Newsletter

Newsletter March 2013

Dear all,

There is a lot of discussion on the future of international collaboration, or in other words “official development assistance” (ODA). What is it to be? How much money is it worth? Has it achieved anything at all? The discussion is complex because it touches on many different things at the same time. In HealthNet TPO we welcome the debate because a rational, critical attitude seems more honest and transparent to us than the traditional mixture of charity and guilt.

We therefore support the transition “from charity to solidarity”, which is campaigned for by Medico – see their report here. Another issue is the correct difference still made between “emergency relief” and “development aid”. While development aid is understood to be full of ideology and poor outcomes, emergency aid is usually valued as a “Humanitarian Intervention” and therefore intrinsically good. HealthNet TPO is right in the middle of this debate.

Our “raison d’être” is in bridging relief work to development. Times are changing, and we need to explain how this works – and how a good transition from one to the other addresses many of the weak points in ODA. We are presently reviewing the way in which we should present this to the outer world. There is a lot to be done, and in order to be able to keep doing it, we need to bring our stories across in a better way! So you will hear from us soon about this.

Please enjoy the overview of some of our current activities, and stay in touch!

Willem van de Put and Hans Grootendorst,
Directors HealthNet TPO

Newsletter January 2013

Dear all,

The year 2012 is coming to an end already. While the cliché says that time seems to fly, this does not hold true for those of us that seem to be stuck in endless cycles of poverty where much wanted change is difficult to achieve. When looking at the situation of the poorest groups in Cambodia this certainly seems to be so. In the north-western part of the country we are helping local NGOs in their search for more effective interventions to stop violence. The level of violence against women, children and other vulnerable groups such as the mentally and physically handicapped is stunning. Violence is not limited to husbands who are desperate because they cannot find ways to make an income and support their families, start drinking and beat up their wives. Daily violence is also in structures that dominate society. Where conflict has destroyed those parts of local culture and tradition that protect the vulnerable, people suffer the consequences of greed in the new type of economic wilderness that often comes with rebuilding society.

In this newsletter you’ll find some examples of how we try to mitigate these effects. Building mutual trust is a condition for rebuilding a safe society, which is what needs to be done in Burundi and Sudan. In Asia, HealthNet TPO works together with e number of first class research institutes to come to the most effective way of extending mental health services. These activities in the field are supported by a board that is strengthened with the entry of a new treasurer, Jaap Gelderloos. We hope you will enjoy the update!

Best wishes,
Willem

Newsletter September/October 2012

Dear colleagues and friends,

Times are challenging! And it all depends on the perspective you choose: from a European angle, the future of funds for international assistance is uncertain. From an Eastern perspective the balance of power is shifting and relationships need to be redefined. Chinese presence in Africa leads to many speculations about the future, and just as interesting, the Organisation of Islamic States has brokered a presence in Myanmar to help out with the crisis in Rakhine State. And HealthNet TPO is asked to work with Save the Children on programmes for the Islamic Rohengya population, who suffer from ethnic violence on top of natural disaster.

We are also moving forward in successful partnering! In programmatic terms we have taken the first threshold and are invited to develop a full proposal with Achmea and Wageningen UR for a combination of improved agricultural practices, improved access to health care, increased income and accessible insurance schemes. We have also entered interesting partnerships with Presenter and Expand Online, who will help us present ourselves in the modern media!

Enough to be updated on....enjoy!

Best wishes,
Willem

Newsletter June 2012

Dear friends,

Many things are happening in the world of international development; budgets are shrinking and there is an overall negative trend in public discussions about the effects of aid. HealthNet TPO is organized around the core value of solidarity, with an open mind for the positive and negative effects of ongoing globalization. The ‘bottom billion’ - people who have live on less than a dollar a day - is slipping further away from the global focus on economic growth in the world. This means that the use of 0,7% of GNP is deemed by some too much to use to fight the starvation of 15% of the world population! In this newsletter you will find some updates on how we try to contribute to a more equal distribution of capabilities in the world, and how we aim to strengthen our own organization to achieve this. Enjoy!

