A worthwhile trip

I am in Durban, South Africa to write a report on how research can help make NGOs more effective for International IDEA. The NGO I chose to examine is the Westcliff Flats Residents Association (WCFA) in Chatsworth, a poor suburb of Durban. The head of the organization, Orlean Naidoo, is an amazing woman and is also not real keen on outsiders mucking around her organization (there is a big problem in South Africa with outsiders using social movements to advance their own agendas). For this reason, I worked really hard to get Orlean’s trust – but was never quite sure I had earned it. Needless to say I was more than a little nervous when I gave my final presentation. Not only did she like it, but she agreed to be one of the co-authors of the report and we have already begun work on some of the report’s recommendations (engage youth to keep them off drugs). This is one of the best compliments I have received in a long time. This was a worthwhile trip.