Archive for 9 November 2009
Contingency Planning for Crises Unimagined (Part 1)
By Mohammed Al-Shawaf, KF9 Palestine
Before proceeding, let me first state that this is not a political blog. I neither have the expertise nor desire to engage in the complex web of conflict–latent or otherwise–that surrounds the major events of the last decade in Palestine. I will attempt to reference and explain only the events that help me tell the story of the resiliency of the Palestinian microfinance sector and in particular, of Ryada. I implore those interested in learning more to do just that. Although it requires a bit of fiddling around, the Google News Timeline is a fine tool that allows you to view major news headlines filtered by keywords and timeframes.
When I was 3, Hurricane Hugo wreaked havoc throughout the Southeast region, enveloping my hometown of Charlotte, NC in its wake. I can even recall a picture of myself standing next to the shriveled stump of what was once a broad, formidable tree that overlooked my grandma’s house.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about contingency planning. I can’t remember what my family did in anticipation of that storm, but I’m sure it was something. For homes chronically threatened by hurricane season, preparatory measures are often taken: supply kits are filled, windows are reinforced and sandbags are at the ready. But what would happen if these homes were just as likely to succumb to blazing fires as they were to hurricane flooding? What if it instead of a natural disaster, a plague swept through the region? What about a war?
Welcome to Palestinian microfinance where contingency plans are made for crises unimagined.
US Embassy Alerts a.k.a. Things to Worry About
By Meg Gray, KF9 Nicaragua
It rained all weekend in Managua. It rained because of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Ida, which hit Nicaragua’s Atlantic coast on Thursday. You may have heard about Ida because your saw it on the news or read about it in the paper. Or maybe, like me, you learned about it via an alert from the US Embassy in Nicaragua. In my mind, Embassy Alerts are code for “things to start worrying about if you aren’t already.” Written in a calm, informative tone, the alerts are as alarming as they are pertinent. In my five weeks in Nicaragua, I have received alerts on three topics:
1. Tropical Storm (soon-to-be Hurricane) Ida
2. Mobs Attacking the US Embassy
3. Dengue Fever Outbreak
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