Why I find it hard to use the term “development partners”
These days in meeting rooms in Nay Pyi Daw and Yangon, the language of “development partners” is everywhere, as opposed to less...
Aid dependency is not just about donors
Kyawt Kay Thi Win argues that the Myanmar government and local organisations have a responsibility to stop Myanmar from becoming aid...
Stopping the 'Brain Drain' from government
Banyar Aung argues that capping the wages of local staff in aid agencies is not the solution. From my point of view, for donors and...
Myanmar is in danger of being aid dependent.
Salai Maung John argues that the way international NGOs work with local groups, and especially the model of competition, may contribute...
Do you want to work for PK Forum?
The PK Forum is looking for an editor and writer to join our team part time to work on our Burmese language content. It is a very...
Struggles for local organizations’ self-reliance
Drawing on recent research in Myanmar, Dave McClintock argues that self-reliance can be a healthy focus, but local groups should not be...
Is Myanmar in danger of being aid dependent?
There is common concern that if countries receive large amounts of international aid it can actually undermine, rather than help,...
When communities challenge our assumptions about vulnerability
An elderly village man in the Delta was asked ‘what types of people would be more vulnerable when a disaster strikes?’ Surprisingly he...
“Workshops, workshops, workshop…”: what other options are there?
Joanne Lauterjung Kelly explores alternatives to the “capacity building” obsession with workshops. Nearly every colleague I talk to, both...
"Nothing about us without us”:
Tamas Wells asks whether this the moment donors need to go beyond civil society consultation? I had started working for an NGO health...