COMMON GROUND CONSULTING LLC

Deadly Attacks in Kabul Strike at Foreigners in Guesthouses

Because we're just a few blocks from the site of the attack, we're still locked down here at our own guesthouse and without any real local news. The good news is that we're safe and have access to email and the internet for updates. The New York Times article below is the most complete that I've seen. Thanks to everyone who's been checking in. 

 

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 18 people, including French, Italian, Afghan and many Indian nationals, were killed on Friday in suicide and car bomb attacks on two guesthouses popular with foreigners in the center of Kabul, police officials said.

In a telephone interview, a Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the attacks, which coincided with a major offensive by American-led coalition forces against militants in the southern province of Helmand, a central element in President Obama’s strategy in rural Afghanistan.

Read More at www.nytimes.com

Safe & Sound in Kabul

Many of you have written to see if I'm ok after the attacks in Kabul this morning. I really appreciate your concern. I'm completely safe as are my friends and colleagues here. We awoke to explosions and knew something had happened. The security folks moved quickly to find out what was going on and most sent their project staff into lockdown immediately. That happened with our team as well, and we remain restricted to our guesthouse, probably for the rest of the day. As I'm registered to receive warnings from our embassy in Kabul,  I'll post the notice they just sent below. If things change, I'll update you here and via Twitter.  :-) 

Complex Attack Near Kabul City Center

On February 26, 2010, at approximately 0630, insurgents attacked the Safi Landmark Hotel and surrounding buildings using explosives vests and small arms fire.  Afghan National Security Forces responded to the scene and killed at least eight insurgents.  As many as ten people were killed and 32 wounded in the attack.  Foreigners are reportedly among the dead and wounded, but at present there are no official reports of U.S. citizen victims.  U.S. Embassy personnel have been advised to avoid the affected area for the rest of the day. U.S. citizens are advised to be alert to the continued possibility of terrorist attacks and to take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness.  

WKCD (What Kids Can Do!) Wants Your Stories

Since 2008, WKCD has asked readers, friends, and colleagues to send them YOUR STORIES of adolescents and their adult allies engaging in "powerful learning with public purpose." 

Many of the stories they've received have knocked their socks off, and they've written them up and published them on their website. The website statistics suggest that the "Your Stories" section of wkcd.org is a favorite with visitors. So here they are again, putting out a fresh call for stories. What are they looking for? They're looking for strong examples of middle and high school-aged youth working as a team and spreading their wings: making a difference in their community, solving problems, being artists and performers, stretching themselves intellectually, pushing for change on issues that matter to them. 

What do they need from you? They need a brief email ([email protected]) describing the project and a website link, if there is one, where they can learn more. They'll respond as quickly as they can. If what you tell them seems promising, they'll set up a time to interview you (or whomever you suggest) along with 2-3 youth from the project. You don't need to write your own story. They'll do that, drawing upon the interviews. They will also ask you for photos, other media, or resource materials you'd like to share with their readers. You can see examples at:www.wkcd.org/your_stories 

Winter 2010 E-News Update Now Online

We've published our latest E-News Update this week. 

If you didn't receive it via email, we hope you'll read it online at commongroundconsulting.org.

Opium Addiction Ravages Afghan Families

Working just Kabul on this trip, I don't get a chance to see what's happening in the provinces. I suppose this story isn't surprising, though nonetheless heartbreaking.

Scourge of Remote Villages Leaves Even Babies Hooked

By Julie Jacobson / AP

Open the door to Islam Beg's house and the thick opium smoke rushes out into the cold mountain air, like steam from a bathhouse. It's just past 8 a.m. and the family of six — including a 1-year-old baby boy — is already curled up at the lip of the opium pipe.

Beg, 65, breathes in and exhales a cloud of smoke. He passes the pipe to his wife. She passes it to their daughter. The daughter blows the opium smoke into the baby's tiny mouth. The baby's eyes roll back into his head.

Their faces are gaunt. Their hair is matted. They smell.

In dozens of mountain hamlets in this remote corner of Afghanistan, opium addiction has become so entrenched that whole families — from toddlers to old men — are addicts. Cut off from the rest of the world by glacial streams, the addiction moves from house to house, infecting entire communities. From just one family years ago, at least half the people of Sarab, population 1,850, are now addicts.

