ABSTRACT
Certainly there has been no shortage of investment, aid funds and goodwill in responding to these challenges. What is so frustrating is how ineffective they have been. Only a small proportion of aid reaches the poor and needy at the front end. New factories and community facilities are sometimes built without the funds to pay the staff long term to operate them. Corruption at every level bites into scarce resources. There is often a lack of focus on the few changes which will make the most difference. Inadequate measurement of results and tests for ‘value for money’ are missing as is ‘customer focus’. Wasteful overlaps in the work of different agencies are commonplace. Too many topdown master plans from the western world are made without listening to those in need and understanding their unique cultures and their specific requirements.
