Success Story Format

Elements:

1. Explain the problem. Assume that the reader has no knowledge at all of the country, its history and customs, or the foreign aid process.

2. Show that there is a solution. Explain exactly what your intervention was, and the source and amount of funding. Whenever possible, show the contribution and participation of local beneficiaries as well as of other donors - it's important for people to see teamwork.

3. List the results. Show impact as broadly as possible. It's best if you can show what we can learn from this, or how it can be replicated.

Categories:

1. Basic Education
2. Health Care
3. Job and Business Skills
4. Reducing Hunger
5. Women and Girls
6. Refugee and Disaster Response
7. Peace and Democracy

Level 1: Community Level

Example A: There was no drought in the farming village of Zedeka, Ethiopia, but the children were dying of hunger-related diseases. The problem was that all they ever ate was a starchy plant called the "false banana", which has very little nutritional value. Most of their parents did not know how to grow other crops, and did not have the money to buy food from the market. With $20,000 in funding from USAID and another $50,000 from other donor governments, Action International provided seeds and tools, and brought other local farmers to show the villagers how to plant tomatoes, onions and carrots. They started a community seed farm and metalworking shop, so that villagers would not remain dependent on donated seeds and tools. One year later, Zedeka's children are healthy, and some of the parents are growing enough extra vegetables to sell at market, so they can afford to buy new seeds and fertilizer.

Example B: People once described Inbada, Indonesia as a "flashpoint" and "hotbed" because tensions were so high between two different ethnic groups that anything could set off fighting. Each group blamed the other for all its problems: unemployment, poor soil, and lack of decent housing. In talking with local residents, Global Relief found that despite the tension, women of both ethnic groups worked next to each other selling crafts at the local market. One woman, Sita Rangada, suggested that the women could join together to form a cooperative, where they could purchase materials collectively and work together to build a marketing strategy to sell their crafts overseas. With $100,000 from U.S. and British aid agencies, Global Relief purchased computers for internet sales, taught the women accounting skills, and helped them produce an advertising brochure. Three years later, Inbada is a different place. No one worries about violence flaring up because people realize how much they have to gain by working together. The women's cooperative has earned enough money to build a school and a health clinic, and one of their weavings now hangs at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC.

Level 2: Country Level

Example A: Zafrania once had one of the highest rates of population growth in the world. Mothers often had as many as 10-15 children, because it was considered good luck to have large families. Families International began in 1987 by distributing condoms and providing oral contraceptives to local health clinics. But after a few years, not much progress had been made, and they started asking why. It turned out that talking about sex was taboo, and people associated contraceptives with cheating on their spouses. Wives were afraid to ask their husbands to wear condoms, and men were ashamed to buy them. So Families International began working with the Zafranian government to develop public service announcements on radio and TV. The President himself appeared in the ads. Once people saw that it was OK to talk about sex with their spouses, couples began coming to the clinics for help. In just two years, the percentage of couples using family planning went from about 14 percent to about 59 percent, and the birthrate declined from 35 per thousand to 27 per thousand. Zafrania has demonstrated that success in reducing population growth rates depends not just on access to contraceptives, but on attitudes and communication.

Example B: When the U.S. started bombing Bambria, hundreds of thousands of refugees fled to neighboring Caldonia. No one was sure how all those who fled would be housed and fed, or how long it would be before they could return to their homes. To deal with the crisis, the International Relief Service set up 15,000 heavy-duty tents with portable toilets. They partnered with Education Associates to provide schooling for children in the camps, and Microlending Incorporated to teach carpentry and tailoring skills to young adults. With this assistance, refugees not only weathered a cruel winter, but prepared themselves for greater self-sufficiency upon their return. After the war was over, the refugees were strong enough to make the long trek back to their villages, and were excited about the new skills they had learned. Because of the aid they received in the refugee camps, they were able to make a much swifter transition to peace and prosperity back home.

Level 3: Transnational Level

Example A: Dyslaria used to be the leading cause of death and disability in Africa. There was no known cure, and victims would suffer painful symptoms leading from boils to blindness. After it was discovered that the cause was unclean water, Partners of Mercy started up an international campaign to teach people to boil water before drinking it. In 30 countries around Africa, Partners used a $20 million grant from the World Health Organization to hire local trainers who went from village to village explaining how to prevent dyslaria and distributing simple water distillers. Twenty years later, dyslaria is almost unheard of and other waterborne illnesses have declined by nearly 40 percent.

Example B: In most countries in the world, primary education is not free. Parents are required to pay for school books, uniforms, and transportation, which is beyond their means. If they can send only one child to school, they send their sons rather than their daughters. As a result, illiteracy among women is more than 3 times the rate among men. Moreover, women who are illiterate are likely to give birth to more children than women who have had a primary school education. With support from multiple donors, the International Council for Women and Girls, together with the Education for All Foundation, has developed a program to help local governments provide free books and school buses so that all children can attend school. In the 14 countries where the program is active, the number of girls in school has risen by 2.7 million. If past patterns are repeated, this is expected to translate ten years from now into a 20 percent reduction in birthrates and a 35 percent rise in literacy.

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