A home away from home

The first week in Bogota I lived in a hotel room which I turned into a small office because at SENA most of my colleagues were not present yet. I purchased a small printer/scanner/copier (all in one) and it is amazing what one can nowadays do with the technology between computer, iPhone and its accesoires. I really regularly feel a technology dinosaur... but eventually this old dog learns the new tricks. Persistence and perseverance...

Yesterday I moved into my little bachelor apartment and this feels much more a home away from home. The home-office is now more spacious and I love the neighbourhood I ended up in.

This view is from my mini-balcony. This coming weekend I will take a few photos from the neighbourhood, because this photo does not really show too much.

I can now cook my meals (in order not to spend a fortune in all those very appealing restaurants in "Zona G" (remember: "Zona Gourmet", the restaurant area near all the banking offices....).

We (the Ottawa ACCC team and I) are working this week on what is called the PIP, Project Implementation Plan. The purpose for CIDA (the Canadian International Development Agency who funds these kind of international development projects with Canadian tax payer's money) is to have base-line data and clearly described intended outputs and outcomes at the end of the project. Based on this PIP the colleagues from CIDA will at the end of the five year period (and sometimes also during the implementation phase of the project) monitor and evaluate the results of the project. This all forms part of the objectives to be transparent and accountable.

The PIP is therefore very important. It will be nice to have it completed by the end of this week. Next week I will then sit down with my colleagues of SENA to review this work (which we cooperated on together already in November, August and June 2012). My next task is then to get the balls rolling for the work-plan 2013-2014 which goes from April 2013 to March 2014. This work-plan forms part of the PIP and links to its intended outcomes.

Colombia has a population of almost 47 million (2011 statistic). The country has medium level economic indications with a strong growth potential. Unfortunately there is still too much inequality and poverty: an estimated 15 % of Colombians do not have enough daily nutrition and almost 25 % live below the poverty level (more so in rural areas than in urban areas). The Human Development Index for Colombia is 0,71 which is lower than the Latin American & Caribean average of 0,73 and it puts the country at # 88 of 187 countries with an HDI. Inequality measured with the GINI coefficient puts Colombia at the 2nd highest inequality level in the LA & Caribean region (higher than for example Haiti) and the 7th highest inequality in the world (for countries where a GINI coefficient can be made). One of the main neglected issues of the past was land ownership which played an important factor in the start of rural guerilla movements such as the FARC about fifty years ago.

The Colombian government over the past decade has worked hard to address the root issues of the political and internal conflicts. At this moment the government and the FARC are having peace talks in Cuba and most people seem to be optimistic and positive. It is time for real social change especially in a time where there is more interest than ever from foreign investment (Canadian companies count for example for 50 % of the investments in mining exploration at the moment).

One word that is used a lot at the moment in Colombia is innovation: technical innovation and also social innovation. Environmental and social sustainability for the country are now priorities and our project "Education for Employment" responds to this movement. In my next blog entries I will give you more details on how we hope to contribute to more and better opportunities for people living in some of the most isolated rural areas and who make their living on gold mining and small scale agriculture. If these people do not buy in on sustainable practices, it will be a huge challenge for the Colombians to reach their current ambitious targets.

More in the weekend.