Category #1

Leadership and Management Training with Central Banks

21st September 2017 By Megan Jones

Mind the Gap is running a Managerial Skills seminar in Malta in October for ESCB coordinators (European System of Central Banks) working with the Single Supervisory Mechanism. It is hard to think of a more complex set of leadership and management challenges than this cross-national, cross-functional initiative. ESCB and SSM managers have been developing innovative approaches to leadership through times of significant change, and we look forward very much to working with you again.

UPDATE: Brexit and the changing focus of Mind the Gap’s work has meant that our 9-year collaboration with the ECB and ESCB in various training programmes is at an end, at least for now. We wish our colleagues in the European banking system well, as they continue to respond to events after the financial crisis and address another crisis – COVID-19. Best wishes all!

Reflections on a recent meeting with the Somali Ecological Society

13th September 2017 By Megan Jones

Scott Jones was recently invited to present aspects of his work with African forestry and environmental restoration to the Somali Ecological Society in London. This successful day re-connected a number of people who developed the SES. It has led to a reinvigoration of the Society’s efforts to restore degraded lands and develop practical ecological science in the Horn of Africa. It also enabled Scott to reconnect with Des Mahoney, a former university colleague and forester in Somalia. Thanks to all and very best wishes in your endeavours.

Education for disadvantaged girls in Somali conflict zones

1st September 2017 By admin

Thank you very much to all of you who donated so generously to our “60 for 6” project. The money you contributed totalled £1,300 ($1,815.00) and was sent to the Galkayo Education Centre for Peace and Development (GECPD), split equally between them and Hanaqaad in Las Anod, Sool Region.

A small amount goes a long way in such tough situations. From GECPD, Madam Hawa has written: “This is to confirm with much appreciation that we have received the money amounting to US$ 1,815.19 … credited to our account on 5th May 2016. Once again receive our most sincere gratitude for the support to our girls education program… which will help bring change in the lives of some of the many minority, pastoral nomadic and displaced family girls in need of support to access education. We hope and pray that your initiative will continue to attract support from well-wishers who share your vision and our vision for a world with empowered women and girls.”

We have also received a report from Madam Halima and Mohamed at Hanaqaad, who write “Words are not adequate enough to express how joyful we are. The Bursary Distribution has reached its target girl students in Hanaqaad Primary School without any deviation. A total number of 30 of girls have benefited from the bursary.”

We ran the fundraiser until early 2017 and sent a further £440 to GECPD and Hanaqaad for their superb work.

Planning for food security in Mali

19th February 2017 By Megan Jones

Mind the Gap is looking very much forward to working with GCOZA (le Groupe de Coordination des Zones Arides) in Mali this week, and to considering GCOZA’s plans for the next few years as they continue with their important work addressing food security and drylands agriculture in Mali.

GCOZA is a partner organisation of the Drylands Coordination Group, whose goal is “to contribute to improved food security for vulnerable households and communities in the drylands of Africa.”

MtG has worked with DCG previously in Ethiopia (see our blog article about that project) and we’re excited to have the chance now to work with GCOZA and their partners in Mali.

UPDATE: DCG has now been assimilated into another Norwegian NGO – the Development Fund, Utviklingsfondet.

Photo credit: United Nations

Newly Published Article – A “How-To” on Increasing Equity in Protected Areas

6th December 2016 By Megan Jones

The IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy and have just published Issue 20 of their publication “Policy Matters” to which Mind the Gap has contributed (Chapter 5, ‘Draft Principles for Justice and Equity in Access to and Distribution of Benefits from 41 Ecosystem Services in Protected Areas’ by Nigel Dudley, Catie Burlando, Rosie Cooney, Scott Jones and Trisha Kehaulani Watson). This paper explores nine draft principles for supporting just outcomes and increasing equity of access, sharing and distribution of benefits from protected areas. Other articles in this Issue concern conflict resolution, community, youth, gender, indigenous policies and approaches to conservation, the use of theatre and art, and local/state approaches to conservation in Tanzania, Kenya, China, Hawaii, Costa Rica, the Philippines, and Melanesia. Do have a look!