Sarab village resident and opium addict Islam Beg offers his opium pipe to his grandson after having an early morning smoke in the Badakhshan province of Afghanistan.

Read More of the Story: www.msnbc.msn.com

Grants & Award Opportunities

U.S. Grants & Awards

2010 Project Orange Thumb Grants (Deadline: February 19)
Started in 2003, Project Orange Thumb® is a grant program that provides community garden groups with the tools and materials they need to reach their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticulture education. Community garden groups, as well as schools, youth groups, community centers, camps, clubs, treatment facilities, etc. are encouraged to apply. Grant recipients receive: Up to $1,000.00 in Fiskars® Garden Tools; Project Orange Thumb® t-shirts; and Up to $1,000.00 for other materials such as plants, seeds, mulch, etc. The deadline for application is February 19th, 2010. Click Here.

Huggable Heroes Award & Scholarship (Deadline: February 26)
Do you know a young leader between the ages of eight and 18 who is making a difference in his or her community or around the world?  Now through February 26, Build-A-Bear Workshop is accepting entries for its seventh annual Huggable Heroes® program, which recognizes everyday young people who go to extraordinary lengths to make life better for others.  Ten Huggable Heroes from the United States and Canada will be selected and each will be awarded with a $7,500 educational scholarship and $2,500 in the form of a donation to the 501 (c)(3) charity of his/her choice, as well as a celebration trip to St. Louis in July. Entry forms are available at all Build-A-Bear Workshop stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, and online entries are being accepted at: Click Here. 

Guardian "Girls Going Places" Awards (Deadline: February 26)
The Guardian Life Insurance Company's annual initiative is designed to reward the enterprising spirit of girls aged 12 to 18 who are demonstrating budding entrepreneurship, taking the first steps toward financial independence, and making a difference in their schools and communities. Every year prizes totaling $30,000 are granted to three top winners and 12 finalists. Entries due Feb. 26, 2010. Details are available at: Click Here.

Sodexo Foundation STOP Hunger Scholarships (Deadline: February 26)
The Sodexo Foundation opened applications for its national STOP Hunger Scholarship program on January 1, 2010. The scholarships were first introduced in 2007 in order to support the education of young people who are working to end hunger in communities across the country - and to draw attention to the innovative and effective solutions that they are implementing toward ending hunger in their lifetime. Up to five students selected as national winners will each receive a $5,000 scholarship award and a matching $5,000 grant in their name, for the hunger-related charity of their choice. The scholarships will be presented on June 10, 2010 at the Sodexo Foundation Dinner in Washington, D.C. In addition, up to 20 regional winners will receive a $1,000 grant in their name, for the hunger-related charity of their choice. To be eligible, students must be enrolled in an accredited education institution (kindergarten through graduate school) in the United States and be able to demonstrate an on going commitment to hunger-relief activities in their community.  The deadline for applications is February 26, 2010. Click Here. 

Do Something Awards (Deadline: March 1)
Could you use $100,000 to change the world? The Do Something Awards celebrate young people 25 and under who are tackling a problem and changing the world. Five nominees will be rewarded with a $10,000 community grant, participation in a live VH1 TV show, media coverage and continued support from DoSomething.org. The grand prize winner will receive $100,000 during the live broadcast! Application closes March 1st, 2010.  Apply or nominate someone today. Click Here.

Learn and Serve America Higher Education Grants & School-Based Grants to Indian Tribes and U.S. Territories (Deadline: March 9)
Subject to the availability of appropriations for fiscal year 2010, the Corporation for National and Community Service (the Corporation) announces the anticipated availability of approximately $7.3 million to award new Learn and Serve America Higher Education grants. Grants will be awarded to an estimated seven to nine individual institutions ranging from approximately $85,000 to $200,000 annually for a project period of up to three years, and an estimated seven to eleven consortia ranging from approximately $200,000 to $500,000 for a project period up to three years. The purpose of the Learn and Serve America Higher Education program is to support institutions of higher education that use innovative service-learning programming to meet the needs of local communities. Click Here.


