sarah! Please do follow her too – Thanks!

HelpAge @helpage Mar 17
Register now for our event with @ALNAP @HI_UK on situation of older & disabled Syrian refugees at @odi_development http://www.odi.org.uk/events/3911-disability-elderly-syrian-refugees …

International Rescue Committee   [to 22 March 2014]

World Water Day: When water means freedom
Posted by Sophia Jones-Mwangi on March 22, 2014
Ever since water came within reach of several thousand people in Waji, a village in eastern Ethiopia, their lives have changed for the better. The women, in particular, are excited about the difference it is making. more »

Thousands flee to Niger as violence returns to northern Nigeria
Posted by The IRC on March 21, 2014
Over the past month more than 2,000 Nigerians have fled to neighboring Niger after escaping a violent insurgency. The IRC is helping to ensure that women, children and other vulnerable refugees receive the support they need. more »

This Week’s Voices: Mar. 21, 2014
Posted by The IRC on March 21, 2014
This Week’s Voices is a roundup of recent eyewitness reports and commentary by IRC humanitarian experts and others. This week’s highlights include a look at technology and the Syria crisis. more »

An opera star shares the spotlight with young refugees
Posted by Jordan Helton on March 20, 2014
Early on a Saturday night at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, 14 refugee students from around the globe shared the fabled stage with acclaimed lyric soprano Danielle de Niese. more »

A lifeline on the border [Update]
Posted by Peter Biro on March 20, 2014
The Mae Tao clinic, on the outskirts of the town of Mae Sot in northeastern Thailand, is the only source of medical care for thousands of Burmese along the volatile Thailand-Myanmar border. Get an update on the IRC-supported clinic’s work. more »

Help protect women and girls in emergencies
Posted by The IRC on March 20, 2014
Syria’s ongoing civil war and other crises put women and girls at increased risk of sexual exploitation, abuse, assault, forced marriage, domestic violence and trafficking. Join the IRC in urging global leaders to put women and girls first in emergencies. more »

“I try and give other refugees hope”: one Syrian volunteer’s story
Posted by Ned Colt on March 19, 2014
Rania and her two colleagues trudge through the dusty streets of Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp, their black and yellow baseball caps and official badges identifying them as IRC volunteers. Learn how they’re helping their fellow refugees. more »

Enduring violence: updates from Central African Republic
Posted by The IRC on March 18, 2014
Ongoing instability across the Central African Republic has uprooted hundreds of thousands of people. The IRC has remained in the country throughout the current crisis to provide lifesaving assistance. Get aid worker updates. more »

Syria: the most technological emergency ever?
Posted by Emmanuel d’Harcourt on March 18, 2014
Iris scanners are just one component of what is becoming, in and around Syria and with remarkably little attention, the most technological humanitarian response ever. more »

Intl Rescue Comm IRC ‏@theIRC Mar 22
2013: IRC provided 20k gal fresh drinking #water every day to #Syria‘n #refugees, Arbat #Iraq http://bit.ly/IRCin2013  pic.twitter.com/JaYCeVel56

Intl Rescue Comm IRC‏ @theIRC Mar 21
Thousands flee to #Niger as violence returns to northern #Nigeria.  @theIRC is there: http://bit.ly/1gjM6mJ  pic.twitter.com/iwefnfUtuD

Intl Rescue Comm IRC @theIRC Mar 21
For many #refugees, #citizenship means that, for the first time, they can be a part of a democratic process.Our work: http://bit.ly/LMBO1j

Intl Rescue Comm IRC ‏@theIRC Mar 21
Since the Pathways to Citizenship launch, IRC has helped 7,860 eligible Lawful Permanent Residents apply for citizenship @nacnow @ImmPolitic

Intl Rescue Comm IRC @theIRC Mar 21
Just before the weekend, a look into our highlights of the past week, including #IRCafsBlog! http://bit.ly/1djjYzR  pic.twitter.com/KF3WADuf4G

IRCT   [to 22 March 2014]

IRCT ‏@IRCT Mar 18
With @withouttorture we join @ecre, @hrw & 100 others to call for EU help for Syrian refugees http://www.irct.org/media-and-resources/irct-news/show-news.aspx?PID=13767&Action=1&NewsId=3860 … #HelpSyriasRefugees

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières  [to 22 March 2014]

Tuberculosis: The New Face of an Old Disease
March 17, 2014
AMSTERDAM/NEW YORK—Immediate action is needed from governments, pharmaceutical companies, and researchers to find new treatments for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), and to prevent people from dying from one of the world’s most urgent global health threats, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today in a report released in advance of World TB Day…

MSF International @MSF 9h
UPDATE: #MSF launches emergency response to fight #Ebola outbreak in #Guinea: http://www.msf.org/article/guinea-ebola-epidemic-declared-msf-launches-emergency-response …

Doctors w/o Borders ‏@MSF_USA Mar 20
Today! MSF Legal Expert on Humanitarian Law on Harvard webinar http://bit.ly/1kJhnPk

MSF International ‏@MSF Mar 18
Why do we campaign for drug-resistant TB? What is the #TBmanifesto?In this video patients and doctors explain: http://www.msf.org/article/video-test-me-treat-me-tb-manifesto …

MSF International ‏@MSF Mar 17
#MSF briefing paper: the alarming spread of drug-resistant #TB is one of the biggest global health threats today. http://bit.ly/1mcEGEd

Operation Smile  [to 22 March 2014]

Operation Smile ‏@operationsmile Mar 16
Our impact on the child goes far beyond surgery, by providing comprehensive holistic care through a multi-disciplinary approach.

Operation Smile ‏@operationsmile Mar 15
We are thankful for our volunteers, donors, & supporters who work tirelessly to save and change children’s lives. #HealingSmiles