I’ve been out of commission for a few days, doing some exciting things, some boring things, and a lot of driving. On Tuesday, Tori Hogan of Beyond Good Intentions premiered her film series at Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She showed three short videos, just to give us a taste of what’s to come, and they were so well-made and powerful, I was completely inspired. Tori launched BGI in order to answer the question ‘What works in international aid?’ She challenged herself, and is now challenging the world, to go beyond good intentions and find real solutions to global problems.
I found the BGI website a few months ago, and was instantly drawn to the organization, especially since Tori’s is a question I’ve been asking, myself, for years. I’ll be following up on some of the stories Tori collected from Madagascar when I return to the Red Island in September. Here is their website, please check it out and join the discussion!
In Madagascar news, the UN has asked for $35.7 million for humanitarian aid, a Cyclone Jade has killed 9, affected 40,000,and wiped out the east coast yet again (though CARE International was putting together a disaster relief plan last year, I recall…). This cyclone couldn’t have come at a worse time:
The National Office for the Management of Risks and Catastrophes said the heavy rains left in its 
wake threaten serious flooding, which would further damage homes and contaminate drinking water with salt water.
Sondra left Madagascar last week, and is now in Senegal, contemplating her trip to Guinea. I just got this interesting news item this morning on Reliefweb, though, which doesn’t bode well for her journey:
ADDIS ABABA, April 10, 2009 (AFP) -The Inter-Parliamentary Union on Friday suspended Madagascar and Guinea after coups in the two African nations, its secretary general Anders Johnsson announced Friday. “IPU has suspended this morning the membership of Madagascar and Guinea because they have no parliament anymore. Because there have been coups in these countries, they have decided to suspend their parliament, and we cannot accept that,” Johnsson told a press briefing.
Ravalomanana still pledges to return to power in Madagascar, from various locations throughout mainland Africa, the latest of which is Addis Ababa. He’s meeting with officials of the AU as well as Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, and is planning on going ahead to meet with Khadafi early next week. I have absolutely no idea what shape this is going to take. Especially since I’ve heard reports that Tiko, R8′s company, has been closed down and 3,500 people have been let go. You can read more about the closing, and Tiko’s history, at TGoose’s blog, which is one of many blogs about the political crisis. I’m going to start having to write about other things 