The Corporation for National and Community Service 

CNCS announces the availability of $650,070 for new Learn and Serve America School-Based grants to Indian Tribes and U.S. Territories to involve school-age youth in service-learning projects that simultaneously support student development and meet community needs. The Corporation anticipates that grants will be awarded to an estimated three to five Indian Tribes and U.S. Territories with awards ranging from approximately $45,000 to $120,000 annually for a project period of up to three years. Click Here.


EcoStar Grants (Deadline: March 16)
EcoStar Grants are now being offered to local communities where Constellation Energy does business. Organization must be a 501(c)3 nonprofit, with a Board of Directors. Grant range is up to $5,000 each. The project must be located geographically within an area Constellation Energy does business (continental 50 states with the exception of AZ, GA, ID, MT, NM, NV, OR, WY). Project should fit at least one of five environmental focus areas: Pollution Prevention, Education, Energy Efficiency, Conservation, and Community Activism. Click Here.

Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes (Deadline: April 30)
Nominate a young service-learning leader for a $2,500 Barron Prize! The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes seeks nominations for its 2010 awards. The Barron Prize honors young people ages 8 to 18 who have made a significant positive difference to people and our planet. Each year, ten national winners each receive $2,500 to support their service work or higher education. Nomination deadline is April 30. Click Here. 

Do Something Seed Grants (Deadline: Ongoing)
Are you working to start a community action project or program? Do you need money to put your ideas into action? If you answered, "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Seed Grant. We give out a $500 Do Something Seed Grant every week to help young people just like YOU!  Do Something Seed Grants are targeted towards project ideas and programs that are just getting started. These grants can be used to jump-start your program or to realize your ideas for the first time. These are grants for all types of community action projects around causes that you care about and are important in your community! Deadlines: Rolling- Apply now! You will be notified whether or not you have won within 2-3 months after submission. Click Here.

Do Something Growth Grants (Deadline: Ongoing)
Did you create a sustainable community action project, program or organization that you want to grow? Are you looking for funding to take your already successful project to the next level? If you answered "YES!", you are eligible to apply for a Do Something Growth Grant. We give out a $500 Do Something Growth Grant every week to help young people just like YOU! Do Something Growth Grants are targeted towards projects that are already developed and sustainable. These grants go towards the next steps of your project and organization to help you as you look to expand your project and grow your impact.Deadlines: Rolling- Apply now! You will be notified whether or not you have won within 2-3 months after submission. Click Here.

Sign up to receive the weekly GrantStation Insider from GrantStation.comwith news about new funding programs, upcoming deadlines, conferences, seminars, and more.

International Grants & Awards

Get Ur Good On Grants (Deadline: February 22)
Get Ur Good On Grants are available for youth-led service initiatives on Global Youth Service Day, April 23-25, 2010. Available to children and youth around the world, YSA's Get Ur Good On Grants will award 100 $500 grants to support projects addressing critical community needs such as poverty, education, and environmental sustainability. Grant applications are due February 22, 2010. To learn more about Get Ur Good On Grants and to take the eligibility quiz. Click Here.

International Young Eco-Hero Awards (Deadline: February 28)
Action for Nature is an international environmental organization working to encourage young people to take personal action to nurture and protect the environment. The International Young Eco-Hero Awards recognize the individual accomplishments of young people, ages 8-16, whose personal actions have significantly improved the environment. Cash prizes of up to $500 will be awarded to youth for their outstanding accomplishments in environmental advocacy, environmental health, environmental research, or protection of the natural world. Eligible projects must be action-based and self-initiated (not one assigned by a teacher or other adult) and must have reached a significant stage or been completed within the last year. Youth ages 8 to 16 from anywhere in the world may apply. The application deadline is February 28, 2010. Application guidelines and forms are available on the Action for Nature website. Click Here.

Peace Child International Be the Change! Program Grants (Deadline: March 31)
"Be The Change!" is a youth-led sustainable development Action Programme related to the Millennium Development Goals which aims to empower young people around the world to "be the change they want to see in the world." The Be The Change! grants supports young people under age 25 with projects that concentrate on the development of local communities. The kind of projects supported are projects that are genuinely youth-led, which benefit the community rather than an individual need, are projects up to £500 with a detailed budget, have two experienced and committed adults to mentor the project, have measures of achievement (indicators) by which projects may be evaluated, and can be either income-generating (funds to start up a small business and creating jobs) or it can be non-income generating (for health, education, environmental clean-up or community improvement) social programmes which are of genuine and lasting community value. Click Here.

