[Stoves] report with dissapointing results from cleaner cookstoves (Andrew) - Malawi

[Roger Samson]

I think everybody just needs to thicken up their skin a little. Divergent opinions are healthy to any list even if the comments aren't appreciated by all. When Nikhil attacked GACC on the WHITE MEN dressed in WHITE clothes at the IMPERIAL hotel standing and CIRCLING the sitting brown women I thought then that GACC really had lost its way. That photo was completely revolting. How much worse can you do than that photo set-up?  I was pleased to see him call GACC out on that photo and its best done by someone from the south. 

The fact is that a lot of development money is being used by GACC with pretty modest results.   I have had staff attend their meetings and found them useful. I think somes of the programs are helpful.   But that Imperial hotel photo in my opinion should have made heads roll at GACC. Now this major stove study with no results where a lot  of money was spent should be a wake up call to reassess the program implementation. 

I think there are 2 main problems with current GACC programs. 
1) The program design is not adequately focussed on results based management. It seems GACC gets its money to  manage for health outcomes for poor people but their activities are not adequately delivering the results efficiently. In my opinion the program needs to be redesigned to manage for activities that create a  comprehensive strategy to develop sustainable cooking systems for improved health outcomes at lowest cost.  They seem overzealous in their pursuit of clean cooking technology as their end goal. 
2) The overall  staffing at GACC has an insufficient representation of people who have spent adequate time working in international development that understand the complexity of issues affecting poor people. If they did there is no way that revolting Imperial hotel photo would ever have been taken or distributed or the meeting even held at that hotel. 

Our agency has largely withdrawn from GACC because there is no point trying to work within an organizational structure that is broken and they largely are the main controller of stove funds. The GACC program needs to be externally reviewed and redesigned to manage for developmental outcomes around health and poverty alleviation. If that can happen we would be most willing to re-engage with the agency but we won't be a partner in encouraging  high cost happenstance development programs for poor people.  


regards

Roger Samson


  

--------------------------------------------
On Fri, 12/9/16, Andrew Heggie <aj.heggie at gmail.com> wrote:

 Subject: Re: [Stoves] report with dissapointing results from cleaner cookstoves (Andrew) - Malawi
 To: "Discussion of biomass cooking stoves" <stoves at lists.bioenergylists.org>
 Received: Friday, December 9, 2016, 7:30 AM
 
 I think we should all
 stand back and take a breath.
 
 My original post was to elicit reasons  why
 this study published in
 the Lancet found no
 correlation between cleaner stoves and pneumonia
 in children.
 
 Whilst Crispin and Roger provided some
 pointers  I'm still puzzled but
 don't want to see combative replies and
 negativity about efforts to
 reduce indoor
 air pollution.
 
 I too am
 amazed at the cost and machinations of government and
 NGOs
 but it's not pertinent to this
 discussion.
 
 Andrew
 
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