Willem van de Put

Newsletter March 2012

Dear friends and colleagues,

We are happy to send you this latest newsletter. The trimester has been hectic as usual, with a special treat last week when we convened in Zandvoort, Holland, for a conference that brought together key staff from the field and HQ, and partner organizations from Cambodia, DR Congo, Nepal and Uganda. We discussed options for the future in light of difficult times for international collaboration. We agreed that a strong bond between the different country offices and partner agencies can produce benefit for all. Our pool of experience keeps growing, and in this conference we studied new ways of keeping in touch and develop our thoughts and interventions further. More will be reported about the conference soon!

Best wishes,
Willem

Newsletter December 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

The end of the year is near, and as usual it is a busy time. The DCR knowledge network is beginning to take shape, and we are convinced that it will help us keep track of each others initiatives and ideas. It is important to be in touch, given that we have a continuum of experience from countries that are in different phases of the reconstruction of health systems. We need to apply lessons learned, for example in South Sudan, where many of the same mechanisms are now being put in place that have already been tested extensively in Afghanistan. We also need to widen our portfolio, and we are busy testing opportunities in new countries and extending in countries where we already are present. We have not succeeded yet in getting sizeable projects in Pakistan off the ground, but we will keep working on this. On top of this, we will be moving office in January in Amsterdam. In the new, more spacious office, we look forward to see colleagues from the field pass by! I wish you all happy holidays, and look forward to seeing you.

Best wishes,

Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter September 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

Last week the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases was on the agenda of the General Assembly High-level Meeting of the United Nations in New York. This meeting marked a very important point in our work, in different ways. Recent figures point out that the four main non communicable diseases (NCDs) - cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes – not only kill three in five people worldwide, but also that 80% of related deaths occur in the developing world – and this rate keeps growing. They are also responsible for socioeconomic stagnation that keeps endangering the world. It is necessary to focus on these new challenges – while at the same time nobody can afford to do this at the cost of attention for the ‘traditional’ communicable killers diseases: Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV/Aids. Difficult as this shall be, there is another problem related to this. The fifth non-communicable disease that should have been addressed here is mental health. Unfortunately the international lobby for mental health, in which we play an active part, has not resulted in the inclusion of this important gap. That leaves us with a double challenge in the field of mental health: we shall continue to develop sustainable models for service delivery and we shall look for connections (important in terms of funding) with the other NCD’s. And at the same time, we need to scale up our advocacy activities to help keep mental health on the agenda.

Best wishes,

Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter June 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

The word crisis is heard everywhere, and budget cuts for international collaboration are almost a non-issue amidst outcries over cuts in health, social security and education budgets in the high-income countries. This raises the stakes: what shall we do to convince policy makers that building and maintaining effective health services in Afghanistan and Sudan cannot be done for $5 per capita per year (set as ceiling by institutional donors)? This is the environment in which we try to establish some local ownership of health services. The fact that the health insurance scheme in Cambodia is continuing to grow is very good news – and even more impressive when seen against this background. In South Sudan we are dealing with the problematic side of growth – but the programmes are getting on track. In Afghanistan a series of new project proposals is delivered on the request of the donors. And in Holland, we keep building up networks for support. I hope you will find the issues in this newsletter of interest!

Best wishes,

Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter March 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

Japan and Libya are in the spotlights. Natural and man-made disaster seems closer than ever. The nuclear threat overshadows the fact that people in prosperous Japan were better protected against the violence of the tsunami than the fishermen in Sri Lanka in 2005. Organization, information and solidarity are the conditions for a response to both waves and radiation. These are also necessary conditions for protection against the rage of a dictator. In the HealthNet TPO projects we make an attempt to provide these elements. The present newsletter shares some examples of this. I hope you are all doing well and that you stay safe in your admirable efforts.

Best wishes,
Willem van de Put, general director