Sign up to receive the monthly GrantStation Insider International edition from GrantStation.com with information about a variety of resources for non-governmental (NGO) and nonprofit organizations working internationally.

Thanks to our friends at Youth Service America for compiling this great list.

Afghanistan Civil Society: Part 3

 

Civil society organizations—formed to address a wide range of social, cultural, religious and political issues—have been common in Afghanistan for a very long time. Historically, these traditional organizations, and a growing number of self-help organizations, have played a leading role in social development. However, the development of civil society in Afghanistan has been impeded by more than three decades of conflict and war, displacement, and social disruption. Afghanistan is slowly acquiring the full range of civil society organizations to complement government and private sector efforts to re-build Afghanistan.   

Beginning in 2003, there was a significant resurgence of the sector with the establishment of a large number of organizations registered as Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and the development of the first Afghan NGO Law and Code of Conduct. Several networks of NGOs and, in some instances member organizations of the international development community, evolved or re-emerged to provide leadership to the sector. The Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) initially maintained the registry of NGOs and was instrumental in the evolution of the NGO Law and Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct was created in 2005 through the efforts of ACBAR. Although recognized as an essential tool to develop an accountable, transparent, legitimate, and credible civil society sector, a number of issues have impacted appropriate institutionalization of the code. Firstly, subscription remains low. Of the approximately 1600 registered NGOs and INGOs in Afghanistan, less than 150 organizations are signatories to the code. Furthermore, robust mechanisms for implementation and monitoring NGO adherence to the code were not developed. Within the civil society sector, it is generally recognized that in order for the code to be operationalized, it needs to be thoroughly reviewed and its content possibly revised. Even more importantly, an implementation strategy must be developed.

This is where Common Ground comes in. 

We've been engaged to develop processes to review the current Code by involving key stakeholders and working with them to explore the need for revisions. The goal is to ensure that the Code of Conduct is more applicable within the civil society sector in Afghanistan and that there is greater adherence to its principles by local NGOs. Ultimately, this commitment to transparency and standards of operation are intended to dramatically change the way NGOs are perceived by Afghan citizens, the government, media, and the international donor community.

(Background information adapted from materials provided to Common Ground)

Afghanistan Civil Society: Part 2

Context is always important in our work and it is certainly true when it comes to this new engagement in Afghanistan. The folks at Aga Khan shared this very interesting take on the historical context for how NGOs have been operating in Afghanistan over the past 30 years. We're finding the history critical to our work and thought you might be interested as well.

Since the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, national and international NGOs have played a crucial role in providing assistance to people in rural and urban communities throughout the country and to people in refugee camps in Pakistan.

1979-1988

Immediately following the Soviet invasion, NGOs began programs to address the food, shelter and health care needs of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. In the early 1980s NGOs initiated cross-border programs into Afghanistan to address the basic health and livelihood needs of those Afghans in areas not under Soviet control. Cross-border programs working inside Afghanistan included education by 1984 and agricultural and infrastructure projects commenced in 1986.  Throughout this period, “cash-for-food” projects sought to give Afghans in resistance-held areas the resources they needed to remain inside Afghanistan. During the 1980s, many NGOs were also engaged in advocacy efforts to raise awareness in Western capitals about the plight of Afghans as both victims of military aggression and refugees.

1988-1995

By the late 1980s, NGOs had begun to implement development activities—using development principles in the context of a “chronic emergency” and political and security instability—in addition to providing emergency assistance. The changed political context and increase in resources for Afghanistan in the late 1980s led to a number of developments in the NGO sector. The number of Afghan NGOs grew rapidly, support for Afghan capacity building increased, and several NGO coordination bodies were formed, which focused on strengthening the accountability, standards, and professionalism of the NGO community and on coordination to increase impact and reduce duplication of activities. During this period, many Afghan NGOs, and thousands of Afghans built their professional skills in NGO-led training institutions with support from international NGOs. Coordinated standards were also developed, particularly in the health and agriculture sectors.

