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Bukit Lawang Charitable Trust Web: www.bukitlawangtrust.org Association of Jersey Charities No. 271
Re: Review of Jersey Overseas Aid
On behalf of the Bukit Lawang Charitable Trust, I am writing regarding the upgrading of the islands Overseas Aid budget in line with GNI.
I established the Bukit Lawang Trust and we have been given a £ for £ grant from JOA to supply educational materials to a small village on the remote island of Nias off West Sumatra, Indonesia, supplying them with much needed exercise books, pens, pencils, school bags and text books. We are also undertaking our first partnership project with JOA in March 2007 with 16 volunteers traveling to Bukit Lawang, North Sumatra to build a health clinic for a village which was devastated by a flood in 2003.
A The States' policy for upgrading the Island's Overseas Aid budget in line with GNI
We think that the States should adopt a policy to upgrade the Islands Overseas Aid budget in line with the Gross National Income. Jersey is a wealthy island with a strong economy and we feel it is our responsibility to give a small proportion of that to help those areas of the world that are not so fortunate as ourselves.
B The JOAC's policies and procedures for the distribution of its grant aid budget
We think the current policy works very well and we particularly agree with the policy not to give aid to governments. In relation to Indonesia we have seen first hand the difficulty in areas affected by natural disasters that there is in distributing aid. The government agencies (and also large charities / NGOs) have to put in place a network of people on the ground. They employ "consultants" and much money is siphoned off and wasted. That is not to say good work is not done but in terms of "value for money" small direct aid projects such as those run by Jersey Overseas Aid and their partnership projects are very effective because the money goes directly to the source of the problem and is not wasted along the way. The people (both local and visitor volunteers) see for themselves the good it can do and it brings together people from different cultures, so it is a life enriching and rewarding experience for all involved on both sides. We agree with the JOA's policy of assisting those in need of health care and education and that helping these communities to help themselves is the best route out of poverty. I also think that the JOA partnership projects with small charities and Trusts such as our own are very effective as they use people with good local knowledge and trustworthy contacts in the area which can ensure the project is carried out as efficiently as possible and will also continue to assess the project as they will return to visit and oversee the project in the future. This is an effective way of ensuring the projects are successful in the long term.
C The methods for measuring the effective utilisation of the JOAC's aid budget by recipient
There appear to be good measures to assess the success of projects that ensure transparency and accountability. It is probably quite difficult to have a uniform assessment form, as each project is unique. There must be an assessment of the projects in terms of their continuing progress in meeting of aims and objectives. Of course there will be situations where, for example, a clinic may be built and then through factors such as civil war or natural disaster they are unable to continue in their intended capacity, but as far as possible the project must try to fulfill the intended criteria. Comprehensive reports and assessments with photographic and/or video evidence where possible are also good ways to record the projects and share and learn from the outcomes.
D The Island's Overseas Aid contributions in comparison with other jurisdiction
Jersey is a rich jurisdiction and we feel we should reach the target of 0.7% sooner rather than later. Providing measurements are put in place to ensure funds are controlled properly and still spent efficiently there should be a long term plan to implement the increase as soon as is feasible. While aid can be seen as a band-aid plaster on a much larger problem to do with government policies and world politics, it is the best we can do, should do and must do.
Personally it is my opinion that every human being has the right to food, clean water, shelter and basic health care and education, particularly in this century where this is very possible. I consider myself lucky to have been born into a wealthy society where I take these things for granted, so I believe we should try to help other people who have not been so lucky through no fault of their own.
Thank you. Yours faithfully
Rebecca Coley