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In
Acord
Newsletter
Issue 2: June 2001 Article 1: Editorial From the pages that follow I think you gain an interesting, and remarkably accurate, perspective of what the staff of ACORD are doing and of some of the challenges that they are dealing with. The update from each of the regions and from the Funding Dept illustrates the on-going work of managing and gaining resources for our existing commitments. The research from Rwanda and Somalia give an idea of how some of our programming ideas have emerged and how they are being developed. The descriptions of the transitions to Area Programming (under Programme News) give an idea of the sorts of integrated programmes that we are seeking to build during the next 18 months. Meanwhile there are debates about what our work should be: do we need to re-examine our analysis of the causes of HIV and AIDS? How should our oft-repeated commitment to build the capacity of the local organisations translate into practice? How should our work at the local level inform complementary work at national and international levels? One of the ways that has proved very effective in understanding the dynamics affecting the particular circumstances in which we work has been a tool that helps our staff and those we work with to examine social exclusion. A summary of the model is provided. All these important areas of learning can help us increase the effectiveness of our work and grow both as an organisation and as individuals. When this all starts to feel too much, it is useful to be reminded both of the desperate plight of so many (like the children we researched in Rwanda or the results of the oral testimonies from Somalia) and of the fact that our programmes can bring about real changes (like those described in Mozambique, Angola and Tanzania) to the socially excluded on the margins of their societies. In summary, therefore, I hope that you will be as fascinated as I was by the view presented by this newsletter of an organisation's work-in-progress. Dave Waller
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