  

1996-2001

In the Taliban period, from 1996 to 2001, despite political restrictions, improved security in many parts of the country enabled agencies to work directly with local communities in remote rural areas. NGOs continued to coordinate closely with UN and donor agencies in establishing programming priorities and setting out agreed principles for the promotion of coherent and well-focused assistance to Afghans. The efforts of around twenty mostly NGO organizations to develop an improved set of learning standards for Afghan children, typified the cooperative approach during this period.

The severe drought from 1997- 2001 exacerbated humanitarian need for many rural communities and forced new waves of displacement into urban areas, internal camps and refugee camps in Pakistan and Iran. While NGOs expanded their emergency activities to help these populations, they also continued their development programs.

  

Late 2001-Present

Following the events of September 11, 2001, the working environment for NGOs in Afghanistan changed dramatically. In 2002, the return to Afghanistan of large numbers of refugees from neighboring countries required new emergency shelter and feeding programs. Following the fall of the Taliban, NGOs have—in coordination with the transitional Afghan authorities—increasingly sought to balance their emergency response work with longer-term reconstruction and development initiatives. The advent of an internationally recognized Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan has provided NGOs the opportunity to rearticulate the role of humanitarian actors, not as service contractors, but rather as mission-driven civil society organizations. 

Afghanistan Civil Society: Part 1

Over the next couple of weeks, Common Ground will be working in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is or second trip here over the past few months and this time we'll be starting a new engagement with the Aga Khan Foundation, a part of the Aga Khan Development Network.

 

Our primary role will be to engage the civil society sector, particularly NGOs, around the implementation of a national Code of Conduct. But before I get into detail about what we'll be doing on this project, I thought it might be useful to define some of the key terms related to this work. Here are a few working definitions developed through the process thus far: 

Civil Society 

includes all formal and informal groups and associations that are not of the public and business sectors. NGOs are a part of civil society. 

Non-Governmental Organizations are voluntary, not-for-profit, non-partisan and independent organizations or associations engaged in serving the public good.  NGOs may be national as well as international; secular as well as faith-based, and membership or non-membership in nature.

• Voluntary denotes free will on the part of the NGO as well as community partners. 
• Not-for-Profit means that an NGO cannot distribute its assets, earnings or profits as such to any person. However, there may be paid employees or activities generating revenue which will be used solely for the stated purposes of the organization. 
• Non-Partisan and Independent indicates that the NGO is controlled and directed by its governing body, in keeping with its mandate and not by any other power or group.  

If you've worked with me in the past, you know that I am not a big fan on the terms non-profit, not-for-profit, non-governmental, etc.

Instead, I'm on a mission to get our sector to use the term Social Profit Organization.

Social-profit, rather than non-profit, emphasizes the importance of this sector. The work we do actively creates benefits for society—stronger, healthier communities, more engaged citizens, equal treatment under the law—it generates a new kind of profit, and it adds value. This language better captures the essence of the work being done and it often resonates well with constituents and stakeholders.

A Code of Conduct is a set of shared norms, principles and values that aims to enhance the conduct and reputation of NGOs.  

The Code of Conduct will promote:

• Improved understanding of NGOs, their purposes, and their accomplishments among the general public, government, donors and the media;
• Transparency, accountability and good management practices in the operation of NGOs by voluntary self-regulation; and
• Improved quality of services provided by NGOs by raising standards of conduct.

A DC Winter to Remember

If you don't live here in the nation's capital, you may have missed the news about our back-to-back blizzards. It's been a crazy couple of weeks, but a lot of fun, too. Check out this wonderful short video from my friend Jordan Gantz. It really captures the spirit of the city.

Washington, DC Snow Storm from Es Video! on Vimeo.

A short by Nathan Golon and Jordan Gantz. Shot in Washington, DC on February 6, 2010.

Music: I Think Ur a Contra by Vampire Weekend - www.vampireweekend.com

I've told you about Jordan previously. He and I worked together on a project in Bolivia recently and he's just back from there and starting on a great new fundraising video for that program. He's an amazing videographer / photographer.