I remember sitting in a humid warehouse outside Goma, staring at a stack of empty crates while a donor representative in Geneva talked about “streamlining …
Whether Conditions Improve Outcomes
Security Management for Field Teams
I’ve spent enough time in dusty Land Cruisers to know that most high-level briefings on how aid workers are protected are nothing more than expensive …
Giving Money Directly and What Happens
I spent a decade in the back of Land Cruisers across South Sudan and the DRC, watching people celebrate “innovative digital solutions” while the actual …
Reading a Sitrep Critically
I remember sitting in a humid office in Goma, staring at a glossy document that claimed a multi-million dollar emergency response was “underway.” The paper …
What Satellite Images Can and Cannot Prove
I spent a decade watching NGOs pour millions into high-resolution data suites, convinced that seeing a pixelated village from space was the same as helping …
What Enforcing a No Fly Zone Means
I remember sitting in a humid, corrugated metal office in Goma, staring at a satellite feed that promised “security” while the radio crackled with reports …
The Promise and Limits of a Corridor
I remember sitting in a humid, makeshift office in Goma, staring at a map that looked more like a work of fiction than a logistics …
Subsidies in One Country, Prices in Another
I remember sitting in a dusty warehouse outside Lilongwe, staring at a mountain of imported maize that had just arrived at a price lower than …
Geolocating a Video Frame
I spent nine years watching people in the NGO sector pour millions into “awareness campaigns” that looked beautiful on a screen but never actually moved …
Checking Where a Photograph Came From
I remember sitting in a humid, makeshift office in Goma, staring at a printed photo of a collapsed bridge that was supposed to be our …