CIDA and CSR

I don't know enough about this topic to comment adequately. But I know that CIDA's new corporate social responsibility strategy - funding corporations' CSR programs - is controversial, particularly when CIDA is cutting funding to NGOs.

CBC's The Current does a much better job at looking at the debate. Today's program devotes a half hour to this topic. You can listen to it on their Past Episodes page.  

What's it like doing humanitarian assistance in conflict affected contexts?

CBC's "The Current" had a half-hour documentary today looking at the experiences of three aid workers with Médicins Sans Frontières (MSF or Doctors Without Borders). You can listen to the podcast version here. Or go to the Current`s website to see past episodes.

On Voluntourism

The CBC radio program Q had Daniella Papi on today talking about Voluntourism and the way she is trying to change the industry. Arguing that young privileged people need to see the world to become better people - "they need to get angry and change the world". But they should do this after they learn and when they leave. Her company does voluntourism with the aim to educate about development and address a lot of the ills that voluntourism presents.

I'm not sold on the gap year program, and she lost me on voting for orphanages - but if voluntourism is going to happen anyways she may be heading down a good path.