Paul Collier’s rules for rebuilding a broken nation

Long conflict can wreck a country, leaving behind poverty and chaos. But what’s the right way to help war-torn countries rebuild? At TED@State, Paul Collier explains the problems with current post-conflict aid plans, and suggests 3 ideas for a better approach.

A warm embrace that saves lives

In the developing world, access to incubators is limited by cost and distance, and millions of premature babies die each year. TED Fellow Jane Chen shows an invention that could keep millions of these infants warm — a design that’s safe, portable, low-cost and life-saving. it is a wonderful example how you can do development aid.

I got my Philippines Visa

I got my Philippines visa today! Now my development work experience in the field of “disaster management” can start. ;-)

The NDCC and PHIVOLCS

Yesterday, I had the time to do a research about two of our possible clients on the Philippines and found a very interesting document. The document is called “The Philippine Disaster Management Story, Issue and Challenges”. In this document the NDCC and PHIVOLCS is described as the following.

National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)

The NDCC member-agencies are responsible for carrying out their respective tasks and responsibilities in disaster management including preparedness, mitigation, response and rehabilitation. Unlike other departmental coordinating bodies, the NDCC does not have its own regular budget. It operates through the member-agencies and its local networks, which are the regional and local disaster coordinating councils. The members of the Council are:

• Secretary of National Defense (Chairman)
• Secretary of Public Works and Highways
• Secretary of Transportation and Communications
• Secretary of Science and Technology
• Secretary of Social Welfare and Development
• Secretary of Agriculture
• Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports
• Secretary of Finance
• Secretary of Labor and Employment
• Secretary of Trade and Industry
• Secretary of Interior and Local Government
• Secretary of Health
• Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources
• Secretary of Tourism
• Secretary of Budget and Management
• Secretary of Justice
• Director, Philippine Information Agency
• Secretary-General, Philippine National Red Cross
• National Housing Authority
• Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines
• Director-General, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA)
• Presidential Executive Secretary, and
• Administrator, Office of Civil Defense (Member and Executive Officer).

At the national level, the NDCC advises the President on efforts in disaster management undertaken by the government and the private sector, thereby serving as the highest policy-making body on disaster management. The OCD serves as its operating arm, supporting discharge of its functions. The NDCC is replicated at the regional and local levels, and these bodies function substantially like the NDCC, operating and utilizing resources at their respective levels.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)

PHIVOLCS issues advisories on earthquakes, volcanic activities and tsunamis to concerned agencies and the general public. It identifies appropriate evacuation sites in coordination with concerned agencies as well as organizes Disaster Control Group and Reaction Teams in the commission proper and in its field stations.

Documentaries about the Philippines

Here are two short documentaries about the Philippines.

Making maps to fight disaster!

As of 2005, only 15 percent of the world was mapped. This slows the delivery of aid after a disaster — and hides the economic potential of unused lands and unknown roads. In this short talk, Google’s Lalitesh Katragadda demos Map Maker, a group map-making tool that people around the globe are using to map their world.

Potential Clients ?!?

I already wrote in older blog entries that the idea of our Corporate Service Corps assignment is to align our task with disaster management and the typhoon disaster recovery efforts.

Today we got informed that our team could have the following clients in Manila, Philippines:

• Philippine Institute of Vulcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs)
• National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC)
• University of the Philippines – Disaster Preparedness and Management Council

Now I am even more excited and can’t hardly wait to receive the final statement of work. Stay tuned !!!

The Last Lecture

Maybe this blog entry is too serious to be the first in 2010, but I think it is worth its price.

Have you ever thought about what you want to talk in your last lecture? Stop! I am not talking about the kind of last lecture you normally give when you leave your company, retire or move to a new place. I am talking about the kind of last lecture you give before you die.

Randy Pausch was a charismatic young college professor at Carnegie Mellon University of computer science and human-computer.  He learned that he had a terminal case of pancreatic cancer and died in July 2008. Before he died he gave a remarkable lecture entitled “The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”. In his last lecture he talked about his childhood dreams, how to enable the dreams of others and his lessons learned, which is his advice how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others.

Again, if you had one last lecture to give before you die, what would it be?

You can find more information about Randy Pausch and his last lecture via the following links:

• The Last Lecture | Randy Pausch
• Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture
• Randy Pausch’s Homepage